Submissions

Author Guidelines

Instructions for the authors

Anyone submitting a manuscript for publication to the Griot Journal should be advised  that the process DOES NOT ENTAIL SHIPPING AND HANDLING COSTS. Additionally, it should be noted that  an anonymous arbitration body will evaluate your manuscript using a double blind system.

The manuscript sent for evaluation to the Griot Journal should be unedited, this means that the original article should not be previously published nor submitted simultaneously to other journals for review (Certification of Originality). This document should be included as a complementary document and in PDF format with the required signatures. To access the certification of originality document you should have been previously registered and had initiated a session with a username. Each author is intellectually responsible of the content in their manuscript, which means that it exonerates the members of the Editorial and Advisory Committee of any error or omission of said content.

The manuscript should be accompanied by another document with a brief biography of the author or authors which should include their name, academic preparation, institutional affiliation and their current position, and e-mail and postal address. This information should be a separate document from the manuscript being evaluated.

The Review Board will submit each manuscript received to a pre-evaluation process using the General Criteria for Article Review to determine if it complies with the criteria established in the Guidelines for the authors and the Review Policy. Meeting the general criteria does not guarantee that the manuscript will be accepted for publication.

• The manuscript should be unpublished, which means that it has not been previously published nor submitted simultaneously to other journals for review. Please provide a signed and scan document in PDF format as a complementary document. (Certification of Originality). THE REVIEW BOARD WILL NOT EVALUATE ANY MANUSCRIPT UNTIL THE CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY IS RECEIVED.
• A separate document with a brief biography of the author or authors which should include their name, academic preparation, institutional affiliation and current position, and email and postal address. This information should be separate from the manuscript to be evaluated.
• The manuscript should either be written in the Spanish or English language.
• The manuscript should follow the style as put forth by the APA guidelines in terms of content and format. Please consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. IMPORTANT NOTE: In the event that article does not comply with the requirements it will not be submitted for review.
• The document should be sent either in Microsoft Word format or OpenOffice format.
• It should include the title of the article in English and in Spanish. If the manuscript and title is written in Spanish it should be translated to English. The same should be done if it is the opposite.
• It should include an abstract or summary that does not exceed 250 words in English and in Spanish.
• It should include 3 to 4 keywords in both English and Spanish.
• A maximum of 4 tables, figures, or images in total. These should be included at the end of the manuscript specifying where they should be inserted. In the text, you should indicate IN UPPERCASE INSERT TABLE # OR FIGURE # HERE.
• Titles of books and for emphasizing purposes should use italics, no underlining.
• Endnotes should be used instead of footnotes.
• The reference section should be included at the end of the article not as a footnote.
• Place URLs and DOI in the reference section when possible.
• Only manuscripts containing a maximum of 7,000 words, including title pages, references, and appendices, will be evaluated.
• Only manuscripts that are up to date, where half of their references are within five (5) years or less, will be evaluated.

If the manuscript meets all the General Criteria for the Review of Articles, it will then be sent for an anonymous review of at least two evaluators (arbitrators) who are members of the Advisory Committee.

In preparing your manuscript please take special care to follow the criteria based on  the type of article you wish to submit for evaluation.  The process of evaluation including the decision to publish the manuscript will take approximately 20 weeks.

The following are the criteria for the submission of a research article (Research Article Revision Criteria ):

• The article follows the American Psychological Association (APA)
• The summary provides a clear and complete vision of the research.
• The introduction should include the research problem, the theory that sustains it, its justification, and its contribution to the knowledge base.
• The method utilized (design and methodology) should be based on the focus and perspective of the study leading to the results presented.
• The results should be clear, corresponds to the proposed objectives, and are presented adequately to facilitate the reader‘s comprehension.
• The discussion, the conclusion, and/or recommendations presented should contribute to the theoretical and practical knowledge about the topic.
• The article is internally coherent (the abstract (summary), introduction, objectives, methodology, and results complement each other and are integrated adequately).
• The tables and diagrams (if it applies) are clear and are discussed in the text. (If they are not present in the article, please write Does Not Apply)
• General appreciation of the article.
• If the article is theoretical/practical, the following criteria will be considered (Revision Criteria of Theoretical/Practical Articles):
• The article follows the American Psychological Association (APA)
• The summary provides a clear and complete vision of the article.
• The article is clear and presents central elements in an appropriate manner.
• The topic is pertinent and relevant.
• The discussion, conclusions, and/or recommendations provide new theoretical and practical knowledge about the worked on topic.
• The article is internally coherent (the abstract (summary), introduction, objectives, methodology, and results complement each other and are integrated adequately).
• General appreciation of the article.

