About the Journal

 

 

About:

Terra Digitalis is a peer-reviewed international e-journal, edited by the Institutes of Geography, Geology, Geophysics, Geosciences and the Center for Research in Environmental Geography of the UNAM. We publish maps accompanied by their descriptive articles.

 

Purpose and theme:

To provide a forum for the publication and consultation of thematic maps related to Earth Sciences, the Atmosphere and Geography, among other disciplines, with the aim of facilitating the online distribution of digital cartographic works and their recognition as a scientific product.

 

Audience:

It is mainly addressed to the Earth Sciences community in its broadest sense (Solid Earth, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere) as well as to the Geography community, so it primarily publishes maps related to Earth Sciences, the Atmosphere and Geography. Likewise, it prioritizes the publication of studies on Mexico and Latin America, however, it is open to any region of the planet.

 

Peer-review:

The peer-review system is carried out by external peers, it is double-blind and online.

You can take a look to the evaluation format reviewers need to fullfill.

The maps, accompanied by their articles, that wish to be published in Terra Digitalis must be submitted complying with the points described in the Submit section.

The procedure for the selection of the submitted materials consists of: 1) A first review by the editor-in-chief, to determine if it meets the objective and scope of the magazine. If this is the case: 2) The paper is assigned to the section editor, who will select two external reviewers to perform a double-blind review. Subsequently: 3) The editor-in-chief takes into account the peer reviews and the opinion of the section reviewer to decide if the article can be accepted, in which case the author is informed, and must send the final version of the manuscript taking into account referees reviews and editors opinions.

 

Periodicity and languages:

The journal publishes every six months, generating two issues per year (January-June, July-December), only in digital format. The two official languages are English and Spanish.

 

Publishing institution and financing:

The journal's publishing institution is the Institute of Geography of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, in collaboration with the Institutes of Geology and Geophysics, as well as the Centers for Research in Environmental Geography and Geosciences. The journal is self-financed by this publishing institutions.

Edited by Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, through the Instituto de Geografía, Circuito de la Investigación Científica s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Copilco, Coyoacán, C.P. 04510, Mexico City, Tel. (+52 55) 5623-4000 ext. 34514, https://terradigitalis.unam.mx, contacto@terradigitalis.unam.mx

Open access:

Publishing articles and data in Terra Digitalis is free of charge. Viewing or downloading articles and data from Terra Digitalis is equally free of charge. Terra Digitalis journal is Open Access and its contents are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). The author retains the rights to the published material. Post-prints can be self-archived by the authors (Sherpa-Romeo:blue).

 

Data sharing policies:

Aiming to facilitate data-literate citizenry, Terra Digitalis actively promotes the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles for geoscientific data, specifically FAIR geovisualizations: from the computer's perspective, and from the data analyst's perspective (Jacobsen et al., 2020; Degbelo, 2022).

Findable:

From the computer's perspective, the map - article is assigned a DOI, a unique and persistent identifier. Additionally, the peer-reviewed process ensures that metadata are well described.

From the data analyst perspective, the provenance of the map and geoscientific data is described in the article, and the geographic information may be retrieved through queries in the Spatial Data Infrastructure of the Terra Digitalis platform.

Accessible:

From the computer's perspective, the geoscientific data, maps and GIS layers may be downloaded using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

From the data analyst perspective, the interactive geovisualizations proposed in Terra Digitalis promotes high perceptual effectiveness and map readability, tailored to abilities and expertise of a large range of scientists. Some of the forms discussed by Degbelo (2022) are available in the articles (map, data table, bar chart, histogram, etc.).

Interoperable:

From the computer's perspective, the data and metadata are published through Geonode in a variety of formats that meet the standards of the Open Geospatial Consortium (ISO, FGDC, NASA DIF, DublinCore).

From the data analyst perspective, semantic interoperability across scientific disciplines and the public are encouraged in the peer-review process through adopting widespread design conventions, easily recognized by a broad range of users (map-, text-, and colour brewers).

