Editorial Policies

Editorial Policies

 

The journal adheres to the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), in its updated April 2025 version (https://www.icmje.org/).

Submitted manuscripts must be:

  • Unpublished and original.

  • Not under simultaneous evaluation by another journal.

Once the review process has begun, withdrawal of a manuscript may only occur through a formal written request addressed to the editor. Accepted manuscripts will be scheduled for publication according to the current editorial calendar.

Upon publication, manuscripts become property of the journal through the transfer of copyright. They may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any other medium without prior authorization from the editor, although authors retain intellectual rights over the content.

Ethical Considerations

  • Studies involving human subjects must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and the Regulations of the General Health Law on Health Research.

  • The ethics committee approval number must be indicated, and a copy of the approval must be attached.

  • Research conducted outside Mexico must comply with the corresponding local legislation.

Conflicts of Interest and Sponsorship

  • Authors must declare in writing any conflicts of interest.

  • In the case of sponsorship, its nature and scope must be specified.

  • Opinions and citations contained in manuscripts are the sole responsibility of the authors.

 

Peer Review Process

The RE-IMSS ensures a rigorous, ethical, and confidential review process under a double-blind system.

  • Each manuscript is evaluated by disciplinary, methodological, and bibliographic experts using an assessment form validated by the Editorial Board and Committee.

  • The possible editorial decisions are:

    • Accepted without modifications (A)

    • Accepted with minor modifications (AMM)

    • Accepted with major modifications and new review (AMMR)

    • Not accepted (NA)

In cases of conflicting reviews, the editor will designate a third reviewer. The final decision is not subject to appeal and will be communicated to the corresponding author via email.

Revised versions must be submitted through the OJS system within a maximum period of 30 calendar days following notification. Failure to meet this deadline will result in the conclusion of the editorial process.

 

Open Access Policy and Principles of Responsible Evaluation

The Revista de Enfermería del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (RE-IMSS) upholds a strong commitment to the free, equitable, and ethical dissemination of scientific knowledge in the field of health and nursing. Therefore, all its content is open access, freely and immediately available in digital format (PDF and other accessible formats), without charges to authors or readers.

The open access model promoted by RE-IMSS is based on the principle that scientific knowledge is a public good. Its unrestricted circulation contributes to strengthening professional practice, interdisciplinary research, and the improvement of collective health. Consequently, the content may be consulted, downloaded, distributed, and used for academic and non-commercial purposes, provided appropriate credit is given to the authors and the original source, in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (CC BY-NC) or any other license in force at the time.

 

Commitment to the DORA Declaration

In alignment with the principles of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), RE-IMSS adheres to a policy of responsible evaluation of scientific production, promoting the assessment of published work based on its intrinsic quality, methodological rigor, social impact, and contribution to knowledge, rather than on journal-based metrics such as impact factor or publication venue.

The journal encourages institutions, reviewers, and authors to adopt evaluation practices that recognize the diversity of research types, local relevance, collaborative work, and the open communication of data and results. It also promotes transparency in editorial and peer-review processes and the visibility of all intellectual contributions, in accordance with international best practices in open science.

 

Preservation, Interoperability, and Editorial Ethics

RE-IMSS ensures the digital preservation of its content through institutional safeguarding systems and open-access repositories, guaranteeing long-term availability (Zenodo). The journal supports interoperability with national and international indexing and preservation systems.

Regarding editorial ethics, the journal follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), ensuring scientific integrity, confidentiality in peer review, and respect for authorship and moral rights.