Declaration of Ethics and Good Practices

 

GENERAL DECLARATION

The Convergences - Journal of Research and Arts Education is an Open Access publication, free of charge for reading, submitting, evaluating, publishing, distributing or downloading, which is committed to upholding and adopting principles of ethics, transparency and deontology, as well as complying with the applicable legislation in force.
The journal Convergences advocates transparency and scientific rigour, the suitability, veracity and originality of published manuscripts, both in the collection and processing of data and in safeguarding the rights of participants, authors and third parties.
We repudiate unethical behaviour and adopt an anti-plagiarism policy. Proposals for manuscripts that constitute unethical practices or plagiarism will be rejected.
Convergências reserves the right to request advice on submitted papers whenever concerns are raised about ethical issues or access to data and materials.
We advocate appropriate ethical conduct in research, as well as demanding standards of ethical behaviour from all parties involved in the publication of articles - IPCB Editions, editors, authors, reviewers.
Convergências does not publish manuscripts that have already been published. We only accept original papers that have not been published elsewhere or made available in an academic repository.
This statement of principles is based on the recommendations of the Principles of transparency and good practice in academic publishing of the COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics , Elsevier Policies, of SciELO Portugal, of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (All European Academies, ALLEA) and in the International ethical guidelines for health-related research involving human subjects (Council for International Organisations of Medical Sciences, CIOMS).

 

1. AUTHORS

1.1. Authorship, collaboration and author's responsibility

The author who submits the article assumes the role of correspondence and communication with Convergências during the proposal, peer review and publication process, ensuring that the administrative requirements are met, namely authorship details, ethics committee approval (where applicable), conflict of interest statement (Download the Declaration of conflict of interest), originality statement and consent to publish (Download the Consent to Publish). The author of correspondence undertakes to respond to editorial requests in good time, to respond about conflicts of interest and to co-operate with any requests from the journal after publication.
Authorship must be earned and credited according to the participation of each participant and respecting their rights.
Papers can be signed by up to five authors. Articles have a main author who is credited first and tends to act as corresponding author, followed by the next. The order of the authors is defined by them at the time of final submission of the article.
In the article, the individual contribution of each author to the scientific production that gave rise to the article must be indicated, using the CRedit - Taxonomy for Author Contribution (https://credit.niso.org/).
In the letter of consent to publish, the author guarantees the originality of the article, which is signed by the corresponding author on behalf of the other authors and collaborators.
The first author must ensure that all co-authors and collaborators have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript, agreeing to its submission and publication in Convergências.
It is not possible to change the number or order of the authors or corresponding author once the article has been finally approved. During the evaluation process of the article, authors can request its exclusion by means of a written and signed letter. It is possible to change the order of the authors during the article's evaluation process, as long as everyone agrees in a written letter signed by everyone.

 

1.2. Conflict of interest

In a section of the article, the manuscript must explain any financial, institutional, personal or other conflicts of interest, considering all the authors, which could influence the results or interpretation of the manuscript. It must indicate all sources of financial support for the research process or inherent to the manuscript.

A conflict of interest is considered when the collection or interpretation of data or presentation of information may be influenced by personal or financial relationships with other people or organisations.

Authors are obliged to declare any competing financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could create embarrassment if they become public knowledge after the article has been published.

Amongst others, financial conflicts of interest include:
- Research grants (the organisation and grant number must be included);
- Financial support for teaching programmes;
- Employment, consultancy or labour relationship;
- Position on an advisory board, board of directors or other type of collaboration in management;
- Financial relationship, namely reimbursement, fee, funding or salary from an organisation that may be committed to or benefit from the publication of the article;
- Intellectual property rights (e.g. patents, copyrights and royalties from such rights);
- Involvement of a spouse and/or children with a financial interest in the work;

Non-financial conflicts of interest that are potentially important to readers should also be disclosed, including political, personal, religious, ideological, academic and intellectual competitors, among others.

