Editorial policies

Section Policies

Articles

The journal consists primarily of a general section featuring original articles that present research findings, case studies, theoretical reviews, and methodological proposals.

Thematic Section

Occasionally, the journal issues calls for submissions to compile thematic dossiers focused on a specific issue of scientific and current interest in the field of border studies. These are coordinated by guest editors who are internationally recognized academic specialists in the subject. The articles in the thematic section, like those in the general section, undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process. A thematic section will be organized at the initiative of the journal’s editor-in-chief, members of the Editorial Board, or upon proposal by academic groups (guest editors); in the latter case, the proposal’s suitability will be evaluated based on the topic’s relevance and its connection to border studies, the profile of the guest editors, and the institutional and regional diversity of potential authors. The thematic section may consist of between 4 and 8 articles.

Reviews

As of 2018, book reviews were discontinued, and the articles section will be the only section integrating with the structure of the annual volume, under the modality of continuous publication of content.

Peer Review Process

Once the article is received, an editorial review will be conducted to verify that the submission complies with the author guidelines, includes the required documentation, falls within the journal’s scope, passes the plagiarism check, and demonstrates transparent and ethical use of AI. If the editorial review is approved, the peer review process will begin.

During the peer review, articles will undergo an external peer review process conducted by academic reviewers from the journal’s panel of referees, which consists of renowned scholars from national and international institutions. The review process is double-blind; therefore, authors are asked not to include any information in the article that could lead to their identification.

All the works will be submitted for review by two external reviewers to the institution of adscription of the authors and usually external to the publishing institution. In cases in which there is no agreement between the two reviewers, a third reviewer will be used. The reviewers will provide elements so that the director and/or members of the Editorial Board of the journal can make a final decision on the publication of the article.

The decision can have one of the following results:

1. Recommended for publication without modifications.
2. Recommended for publication with minor changes (a second review by the reviewers is generally not required).
3. Publication is conditional upon the implementation of significant changes. Depending on the extent of the requested changes and the outcome of all reviews, the editor will decide whether to initiate a new round of review by the reviewers. In this case, the review process may be repeated for up to three rounds; if the document is still not recommended for publication at this point, the article will be rejected without the option of resubmission. Depending on the complexity of the requested revisions, the authors will have a period of 15 to 30 calendar days to submit the new version of the manuscript to the editor; if this is not done within this period, the manuscript will be rejected.
4. Its publication is not recommended.

The time it takes for a manuscript to be sent out for peer review depends on the number of articles in the queue; on average, the editorial review can take eight weeks. The external peer review process takes between 12 and 16 weeks. The average time between receipt, approval, and publication in Estudios Fronterizos is seven to nine months. For an article to be considered for publication, it must receive recommendations from two reviewers; the final decision to accept or reject the article will be made by the journal’s editor or the members of the Editorial Board.

The results of the peer-review process are final.

Download Review Report Format.

Open Access Policy

The journal adheres to the principles of open science and provides open access to its content, ensuring free, immediate availability without embargo periods, based on the principle that offering the public free access to research contributes to the democratization of knowledge and greater global exchange of scientific information. 

The contents of Estudios Fronterizos vol. 22 (2021) and earlier were published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Noncommercial 4.0 International license. Starting from vol. 23 (2022) the articles are published under the license Attribution 4.0 International and can be used for free giving credit to the authors and the journal.

Preprint Policy

In accordance with the principles of open science, Estudios Fronterizos accepts submissions of manuscripts that have been previously deposited in preprint repositories. At the time of submission, authors must notify the editor in writing that their work is hosted on a preprint server and include the name of the repository and the corresponding link or DOI. This information will be included in the “Author Information” file, which will be uploaded as a supplementary file with the submission on the journal’s OJS platform.

Data Policy

In accordance with open science guidelines and the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), at Estudios Fronterizos we recognize that the availability of research data promotes transparency, reproducibility, and the advancement of knowledge, therefore, authors submitting original research articles resulting from projects funded with public or institutional resources are encouraged to deposit the data, codes, questionnaires, interview guides, and other materials required to replicate the results of their articles in an open-access data repository.

In the data repository, the data of the participants (research subjects) must be anonymized, and sensitive information must not be shared.

Authors who agree to share their research data will provide the repository information and link (DOI) in the supplementary file to be uploaded to the system during submission under the name “Author Information.”