Reusable:

From the computer's perspective, the article, the map, data and metadata are released with the Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), which allows to copy, transform and redistribute the material with the conditions of mentioning the necessary credits to the authors, non commercial use and redistribution occurs with the same license than the original work.

From the data analyst perspective, Terra Digitalis offers a diversity of modalities of interaction, including the visualization of multiple data and data attribute queries. It also provides the means of looking at the data through several display media, including mobile phone, desktop computer and tablet computer.

Degbelo, A. (2022). FAIR geovisualizations: definitions, challenges, and the road ahead. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 36(6), 1059-1099, https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2021.1983579.

Jacobsen, Annika et al. (2020). FAIR principles: interpretations and implementation considerations. Data Intelligence 2(1-2), 10–29, https://doi.org/10.1162/dint_r_00024.

Catalogs and Indexes:

Terra Digitalis is found in the catalog of Academic and Peer-Reviewed Journals of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) (http://www.revistas.unam.mx/), the Latindex directory (https://www.latindex.org /) and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

 

Plagiarism detection:

All submitted manuscripts are reviewed using Turnitin software.

 

Article Processing Charges:

The magazine does not apply publication charges.

 

Processing time:

The average processing time for manuscripts (accompanied by their maps), from submission to publication, is 4 months.

 

Errata and retractions:

The journal allows the publication of errata and is responsible for the retraction of articles.

Errata: Errors in articles are identified and corrected. The original document remains available and at the end of the text it is reported that a correction was made (referring to the "Errata" document).

Retraction: Errors (intentional or not) invalidating the results or conclusions of the work are identified (e.g. plagiarism, inadequate methodology, non-reproducible data or images). In most cases the original document is no longer available and it is replaced by a text indicating that it was withdrawn (referring to the "Retraction" document).

Errata and retractions may be identified by readers, authors, or editors, who should contact the journal's editor-in-chief for follow-up (contacto@terradigitalis.unam.mx).

 

Long term digital preservation:

Internet archive

 

Ethics:

Terra Digitalis adheres to the COPE ethical standards for publications (http://publicationethics.org/), as detailed below:

Responsibilities of the editorial team: The editorial team must ensure the quality and accountability of all published content and address the needs of readers and authors. It is also responsible for driving the continuous improvement of the journal with the participation of all stakeholders, defending freedom of expression and academic integrity, and preventing commercial interests from compromising ethical and intellectual principles. Furthermore, it will publish corrections and clarifications when necessary and promote ethics in research and publication to combat misconduct.

Relationship of the journal with its readers: In its relationship with readers, the journal is committed to ensuring transparency regarding research funding and the role of funding organizations. To ensure content quality, all reports and reviews are evaluated by qualified personnel, and sections exempt from peer review are clearly identified. Likewise, the journal fosters the accuracy, integrity, and clarity of reports through rigorous editorial processes, promoting good authorship practices that faithfully reflect contributions and discourage misconduct. Finally, it guarantees an objective and impartial evaluation of submissions from journal staff or members of the Editorial Board.

Editorial relationship with authors: Editorial decisions are based on the article's importance, originality, clarity, and validity, as well as its alignment with the journal's scope. Neither the manuscript's origin nor the authors' personal characteristics will influence these decisions, and acceptance resolutions will only be revoked if serious issues arise with the contribution. Likewise, changes within the editorial team will not affect previously made decisions, unless compelling reasons exist. Regarding the evaluation process, any deviation from peer review must be duly justified. The journal will ensure the timely and objective selection of reviewers, avoiding conflicts of interest and respecting reasonable requests from authors to exclude specific evaluators. Furthermore, clear criteria regarding authorship and collaborations will be provided, while author guidelines and instructions will be regularly reviewed and updated, including references to COPE. To ensure process transparency, conflicts of interest will be published, post-publication errors will be corrected, and submission, acceptance, and publication dates will be disclosed. Finally, in cases of suspected misconduct or authorship disputes, COPE guidelines will be followed, and explicit information on how these cases are managed will be provided, including links to the committee. Similarly, UNAM plagiarism guidelines will be taken into account throughout the process.

