Guidelines

EDITORIAL POLICY

The journal "Ciencia Universitaria" publishes original and unpublished works in Spanish and English, in the form of original articles, reviews, testimonies, short communications, and monographs. Its issues feature works covering the following topics: Agricultural Sciences (Agronomy, Veterinary Medicine, and Mechanization), Social Sciences and Humanities, Economics and Business Administration, Technical Sciences, Informatization of Society, Education for Sustainable Development, Pedagogical Sciences, Exact Sciences, Information Science, as well as Physical Culture and Sports.

 

SUBMISSION OF WORKS

Papers must be submitted via email to rcienciauniversitaria@unah.edu.cu. They must be contained in ".docx" files in Word, with letter paper size (21.59 x 27.94 cm), and 2.5 cm margins. 12-point Arial font must be used, with 1.15 line spacing, in a single column. Original articles, review articles, and testimonies will have a maximum length of 15 pages, monographs up to 20 pages, and short communications 7 pages.

Each submission must be accompanied by a letter signed by the author stating:

FIRST: That I am the author of the article whose title was stated above, and consequently primarily responsible for it.

SECOND: All natural persons who have substantially contributed to the completion of the work have been declared as authors, and there is no conflict of interest between any of them, in accordance with the provisions of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

THIRD: I declare that this article is original and unpublished and has therefore been submitted exclusively to the Editorial Board of the Revista Ciencia Universitaria, and does not contain sensitive or classified information about any natural or legal person.

FOURTH: That the authors of this work adhere to the guidelines established in the Code of Conduct and Good Ethical Practices of the journal and that any cases of controversy will be resolved according to the same.

FIFTH: I authorize the Revista Ciencia Universitaria to publish it without any charge on my part, by the means or formats that the Editorial Committee determines in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 (CC BY-NC) license.

To prepare this document, the author must use the preform available at: http://revistas.unah.edu.cu/public/journals/1/Cartadelarevista.doc

Authors must also complete and submit the following form to determine the possible existence of a conflict of interest between them: http://revistas.unah.edu.cu/public/journals/1/coi_disclosure.pdf .

 

STRUCTURE OF CONTRIBUTIONS

Use of verb tenses

It should be noted that each of the sections is written in:

  • Introduction in present tense.
  • Materials and Methods in the past tense.
  • Results in the past.
  • Discussion in the present tense.
  • Conclusions in present.

Images, graphs and tables

  • For any document, the images, graphs and tables presented will be arranged consecutively using Arabic numerals and their titles will be placed using upper and lower case characters without a period at the end.
  • They should be self-explanatory and their information should not be replicated anywhere else in the work.
  • Images must be submitted as separate files and inserted into the document after their mention in the text. They must have a resolution of 300 pixels/inch.
  • The graphs will be presented in only two dimensions (2D) with their respective axes and legends, while the series of the same can be differentiated with colors or black and white labels.
  • Tables will be in editable format, with the first row in bold, without dividing lines between the content, and with their clarifications at the end and centered.

Nomenclature and Units

Authors should follow internationally accepted rules and conventions for the use of units of measurement, such as the International System of Units (SI). When abbreviations are used, their meaning should be clarified after their initial mention.

Mathematical formulas

Mathematical equations must be submitted editable, not as images, and must always be created using an equation editor. All equations not inserted into the text must be numbered consecutively and referenced in the text.

General Structure of Research Articles

The structure of the submitted papers will vary depending on the type of document. Scientific articles must contain:

  • Title in Spanish and English (up to 15 words)
  • Authors
  • ORCID
  • Email of each author
  • Author affiliations and corresponding author email
  • Abstract (up to 250 words)
  • Keywords (up to 5)
  • Introduction
  • Materials and methods
  • Results and discussion
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgments
  • References

Literature reviews, reports, and monographs should have the same structure as scientific articles, but without Materials and Methods or Results and Discussion. Instead, the author may add any sections he or she deems necessary.

