Submissions

Author Guidelines

INTRODUCTION

The Journal of Food Science and Gastronomy (e-ISSN 3073-1283) from Ecuador, is an electronic publication aimed at professionals in the field of Food Science and Gastronomy. The journal accepts the submission of letters to the editor, technical notes, reflection articles, research articles and reviews in both English and Spanish, provided they have been previously approved by the editorial board and are not under consideration by other scientific journals. The peer review process is conducted using a double-blind method and adheres to international standards. Manuscript submission and management are facilitated through the Open Journal System platform. Following the review process, authors are granted a period of up to 30 days to make the necessary revisions; failure to submit corrections within this timeframe may result in the withdrawal of the manuscript from publication consideration.

The Journal of Food Science and Technology is committed to scientific and editorial integrity. It is recognized that errors may occur in the publication process and, therefore, a policy is established to address errata, corrections and retractions, ensuring transparency and confidence in the published content.

Authors are invited to make a submission to this journal. All submissions will be assessed by an editor to determine whether they meet the aims and scope of this journal. Those considered to be a good fit will be sent for peer review before determining whether they will be accepted or rejected.

Before making a submission, authors are responsible for obtaining permission to publish any material included with the submission, such as photos, documents and datasets. All authors identified on the submission must consent to be identified as an author. Where appropriate, research should be approved by an appropriate ethics committee in accordance with the legal requirements of the study's country.

An editor may desk reject a submission if it does not meet minimum standards of quality. Before submitting, please ensure that the study design and research argument are structured and articulated properly. The title should be concise and the abstract should be able to stand on its own. This will increase the likelihood of reviewers agreeing to review the paper. When you're satisfied that your submission meets this standard, please follow the checklist below to prepare your submission.

Ethics in research and publication

The Journal of Food Science and Gastronomy is governed by international policies of ethics in scientific publication. Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest related to their research. The Editorial Committee relies on authors and their institutions to adhere to these standards to ensure scientific integrity and ethical principles in publications.

The journal adheres to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Council for Science (ICSU), following transparency standards set by the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and other relevant organizations. Furthermore, it respects the regulations of the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador regarding research on human subjects, requiring the approval of ethics committees and properly documented informed consent.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in manuscripts must be declared, emphasizing that these tools should not replace the authors' role in knowledge creation. The journal prohibits the manipulation of images through AI unless it is part of the research design and the methods used are detailed.

Publication agreement

Authors are required to disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence their work. Examples of conflicts of interest include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, fees, paid testimony, patent applications, and grants. If there are no conflicts, this must be explicitly stated: "The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest."

When submitting an article, authors certify that the work has not been previously published (except as an abstract, in conferences, or theses) and that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Additionally, approval from all authors and relevant authorities regarding the research is required. To ensure originality, the article will be assessed using an originality detection service.

Inclusive language

Inclusive language is essential as it recognizes diversity and promotes respect for all individuals, as well as equal opportunities. In writing articles, it is crucial not to make assumptions about the beliefs of readers or include content that implies the superiority of an individual based on their race, gender, or culture. It is advisable to consistently use inclusive language while respecting grammatical norms and the specific styles of scientific writing.

Authorship

Up to six authors will be allowed in the study, with authorship attributed to those who have significantly contributed to the design, execution, or interpretation of the work, according to the criteria of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). All authors must agree on the submission of the manuscript and the inclusion of their names. The submission of the manuscript implies consent from all for authorship and publication.

Significant contributions that do not qualify for authorship must be acknowledged in the acknowledgments section. The order of authors will be established according to their contribution and must be agreed upon before the manuscript submission. All authors must review and approve the final manuscript, assuming collective responsibility for its integrity and accuracy. Any changes to the author list after the manuscript has been accepted will require the written consent of all. The corresponding author will be responsible for communication with the journal and informing the other authors.

Submission

The journal has an online submission system that requires authors to register in advance or log in if they already have an account. The submission process consists of five steps, and all correspondence, including editorial decisions and review requests, will be conducted through the journal's OJS platform.

Authors must submit five documents in separate files: a cover letter, a title page including the manuscript title and author information, the authors' contributions according to the CRediT system, an anonymized manuscript (without any author information or affiliations), and a publication agreement and copyright license, signed by the corresponding author. The necessary templates can be found on the journal's website, and it will be made clear that incomplete submissions will not be considered.

The corresponding author will be responsible for ensuring that each author has read and approved the manuscript before submission. Additionally, authors agree that accepted manuscripts will be editorially reviewed for syntax and spelling to conform to the journal's style, following the instructions set for authors.

Supplementary material

The inclusion of supplementary material, such as images, audio clips, and videos, with your article is allowed to enhance its presentation. This material will be published as received, maintaining its original format (for example, Excel or PowerPoint files). To submit it, you should send it to the journal's email and provide a concise and descriptive title for each file. If you need to make changes to the supplementary material at any stage of the process, be sure to send an updated version of the corresponding files.

General editorial guidelines

Manuscripts must be submitted in Word format, using Times New Roman font size 12, with 1.5 line spacing, and on A4 paper. The maximum length is 12 pages for original articles, including tables and figures, while review articles may extend up to 20 pages. It is mandatory to use the template available on the journal's website to prepare the blinded manuscript. It is recommended to consult articles from the latest published issue for additional guidance.