 

1.3. Human and animal rights

Research involving human beings, human material or human data must include a statement that the conducted studies comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and have been approved by an ethics committee. Including when the study receives an exemption from the requirement for ethical approval, this must be detailed in the manuscript (including the name of the ethics committee). The authors are responsible for obtaining the approval of the ethics committee and the informed consents of the people involved in the research.
Research must respect the rights and welfare of people and animals, as well as preserving the natural environment. Research that includes tests on living beings must indicate how national/international guidelines have been adopted and how they have been approved by an ethics committee.
The author undertakes not to defame anyone, not to jeopardise the rights of others and not to compromise the right to information.
The editors may reject the manuscript if there is a suspicion of ethical non-compliance in terms of the rights or welfare of people and animals.

 

1.4. Informed consent

Informed consent is required by law in research involving human beings. Manuscripts that include details, images or videos of people, individually or in groups, require them to sign an informed consent form. Participants' identifying details, such as names, dates of birth, numbers or identity data, must be omitted from the publication, unless they are essential to the study and have informed consent to that effect. In the case of minors, it is up to their legal guardians to give informed consent.

1.5. Originality and duplicate, redundant or simultaneous publication

The author guarantees that the manuscripts he/she submits are original / unpublished, i.e. that they are not totally or partially identical to other texts in content and wording and that they have not been published before, regardless of form.
Articles under review by other journals are not accepted.
In addition, the author guarantees that he or she has not licensed or transferred the copyright of the article submitted by him or her to anyone else and that he or she is its sole author (or that he or she and the co-authors listed in the article are its sole authors), who generally has the right to make concessions to Convergências.
The author certifies that the manuscript does not prejudice other copyrights, that it does not compromise the right to information and the protection of identity and that it does not invade anyone's privacy or otherwise violate any common law rights of any person.
The author guarantees the authorship of the contents, texts, images, graphics and figures or their right of use for research and publication purposes.
Artificial Intelligence may only be used to improve the text. This must be explicitly stated and authors are obliged to guarantee that they have the rights to use this content, particularly in accordance with the AI copyright licence.
The author guarantees that he or she complies with the referencing rules adopted by Revista Convergências, crediting the authors and sources consulted in texts (quotation or paraphrase), figures, images, tables, charts, graphs and others. The author ensures that he or she has the explicit written and signed authorisation of third parties. Examples include data obtained in a private context (conversations, correspondence, discussions with one or more people in a private place); the image of people, children and young people, individual, private information or third party data used in the context of a study.
The author submitting the article represents the co-authors listed in the text and is responsible for compliance with copyright law.
The author agrees to assume the costs resulting from any claim or action alleging facts which, if true, constitute a breach of any of the guarantees referred to.

1.6. Plagiarism

According to the law, plagiarism is a criminal offence, punishable by law. It consists of appropriating someone else's work without referencing it, using it as your own and for your own benefit. This criterion includes the full or partial text of papers, tables, graphs and images, among other components that make up the paper.
It is not permitted to republish significant parts of previous publications by the author of the submission, including translations, without acknowledging or properly citing the original (‘self-plagiarism’).
Authors are encouraged to check the content of their manuscripts using valid and reliable plagiarism checking software. All submissions are subject to Turnitin's plagiarism checking service upon receipt of submissions and prior to publication of the final article. If plagiarism or self-plagiarism is found, the submission will be rejected and a complaint will be made to the ‘Publication Ethics Committee’.

 

1.7. Fraud, fabrication or forgery

Fraud is considered to be malicious conduct that compromises reliability in order to guarantee the quality and rigour of the research, namely through falsification (manipulation of data, materials, equipment, omission or malicious alteration to generate a misleading effect), the use of fabricated, false or fraudulent information regarding data (quantitative or qualitative), methodologies and/or procedures that did not take place, or the exclusion of data deemed inconvenient.

The same criteria for data, methodologies and procedures are applied to images, tables, graphs and other parts of the article that are unsubstantiated and untrue.