Title

  • It should be concise and capable of conveying to the reader the essential content of the article.
  • Its maximum length should be 15 words.
  • It should not be overloaded with information in the form of abbreviations, symbols, formulas or unfamiliar characters, and the location of the study.
  • It should not be a double-meaning or literary phrase.
  • Remove subtitles and all non-specific words.
  • In your writing, you should use a neutral approach writing style, that is, you should not suggest the result that will be obtained.

Abstract

  • It should be the abbreviated representation of the content of the document.
  • Summarize in a maximum of 250 words the key aspects included in each section of the document, so as to establish the problem, interest, and objective of the research. Describe, without details, the materials chosen and the methods used, summarize the main results (only these), and state the main conclusions.
  • Figures, tables, and bibliographic citations should not be referenced. Information not described in the paper should not be included, nor should the objective be discussed before first stating the problem.

Keywords

They designate and identify the most important aspects covered in the article. They are used to locate information of interest and create databases and subject indexes. A maximum of 3 to 10 terms should be listed in order of importance to reflect the content of the document. For their selection, we suggest using the standardized term catalogs CABI Thesaurus and AGROVOC .

Introduction

  • It will be brief, try to use the main keywords and go from general to specific.
  • It should establish the contextual framework in which the problem to be solved is inserted, what is known and what is unknown about the matter in question, what the research would represent scientifically, socially, technologically and economically, as well as the objective of the work.
  • You can also use a structural summary based on a three-paragraph outline, where the first paragraph presents the background, the second explains why the problem needs to be studied, and the third explains the objective.

Materials and methods

  • It should provide sufficient information to allow the research to be replicated, and unnecessary descriptions should be avoided.
  • Mention should be made of the materials used that quantitatively or qualitatively determined the data collection, not the instruments used.

With regard to methods, three possible scenarios must be taken into account:

  • When the method is standard, simply mention it and include the bibliographic reference.
  • When the method is not standard, but has been used before, discuss why it is necessary to use it and provide the bibliographic reference where the method is described.
  • When the method has been generated or adapted for the study, describe it completely or at least the transformed part.

This Materials and Methods section can be organized into 5 areas that include:

  • Environment: Indicates where the study was conducted.
  • Design: Describe the design of the experiment.
  • Population: Characterizes the sample and how it was selected and taken.
  • Interventions: Describes the techniques, methods, measurements and units, equipment and technology.
  • Statistical analysis: Indicates the statistical programs and methods used. The programs are referenced.

The subtitles used to name the areas are freely selected by the authors, examples: General Conditions, Treatments, Measurements, Statistical Analysis.

Results and discussion

  • Never show data that is not clearly related to the objective of the work.
  • The research data are shown in figures and tables, which should be self-explanatory and marked with titles and legends.
  • While the table provides precision, the figures provide a clearer visual impact of treatment effects and trends and interactions.
  • The two central elements of the discussion are to indicate, with neutral judgment and some speculation, what the findings mean and how these findings relate to what is known so far.
  • Data from figures and tables should not be repeated in the discussion.
  • Clarify the principles, relationships, and extrapolations that could be derived from the results (speculations). Exceptions should be highlighted.
  • Indicate how the results and their interpretations agree with or conflict with other scientific research.
  • Present the theoretical implications of the work and the practical applications it could have.

Conclusions

  • They should highlight the main implications of the data obtained in the research and not make a statistical account of the values shown.
  • In all cases, conclusions must always be justified by the data presented.

Literature

Each original document must have at least 15 bibliographic references (50% of which must be from original articles published in scientific journals). These references must be alphabetically arranged, justified, with 1.5 line spacing, and only include works cited in the text. Each work must comply with the Price index; that is, 60% of the bibliographic citations must correspond to the last five years, except in the case of bibliographic reviews, since the references must cover a broad time range. Self-citations, both from the author and from the journal, must not exceed 20% of the literature consulted.

To standardize and facilitate the creation of citations in the text and bibliography, we recommend using the CSL (Citation, Notes, and Bibliography) style editor. This software can be downloaded from https://www.zotero.org/styles/ , which is based on the Harvard style guideline.