Abbreviations and symbols

Use only standard abbreviations according to the guidelines of scientific style and format (Scientific Style and Format, The CBE Style Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 6th ed., Council of Biology, Chicago IL 1994). The use of abbreviations in the title and main headings should be avoided. The full term corresponding to an abbreviation must be introduced before its first use in the text.

Units

It is necessary to follow the internationally recognized standards and conventions of the International System of Units (SI). If other units are referenced, their SI equivalent must be provided.

Structure of the article

The submission of manuscripts will follow the structure recommended by APA guidelines, which includes the following elements:

• Title: It must be clear and descriptive, in both Spanish and English, with a maximum of 20 words. Abbreviations and unnecessary formulas should be avoided.
• Authors and affiliations: Include the full names of the authors, without academic titles, followed by their affiliation addresses. Include the email address and ORCID ID of each author, as well as the complete postal address. Up to six authors are accepted; if there are more, justification for each contribution is required.
• Corresponding author: This will be indicated with an asterisk, acting as the primary contact for the journal.
• Abstract: Provide an unstructured abstract in Spanish and English, not exceeding 200 words, addressing the purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions of the study. Avoid references and uncommon abbreviations.
• Keywords: Include three to six keywords, avoiding non-standard abbreviations, which will be used for indexing the article.
• Introduction: Contextualize the topic, present relevant background, and establish the study's objective, as well as reviewing the existing literature to highlight the significance and novelty of the research.
• Materials and Methods:

Research articles: Must include specific information about the materials used, such as ingredients, equipment, and techniques. A clear explanation of the experimental procedures is required, including testing conditions and applied statistical analyses. This is essential for other researchers to replicate the study. If applicable, ethical committee approval should be mentioned, especially in studies involving humans or animals.

Systematic review articles: Although no original experiments are presented, a critical analysis of existing methods in the literature should be provided, discussing their applicability and effectiveness. It is useful to include a synthesis of different approaches and techniques that have been used in the field, as well as recommendations for future research.

• Results and Discussion: Present and objectively analyze the study's findings, followed by an interpretation that links them to the existing literature. Discuss the practical and theoretical implications of the study, as well as its limitations.
• Conclusions: Summarize the most important findings, highlight their relevance, analyze their implications, and propose possible directions for future research. This section closes the article, emphasizing its contributions to the field.
• Acknowledgments: Authors may acknowledge individuals, institutions, and organizations that contributed to the research. This acknowledgment should be included in a separate section at the end of the manuscript, just before the references.
• References: References must follow the guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, seventh edition (2020), updated according to new formats and media, covering everything from printed documents to digital resources. Information about each cited source must be provided, including the author, year of publication, title of the work, title of the journal or book, volume number, and pages. References should be organized alphabetically by the last name of the first author. In-text citations can be included in the following ways:

• “… according to Casariego et al. (2024), chitosan coatings reduced weight loss in tomatoes and delayed their ripening…”
• “… chitosan coatings reduced weight loss in tomatoes and delayed their ripening (Casariego et al., 2024)…”

It is the author's responsibility to ensure that all references mentioned in the text are present in the reference list and vice versa. Citing unpublished results or personal communications is not allowed.

• Contribution of authors - CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy)

To promote transparency, the journal requires authors to submit a statement detailing the individual contributions of each author, regardless of the number of collaborators involved. CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) is a classification of author roles that numerous scientific publishers are implementing to manage academic publishing. Only those authors who have made significant and primary contributions should be included, such as conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, research, methodology, project management, resources, software development, supervision, validation, visualization, initial drafting, writing, reviewing, and editing, among others.

The corresponding author is responsible for verifying that the contributions are accurate and match the number of authors indicated. The Editorial Committee of the journal reserves the right to assess authorship effects based on the characteristics of the research and will inform authors during the review process in case of discrepancies. The identification of contributions will apply to all type of research.

Figures

• Ensure uniformity in fonts and sizes when creating illustrations.
• Include the sources used when applicable.
• Use fonts such as Arial, Courier, Times New Roman, Symbol, or similar.
• Number figures in the order they appear in the text.
• Adapt the size of illustrations to the dimensions required for the published version.
• Ensure that color images are accessible to visually impaired individuals.

Tables

• Number tables sequentially with Arabic numerals and a descriptive header.
• Avoid vertical lines and minimize horizontal lines.
• Include a description that allows for independent understanding of the table.
• Provide explanations for abbreviations, values, and statistics used in data analysis, with appropriate references.

Bibliographic references

• Use updated, high-quality references, especially those published in the last five years and from reputable national and international scientific journals, preferably indexed in recognized databases.
• Avoid citing own works. If information that is not part of one's own experiment and not "common knowledge" is included, it must be attributed through citation. It is suggested that original articles contain between 15 and 30 references, and review articles between 35 and 50. At least 50% of the references should be recent primary publications (from the last five years).

General format

• Use an alphabetical list of references at the end of the article.
• Organize references by the surname of the first author.

Online links to references

• Including online links to references improves the dissemination of research and the quality of the peer review system. To facilitate the creation of links to indexing services such as Scopus, CrossRef, and PubMed, it is crucial that the data in the reference list are accurate. Errors in author surnames, publication titles, publication years, and pagination can hinder link creation. It is recommended to use the DOI (Digital Object Identifier), which allows for citing and linking articles even before having complete bibliographic information (in press). This identifier is constant and serves as a permanent link to an electronic article. Citations with DOI should follow the same style and format established for the rest of the references.

It is essential to emphasize that the data and opinions expressed in the articles are the sole responsibility of the authors.