Open Science Policy

Open Science Policy for Educare Electronic Journal

Version v1-2024-04-30

 

Introduction*

This policy reflects Revista Electrónica Educarecommitment by making actions that aid to consolidate open access (OA) noncommercial models of scientific publication and to manage knowledge from Open Science (OS) best practices. Through our policy, we extend paths and strategies to publishing and peer review teams well as to the journal authors community and the institutional, national, and international community with an interest in the field of education.

Through these practices, we obtain:

  • An ethical exercise of the communication of knowledge
  • A reduction on biased and blurred research, designed methodological processes or research results
  • A responsible use of the available tools used along publication and research
  • To leave traceability evidence that is supported and replicable on the benefits of open science and the collaborative and inclusive work

Definition of Open Science*

UNESCO recommendation on Open Science (2021, p.7) defines OS as:

an inclusive construct that combines different moves and practices that aim to make multilingual scientific knowledge openly available and accessible to everyone as well as reusable for everybody, …It includes all scientific disciplines and all aspects of academic practices,… it is based on these key pillars: open scientific knowledge, open science infrastructure, scientific communication, open participation of societal actors and an open dialogue with other knowledge systems.

Under this framework, the Revista Electrónica Educare Open Science Policy covers the following areas:

  1. Open Access (OA)*

Revista Electrónica Educare adopts the Budapest Declaration (BOAI 2002) and its following updates. From here, it facilitates immediate and free open access to its content and it is faithful to the principle of availability to encourage the exchange of global knowledge.

No APC and Free Access. Authors do not pay any costs during any of the phases of their article process (no APCs). Readers have open and free access to articles immediately after these are published.

Readers can freely, download, read, store, copy, print and search for articles without asking for any consent to the editors or the authors and can distribute the final approved and published version (post print) of the article as long as they have no commercial purposes, no other works are derived, and they reference the publication and authorship.

  1. Licensing*

Articles published in Educare are shared under a CreativeCommons BY-NC-ND 3.0 license from Costa Rica. This license is available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/cr/deed.en

  1. Peer Review*

Open Science challenges all publications to open their model of peer reviewing with the aim to be transparent to feedback dynamics that reviewers apply to the articles they evaluate. Hence, Educare has begun to gradually open its peer review process, adopting in July 2019, the doble-blind peer review model. (For more details, see section About- Peer Review)

  1. Persistent Identifiers (Pids)*

Educare bets on the articulated use of persistent identifiers (Pids) due to the ultimate importance for traceability, for the production in the country, the institution, the journal and the authorship, and for the impact metrics of the published work.

UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science 2021 recognizes Pids as part of the OS infrastructure and it defines them as research digital services that “allow identify unequivocally scientific objects through unique identifiers” (p. 12). The UNESCO Recommendation conceived them as strategic vehicles to achieve interoperability between services and digital platforms.

Thus, Educare integrates the following Pids, in combination with the ISSN of the journal, so that traceability, harvesting, and metrics of the published documents are available to measure the interaction magnitude that publishing products generate.

  • ORCID – Open Researcher and Contributor ID: Unique identifier for individuals
  • DOI – Digital Object Identifier: Unique identifier of a digital object, for example: a scientific article.
  • ROR – Research Organization Registry: Institutional unique identifier.
  1. Structured Abstract*

As part of the strategies to communicate all texts published in the journal efficiently and precisely, the adoption of structured abstracts becomes important because it guarantees that the most relevant aspects of the content are communicated in a standard manner. The structured abstract allows authors to verify that the most important aspects of their manuscript are synthetized and systematized. It provides the readers organized information and, by implementing XML tagged language, each part of the abstract is divided and qualified in detail facilitating all the information to be found. Educare adopts this practice as of 2021.

  1. Multilingualism*

Our premise is that there is no better language to communicate science and research than the one in which they were conducted. Therefore, Educare, through responsible editorial management, seeks to position Spanish as an Open Science language.

In addition to Spanish, the Journal accepts full texts in Portuguese and English. This broadens the spectrum of languages in which knowledge is communicated. To guarantee the approach of all readers to any publication of the Journal, of the language of the full text, all articles and essays have title, abstract, and keywords in English and Portuguese regardless.

Finally, in those cases in which authors wish to contribute with the certified translation of their full text or essay into another language, Educare collaborates with the publication—same formal standards—of the translated version.