The main features of the journal's bibliographic style are:

  • It is cited in the text according to the author-year form.
  • The bibliography is organized alphabetically starting from the first letters of the main author's surname.
  • In the bibliography, the authors are presented in short form.
  • After the last author, a colon (:) is placed.
  • Bibliography items are separated by commas and a period is placed only after the date.
  • The year always appears at the end.

In the preparation of a scientific document, only the following may be used:

  • Articles in Scientific Journals
  • Books
  • Book chapters
  • Standards, Patents and Legal Resources
  • Scientific or Technical Reports from prestigious institutions that have been published
  • Articles in Conferences (congresses and workshops) that have published at least the abstracts of the event
  • Maps and Satellite Images
  • Computer Programs
  • Statistical websites such as FAOSTAT and those of the national statistical and information offices of each country (in Cuba, the ONEI website)
  • Thesis as long as the results achieved in it have not been published so far

It is mandatory to include the ISBN and DOI on all documents assigned these identifiers. Not all books, conference papers, and reports have an ISBN, but whenever one has been assigned, it must be included. The same procedure applies to the DOI and articles published in scientific journals. This policy aims to standardize the treatment of metadata for each bibliographic reference.

Within the text, the author-year citation is used (e.g., Cervantes, 2014). If there are two authors, the first surname of each one is placed separated by (and) and then (, year) (e.g., Cervantes and Fernández, 2014). In cases where there are more than two authors, (et al.) should be placed after the surname of the main author followed by (, year) (e.g., Cervantes et al., 2014). If the citation is from multiple sources, they should be separated from each other by (;) (e.g., Cervantes, 2014; Cervantes and Fernández, 2014; Cervantes et al., 2014). In cases where the author is a corporate or institutional author, it should be used in full followed by (, year) (e.g., Universidad Agraria de La Habana, 2014). Only highly recognized institutions such as FAO, UNESCO, UN, etc. can be abbreviated (e.g., FAO, 2014). If the item cited in the text is a standard, the abbreviations of the type of standard (e.g. NC, NRAG, ISO) are placed followed by the number and year of approval (e.g. NC 93-02: 1985; ISO 10390: 1999).

There are other mandatory elements that are characteristic of each type of document, these are:

  • Articles in Scientific Journals: authors, article title, journal name, volume, number, article page range, ISSN, DOI, year of publication.
  • Books: authors, book title, place of publication, publisher, ISBN, total pages, year of publication.
  • Book chapters: authors, chapter title, book title, place of publication, publisher, ISBN, page range for that chapter, year of publication.
  • Standards, Patents and Legal Resources: natural or corporate authors, title, number or coding, place of publication, issuing institution, total pages, year of publication.
  • Scientific or Technical Reports: natural or corporate authors, report title, place of publication, issuing institution, ISBN, total pages, year of publication.
  • Articles in Conferences (congresses and workshops): authors, title, venue, responsible institution or publisher, ISBN, page range, year of publication.
  • Maps and Satellite Images: natural or corporate authors, title, place of publication, publisher, ISBN, scale, year of publication.
  • Software: natural or corporate authors, title, version, operating system, location, developer company, year.
  • Statistical Websites: natural or corporate authors, publication title, site title, publication date, full email address, access date.
  • Thesis: authors, title, type of thesis, university or research institute where it was presented, location, total number of pages, and year of presentation.

In cases where the documents consulted are electronic, the complete electronic address and the date of consultation must be added to the elements indicated above.

Below are some examples of references:

Articles Published in Scientific Journals

FALCÓN, A.B.; CABRERA, J.C.; COSTALES, D.; RAMÍREZ, M.A.; CABRERA, G.; TOLEDO, V.; MARTÍNEZ, T.M.A.: “The effect of size and acetylation degree of chitosan derivatives on tobacco plant protection against Phytophthora parasitica nicotianae”, World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 24(1): 103-112, 23 de junio de 2007, ISSN: 0959-3993, 1573-0972, DOI: 10.1007/s11274-007-9445-0.

