Ethics policy
Pactum adheres to the principles and good editorial practices promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and assumes the following commitments:
Integrity and Originality
Manuscripts submitted by authors must be the result of original and unpublished research. Simultaneous submissions to other publications are not accepted. All publication proposals are subject to a similarity check (see “Originality Check Procedure”). Total or partial plagiarism, manipulation or selective citation of sources, fabrication or falsification of data, and the undeclared use of generative artificial intelligence in drafting the substantive content of the manuscript are considered poor practices (see “Artificial Intelligence Use Policy”).
Responsibility for Peer Review
Reviewers are committed to evaluating manuscripts objectively, confidentially, and without conflicts of interest, in accordance with the criteria published in this journal's Peer Review Policy. They must notify the editorial team of any substantial similarity to other published or known works and refrain from evaluating manuscripts when they detect any conflict of interest with the authors.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors, reviewers, and members of the editorial team must declare any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could unduly influence the editorial process. In such cases, the editor may assign reviewers or recuse themselves if a conflict of interest exists.
Complaints and Appeals
Anyone may submit a complaint or appeal regarding the editorial process by writing an email to pactum@cucea.udg.mx, indicating the article or process in question. The Editorial Committee will respond within a maximum of 30 calendar days, following the COPE protocol (https://publicationethics.org/files/Spanish%20%281%29.pdf).
Corrections, Feedback, and Exceptional Cases
When significant errors are identified after publication, the journal will issue a corrected version that will be saved in the AUTOSAVED history. In cases of proven plagiarism or duplicate publication, the article will be retracted, and the record will be kept with a visible notice of retraction and its reasons, in accordance with COPE's retraction guidelines.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
See the journal's specific policy.
General Principles
In addition to the operational commitments described, Pactum adheres to the following guiding principles in its editorial conduct:
Knowledge as a public good. The journal recognizes that its published content is for the academic community and society at large, and therefore guarantees open, free, and permanent access to its articles.
Open access. The journal does not impose economic, technical, or subscription barriers on authors or readers of its content.
Diversity. Pactum values the plurality of methodological approaches, epistemic frameworks, and disciplinary traditions in the study of conflict, the Culture of Peace, and Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Equity and inclusion. The journal's editorial process is conducted without discrimination based on gender, age, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or institutional affiliation. Pactum is committed to eliminating linguistic, cultural, or technological barriers that limit the participation of authors, reviewers, or readers in the scientific communication process.
Social relevance. Pactum recognizes the value of knowledge in relation to priority social problems - particularly conflict, violence and peacebuilding - and promotes academic production that contributes to the collective good and the social appropriation of knowledge.