Relationship with reviewers: The journal provides and updates clear guidelines for reviewers, including confidentiality and references to the code of ethics. Likewise, it requires the declaration of potential conflicts of interest prior to accepting reviews and protects the identity of reviewers at all times. During the review process, comments regarding ethical aspects, originality, plagiarism, and misconduct in manuscripts are encouraged, and the use of plagiarism detection tools such as iThenticate is disclosed. All reviewer feedback is shared with the authors, except for comments that are offensive. Furthermore, the journal continuously evaluates and maintains the quality of reviewers' work and expands its candidate pool to identify new reviewers. Additionally, it acknowledges their contribution and promotes their institutional recognition. Finally, any suspected misconduct by reviewers will be handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Relationships with the Scientific Committee and Editorial Board: In its relationships with the Scientific Committee and Editorial Board, the journal provides clear guidelines to its members, keeping them informed about policies and updates. Likewise, it guarantees an impartial review of articles submitted by members of both bodies and consults them regularly to gather feedback and communicate changes in journal management. Furthermore, the composition of the Scientific Committee and Editorial Board is periodically reviewed to identify and integrate researchers who can strengthen the journal. Similarly, members are encouraged to actively participate in reviewing manuscripts, writing editorials, and engaging in other institutional activities, thereby contributing to promoting the journal and attracting high-quality authors and submissions.

Relationships with the directors of the Institute of Geography: The journal maintains editorial independence at all times and makes publication decisions based exclusively on the quality and suitability of articles, without interference. Likewise, it establishes appropriate mechanisms to resolve any disagreements that may arise with the Institute's management.

Editorial and peer review processes: To ensure a fair, impartial, and timely peer review, confidentiality of the material is guaranteed throughout the evaluation process. To support this work, the editorial team receives ongoing training and stays updated on studies and technologies related to peer review, periodically adopting and reviewing the most suitable methods. Finally, in complex cases or instances of potential misconduct, COPE will be directly consulted.

Quality assurance: The journal guarantees the quality of its content while taking into account the specific objectives of each section. To this end, it uses systems aimed at detecting falsified or plagiarized data and bases its editorial decisions on evidence focused on enhancing technical and scientific quality, rather than merely aesthetic aspects.

Protection of personal data: In strict compliance with current confidentiality legislation, the journal clearly publishes and explains its personal data policy. The identity of individuals involved in research is protected through informed consent, except in justified cases. Furthermore, studies are verified to ensure adherence to international ethical guidelines and approval by relevant ethics committees, with the journal retaining the right to request proof of approval or clarifications from authors. To support these actions, an ethics advisor or committee will be appointed, and the journal's policy will be regularly reviewed.

Handling of potential misconduct: The journal takes decisive action regarding any suspicion or allegation of misconduct in published or unpublished manuscripts. Rather than automatically rejecting suspicious works, allegations are investigated following COPE flowcharts. The process includes obtaining a response from the authors and, if necessary, escalating the case to the appropriate authorities to ensure proper investigations that ultimately lead to a resolution.

Integrity of the academic record: To preserve the integrity of the academic record, the journal is committed to correcting errors promptly in accordance with COPE guidelines and reducing undisclosed redundant publications. Likewise, the security and preservation of published archive materials are guaranteed, offering open access options for authors.

Intellectual property: The journal rigorously addresses all issues related to intellectual property and copyright, routinely using anti-plagiarism systems. Similarly, it provides support to authors affected by copyright infringements, defending their work and taking firm action against violators.

Fostering debate: To promote academic discourse, the journal accepts reasoned criticism and grants authors the right of reply. Studies presenting negative results are not excluded, and an open stance is maintained toward works that challenge or debate previous publications.

Complaints: In response to any complaint, the journal replies promptly and offers clear escalation pathways for dispute resolution. To this end, it strictly adheres to COPE procedures and guidelines for handling complaints.

Conflicts of interest: The journal properly manages conflicts of interest for all parties involved in the editorial process. To guarantee impartiality, submissions from internal members undergo neutral evaluation, and relevant interests of the editorial team are regularly published and updated.