Proceso de Editorial y Revisión por Pares

1. Manuscript Submission

• Manuscripts should be submitted to the journal Gaceta Medica JBG through the OJS (Open Journal Systems) platform.
• Upon receipt of a manuscript, the journal acknowledges receipt of the paper and notifies the authors.
• Receipt of an article does not imply a commitment to publish.

1. Initial Evaluation by the Editorial Team

• Once the manuscript is received, the Editor and Editorial Committee evaluate if the content is in accordance with the journal's focus.
• A pre-review is performed that includes:
• Verify compliance with the checklists according to the type of article available in EQUATOR (http://www.equator-network.org/).
• Revised guidelines for authors are available at https://gacetamedica.jbg.med.ec/index.php/GMJBG/Normas-autores.
• If the manuscript does not meet the initial criteria, it will be rejected before entering the peer review process. The author may resubmit the manuscript when it has met the author guidelines.

1. Evaluation by the Section Editor

• If it passes the pre-review, the manuscript is evaluated by the Editor, who:
• Analyze the originality of the article using anti-plagiarism software.
• Evaluates whether the content meets the quality expectations of the journal.
• In case of a negative criterion, the Editor may decide to withdraw the article from the peer review process.

1. Peer Review Process

• Manuscripts that pass the initial evaluation are sent to the peer review process, in which the journal collaborates with national and international specialists from different clinical and surgical specialties and experts in research methodology.
• The review process is double-blind: both authors and reviewers remain anonymous.
• The reviewers evaluate the following aspects:
• The relevance of the article.
• Clear classification as original article, clinical case, bibliographic review, or others.
• Compliance with the guidelines for authors.
• The clarity and interest of the research idea.
• Current knowledge on the subject.
• The correct methodology was used in the writing of the manuscript.

Reviewers' verdict:

1. Accepted as is.
2. Minor or major corrections.
3. Rejected.

• Suggested corrections are sent anonymously to the authors, who must implement the changes and resubmit the corrected manuscript.
• The review period may last four weeks, although it could be extended depending on the availability of the reviewers.
• The process follows the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

1. Editing and Publishing

• After acceptance, the manuscript enters a layout process that may require style corrections and editorial adjustments.
• The draft in PDF format will be sent to the authors for final correction and acceptance before publication.
• The review and publication process does not generate costs for the authors.