Author Information

• • The submission has not been previously published nor is it before another journal for consideration.
• • The submission file is in Microsoft Word (.docx) document file format.
• • The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines (Vancouver Style).
• • Where available, URLs and DOIs for the references have been provided.
• • The manuscript has been anonymized: Author names, affiliations, and any identifying information have been removed from the main file to ensure a double-blind peer review.
• • All authors have provided their ORCID iD.

SAP (South American Publishing) journals are international, peer-reviewed publications dedicated to advancing scholarly dialogue across multiple disciplines. Our journals aim to publish high-quality research relevant to professionals, researchers, and policymakers worldwide.

1. Submission Preparation and Templates
Manuscripts must be prepared using the official SAP Journal Template. Submissions that do not adhere to the formatting requirements may be returned to authors for correction before entering the peer-review process.

Download Template: SAP Word Template (.docx)

Style Guide: All manuscripts must follow the Vancouver Style (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors - ICMJE) for citations and references.

2. Originality and Preprints
Manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they have not been published previously and are not under consideration by another publisher.

Preprints: SAP supports open science and considers material previously published on preprint servers (e.g., medRxiv, bioRxiv, arXiv). Authors must disclose the existence of a preprint version in their cover letter.
Duplicate Submission: Failure to disclose related material or simultaneous submissions is considered unethical. A content overlap of more than 10% may be considered duplicative.

3. ORCID Requirements
To ensure proper attribution and metadata integrity, SAP requires all authors to provide their ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID).

• The ORCID is mandatory for the corresponding author at the time of submission.
• We strongly encourage all co-authors to obtain and include their ORCID in the manuscript to facilitate global indexing.

4. Language Policy
SAP journals accept manuscripts in both English and Spanish. Regardless of the language of the paper, all metadata (Title, Abstract, and Keywords) must be provided in English to ensure international visibility.

5. Manuscript Structure (IMRaD Format)
For original research, authors must follow the IMRaD structure:

• Title: Concise and informative.
• Abstract: Structured (Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions).
• Keywords: 3 to 6 terms for indexing.
• Introduction: Background, rationale, and objectives.
• Methods: Study design, participants/subjects, interventions, and Ethical Considerations (including informed consent).
• Results: Clear presentation of findings with appropriate tables/figures.
• Discussion: Principal results, limitations, comparison with prior work, and conclusions.
• Declarations: Funding Statement, Conflicts of Interest, and Data Availability.

6. Ethical Policies and Plagiarism
Ethics: Studies involving human or animal subjects must state compliance with international ethical standards (e.g., Declaration of Helsinki).
Plagiarism: All submissions are screened using professional anti-plagiarism software. Please refer to our Anti-plagiarism Policy for detailed thresholds and procedures.

7. Cascading Peer-Review (Transfer Policy)
As a service to our authors, SAP offers a transfer policy. If a manuscript is found unsuitable for one SAP journal but aligns with the scope of another journal within the editorial group (e.g., transferring from Nursing Depths to Health and Policy), the editorial team may suggest a transfer. This allows for a faster publication process by potentially reusing previous peer-review reports.

8. Article Processing Charges (APC)
Authors should review the Fee Schedule in the "Article Processing Fees" section of the specific journal prior to submission to confirm any applicable charges for publication and production services.

To submit a manuscript, you must first create an account in our system. Please proceed to the following link to complete your Registration and Submission:

Registration and Submission

Registration and login are mandatory to upload papers online and to track the real-time status of your current submissions. Before proceeding, we strongly encourage authors to carefully review the Instructions for Authors to ensure the manuscript meets all technical and ethical requirements of the journal.

Peer review constitutes a central mechanism for the selection and validation of manuscripts that meet the expected standards of quality, relevance, and scholarly impact within the scientific and professional communities addressed by South American Publishing (SAP). Through this process, the publisher ensures that all accepted works make a meaningful contribution to their respective fields of research.

Review Model: Double-Blind
The evaluation follows a double-blind peer review model, in which both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the process in order to preserve objectivity and impartiality. Manuscripts submitted for consideration are evaluated by at least two external reviewers who are recognized specialists in the relevant subject area and act independently from one another.

