About the Journal

Arjé Journal belongs to the Pedagogical Training area of the Pedagogical Training and Educational Technology Center (CFPTE) at the National Technical University of Costa Rica. It is a high-impact academic electronic journal classified as a diamond open-access mega-journal, non-commercial, characterized by its multi-thematic, multidisciplinary, and multi-format approach.

Thematic Coverage
The thematic coverage of *Revista Arjé* includes the following areas: Pedagogy, Technical and Technological Education.

Objective
Arjé Journal aims to promote a culture of research, interaction, artistic expression, and pedagogical innovation in learning processes through the publication of both informative and scientific sections, providing knowledge, tools, resources, and strategies for reflection, training, and development for national and international academic audiences.

Types of Publications
- Scientific Article
- Reflective Article
- Academic Essay
- Audiovisuals
- Poems
- Short Stories
- Narratives

Language
The journal publishes works and articles in Spanish, Korean, English, and Portuguese.

Target Audience
The journal is aimed at researchers, academics, professionals, students, and national and international key stakeholders related to the journal’s themes.

Frequency
Arjé Journal is published on a continuous basis, with two editions per year: one in July and another in December.

Authorship Conditions
Each author must provide their ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID). When the work has multiple authors, the ORCID order follows their chosen arrangement or contribution level (from highest to lowest). For more information, visit [ORCID](https://orcid.org/).

Corresponding Author
A designated corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal, ensuring the research, its protocols, and communications are accurate and rigorous.

Use of Open Journal System
The journal uses the Open Journal System (version 3) for managing submissions and publications.

Peer Review System
As a mega-journal with both informative and scientific focuses, Arjé Journal employs separate workflows for each. 

1. Informative Focus: Most sections and reflective articles follow a supportive process that begins from the first contact between the author and journal team. Authors can reach out for more information at revistaarje@utn.ac.cr or ajporras@utn.ac.cr. This workflow supports collaboration on timelines and deliverables, mainly for novice researchers.

2. Scientific Focus: The scientific workflow includes a staged peer review system:

   - Stage 1. Manuscript Submission: Manuscripts can be submitted via email (revistaarje@utn.ac.cr or ajporras@utn.ac.cr) or uploaded to the Open Journal System (OJS). Submission does not imply acceptance for publication. At this stage, an affidavit of originality must accompany the manuscript.

   - Stage 2. Documentation Review: The editor ensures that the affidavit is included and checks the authorship data and format suitability of any figures and tables attached. Any issues are communicated to the author for correction before the editorial review process begins.

   - Stage 3. Editorial Review: The director and editor review the manuscript's format and relevance. If requirements are unmet, the manuscript is returned to the author with improvement suggestions, to be addressed within ten working days.

   - Stage 4. External and Independent Peer Review: After addressing prior suggestions, the manuscript undergoes blind or single-blind peer review by external, independent reviewers. This process generally takes about a month.

   - Stage 5. External Reviewer Feedback: Reviewers classify the manuscript into one of four categories: publishable as-is, publishable with minimal revisions, publishable after recommended revisions, or not publishable due to major deficiencies.

   - Stage 6. Reviewer Feedback to Authors: Authors receive evaluation forms and manuscripts with feedback. If authors disagree with the feedback, they may respond in writing to the director or editor.

   - Stage 7. Submission of Revised Manuscript: Authors return the revised manuscript, which is reviewed again by the director and editor.

   - Stage 8. Editorial Board Decision: The Editorial Board evaluates and decides to accept or reject the manuscript for publication.

   - Stage 9. Notification and Publication: Authors are notified of the final decision, and successful manuscripts are published in the corresponding issue.

Digital Preservation Policy
Arjé Journal is backed by UTN’s institutional servers and supported by Open Journal Systems, ensuring secure, permanent archiving with LOCKSS and CLOCKSS. Additionally, monthly backups are stored on Google Drive and local computers.

Plagiarism Detection Policy
All scientific manuscripts must be original and unpublished. Turnitin and Google search engines are used for plagiarism detection. If a high similarity index is found, the manuscript may be returned for revision or rejected in Stage 3 of the Peer Review Process.

Sections of the Journal
Scientific Section: 
- Scientific Articles
- Academic Essays

Informative Section: 
- Editorial
- Articles
- Pedagogical Mediation Strategies
- UTN Projects
- Share Your Story
- Talented Footprints
- Life and Learning Stories: A Biopedagogical Approach
- Voices from Academia
- Special Sections

 Inclusive Language Policy
The journal uses inclusive language. Resources include the following guides:

- Inclusive Language Guide by the National Women’s Studies Institute, National University
- Inclusive Language Guide, National Institute of Learning
- Writing with Inclusive Language by Yadira Calvo Fajardo, Tropical Agronomic Center for Research and Teaching
- Inclusive Language Approach in Gender and Disability, Municipality of Belén

Interoperability Protocols
The journal uses Dublin Core metadata tags to develop and promote interoperability standards, facilitating efficient content dissemination online.

Code of Ethics
The journal’s Editorial Code of Ethics is based on:
- Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors (COPE, 2011)
- COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers (COPE, 2013)
- Ethics in Research & Publication (Elsevier, 2014)

This code outlines responsibilities for all participants in the editorial process to ensure optimal conduct.

Authors: Authors must conduct ethical, original research, report any funding or commitments influencing their results, present their methodology clearly, and make necessary corrections when errors arise.

Reviewers: Reviewers must provide unbiased feedback, report conflicts of interest to the director or editor, and alert the journal to any instances of plagiarism.

Director: The director establishes editorial guidelines, serves as the primary reviewer, represents the journal, and ensures quality and ethical standards.

Editor: The editor acts as the second reviewer, assists authors, manages deadlines, oversees the Open Journal System, and promotes the journal.

Internal Editorial Committee: This committee defines editorial policies, oversees the editorial workflow, ensures publication quality, resolves ethical conflicts, and approves or rejects manuscripts.

International Committee: This committee provides reviewer candidates, advises on international review processes, promotes the journal, and supports its continuous improvement.

Open Access Policy
Arjé Journal subscribes to the Budapest Open Access Initiative, providing free, immediate access to its content to foster research and scientific dissemination. No fees are charged for editorial processing or publication.

Creative Commons License
All articles are protected by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC-BY-NC-SA). 

For any inquiries, please refer to the Contact section.