For the purposes of publication and dissemination, negative results have the same validity as positive conclusions, and the research process should not be biased in order to prejudge results.

Convergências advocates honesty in the development of research, respect for authors, collaborators and participants, as well as responsibility and respect for stakeholders. The author is obliged to ensure that the research is reliable, honest, respectful and responsible.

 

1.8. Fundamental errors in published articles

If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in a published article, he or she must immediately inform Convergências' Editors-in-Chief in order to correct the article or withdraw it.

 

1.9. Submissions

Authors must submit proposals in accordance with the article types - Original Paper, Case Report or Literature Review - and in accordance with the Guidelines for Papers. The submission of any manuscript implies that the author assumes the best practices and codes of conduct and ethics established by national and international organisations and laws.
The articles submitted must be truthful, organised, explicit and systematic in their explanation of the work carried out, complying with Convergências' guidelines for papers. They must ensure that the article is understood and that others are able to replicate or extend the research process.
Manipulation of data, fraudulent or intentionally inaccurate statements constitute unacceptable unethical behaviour that will result in the manuscript being rejected or removed from publication, as well as other legal actions.

2. INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC BOARD OF CONVERGÊNCIAS / REVIEWERS

2.2.1. General commitment

The members of the International Scientific Board undertake to fully respect the rules of ethics and deontology expressed in this declaration. In addition, they undertake to read and evaluate the articles honestly and fairly, with time and attention, to use a didactic and respectful tone when commenting on the articles; to issue an explicit opinion with corrections; to check that it complies with the guidelines and key points for submission; to check the alignment of the articles with the scope of the journal; to check the organisation and clarity of the article and its parts; to check the pertinence and reliability of the methodologies, procedures adopted, quality of the theoretical framework, levels of rigour, results and conclusions.

2.2.Contributing to the quality of publications

Reviewers have a duty to read and analyse submitted manuscripts impartially, writing clear recommendations for authors to improve their proposals and to assist Editors in making editorial decisions and communicating with authors. Reviewers ensure that manuscripts comply with the rules on collaboration (maximum number of authors), templates and guidelines for papers.

2.3. Punctuality

Reviewers must identify whether they are qualified and able to carry out the task of assessing the submissions entrusted to them in good time. Reviewers must carry out the reading and evaluation and send their opinion to the Editors-in-Chief within the stipulated timeframe, so as not to jeopardise the notification and rectification of the article by the author(s).

2.4. Transparency, respect and equality

The evaluation of submitted manuscripts is made without regard to the gender, race, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, nationality or political philosophy of the author(s).

2.5. Confidentiality

Reviewers are prevented from divulging information about authors and submitted manuscripts, except for sending the opinion to the Editors-in-Chief for notification to the author(s). Submissions are therefore confidential and should not be shown to or discussed with third parties outside the Double-Blind Peer Review system.

2.6. Objectivity standards

Reviewers' opinions should be written objectively and clearly, to express points of view and criticisms based on data and arguments.

2.7. About the sources

Reviewers are responsible for checking compliance with the bibliographic referencing standard, detecting signs of bad practice and indicating other published works that are relevant for consideration and citation in the submitted manuscripts.
It is the duty of the Reviewers to report to the Editors-in-Chief cases of substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript evaluated and other publications or existing works, as well as other practices that constitute problems of originality, plagiarism, fraud or collaboration.

2.8. Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Reviewers are prohibited from using or publicising unpublished materials disclosed by third parties and obtained from submitted manuscripts without the express written consent of the author(s). Reviewers may not evaluate manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies or (possibly) institutions linked to the manuscripts. Reviewers' conflicts of interest must be reported to the Editors-in-Chief as soon as they are detected.

