Publication Ethics

INGE CUC is committed to the highest editorial and scholarly ethics. This policy guides editors, board members, authors, and peer reviewers at every stage of the editorial and post-publication process.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for policy compliance. The Editor prevents malpractice and ensures decisions are based on academic merit, objectivity, and transparency. For complex cases, the Editor may consult the Editorial Committee or institutional authorities.

Principles and Reference Framework

The journal follows internationally recognized standards of publication ethics and best practices in scholarly publishing, aimed at preventing and addressing misconduct such as plagiarism, data manipulation, redundant publication, undeclared conflicts of interest, and authorship disputes.

Where required by the nature of the research—for example, studies involving human participants or other sensitive conditions—authors must explicitly describe the ethical procedures followed, the approvals or authorizations obtained, and the applicable consent and confidentiality safeguards.

Originality, Plagiarism, and Use of AI

Turnitin Verification

All manuscripts are checked using Turnitin during the initial review and, when applicable, in a final check prior to publication. The journal uses:

Similarity report, and
AI writing report.

To proceed in the editorial process, both reports must be below 20%.

Criteria for Interpreting the Report

The journal interprets Turnitin findings in light of the manuscript's academic context. The following may be excluded where technically justified:

Bibliographic references;
Properly marked quotations;
Names of institutions, instruments, or standardized concepts; and
Methodological sections containing normative or highly technical wording.

However, any pattern suggesting improper appropriation of text or undeclared AI-generated writing may be treated as potential misconduct.

Unacceptable Conduct

The journal considers the following practices unacceptable, among others:

Plagiarism: presenting another person’s text, ideas, data, or results as one’s own without proper attribution.
Redundant or duplicate publication: submitting or publishing substantially similar works without proper justification and cross-reference.
Improper salami slicing: artificially fragmenting the outcomes of a single research project into multiple publications without a substantial added contribution.
Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data: deliberate creation, alteration, or omission of information affecting results or conclusions.
Undeclared or excessive use of AI: where the AI Writing Report is ≥20%, or there is evidence of unreported AI use that compromises the integrity of the work.

Editorial Measures

Manuscripts showing indications of ethical misconduct may:

Be rejected immediately;
Be placed on hold while clarification or supporting evidence is requested; or
Be referred for institutional review when appropriate.

In serious or repeated cases, the journal may restrict future submissions from the same authors and, where relevant, notify their affiliated institutions.

Authorship and Contribution Policies

INGE CUC publishes research articles and review articles. The journal does not accept manuscripts that have been previously published, are simultaneously under consideration elsewhere, or contain redundant material without proper acknowledgment.

Contribution Statement

Authors must specify each contributor’s role using the CRediT taxonomy (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) as part of the editorial process.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must:

Ensure that all listed co-authors meet authorship criteria.
Ensure the accuracy, reliability, and traceability of the data.
Declare funding sources, conflicts of interest, and permissions for third-party material.
Complete all forms required by the journal, including originality, contribution, and licensing declarations.

The journal does not publish translations of articles previously published in another language.

Open Science and Data

The journal encourages transparency and good open science practices and may request:

Data, code, or relevant materials for verification or evaluation; and/or
Authorization for data disclosure when applicable.

Where warranted by the nature of the submission, the journal may request an internal opinion from institutional bodies, such as ethics committees. Such opinions will be used solely for internal editorial purposes.

Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose any real or potential conflict of interest, including financial, personal, institutional, or academic interests that may influence the design, results, interpretation, or communication of the study.

Reviewers, upon accepting an invitation, must declare the absence of conflicts of interest and refrain from evaluating manuscripts where bias may arise. Editors and members of the editorial committee must recuse themselves where any conflict compromises their objectivity.