Books

PANEQUE, PVM; CALAÑA, NJM; CALDERÓN, VM; BORGES, BY; HERNÁNDEZ, GTC; CARUNCHO, CM: Manual of analytical techniques for soil, foliar, organic and chemical fertilizer analysis, [online], Ed. Ediciones INCA, 1st ed., Havana, Cuba, 157 p., 2010, ISBN: 978-959-7023-51-7, Available at: http://mst.ama.cu/578/ , [Accessed: January 27, 2016].

Book Chapters

RIVERA, R.; FERNÁNDEZ, F.; FERNÁNDEZ, K.; RUIZ, L.; SÁNCHEZ, C.; RIERA, M.: “Advances in the Management of Effective Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis in Tropical Ecosystems”, [online], In: Hamel, C. and Plenchette, C. (eds.), Mycorrhizae in Crop Production, Ed. Haworth Food & Agricultural Products Press, Binghamton, NY, pp. 151-195, 2007, ISBN: 978-1-56022-307-8, Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Mycorrhizae-Crop-Production-Science/dp/1560223073 , [Accessed: March 24, 2016].

Standards, Patents and Legal Resources

FREEPONS, DE: Plant growth regulators derived from chitin, [online], no. US4964894 A, United States, US Classification 504/292, 504/100, 71/1, 504/326, 504/319, 71/16, 71/27, 47/57.6, 71/11; International Classification A01N43/16; Cooperative Classification A01N43/16; European Classification A01N43/16, 23 October 1990, Available at: http://www.google.com.cu/patents/US4964894 , [Accessed: 9 April 2017].

Scientific or Technical Reports

AHMAD, M.; RAFIQUE, M.; IQBAL, N.; AKRAM, W.; AASI, M.R.: Study of soil redistribution in cultivated fields using fallout cesium-137 at Fateh Jang, Attock, Pakistan, [en línea], no. 41067805, Inst. Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Pakistan, 30 p., 2009, Disponible en: http://inis.iaea.org/Search/search.aspx?orig_q=RN:41067805 , [Consulta: 8 de septiembre de 2015].

Articles in Conferences (Congresses, Workshops)

DOBERMANN, A.; KRAUSS, A.; ISHERWOOD, K.; HEFFER, P.: “Nutrient use efficiency-measurement and management”, [en línea], En: IFA International Workshop on Fertilizer Best Management Practices, Ed. International Fertilizer Industry Association, Brussels, Belgium, pp. 1-28, 2007, ISBN: 978-2-9523139-2-6, Disponible en: http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/20083154896.html;jsessionid=FDBB76ECCE587EA330911A0637D26371 , [Consulta: 27 de enero de 2016].

Maps and Satellite Images

LOPEZ, LJA; VICENTE, BJM; BLASCO, F.; MALLÉN, D.; SAZ, D.: GR 11 Senda Pirenaica de mar a mar, (1:40 000), Ed.

Computer program

CERVANTES, BR; ALFONSO, AY: Cultivos Tropicales (Spanish), [online], (Version 1.0), [Multiplatform], Citation Style Language 1.0 xml-based, Mayabeque, Cuba, Style based on ISO 690:2010(F), June 16, 2015, Available at: https://www.zotero.org/styles/cultivos-tropicales .

Statistical Websites

ALTIERI, MA; FUNES, MFR: “The paradox of Cuban agriculture”, [online], In: CEPRID, April 12, 2012, Available at: http://www.nodo50.org/ceprid/spip.php?article1395&debut_articles_rubrique=45 , [Accessed: April 5, 2016].

Thesis

HERNÁNDEZ, HJE: Proposal for an architecture to support collaborative production planning in tree-type supply chains, [online], Polytechnic University of Valencia, PhD Thesis, Spain, 736 p., DOI: 10.4995/Thesis/10251/14571, 2011, Available at: https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/14571 , [Accessed: June 17, 2016].

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

Supplementary materials can support and enhance scientific research. Supplementary files offer authors additional options for publishing supporting applications, high-resolution images, datasets, sound clips, and more. Please note that these articles are published online along with the article exactly as submitted. Titles for these materials should be concise and descriptive for each file. If you wish to make changes to the supplementary data at any stage of the process, be sure to provide an updated file and not record any corrections in an earlier version.