Editorial Policy
Revista Controversia publishes research, analysis, and review articles on social, economic, cultural and political issues in Colombia and Latin America, as well as papers on theoretical aspects that elucidate these problems and systematizations of experiences in popular education, social organization, and sustainable development. The journal is aimed at researchers from NGOs and academia and members of social movements and civil society organizations in Colombia and the South America.
Contributions to the journal must be original and unpublished works (see the Ethics Criteria). The journal has external reviewers who are not part of the publishing institutions.
Revista Controversia is produced and edited by Centro de Investigación y Educación Popular/Programa para la paz - CINEP/PPP and the Intercultural Studies Institute (IEI) of Universidad Javeriana de Cali. It is funded by Fundación Confiar.
Frequency and format
The journal is published biannually in digital format, and printing on demand is considered at the discretion of the editorial team.
Open access policy
Based on the principle that free access to research broadens global knowledge exchange, this journal offers open access to its content. There are no fees for the submission, evaluation, or publication of articles in Revista Controversia.
Publishing process
Revista Controversia releases two thematic calls for papers a year. The themes are selected according to current issues and generally involve the participation of guest editors from various institutions who propose different lines of research and analysis on the selected theme. Each call for papers is open for three months. During this period, interested parties may submit articles on topics within the scope of the journal.
The instructions for authors are outlined in the Publications Manual, available in the Submissions section. Manuscripts can be submitted there during the biannual calls for applications.
The evaluation process consists of two stages. First, the editorial team responsible for the issue reviews and selects the manuscripts that meet the requirements of the Publications Manual, align with the journal’s thematic scope, and demonstrate sufficient quality to be considered. All submissions will be evaluated using a plagiarism detection tool. During this time, adjustments are also requested if required.
Subsequently, the selected manuscripts are submitted for evaluation by specialists in the respective subject. The reviewers of each article are competent peers who will have one month to submit their evaluation. The editorial committee reserves the right to accept or reject articles based on the requirements outlined above or to condition their acceptance on changes to the manuscript when necessary. The review process is confidential. Authors and reviewers will remain anonymous to each other. Each evaluator will use an evaluation form to record their opinion on the quality, originality, and importance of the manuscript being evaluated. The paper will receive both a quantitative and a qualitative assessment. The reviewers' comments will be forwarded to the author of the paper, along with any suggestions from the journal’s editorial committee, if modifications are required. To control editing times, the dates of receipt and approval of articles will be monitored. This evaluation stage lasts approximately two months.
Three reviewers are appointed for each article. In case of dissent between two reviewers, the review process resolves such dissent as part of the standard procedure. Similarly, the editorial team may assess the reviewers' evaluations, considering their comments along with the team's own academic and editorial judgment.
Once the articles are accepted, the editorial management process begins. This process involves proofreading and layout, during which the documents are adapted to the journal's guidelines and prepared for publication. This stage of editorial management takes about two months.
License
Authors retain the copyright to their work but grant the journal the right of first publication. Their work is registered under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license, allowing third parties to use the publication for non-commercial purposes, provided the author and their publication in Controversia are credited.
Ethics criteria
The objective of Revista Controversia is to serve as a debate hub for non-governmental organizations, social movements, and academia to discuss economic, cultural, social, and political issues in Colombia and Latin America. Therefore, it adopts criteria for clear communication and ethical standards for the publication of research findings, analyses, and reviews. Thus, we adhere to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors:
Revista Controversia is committed to a transparent quality assessment process for authors who submit their contributions, ensuring equal conditions for all. It also preserves anonymity between authors and reviewers. During the evaluation period, articles and reviews will be treated with complete confidentiality, and the editorial team will maintain ongoing communication with both authors and reviewers. The results of the review process will be communicated exclusively to the authors. Controversia is committed to ensuring free access to its contents and promoting its wide dissemination through both print and electronic media. As its name suggests, the journal will foster debates that enhance the understanding of reality and strengthen the fields of social sciences and humanities.
Archive and preservation
Following publication, all articles will be archived in PDF format on the journal's website, as well as in the databases and directories where the journal is indexed. Since 2016, all articles have a permanent DOI to ensure long-term access.
Policy Update
The editorial policy will be reviewed and updated regularly to adapt to the best practices and current regulations.