The following criteria will be taken into consideration for Reviews (Criteria for Article Reviews):

• The article follows the American Psychological Association (APA)
• Reasoning behind the decision to review said work or text.
• Describe the principle topic and central ideas of the work or text.
• Include a summary of the parts or each chapter of the work or text.
• Compare other works and texts of the same topic or of the same author (if it applies).
• Present clear arguments and provide evidence to fundament your interpretation or critique of the evaluated text.
• The article is internally coherent (the abstract (summary), introduction, objectives, methodology, and results complement each other and are integrated adequately).
• General appreciation of the article.

The following criteria will be taken into consideration for case studies (Revision Criteria for Case Studies ):

• The article follows the American Psychological Association (APA)
• The summary provides a clear and complete vision of the research.
• The introduction should include the research problem, the theory that sustains it, its justification, and its contribution to the knowledge base.
• The method utilized (design and methodology) should be based on the focus and perspective of the study leading to the results presented.
• The results should be clear, corresponds to the proposed objectives, and are presented adequately to facilitate the reader‘s comprehension.
• The discussion, the conclusion, and/or recommendations presented should contribute to the theoretical and practical knowledge about the topic.
• The article is internally coherent (the abstract (summary), introduction, objectives, methodology, and results complement each other and are integrated adequately).
• The tables and diagrams (if it applies) are clear and are discussed in the text. (If they are not present in the article, please write Does Not Apply)
• If participant identifying information is included please note if consent was obtained.
• General appreciation of the article.

The approval of the majority of the reviewers and the Editorial Board is needed to determine the publication of the article. In cases where the reviewers are not in agreement with their recommendation, the Editorial Board will assume the responsibility to settle the disagreement and will make a final decision to publish or not of the article in question.

The arbitration report will be written by the editor in charge of your manuscript or the Director of the Griot Journal. Said document will integrate the observations of both evaluators and conclude with their final determination which will be adopted by the Editorial Committee and substantiated by the recommendations of the evaluators. In the final determination the following categories will be used:

• Accepted- when the article meets with the evaluation criteria established for research and theoretical/practical articles.
• Return for review- while the article has met the criteria certain areas may need to be strengthen.
• Rejected (Not accepted)- according to the arbitrators judgment the topic is not relevant to the overall theme and philosophy of the journal or that the content and written work is not in accord with the established criteria of the arbitration panel.

The author will be notified of the final determination of their submitted manuscript via e-mail.

If the person is not in agreement with the final decision, they will have 72 hours to send by e-mail their supporting arguments to refute the decision rendered by the Editorial Committee of the Griot Journal.

The Editorial Board of the Griot Journal will evaluate the arguments presented by the author and will notify him/her with the final determination no later than two (2) weeks.

The Editorial Board of the Griot Journal will reserve the right to select the manuscript which will be published, because of this, the action to submit articles will not guarantee that they will be included in the publication of the Journal.

Copyright Notice

The Griot Journal will not reserve the right of publication of the articles. Therefore the authors may distribute their own material through any other medium, as long as it is non-commercial, and after informing the Editorial Board of the Griot Journal that the work will be republished, and providing corresponding credit to the Griot Journal. The publication of the Griot Journal by its free of cost nature does not give the right to the authors‘ to be remunerated economically. The readers will be able to reproduce and distribute the articles or collaborate with the Griot Journal as long as it‘s non-commercial in nature, no alterations are made to the content, and citations of its origin with complete information is provided: name of the author, year, Griot Journal, volume, number, and page.

Liability release: The Editorial Board of the Griot Journal, Advisory Board, and the University of Puerto Rico will not be made responsible for the ideas or opinions expressed by the authors‘ through their articles or collaborations. They are also not in control nor are they responsible for the links or hypertexts of some articles, that enable the access of lending and  services being offered by third parties.