Innovación Universitaria is an academic dissemination initiative that began in 2017 within the Research Department of the Universidad Internacional de las Américas (UIA). In 2023, it evolved into a scientific and academic editorial project under the Office of Innovation and Quality. The journal is therefore fully edited and funded by the Universidad Internacional de las Américas (UIA).

Innovación Universitaria is an annual, interdisciplinary, open-access, and non-profit journal. It aims to follow the standards established by leading national and international repositories and indexing systems, in alignment with the principles of Open Science.

EDITORIAL POLICIES

Focus and Scope

Innovación Universitaria is a multidisciplinary, digital, open-access journal; its mission is to promote a culture of research from an interdisciplinary perspective and to foster academic exchange among members of the national and international scientific community.

The journal seeks to disseminate research and scholarly experiences that reflect scientific work, primarily in the fields of health sciences, social sciences, engineering, education, business administration, and law, as well as in related disciplines and subject areas.

Publication Frequency
Innovación Universitaria is an annual electronic publication. Each issue is published between September and October each year.

Languages
The journal only accepts submissions written in Spanish or English across all sections.

EVALUATION & PEER REVIEW PROCESS

All manuscripts submitted to Innovación Universitaria undergo a three-stage evaluation process consisting of an internal review, an external peer review, and a final editorial decision.

The journal employs a double-blind peer review system for manuscripts submitted to the sections Artículos Originales and Intercambio. This method ensures that the identities of both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the evaluation process, thereby promoting impartiality and preventing potential bias.

All submissions must be made through the journal’s Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform:

https://revistas.uia.ac.cr/index.php/innovacionu/submission

Authors must first request a username and password by contacting the editorial team at revistainnovaciónu@uia.ac.cr

The editor, in collaboration with the editorial board, conducts an initial screening of submitted manuscripts to verify that they align with the journal’s focus and scope, demonstrate thematic relevance and academic quality, are original and unpublished, and comply with the journal’s author guidelines. The journal is committed to maintaining objectivity, transparency, and impartiality throughout the entire evaluation process.

Manuscripts that pass this initial screening proceed to double-blind peer review, in which external reviewers not affiliated with the International University of the Americas (UIA) evaluate the manuscript anonymously. Reviewers assess the academic quality of the submission and provide comments and recommendations using a structured evaluation form designed for this purpose.

External reviewers anonymously determine whether the manuscript is:

1. Accepted for publication
2. Accepted with revisions
3. Rejected

If the reviewers’ recommendations differ, the manuscript is sent to a third external reviewer, whose evaluation will determine the final recommendation.

The editor makes the final editorial decision based on the reviewers’ reports. Once the evaluation process is completed, the journal communicates the decision and reviewers’ comments to the authors.

The double-blind peer review process typically takes between 6 and 8 weeks. The results of the peer review process are final and not subject to appeal.

The double-blind peer review process typically takes between 6 and 8 weeks. Decisions resulting from the peer review process are final and not subject to appeal.

Appeals - Appeal Process

Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of their manuscripts. Innovación Universitaria will ensure that the appeal process is clear, fair, and based on impartial academic criteria.

Filing an Appeal

Authors who wish to appeal an editorial decision, a reviewer’s recommendation, or a decision made by the academic editors must submit a formal written request to the journal’s editor-in-chief within 30 calendar days of receiving notification of the decision. The request must include a detailed explanation of the reasons for the appeal, along with supporting evidence or additional arguments justifying reconsideration of the decision.

Appeal Review

Once the appeal is received, the editor-in-chief will review the case in consultation with the editorial board and, if necessary, seek the opinion of additional reviewers who were not involved in the original decision. The appeal review will focus on the academic merits of the manuscript and its compliance with the journal’s evaluation criteria.

Final Editorial Decision

The editor-in-chief will communicate to the authors the final editorial decision about the appeal within 60 calendar days starting from the day the appeal was filed. The decision will be made along with the editorial board members; this decision will be definite and will not be subject to new appeals.

Plagiarism Detection Policy

All manuscripts submitted to Innovación Universitaria must be original and unpublished.  Previously published or currently under review at any other journal or publication will not be accepted. During the first editorial stage, the journal will use Turnitin’s iThenticate, a software tool for detecting textual similarities, as an indicator of the originality of the manuscripts submitted to the journal, and the Google search engine for plagiarism detection as well.

Ethical Standards and Best Practices

1. Declaration of principles

Innovación Universitaria journal is an open access, scientific, and electronic publication that promotes the dissemination of multi- and interdisciplinary knowledge under the principles of open science, transparency, academic integrity, and editorial responsibility.

2. Open Access and Open Science

The journal guarantees free, immediate, and open access to all its contents. It publishes under Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) and promotes open access to data and research materials whenever possible.

3. Responsibilities of the Editorial Team

The editorial team makes decisions based on academic criteria, guarantees the double-blind peer review, protects confidentiality, and manages conflicts of interest.

4. Author Responsibilities

Authors must submit original and unpublished manuscripts, accurately recognize the sources, avoid plagiarism or self-plagiarism, and disclose any conflicts of interest and funding sources.

5. Reviewer responsibilities

Reviewers must act with objectivity and confidentiality, disclose any conflict of interest, and report any possible bad practices.

6. Conflict of Interest

All parties involved must disclose any conflicts of interest that could influence the editorial process.

7. Bad Practices

The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, data fabrication, improper authorship, or manipulation of the editorial process; if any of these behaviors are identified, action will be taken in accordance with the journal’s internal regulations.

8. Retractions and Corrections

The journal will follow clear procedures for correcting or retracting articles in accordance with international standards.

9. Appeals and Complaints

The journal, in accordance with its internal guidelines, has clear and effective mechanisms in place for receiving, reviewing, and resolving complaints and appeals, ensuring a transparent and impartial process.