Submissions

Author Guidelines

	Please review these guidelines to prepare your manuscript, as all manuscripts submitted to the ACI Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierías journal must comply with them. These guidelines will help you ensure that your manuscript is complete and that the editorial process will be conducted as smoothly as possible.

TYPES OF CONTRIBUTIONS

The ACI Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierías journal publishes contributions in Spanish and English. All are subject to a peer review process and can be classified into one of the following categories:

Article: Manuscripts submitted as Articles should offer significant conclusions to address a problem, being thorough in analysis and conclusions, and including all relevant empirical data.

You can check the article template here.

Reviews: A review article is an academic document that summarizes, analyzes, and critically evaluates previous research conducted on a specific topic. Unlike an original research article, a review article does not present new experimental data but synthesizes and contextualizes the information available in the scientific literature. These articles typically provide an overview of the current state of knowledge in a particular field, identifying trends, discrepancies, and areas of future research. For more information about the structure of a review, please refer to the "Submissions" section (see article template).

You can check the article template here.

Communications: Communications are brief academic documents that present preliminary results or notable research findings in a concise and direct format, focusing on specific aspects or particular discoveries without delving into exhaustive details. They are ideal for sharing relevant information quickly and efficiently with the scientific community.

You can check the communication template here.

PREPARING THE MANUSCRIPT

ORGANIZING THE MANUSCRIPT

1. The first page of the manuscript should include the following parts, each on a separate line:

• Article title: Bold, with a maximum of 300 characters. It should be specific, descriptive, concise and understandable to readers outside of the field. Only the first word and proper names start with a capital letter. It can be divided into title and subtitle, separated by a colon (:). For systematic reviews or meta-analyses, the subtitle should include the study design.
• Abbreviated title: Bold, with a maximum of 100 characters. It describes the study topic. Only the first word and proper names start with a capital letter.
• Names of authors: Present the names of the authors on the first page of the manuscript and on the journal platform. For each author you should include their first name, middle name (or initial, if it is used), and last name(s). Authors are separated by commas (do not place and, &) and it is also important to add the ORCID code of each author. 
• Affiliations: Each author on the list must have an affiliation. Affiliations must include at least the name of the organization or university and its location. Affiliations will be associated with authors using numeric superscripts. Multiple affiliations per author will be separated on different lines and with their own superscripts. The author responsible for the manuscript will be marked with an asterisk next to the superscript, associated with the phrase "Corresponding Author, e-mail:" followed by the email. If all authors share the same affiliation, or if there is only one author, do not use numeric superscripts. If there is only one author, do not include the phrase "Corresponding Author."

• Title in alternative language: If your manuscript is in English, the alternative title is the Spanish translation, and vice versa.
• Abstract: In English, written as a continuous paragraph of maximum 400 words. It briefly details the main objectives of the study; explains how the study was conducted, including any model organism used, but without going into methodological details; and summarizes the most important results and their significance. It should not include bibliographic citations or abbreviations and should not be separated into paragraphs.
• Keywords: Maximum of 10 words or groups of words in English. They should be different from those that appear in the title.
• Resumen: The Spanish translation of the Abstract, with its same characteristics.
• Palabras clave: Maximum of 10 words or groups of words in Spanish. They should be different from those that appear in the title.

2. From the next page the text will be presented organized by headings. The organization will depend on the type of contribution:

Organization of a manuscript submitted as Article or Review:

It is suggested to organize the manuscript according to the scientific method. For example:

1. INTRODUCTION
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
3. RESULTS
4. DISCUSSION
5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
6. AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
7. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
8. REFERENCES

Other sections may include: literature review, conclusions, recommendations. The structure of the article will be reviewed and evaluated by the editor(s) and reviewers.