 

3. EDITORSEDITORS

3.1. Duties of Convergências editors

It is the duty of the Editors-in-Chief to decide on Convergências' editorial policies, to decide on the most relevant issues and to ensure compliance with the Principles of Ethics and good practice.
The Editors-in-Chief are assisted by the Contributing Editors and Associate Editors, who may be responsible for the day-to-day management of submissions.
The Editors-in-Chief are responsible for checking articles for plagiarism and are supported by the members of the International Scientific Board in the peer review of articles. They have the power to veto submissions in the event of strong evidence of bad practice or a low level of rigour (low reliability of data or the impossibility of reproducing and replicating scientific research) and a lack of quality in the articles.
Editors-in-Chief promote the conditions for improving the attractiveness of Convergências and the fulfilment of indicators that guarantee the quality, dissemination and scientific impact of articles.

 

3.2. Confidentiality

Convergências is not an open review journal, so the preliminary versions of manuscripts (text and written and visual content) must not be shared or disclosed with third parties, nor used for personal gain by Editors-in-Chief, Contributing Editors and Associate Editors or Reviewers of the International Scientific Board. This is not to be confused with the assignment of a Reviewer for reading and opinion in a Double-Blind Peer Review system.
Before articles are published, data, content or texts may only be shared and used with the express written consent of the author(s).
After publication, the rights described in the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 licence apply.

 

3.3. Conflict of interest

A conflict of interest is when the editor or reviewer is related to, or has a personal or professional relationship with, the author of the manuscript, which could arouse suspicion, benefit or harm the author in the review.
With regard to conflicts of a professional nature, we would like to point out that these include working for the same employer, belonging to the same research centre, having a professor-student relationship, supervisor-student relationship, cooperation on previous projects, among others.
Public disagreements between the parties are also considered conflicts.
The rights of the authors cannot override or ignore the rights of third parties who are directly or indirectly involved in the research that forms the article.

3.4. Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Editors-in-Chief, Contributing Editors and Associate Editors must refrain from managing and evaluating submissions in which they have conflicts of interest of a familial, professional, personal, competitive, collaborative or other nature.
The Editors-in-Chief are responsible for managing and informing the parties of potential conflicts of interest, acting in a preventive and educational manner. Processes are managed in such a way as to safeguard the rights of the interested parties or third parties concerned, in compliance with ethics, deontology and the law applicable in each case.

3.5. Involvement and co-operation in investigations

In the event of a report or complaint about unethical behaviour in a manuscript or one that has already been published, it is the Editor-in-Chief's responsibility to take steps to investigate and make a transparent decision.
The Editor-in-Chief ensures that the authors provide Consent to Publish and that they indicate that the rights of those involved or affected are preserved.

 

3.6. Decision to publish

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the initial assessment of the quality of the article; for assigning submissions to the management of Contributing Editors and Associate Editors; and for deciding which articles are published, following the assessment made by the International Scientific Board.
The Editor-in-Chief's decision is based on the correlation between the article and the scope of the journal Convergências, as well as on the quality, robustness and novelty of the articles, and on respect for these rules of good practice and copyright.
The decisions of the Editor-in-Chief may include the opinion of the Contributing Editors and Associate Editors or the reviewers, depending on the stage at which they are issued.

 

3.7. Process for managing research misconduct and publication

The editors and IPCB Editions continuously monitor for publication misconduct, namely avoiding plagiarism and redundant publication, fraudulent, fabricated or improperly manipulated data, changes in authorship, unrevealed conflict of interest, ethical problems, appropriation of ideas or data by reviewers, complaints against editors, etc. Whenever the journal is faced with suspicions of misconduct in research or publication, it adopts the resolution process established by COPE, the Committee on Publication Ethics, as set out at http://publicationethics.org/

 

4. DUTIES OF IPCB EDITIONS

It is the duty of Edições IPCB to ensure that the journal Convergências remains aligned with its mission, in terms of its suitability and scientific rigour, namely by complying with these Principles of Ethics and good practice.

IPCB's mission includes the production and dissemination of knowledge and research. In this alignment, it is the responsibility of Edições IPCB to create the conditions and ensure that Revista Convergências contributes to the promotion and dissemination of research in the areas of design, music and the visual arts, both in particular and in their intersections and convergences, in their practice and in their teaching.