Responsibilities by Role

Responsibilities of Authors

Ensure the originality, accuracy, and traceability of the content;
Properly acknowledge all sources and third-party materials;
Refrain from submitting the manuscript simultaneously to other journals;
Disclose funding, conflicts of interest, and contributions using the CRediT taxonomy;
Maintain responsible self-citation practices, so that aggregated author self-citation does not exceed 20% of the total references, unless academically justified; and
Retain supporting data and records, and provide them to the journal upon request for editorial or ethical reasons.

Responsibilities of the Editor

Make decisions based on academic merit, journal scope, and policy compliance;
Guarantee the confidentiality of manuscripts and of the double-blind review process;
Prevent and address misconduct, conflicts of interest, and claims; and
Ensure the coherence and editorial quality of accepted articles.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Committee

The Editorial Committee provides technical guidance for the journal’s development, supports decision-making in complex cases, such as contradictory reviews or suspected misconduct, and contributes to strengthening the journal's scientific profile and publication quality.

Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Maintain absolute confidentiality regarding the manuscript;
Conduct objective, academically grounded evaluations;
Identify relevant omissions in the literature or methodological weaknesses;
Report to the editor any significant similarity, possible plagiarism, data manipulation, or other inappropriate conduct; and
Comply with established deadlines or request a justified extension in a timely manner.

Corrections, Errata, and Retractions

The journal seeks to preserve the integrity of the published scholarly record without unnecessary modification; however, formal post-publication corrections will be made whenever required to maintain academic integrity.

Types of Post-publication Action

Correction: amendment of relevant errors that do not invalidate the article.
Erratum: correction of errors introduced during editorial production, such as metadata, titles, legends, or affiliations.
Retraction: issued when data or results are unreliable due to serious error or misconduct, including plagiarism, falsification, deliberate omission of data, or manipulation.

Principles for Publishing Notices

Every correction or retraction will be issued as a separate, visible notice linked to the original article.
Minor errors that do not affect understanding may be corrected in the online version within the first fifteen (15) days after publication.
In cases of retraction, the article will remain accessible with a clear indication of its editorial status, for example, “Retracted.”

Ethical Oversight and Reporting Channel

Any reader, author, or reviewer may report possible scientific errors or ethical concerns. The journal will examine such cases and adopt the corresponding measures.

Editorial contact: revistaingecuc@cuc.edu.co

Informed consent and research ethics

When a manuscript involves the participation of human subjects, the use of personal data, sensitive information, or any conditions requiring ethical oversight, authors must explicitly declare compliance with the relevant ethical principles and standards. This includes, where applicable, approval by a recognized research ethics committee or institutional review board, the obtaining of informed consent from participants, and the implementation of appropriate measures to ensure data confidentiality and anonymization.

The Inge CUC journal reserves the right to request, at any stage of the editorial process, the necessary supporting documentation—such as ethical approvals, official records, or certifications—in order to verify adherence to ethical standards. Failure to provide such guarantees may result in the rejection of the manuscript or the adoption of post-publication measures, in accordance with the journal’s editorial policies and the principles of scientific integrity.

Errata, corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions

The Inge CUC journal safeguards the integrity of the scholarly record through the implementation of transparent procedures to correct or, when necessary, withdraw published content. Within this framework, several types of post-publication notices are considered: errata, intended to correct errors attributable to the editorial or production process (such as metadata, titles, affiliations, or captions); corrections, to amend errors attributable to the authors that do not invalidate the work; expressions of concern, issued as provisional notices when there is reasonable evidence of a serious research issue; and retractions, applicable when an article is deemed unreliable due to significant errors or misconduct, such as plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, or image manipulation.

The procedure includes case submission, a preliminary assessment, the provision of a right of response to the authors, the corresponding editorial decision, and the publication of the notice, which will specify the date, the reason, and a reference to the original article. To ensure traceability, all notices will be linked to the affected article, and the article, in turn, will link to the corresponding notice. The original article will remain accessible with a clear and visible indication of its editorial status, except in exceptional cases arising from legal restrictions.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses registered in INGE CUC will be used exclusively for editorial purposes and will not be disclosed to third parties. The journal complies with current Colombian regulations on personal data protection.