  1. Author’s statements

As part of the efforts to provide transparency and to establish traceable paths for the rigorousness and good practices followed by the authors on the research process and on writing articles and essays; the journal encourages the declaration of the following aspects:

  1. Contributions statement: used in co-authored articles, it identifies those contributions that allow a person to be credited as an author of a document. It explains the areas of contribution in which each author has made a contribution to the research or knowledge construction process and to the writing of the text submitted for evaluation. To guarantee a standardized use, the journal requests that the contributions be described from the roles established in the Credit taxonomy without limitation that other contributions not described in them may be incorporated.
  2. Competing interest statement: it pretends to anticipate any clarification on research aspects or author’s positioning, that can generate doubts about the handling of biases, data management partiality, interpretation of results or conducted considerations, and any other aspect that should be clarified to the editorial and peer review teams, or to readers.
  3. Funding statement: it is necessary to disclose the sources and entities that are associated to the funding of the research process or to the reflection that resulted into the creation of the written document that is being submitted to the Journal. When applicable, it is recommended to identify –by identification code and full titles– the competitive funds, awards, donations, in-kind contributions, etc., that were received.
  4. Production or supplementary material statement: if the article or essay belongs to a larger structure (e.g., a thesis or research programme, interinstitutional contract or collaboration) it is necessary to disclose if there are any resulting products derived of the same structure. It is recommended to explicitly identify the identification codes or titles that are associated to these structures. The visibility of this information is important not only for transparency and traceability purposes, but also because it provides a possibility to know more about other conducted contributions on a research initiative and its scope. Finally, it is also part of the actions to control redundancy or replication of material that has been released or published previously. Some examples of supplementary materials of an article or a scientific essay are: preprints, methodological instruments, CRediT contribution tables, data and data management plans, audiovisual material, thesis, observation notes, research workbooks, proposals or project reports, algorithms, other publications that are directly related to the document being evaluated, protocols, consents, approvals, etc.
  5. Statement on the use of Artificial Intelligence: used when there is a specific or complementary ancillary AI role to the research process. There should be a description of this tool usage as well as a report of which language model(s) or application(s) have been used, its version, and the date on which it was used. In case its implementation implies a major use, it should be reported directly in the corresponding parts of the text, ensuring adequate traceability and transparency to demonstrate a responsible use of the tool (see Artificial Intelligence section, in this policy).
  6. Acknowledgment(s): compiles the technical contributions that the authors consider appropriate to acknowledge. These are contributions that prove to be relevant to achieve the research results or to refine the reflections made; but do not have or reach the authoring rank. The recognition can be directed to people or institutions and it is expected that, in addition to expressing the acknowledgment, a brief explanation of the contribution made is provided. The ethical principle of having the authorization of the person or institution to mention their name explicitly in the text must be complied with.

It is recommended that, of the statements shown, those that are pertinent should be presented in the order of appearance of this list and placed at the end of the text before the references. It is expected that the writing of the statements is concise and clear; when suitable, elaborate only one statement that can include different aspects.

  1. Preprint*

The preprint is a preliminary version of the article or essay that has been uploaded to a repository before submission to a journal. As part of the open science, the deposit of a preprint speeds up the access of the author’s proposed contents to the readers, while a journal carries out the peer review and editing process. At the same time, this frees the authors from the pressure of making their knowledge available to the public in a short period of time. The importance of depositing the material in a repository with adequate conditions for metadata registration and information preservation should be emphasized. Therefore, it is recommended that the deposit be made in:

  • An institutional repository
  • Preprint specialized repositories
  • Repositories of well-known institutions that are specialized in the correspondent disciplinary area
  • Multidisciplinary repositories of renowned institutions

Under no circumstances it is recommended to upload the preprint to a personal webpage or blog, a professional or educational social media site or network, a cloud (drive files), or as files that prevent a clear identification of the hosting site or browsing location for people that are visiting.

It is important to note that, once the text is published, the preprint option does not get closed, deleted, or withdrawn; and access to its content is not restricted either. As part of the dynamic of transparency and traceability that OS offers, all versions coexist online since it makes it possible to appreciate the evolution of knowledge and the added value that is generated during the editorial process of the final published version (or postprint.)

Finally, it is important to emphasize that in Educare’s case, the preprint is a requirement for publication (it is not optional), from the beginning of the process, the authors must deposit their work and provide the corresponding URL or DOI. The journal will incorporate this information into its preprints section, where the list of articles and essays being processed is shared with the public.

  1. Data, data management plans and data sets*

Broadening access to the design, process(es), instruments and data collected is part of the innovations that CA proposes to research. With the support of the best ethical, disciplinary, professional and personal practices, allowing third parties to access the research data obtained opens the door to multiple levels of interaction between the knowledge generated and the people who access it. In addition, the work route executed is made transparent, which contributes to the reliability the research process.