Initial Editorial Assessment
Once a manuscript is submitted, the journal acknowledges receipt by email and assigns a unique reference number for tracking purposes. The Editor-in-Chief or an appointed Section Editor then conducts an initial editorial assessment to determine whether the submission fits the scope of the publication, meets basic quality standards, and complies with formal requirements. If a manuscript does not meet these criteria, authors are informed of an early rejection, usually within 5 business days. Submissions may be declined at this stage if they fall outside the scope, are incomplete, or show evidence of plagiarism.

Peer Review Workflow and Timeline
Manuscripts that pass the preliminary assessment are forwarded for external review.

• Reviewer Selection: The reviewer pool consists of an international network of academics and professionals with doctoral qualifications or recognized expertise.
• Invitation: Reviewers have up to 7 days to accept or decline the invitation.
• Review Period: Once the invitation is accepted, reviewers are expected to submit their reports and recommendations within 4 weeks.
• Editorial Decision: Authors typically receive an initial editorial decision based on reviewer reports within an average period of 30 to 45 days from submission.

Revisions and Final Decision
When revisions are requested, authors receive anonymized comments and guidance for improving the manuscript. Revised versions, accompanied by a detailed "Response to Reviewers," must be submitted within 15 days. In cases where there is a substantial divergence between reviewer recommendations, the editor may request an additional evaluation from a third reviewer. While Section Editors manage the evaluation workflow, the final decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of any manuscript rests with the Editor-in-Chief, based on the totality of reviewer feedback and editorial judgment.

Confidentiality and Ethics
All materials submitted for evaluation are treated as strictly confidential. Reviewers must not disclose, share, or use any information contained in the manuscript for personal purposes. Communication between reviewers and the editorial team is conducted exclusively through the journal’s online platform to ensure traceability and proper documentation.

Publication and Indexing
Accepted manuscripts are typically published online within 15 to 25 days following final acceptance. All published articles are assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and become immediately citable. The editorial team is responsible for managing subsequent indexing and registration processes.

South American Publishing (SAP) maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding plagiarism and is committed to ensuring that all published academic articles are original, unpublished, and have not been previously submitted to other journals or publication platforms.

1. Screening Process
To enforce this commitment, all manuscripts submitted to SAP journals undergo a rigorous screening process before the peer-review stage begins. The editorial team utilizes professional-grade similarity detection software, including: iThenticate (Crossref Similarity Check), Turnitin, and Plag.es. Additionally, editors may use complementary tools such as DupliChecker, Plagium, or Copyscape when deemed necessary to ensure the integrity of the work.

2. Similarity Thresholds and Procedures
The journal has established a maximum similarity threshold of 20%.

• Results > 20%: If a similarity report exceeds 20%, the authors will be formally notified via email. This communication will include the full similarity report and an expert editorial reflection.
• Author Response: Authors will be given the opportunity to provide comments or clarifications regarding the detected overlaps.
• Editorial Determination: The editorial board will analyze the author's feedback to determine if the similarity constitutes plagiarism or a failure in proper citation. If plagiarism is confirmed, the manuscript will be summarily rejected for evaluation.

3. Preventive Measures for Authors
SAP encourages transparency and academic integrity. Editors may provide authors with recommendations for online programs and resources so they can analyze their manuscripts for potential overlaps before formal submission. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all sources are properly credited and that the work submitted is their own. Any evidence of scientific misconduct, including data falsification or duplicate submission, will result in immediate disqualification from the editorial process.

Authors publishing with South American Publishing (SAP) retain the copyright of their work under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). We encourage authors to self-archive and share all versions of their manuscript—including pre-prints, accepted versions, and the final published PDF (Version of Record)—in institutional repositories, personal websites, or academic social networks.

Conditions for self-archiving:

• The original source must be properly cited.
• A link to the final article via its DOI must be provided.
• The CC BY 4.0 license notice must be clearly stated.

Authors may republish their material in other formats (such as book chapters or doctoral theses). However, submitting the same work to another scholarly journal is considered duplicate publication and is strictly prohibited.

SAP journals utilize the LOCKSS and CLOCKSS systems to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. Additionally, all published content is assigned a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) through Crossref to ensure long-term accessibility.