Organization of a manuscript submitted as Communication

1. TEXT (without divisions)
2. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
3. AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
4. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
5. REFERENCES

3. Include in the Acknowledgments:

• Explicit statement of the sources of funding that allowed the development of the work.
• Details of permits or authorizations for the development of the research and the institutions that issued them.
• Those who have contributed to the work but do not meet authorship requirements can be mentioned with a description of their contributions.
• The authors are responsible for ensuring that everyone named in the Acknowledgments agrees to be so.

4. The Author Contributions section is always required. This section includes the contributions of the authors; we suggest you use CRediT Taxonomy.

GUIDELINES FOR CITATIONS AND REFERENCES

• In the text, use numbered citations placed at the end of the sentence in square brackets. Different citation numbers must be separated by commas, unless it is a continuous range of citations in which case a hyphen will be used. Examples: [10]  [10,15,22]  [12-20].
• Number the citations sequentially as they appear in the text (NOT in alphabetical order of references).
• Cite works that are unpublished, in preparation, or in revision process as "(unpublished data)," preceded by the author"™s initials and last name. For example: A. Suárez (unpublished data)
• Citations of information from emails, letters or documents sent between collaborators should be avoided, but if absolutely necessary, they should be referred to as "pers. comm." when they correspond to comments without correspondence, and as "in litt." when there was written correspondence. In both cases, citations should be preceded by the collaborator"™s initials and last name and followed by the year. For example: (J. Muñoz in litt. 2009) (J. Muñoz pers. comm. 2010)
• Subtitle the list of references as References (not Bibliography or Cited Literature).
• Order the list of references according to the sequential order that they appear in the text of the manuscript (NOT in alphabetical order).
• The format of the references is mixed, so the APA 7th edition style should be followed along with the use of brackets [] to list them in their respective order of appearance in the article. 
• If the article has an active DOI, the DOI must be included at the end of the reference. Do not place a period after the DOI.
• Separate each author by a comma and place "&" before the last author. The initials of the authors' names go after the last names. Indicate all authors and do not use et al.
• Include the journal issue in parentheses after the volume, if available.
• To include the Internet address or URL of a page that might change in the future, you must first back that URL to a digital file that will safeguard that reference for the future. For this you can use Wayback Machine from Internet Archive https://archive.org/web/ or the archive.is system http://archive.is. This should be done in particular for pages that come from online encyclopedias, newspapers, personal or institutional pages.
• When referring to online posts that have specific dates (such as blogs), the full date (Year, Month day) and not just the year should be used.

GUIDELINES FOR TABLES

• Cite tables in the text with Arabic numerals in the order they appear. Examples: "Table 1" "Tables 1-3"
• Place the tables after the text, each one on its own page.
• The tables must fit on an A4 sheet with margins of 2.5 cm, able to be oriented vertically and horizontally as is best for the appearance of the table.
• Each table must have its own explanatory caption, which must be understandable without reference to the text and will be placed before the table. Each caption will start with the number of the table. Example:

TABLE 1. Comparison of the effects...

• Include units in the headings of columns and rows in parentheses.

GUIDELINES FOR FIGURES

• The term Figure refers to all types of images, including graphs, drawings, photographs and maps. Figures should be cited in the text with Arabic numerals in order of appearance using the abbreviation "Fig". Example: "Figs. 1-3"
• In the initial submission, figures should be in low resolution, provided they are legible, and included in the text file of the manuscript. However, once the manuscript is accepted, figures should be sent in high resolution (minimum 300 dpi, 600 dpi recommended) in one of the following formats: *.tiff, *.eps, *.emf, *.bmp, as separate documents from the text file.
• Each figure will be succeeded by its caption. The caption will be self-explanatory, must be understandable without reference to the text and will be placed after the figure. Each caption will begin with the figure number.

Example: Figure 1... Map of the region...