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The Editor-in-Chief of the journal Convergências has asked for an evaluation of this principles to the Ethics Committee of the Polytechnic University of Castelo Branco (CE-IPCB), which were approved in the meeting nº1 de 08/01/2025.

 

5. CORRECTIONS, RETRACTIONS AND EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY

5.1. Editorial Responsibility

The Editors-in-Chief, Associate Editors, and IPCB Editions are responsible for ensuring the integrity of published articles, guaranteeing that decisions are made according to ethical and deontological principles, free from political, institutional, or commercial influences. Editorial decisions must be based exclusively on the scientific merit, originality, relevance, and quality of the manuscripts submitted.

All submissions are read by the editors, who are responsible for assessing their suitability for the journal, ensuring that articles are systematically checked for plagiarism and inappropriate use of Artificial Intelligence, and rejecting bad practices outright. These checks precede double-blind peer review, ensuring that only manuscripts that meet ethical and academic standards are evaluated.

 

5.2. Corrections (Errata)
In the event of minor errors (inaccuracies, typos, etc.) being detected in a published article, if they do not affect the validity of the results or conclusions, a correction (errata) will be issued. This correction will be clearly associated with the original article and made available in open access.

Corrections (errata) are published as separate editorial notes, with a specific DOI and permanent link to the original article. The original article remains unchanged as part of the scientific record, although a clear notice indicating the correction is added. The errata briefly describe the error and provide the correction, ensuring transparency and accuracy while maintaining the integrity of the published version.

In situations requiring clarification due to potential ethical implications, the editor-in-chief will consult the IPCB Ethics Committee (IPCB Editions), following its report as support to ensure the safeguarding of ethical and professional principles in the editorial process.

 

5.3. Retractions
If a serious problem is identified in a published article—whether by the editors, reviewers, readers, or the authors' institution—that constitutes plagiarism, data manipulation, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, or ethical violations, the article may be retracted.

In these situations (plagiarism, falsified data, improper authorship), the procedures recommended by COPE will be adopted, and the editor-in-chief will initiate an investigation by requesting explanations from the authors and, if necessary, their institutions. In addition, the editor-in-chief will consult with the IPCB Ethics Committee (IPCB Editions) to support the investigation and decision-making process, ensuring that retractions are handled with fairness, institutional responsibility, and ethical rigor. Unsatisfactory justifications by the authors or confirmation of misconduct will lead to the decision to retract the article. The authors will be formally notified, and, in serious cases, their affiliated institution will also be notified. The retraction is published as a separate public document (with DOI), identified as a Notice of Retraction, objectively describing the reasons and pointing to the original article, which remains accessible, although permanently marked as “Retracted,” to ensure transparency and preserve the record.

 

5.3.1. Expressions of Concern

Cases that raise strong indications and well-founded suspicions of misconduct or serious errors may justify the issuance of a Statement of Concern during an ongoing investigation. This is a temporary and preventive measure that alerts readers to possible problems while the case is under review. The procedure begins with an assessment of the grounds for suspicion, followed by a request for clarification from the authors. If the concerns are readily overcome by clear explanations and additional measures are warranted, a Statement of Concern will be published as a provisional warning. This warning is published as a separate editorial document, linked to the article until the investigation is completed. Depending on the outcome, the notice may subsequently be replaced by a correction that removes the suspicions and confirms the clarifications or give rise to a formal retraction whenever misconduct or serious errors are confirmed.

During the analysis of these cases, an opinion will be requested from the IPCB Ethics Committee, namely, to provide guidance on the most appropriate procedures to support the final decision from the Editor-in-Chief.

 

5.4. Adherence to International Standards
Convergences Journal adopts the principles and follows the publicly available guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding the management of misconduct, corrections, and retractions, ensuring that all procedures are transparent, fair, and consistent.

In addition to adopting COPE's publicly available guidelines, Convergences Journal relies on the IPCB Ethics Committee as the publisher's institutional mechanism to reinforce compliance with national and international standards.