Ethical Guidelines

The Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (Quito) accepts original manuscripts, case reports, reviews, historical articles, reflective or philosophical, ethical, or social analyses related to health, epidemiological statistics with analysis and discussion, qualitative studies, and systematic reviews, theoretical or bibliographic reviews.

For ethical supervision, authors must include informed consent or approval from a Committee on Ethics in Human Research (CEISH) as appropriate for publication. If the article is part of a Clinical Trial, it must have the approval of the Agency for Regulation, Control, and Health Surveillance (ARCSA) and must be registered in ARCSA's clinical trial registration form.

Therefore, authors are urged to obtain the necessary approvals, consent, or registrations in advance.

Corrections to Published Articles

In the event that the author or reader detects an error or omission in the published article that may alter its understanding or academic-scientific integrity, they must immediately notify the Editor by email for analysis and subsequent correction of the published content. The Editor will opt for the publication of an erratum or a correction notice, according to the type of error detected.

Correction Notice

A correction refers to erroneous information that may appear in already published articles, regarding the content. The correction notice will be published in a separate document in the letters to the editor section, of the volume and number corresponding to the article that presented the error.

Erratum

An erratum refers to typographical errors resulting from the editorial process that interfere with the correct understanding of the text. The erratum will be published in the same volume and number of the article that presented the error, in a separate file.

Retraction of Published Articles

The Editor will consider retracting a publication if:

• There is strong evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a result of a major error (e.g., miscalculation or experimental error) or as a result of fabrication (e.g., data) or falsification (e.g., image manipulation).
• It constitutes plagiarism.
• The results have been previously published in another resource without appropriate source attribution or communication to the editor, permission to republish, or justification (e.g., cases of redundant publication).
• It contains material or data without authorization for use.
• Copyright has been infringed, or there are other significant legal issues (e.g., defamation, privacy).
• It contains unethical research.
• The publication is the result of a compromised or manipulated peer review process.
• The author(s) did not disclose a significant conflict of interest that, according to the editor, would have affected the interpretations, the work, or the recommendations of the editors and peer reviewers.

The retracted article will remain in the corresponding issue and volume, labeled as RETRACTED, at the beginning of the title, and as a watermark in the document. A retraction note specifying the reasons for the retraction will also be included at the end of the document.

Code of Ethics

For Authors Submitting and Publishing Their Manuscripts in the Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (Quito)

Authorship Declaration: The truthful declaration of authorship contribution will be included in the corresponding section of the submission letter format acording with CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy), listing the names of authors who have made a substantial contribution to the manuscript's preparation. If there are minor contributions, they may be included in the acknowledgments section.

Content Responsibility: The content of articles submitted and/or published in the Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (Quito) is the sole responsibility of the authors, certifying that the information and data included in the manuscript are the result of their studies and do not contain data or fragments from other works without proper citation. Authors also guarantee that the presented data and consulted bibliography have not been manipulated, altered, or falsified.

Conflicts of Interest and Funding: A clear declaration that there are no conflicts of interest that could have influenced or biased the study results will be included in the corresponding section, along with a declaration of the funding used for the study's execution.

Corrections of Published Articles: If authors detect errors in a published article, they must notify the Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (Quito) along with the relevant information or documentation.

For Reviewers Participating in the Peer Review of Manuscripts in the Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (Quito)

Truthful Information: Reviewers declare that the information provided to the Editorial Team of the Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (Quito) faithfully reflects reality and represents their field of expertise, which is verifiable, and they guarantee that the provided contact information is correct.

Confidentiality: Reviewers must declare their commitment to maintaining the confidentiality of the editorial process, as well as the data and information contained in the reviewed manuscripts, during and after the review process, and refrain from using the obtained information for personal purposes.

Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must declare that they have no conflicts of interest of any kind, and disclose if they have been part of the research or are currently developing a similar one. If a conflict of interest arises, it must be immediately reported to the Editorial Team of the Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (Quito).

Review Responsibilities: Reviewers should only accept reviews for which they have the necessary expertise. Once a review is accepted, they must deliver their observations and verdict within the established timeframe; if an extension is needed, it can be requested from the Editorial Team. The review should be conducted using the provided form, which will include observations and a verdict that must be objective and constructive, refraining from being hostile or making defamatory or derogatory personal comments. If the reviewer detects or suspects an ethical breach, it must be immediately reported to the Editorial Team of the Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (Quito).

For the Editorial Team of the Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (Quito)

Review Process and Selection of Peer Reviewers: The Editorial Team ensures that each reviewer is chosen based on their expertise in the subject or specialty of each manuscript, as well as their suitability to conduct the review. Each manuscript will be assigned a minimum of two reviewers. If there is a discrepancy in the evaluations provided by the reviewers, an additional reviewer will be assigned. The review process will be double-blind. These evaluations are considered in the final publication decision of each manuscript.

Conflict of Interest: The Editorial Team of the Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (Quito) has declared no conflicts of interest and guarantees the confidentiality of all data and the process of each manuscript. If a member of the editorial committee or editorial team detects any conflict of interest that could bias the editorial process, it must be immediately reported to the Editor or the Director, as appropriate.