• Figures drawn with lines (line artwork) are best prepared in vector-based graphic programs (e.g. Corel Draw, Illustrator, Freehand, Inkscape, ArcView). It is therefore recommended to present them in *.eps format. Do not use lines of less than 0.3-point width.
• Black and white photographs, color photographs and maps and graphics made in raster-based programs (e.g. Photoshop, Gimp) should be submitted in *.tiff format. For *.tiff files, note that resolution is irrelevant, size in pixels is important, so we recommend a minimum size of 1000 pixels.
• Any manuscript that includes a study site should include a map of the site. Such a figure should: (1) be surrounded by a border with thin lines, (2) be geographically referenced with latitude and longitude coordinates and a small inset map indicating the general location, (3) have a scale bar in km, (4) have an arrow indicating North (do not use a compass rose), and (5) have reference lines such as country boundaries, roads, rivers, or elevations, extending to the border.
• For all figures, use lines with a thickness between 0.3-1.0 point and 12-point font sizes.
• If you want to add several images as a single composite figure or create a page-long, multi-image plate, do not worry about the layout of the plate. In the first submission of the manuscript, you should not assemble such a figure, but place the caption of the figure and then paste each image separately. Each image should have its own designation through capitals (e.g., A) placed in the lower right corner of each image. As the manuscript moves through the publication process, the journal's design team will assemble and design your composite images or plates.
• Eliminate unnecessary white space or gaps around figures. Include the respective credits of the figure in the caption. Remember that it is the author's responsibility to have the necessary permissions to reproduce the figure under the journal's Creative Commons License.
• If you use a map as a figure, you must cite the source of the map. If possible, use maps that are in public use or allow unrestricted use. If you use Google Earth or Google Maps, you must follow Google's attribution guidelines.

GUIDELINES ON BIOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE AND DESCRIPTION OF NEW SPECIES

• ACI Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierías complies with the requirements established by the different nomenclature codes regarding the validity for the description of new species and the availability of articles online as published works, including the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants.
• The journal will be responsible for obtaining records and GUID (LSID) in Zoobank, IPNI and Mycobanl or Index Fungorum.
• Authors should adhere to the guidelines established by the international codes of nomenclature respective to the organism treated.
• Descriptions of new species of living organisms or taxonomic analyses should follow the provisions of the respective nomenclatural code.
• When a biological taxon is mentioned for the first time, its common name (as a proper name) should be written followed by its scientific name in italics, for example: Spectacled Bear Tremarctos ornatus. Do not place the scientific name or common name in parentheses. Later in the manuscript, only the scientific name or common name may be used.
• If the manuscript corresponds to a taxonomic analysis or if there is controversy regarding the nomenclature of the organism studied, present the name of the taxon followed by the taxonomic authorship data when mentioning it for the first time. The taxonomic authorship data for zoological names are the surnames of the descriptors and the year of description, separated by a comma, e.g., Grallaria ridgelyi Krabbe et al., 1999. The taxonomic authorship of botanical names should follow that specified in The International Plant Names Index. Place taxonomic authorship in parentheses only if there was a change at the genus level. When there are three or more descriptors use "et al." without italics.

GUIDELINES FOR SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

• Authors may publish supplementary material with their manuscript. This material corresponds to information that complements or provides support to the published manuscript and can be downloaded as independent files.
• Different types of information can be included as supplementary material: extensive texts on methodologies, databases, video, audio, photographic and other audiovisual support, among others. The Supplementary Materials replace the Appendices.
• These materials will be cited at the end of the manuscript with links to the journal's website where they will be freely available to the public.
• If the supplementary material is composed of text, it should be presented with the same general format required for the manuscript.
• If necessary, cite Supplementary Material files in the following format: Fig. S1, Table S1, Data S1, Videos S1, Article S1, Audio S1. Where the S indicates supplementary material, and the number indicates the numerical sequence of the supplementary material.
• To maximize compatibility, we suggest that you submit your Supplementary Material in the following formats: Images in *.tiff, *.eps, *.emf, *.bmp, *.png or *.jpg; tables in *.xls or *.xlsx; text in *.doc or *.docx; videos in *.avi, *.mov or *.mp4; and audio files in *.wav or *.mp3.
• Large supplementary data sets can be submitted in compressed format (*.zip, *.z, *.tar or *.rar).