To share research data while maintaining a double-blind review process, authors must anonymize the dataset; it is recommended to use repositories that offer confidential access for reviewers, in order to ensure transparency without revealing the researchers’ identities. If the data cannot be made available due to ethical principles, the reasons will be explained.

It is recommended that the deposited data be published under an open and permissive Creative Commons license.

Self-archiving policy

In Estudios Fronterizos, authors retain the right to enter into other non-exclusive agreements regarding the self-archiving, deposit, or distribution of the publisher’s version published in this journal; for example, they may include it in institutional, national, or international open-access repositories, personal websites, and academic social media platforms. There are no embargo periods, so the article may be deposited immediately following its publication. Self-archiving is governed by the CC-BY license; therefore, authors are required to cite the source, indicating the original publication in Estudios Fronterizos, and to include the complete bibliographic reference and the article’s DOI.

Policy on Charges for Submissions and Processing of Articles

Estudios Fronterizos does not charge for submitting, processing and publishing articles received (APC) in the journal.

The cost of translating articles into English or Spanish is covered in full by the publishing institution, subject to the availability of resources.

Preservation Policy

The journal Estudios Fronterizos ensures the permanent availability and long-term accessibility of published articles
In addition to performing regular backups, the journal is part of the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN) for the digital preservation of journals on OJS.
Additional information about PKP PN: https://pkp.sfu.ca/pkp-pn/ 
 Archival status: https://portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/2395-9134#  

Metadata Policy

According with the principles of Open Science, Estudios Fronterizos ensures the quality, standardization, and consistency of the metadata associated with published articles.

To ensure semantic and technical compatibility, article metadata is described using the Dublin Core standard, including the following basic elements:

• Author(s), institutional affiliation
• Article title (in Spanish and English)
• DOI
• Language
• Abstract and keywords (Spanish and English)
• Dates of receipt, acceptance, and publication
• Journal details (volume
• Bibliographic references
• License (Creative Commons)

Reusability of metadata. The metadata is freely accessible and may be reused by third parties without restrictions, provided that the original source is cited under the CC-BY Internacional 4.0.

Interoperability Protocol

This journal uses version 2.0 of the OAI-PMH protocol (Open Archives Initiative - Protocol for Metadata Harvesting). This allows external systems to automatically harvest metadata from our published articles.

In addition to including metadata, articles are published in formats that enable exchange, text mining, and structured reading. Content is provided in XML-JATS (Journal Article Tag Suite) format, which facilitates its integration into regional and international platforms.

Base URL for harvesters: https://ref.uabc.mx/ojs/index.php/ref/oai

Persistent Identifiers

DOI
All articles published in Estudios Fronterizos are assigned a unique and permanent digital object identifier (DOI) to ensure their long-term preservation, locatability, and retrieval..

ORCID
Authors publishing in Estudios Fronterizos must provide their ORCID persistent identifier to eliminate ambiguity regarding their names and signatures and to facilitate the correct attribution of authorship for their articles.

ROR
To ensure the link between the author and their organization, starting in 2026, the journal has incorporated the ROR identifier for the authors’ affiliated institutions.

Ethics code

Consult the Code of Ethics of Estudios Fronterizos.

Anti-Plagiarism Policy

During the editorial review process, the journal’s editorial team will screen manuscripts submitted for publication in this journal using iThenticate software to identify potential plagiarism, prior to their submission to an external peer-review. The percentage of similarity must be minimal, provided that sources are properly cited. If a high percentage of similarity is identified and plagiarism, duplication, or redundant publication is confirmed, the authors will be asked to provide the necessary clarifications; if the matter cannot be satisfactorily resolved, the article will be rejected before the peer review process begins.

AI Policy

At Estudios Fronterizos, we adhere to the principles and ethical statement on the use of AI established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We recognize that AI tools—including large language models (LLMs) and writing assistants—are constantly evolving and can serve as a valuable aid in academic work; however, they should be used as an auxiliary tool and never replace critical, ethical, and responsible rigor. Therefore, in accordance with open science guidelines, their use must be made transparent, promoting the traceability and reproducibility of the research.

Authors’ Responsibilities and Best Practices Regarding the Use of AI.