Data management plans (DMP) are a necessary tool to standardize the treatment given to the data obtained from the research process. A DMP provides technical, ethical, descriptive, and legal information about the temporality, storage and preservation of the collected research data. It considers any other aspects that should be mentioned to ensure a better understanding of the information provided. When the data used belongs to third parties or have some restriction — e.g. legal or security-wise — and, hence, cannot be shared, this condition must be indicated explicitly.

In addition to shareable or publishable data, a data set includes the DMP, instruments, process templates, research notebooks, code, protocol registries, annotation guides for the reproducibility and technical, ethical, or operational clarifications, and any other material that complements the obtained information and that helps its understanding. All this information can be shared and deposited as a whole in an institutional repository, dataverses or disciplinary, specialized or multidisciplinary repositories.

Using DMPs and sharing data sets is feasible for both qualitative and quantitative data. Each will address the best practices that correspond to the nature of its content to publish information in a responsible and ethical manner.

There is sufficient material, recommendations, guidelines and protocols online to develop DMPs, data sets, and to follow the best practices for managing such information. 

In the case of Educare, authors are encouraged to share research data followed by its DMP and any complementary material that offers further understanding of the developed research. More information can be accessed in the Authors’ Guidelines and in the Originality Statement and Copyright Transfer Agreement (both available on the website of the Journal). 

  1. Artificial Intelligence in the research process and in the composition of papers and essays*

As of June 2024, the following premises related to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will be considered when proposing papers or essays to Educare:

1. Scope

It is understood that AI is an expanding tool and that, in the transparent and traceable exercise of the knowledge management that promotes open science, rather than blocking or forbidding its use, mechanisms to report and guarantee its responsible use must be ensured. 

Educare enables the use of AI in all documental typologies it publishes, that is: papers derived from a research process or literature review and essays. The Journal requests authors to make an explicit, clear and traceable report of the use given (see recommendations for reporting, below in this same section). The Journal understands that the AI is a tool whose usage covers all the publishing process: it potentially extends to the editorial management as well as to peer review. Thus, Educare promotes that all interested parties declare using the tool when applicable. In the same way that an editor knows if the authors have used AI in their article, authors will know as well when this tool has been included in the publishing process or peer review.

2. About the definition of authorship

  • AI should be considered as a tool that supports research processes and scientific-academic writing.
  • The role of authorship can be taken only by human beings who, in the exercise of their intellect and cognitive abilities, generate creations on which they can have an ethical and moral position, and for which they assume legal responsibilities and are accountable. Authors can make decisions during the editorial process, attend to corrections or additions requested by the editorial or peer review team, and support their actions with a signature. Explicitly: Educare will not accept postulations where an AI model or application is listed as a co-author.

3. About the fair use and derivative work

  • Educare encourages authors to use AI in a responsible way and that, when supporting their work with this tool, to ensure the fair use of third party information, so that intellectual property and authorship and copyrights are respected.
  • Validating that the selected supporting AI model respects the citation of the consulted sources and the authorship and copyright when transforming or deriving a work is a requirement that authors must fulfill.

4. Work premises and responsibilities for authorship, editing, and review

  • Authorship, editing, and review roles will be performed by individuals who may use AI as support to carry out their tasks; they must take responsibility for how they use this tool and report it explicitly and clearly.
  • Authors must report the use of AI in the articles or essays submitted to the Journal. At the same time, they are aware and understand that their papers may be incorporated into an AI model to improve reviews and, therefore, be potentially absorbed as training data. Content generated by AI, and integrated into the text, must be reviewed and validated as factual and consistent and supported by existing sources.
  • Reviewers may get support from AI to review articles or essays. In all cases where the material is submitted for peer review analysis to an IA model, the reviewer will initially limit the usage of the provided text as training data. Otherwise, they will upload the information with its authorship information to ensure recognition and respect for the intellectual property (this information is provided by the Journal as part of the single-blind peer review process). The consultation process will be documented and shared with the Journal as evidence of transparency, indicating the AI model, its version, and retrieval date. The initial and secondary prompts used to support the review, clarification notes, and ethical aspects considered while used must also be included. The coherence and consistency of the outputs produced by the selected AI model must be validated by the reviewer to ensure their relevance. In all cases, the reviewer will take responsibility for the criteria provided.
  • Editors may get support from AI for the editorial processes. Editorial decisions will always be the responsibility of the editor (or the editorial team), who will ensure the coherent use of the tool during the editorial tasks and strive to take actions to support its ethical and responsible use from the review and authorship roles. Starting in June 2024, Educare will provide both authors and reviewers with tools to responsibly report the use of AI. In order to do so, it has updated its Authors’ Guidelines, peer review instruments, Originality Statement, and Copyright Transfer Agreement and has created the Open Science Policy which includes a section dedicated to the responsible use of AI. As support, the Journal endorses the Heredia Declaration: Principles on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Publishing (Penabad et al., 2024) and considers the Instructions on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Scientific Publications from Academic and Scientific Journals of the Universidad Nacional (UNA, 2024).

