Originality verification procedure

Once each contributor submits their proposal through the journal's editorial management system, they must complete a checklist certifying that the submission has neither been previously published nor submitted for consideration to any other journal.

Subsequently, the proposal will undergo an originality verification procedure using the iThenticate software.

Whenever any type of plagiarism or duplicate content is detected, the article will be automatically rejected by the Editorial Team. If this circumstance is discovered during the peer-review process, the same sanction will apply. The case will be handled according to the protocol suggested by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): https://publicationethics.org/files/Spanish%20%281%29.pdf

Pactum's reviewers base their recommendation—"publishable," "publishable with revisions," or "not publishable"—on a specific format whose questions are designed to evaluate the following criteria:

Thematic Relevance. It is verified that the manuscript clearly relates to the journal's main lines of research or related topics.

Originality and Contribution. It is examined whether the approach, finding, or perspective developed in the manuscript constitutes a relevant contribution to the field of study, without substantially reproducing previous publications.

Theoretical and methodological soundness. It is observed whether the theoretical and methodological approaches applied are appropriate for the problem addressed and whether they are consistent with the objectives, methods, and findings of the article.

Coherence and argumentative structure. The existence of a clear argument, with a logically articulated introduction, development, and conclusions, is assessed.

Relevance and consistency of references. It is verified that the cited sources are relevant, sufficient, and current in the academic discussion, and that they comply with the citation style adopted by the journal (APA).

Clarity of writing and style. The clarity of the exposition is verified, as well as the use of precise and unambiguous terminology.

Compliance with editorial guidelines. It is verified that the manuscript respects the length, format, and other requirements established in the journal's Editorial Guidelines (typography, citation style, text anonymization, abstract and keywords in bilingual text, etc.).