Review process

REVIEW PROCESS

The editorial process begins with the submission of the manuscript through the journal's platform, following confirmation of the “Checklist.” The editorial process comprises five stages:

Editorial Review. Conducted by the Editor-in-Chief, this stage considers the basic criteria outlined in Enfoque UTE’s editorial guidelines: originality, relevance, language, clarity, style, among others. This review includes the use of anti-plagiarism software to detect textual similarity. If the manuscript does not meet the requirements or presents serious deficiencies, it is rejected. Missing or unclear metadata will lead the Editor to suspend the process until the author(s) address the issue within three days; otherwise, the manuscript will be rejected. This stage typically lasts approximately two weeks after submission through the journal’s system.

Peer Review. Managed by a Handling Editor, who is the specialist most closely aligned with the manuscript’s subject. If the Handling Editor deems the manuscript deficient or misaligned with the journal’s scope, it will be rejected. Otherwise, the editor selects peer reviewers and oversees the review and revision process until a final decision is made. The review process may involve one or more rounds with two or more reviewers, who provide comments and suggestions until the editor determines the manuscript aligns with the journal’s goals. Authors are generally expected to return revisions within one week; failure to do so may result in the manuscript being considered abandoned. This stage varies in duration, typically lasting between two and four months depending on reviewer availability and author responsiveness.

Approval. The Handling Editor reports the outcome of the peer review to the Editorial Committee. If the Committee deems the process satisfactory and finds no issues or objections, the manuscript is approved, and the approval date is recorded and communicated to the author. If concerns arise, the manuscript may be rejected or returned for further revision. This stage has a maximum duration of two weeks.

Copyediting and Layout. The approved manuscript is sent to production, where it undergoes style correction and layout design by an editor. During this stage, the editor may request original illustrations from the author. If the author fails to provide them, the process is halted. If there is no response within two weeks, the manuscript is withdrawn from the editing process. The galley proof is prepared based on the version approved by the Editorial Committee and sent to the author for final review. During this phase, the document is referred to as “Article in Press” and may last up to two weeks.

Galley Proof and Consent to Publish. The editor responsible for copyediting and layout sends the galley proof to the author for review. The author must submit an explicit letter of consent for publication. This letter is mandatory for the article to be published. This phase lasts up to one week.

Manuscript Rejection. Rejection may occur at any stage of the editorial process. It is carried out via the journal platform using “Not for Publication” notifications. These messages are sent to all authors and include a brief explanation of the reasons for rejection. The decision is final and cannot be appealed.

Author–Editor Communication. All requests for corrections or changes must be made through the journal’s platform at the corresponding stages and are duly recorded.