5. Recommendations for reporting AI use in articles and essays

  • Reporting the use of AI in the editorial process, the review, or article writing will depend upon the magnitude of its use, e.g. on one hand, minimal and very specific uses, and on the other hand, extensive and substantive uses.
  • If the uses are minor, it is recommended to include a declaration at the end of the text. If uses increase in magnitude, it will be necessary to draw attention to it by mentioning it in all the parts of the article where needed to clarify the contribution received, the criteria for filtering and validating its consistency, and the ethical considerations taken into account. When relevant, it is recommended to incorporate diagrams that help explain and guide readers in the use of AI. At a minimum, the employed AI model, its version, consultation date, and the proposed prompt must be identified. When multiple models are used, consultations are made on different dates, and more than one prompt is utilized, this combination of elements must also be clearly explained.
  • More detailed recommendations and suggested protocols for reporting the use of AI appropriately can be consulted in the Guide for the use and Reporting of Artificial Intelligence in Scientific-Academic Journals (Penabad, Morera & Penabad, 2024).
  1. On the handling of data*

Personal data: Educare undertakes not to disclose personal data of the individuals participating in editorial or peer review teams. In the case of authors, we share the affiliation data and contact information necessary to guarantee scientific communication. The Journal also undertakes not to disclose its contact databases or cede them to third parties.

Ethical handling of data in published texts: Educare undertakes to make its best effort to ensure that the treatment of personal data and sensitive data in published articles is appropriately communicated and complies with general ethical, disciplinary and bioethical parameters.

Metadata: By using the available technological resources, the Journal will try to declare the necessary metadata to optimize the findability of published articles and essays and to make necessary deposits to optimize the harvesting and usage of this information.

 

Supporting sources for this policy:

  • Bhosale, U. & Kapadia, A. (2023, september 29). IA Integration can Future-Proof Peer Review – But only if we define and drive the right principles. Enago Academy. https://www.enago.com/academy/ai-integration-in-peer-review/
  • Cardoso Sampaio, R. (2024, 07 de febrero). Recomendações iniciais para editores de periódicos científicos sobre o uso de Inteligência Artificial generativa. Dados [Blog]. http://dados.iesp.uerj.br/recomendacoes-iniciais-para-editores-de-periodicos-cientificos-sobre-o-uso-de-inteligencia-artificial-generativa/
  • Committee on Publicaction Ethics (COPE). (2023, febrero 13). Authorships and AI tools. COPE position Statement. https://publicationethics.org/cope-position-statements/ai-author
  • Hicks, M.T., Humphries, J., & Slater, J. (2024). ChatGPT is bullshit. Ethics and Information Technolog, 26, Article 38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-024-09775-5
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). (2024a). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. https://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf
  • Penabad-Camacho. L., Penabad-Camacho, M. A., Mora-Campos, A., Cerdas-Vega, G., Morales-López, Y., Ulate-Segura, M., Méndez-Solano, A., Nova-Bustos, N., Vega-Solano, M- F., & Castro-Solano, M. M. (2024, 01 de enero). Declaración de Heredia: Principios sobre el uso de inteligencia artificial en la edición científica, Revista Electrónica Educare, 28(S), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.15359/ree.28-S.19967
  • Penabad-Camacho, L., Morera-Castro, M., & Penabad-Camacho, M. A. (2024). Guía para uso y reporte de inteligencia artificial en revistas científico académicas. Revista Electrónica Educare, 28(2), 1-41. https://doi.org/10.15359/ree.28-S.19830
  • UNESCO. (2021). Recomendación de la UNESCO sobre la Ciencia Abierta. https://doi.org/10.54677/YDOG4702
  • UNESCO. (2022). Recomendación sobre la ética de la inteligencia artificial. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381137_spa
  • Universidad Nacional, Vicerrectoría de Investigación. (2024, 13 de mayo). Instrucciones sobre uso de la inteligencia artificial  (IA) en las publicaciones  científicas de las revistas académicas y científicas de la Universidad Nacional

*This information has been created for Educare Electronic Journal. It is shared with an Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivatives Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 Costa Rica).