1. AI tools cannot be considered authors or co-authors of the manuscript.
2. Authors must declare (in the letter of commitment and in the “Author Information” file uploaded to the platform during submission) whether or not they used AI tools in the preparation of their article.
3. Authors assume responsibility for reviewing, correcting, and approving the content of their article, including content generated by AI.
4. Permitted use of AI-assisted tools: These may be used as support tools for grammar and style correction, translation, keyword generation, creating summaries, organizing ideas, and generating images for illustrative purposes, provided they are always reviewed by a human. The name of the tool, the date, the purpose for which it was used, and the sections of the document where it was used must be indicated.
5. Prohibited use of generative AI tools: generating article text, analyzing data, interpreting results, generating images intended as evidence, fabricating data, inventing false citations and references, or creating fictitious interviews or data.

Responsibilities and Best Practices for Reviewers Regarding the Use of AI.

1. Reviewers must not use AI to make a final editorial decision (to accept or reject an article); this is a strictly human responsibility.
2. The use of AI to draft academic reviews is not permitted.
3. To respect the confidentiality of the manuscript, reviewers may not upload articles for review into AI tools.
4. If reviewers suspect undeclared use of AI by authors, they must notify the editor.

Responsibilities and Best Practices for the Editorial Team and Academic Bodies of the Journal Regarding the Use of AI

1. The editorial team is not permitted to use AI to make final decisions regarding manuscripts.
2. To ensure the confidentiality of submitted articles, no members of the journal’s editorial staff are permitted to upload manuscripts to AI tools.
3. Members of the editorial team may use AI tools exclusively for tasks that optimize administrative processes.
4. Editors may use AI tools as technical support for detecting similarities and verifying AI use. Estudios Fronterizos uses IThenticate software; the generated report will always be reviewed by a human.
5. If the editorial team suspects the undeclared use of AI by authors, it must follow the COPE protocol, which requires notifying the authors and requesting clarification and transparency, rather than rejecting the submission without evidence.
6. It is the responsibility of the journal’s academic and editorial bodies to monitor and update the AI policy in accordance with evolving international standards in this area.

Sanctions

The journal reserves the right to reject a manuscript or retract a published article if the use of undeclared AI is detected, if uses prohibited by the journal’s policy are identified, if the generation of fictitious citations and references is confirmed, or if the ethical principles governing the use of AI have been violated. All cases will be investigated and handled in accordance with the workflows recommended by COPE.

Policy of Multilingualism

Spanish is recognized as a legitimate language for scientific publication in order to strengthen the exchange of knowledge in the Ibero-American region. We also encourage the bilingual publication of articles in Estudios Fronterizos in both Spanish and English to ensure the international circulation of knowledge and position our region’s scholarly output on the global stage. To this end, all articles accepted for publication in the journal will be translated into English or Spanish, as appropriate.

The cost of translation will be covered by the publishing institution, subject to the availability of resources.

Copyright Policy

Once the decision has been made, and if the article is approved for publication, the authors must accept the following conditions:

1. Authors retain the moral and economic rights to their article and grant the journal Estudios Fronterizos a non-exclusive, royalty-free, and indefinite license for the first publication of their article.
2. They agree that their article and all materials included therein may be reproduced, published, translated, communicated, and publicly transmitted in any form or medium; as well as publicly communicated in any form, including making it available to the public via electronic media or any other technology, for exclusively scientific, cultural, and dissemination purposes.
3. Authors agree to have their article distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. This allows third parties to share and adapt the content, provided they always acknowledge the original authorship and the article’s initial publication in the journal.
4. Authors may enter into other independent and additional contractual agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the article published in this journal (for example: including it in an institutional repository, a personal website; dissemination on academic networks, or publishing it in a book) provided that they clearly indicate that the work was first published in Estudios Fronterizos, specifying the volume, year, and DOI of the article.

Authors will be asked to submit the completed and signed Non-Exclusive License Agreement and First Publication Authorization Form (download template) only after the article has been reviewed and approved for publication. The document should be sent as a PDF file to the following email address: ref@uabc.edu.mx

Creative Commons License

Estudios Fronterizos is an open-access journal. Starting with Volume 23 (2022), articles in Estudios Fronterizos in PDF, HTML, EPUB, and XML formats are published under the Creative Commons Atribución 4.0 Internacional.

Users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, as well as adapt them and create derivative works (even for commercial purposes), provided that appropriate credit is given to the authors and to the first publication in this journal. Authors retain their moral and economic rights of authorship.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses used in this journal will be used exclusively for the purposes established in it and will not be provided to third parties or for their use for other purposes.

Complaints

Complaints, disagreements or disputes that arise between those participating in the editorial process of the journal Estudios Fronterizos will be resolved by consulting the COPE guidelines. Please direct your communication to ref@uabc.edu.mx