Publication Ethics Guidelines and Statement on Malpractice

All individuals involved in the editorial process — including authors, editors, and reviewers — must adhere to ethical standards that reflect a commitment to the integrity of scientific production and the core principles of the academic community.

To safeguard the rights and responsibilities of reviewers, authors, and participating institutions, the evaluation of manuscripts submitted to the journal is guided by the following principles: a) neutrality; b) impartiality; c) transparency; and d) confidentiality.

These principles aim to strengthen the commitment to scientific ethics and ensure the credibility of the published content, maintaining the journal as a reliable and rigorous forum for academic debate.

In this context, based on the guidelines outlined in the Report of the Research Integrity Committee of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the COPE's Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, and Elsevier’s recommendations, Sudamerica: International Journal of Human Rights establishes the following ethical standards for its editorial activities:

 

Authors
Authors must present their research clearly, transparently, and objectively, providing an accurate description of the methods and appropriate bibliographic references to allow replication by other scholars if necessary. Fraudulent or manipulated results, as well as significant omissions, are unacceptable. Reviews should be up-to-date, reflecting the latest developments in the field. Originality is essential: plagiarism in any form or the simultaneous submission of the same work to multiple journals is prohibited. The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version. If the manuscript has been previously shared on pre-print servers, this must be disclosed to the editors; however, this does not prevent submission to the journal, provided the version is unpublished in editorial terms.

 

Editors
Editors are responsible for evaluating manuscripts based on their scientific relevance and contribution to the field, without making improper use of unpublished information. All submissions will undergo plagiarism detection and a preliminary desk review. If signs of misconduct are detected — such as data manipulation or deliberate inaccuracies — an investigation will be initiated, and the authors will be asked to provide clarification within seven days. Reports of misconduct will be reviewed by the editorial board, which will decide whether to continue or retract the publication. If retraction is necessary, a public statement will be issued in the next edition.

 

Reviewers
Reviewers must handle all manuscripts confidentially and discreetly. It is prohibited to use any content or information obtained during the review process for personal purposes. Any conflict of interest must be reported immediately to the editor. Reviews should be objective and well-founded to contribute to the improvement of the manuscript. If a reviewer feels unqualified to evaluate a particular topic, they must promptly inform the editorial team to ensure an impartial and qualified review.

 

Conflict of Interest
In line with best editorial practices, Sudamerica Journal requests that reviewers, upon receiving a manuscript, verify whether any circumstances might constitute a conflict of interest. If so, the reviewer should decline to review the manuscript and inform the editorial board.

Situations that may represent a conflict of interest include:
a) collaborating with the author in the preparation of the manuscript or in related research activities (e.g., belonging to the same research group);
b) current or past relationships as supervisor or co-supervisor of the author(s);
c) personal, institutional, or commercial interest in the publication of the manuscript;
d) family or affective ties with any of the authors;
e) any other situation that could compromise the impartiality of the review.