ISSN 2256-5493
online version

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

• Scope and policy
• Form and preparation of manuscripts
• Envío de manuscritos
• Declaration of ethics and transparency

Trabajo Social is a thematic, peer-reviewed, semi-annual journal. The Social Work Department of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia launched this publishing project in 1998, in order to strengthen the discipline's academic community, both nationally and internationally.    

Requirements for the presentation and submission of articles 

The journal does not accept articles written by more than three authors. Articles should be submitted in letter-size paper and contain between 40,000 and 50,000 characters with spaces, using Times New Roman 12 point font and 1.5 spacing. They must include the following, in both Spanish and English: title; an abstract (not to exceed 100 words); 6 keywords; and a list of references that includes the bibliographic sources cited.

If the article is the result of a research project or of a Master’s or PhD project, the name of the financing institution and the project code must be included in a footnote. 

Reviews are limited to recently published books (3 last years) related to the topic specified in the call for papers. They should not exceed 8.000 characters with spaces.

The following basic guidelines should be taken into account:

• Use italics for titles of books or serial publications, foreign words, or words that need to be highlighted.
• Use quotation marks for titles of articles or chapters, textual citations, or to emphasize a word or expression. Trabajo Social does not employ single quotation marks or angular quotation marks.
• Duly cite and number graphic material consecutively (maps, graphs, tables, photographs, etc.) throughout the body of the text.
• Use a maximum of three heading levels to subordinate sections.
• Strictly speaking, original quotations should not be changed. However, use an ellipsis enclosed in square brackets […] when omitting a word or fragment from the original quotation, as follows: “The symbolic distribution of bodies […] falls into two categories: those that one sees and those that one does not see” (Rancière 2007, 37-43), or when omitting the beginning of the original sentence: Politics “[…] disrupts the configuration of the sensible where the parts are defined” (Rancière 2007, 45).
• When an acronym that recurs in the text appears for the first time, it should be accompanied by the full name, as follows: Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar —hereinafter, ICBF—.
• Footnotes should be used exclusively for comments or to provide substantial clarifying or conceptual information.
• The indication “see” is used only to refer the reader to a specific work by an author and not to clarify a concept: See Carballeda, Alfredo 2006 and 2007.

Bibliographic Referencing System 

Citation and referencing of bibliographic sources should follow the guidelines of the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. available at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/ 

Every bibliographic source cited in the body of the text must be listed alphabetically at the end of the article. The list of references should include the following divisions: books, periodicals or serial publications, online documents, and public or legal documents.

We recommend that the fields of information be complete and duly organized. Some examples of citation and referencing are provided below. (T) refers to citations in the body of the text and (R) to the list of bibliographic references.

Book
T: (Miranda 2010, 48)
R: Miranda Aranda, Miguel. 2010. De la caridad a la ciencia I. Trabajo Social: la construcción de una disciplina científica. Buenos Aires: Espacio Editorial.

Chapter in a Book
T: (Bello 2013, 102)
R: Bello Albarracín, Martha Nubia. 2013. “Acompañamiento psicosocial a las víctimas en contextos de impunidad”. La investigación y la práctica en trabajo social, 85-108. María Himelda Ramírez. (comp.). Bogotá: Colección general, biblioteca abierta, serie Trabajo Social, Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Article in Periodicals or Serial Publications
T: (Abad 2002, 230)
R: Abad, Luis Vicente. 2002. “Contradicciones de la globalización: migraciones y convivencia interétnica tras el 11 de septiembre”. Revista Migraciones 11 (3): 225-268. Madrid: Instituto Universitario de Estudios sobre Migración, Universidad de Comillas.

Note: It is essential to include volume and issue numbers (in parentheses) in the case of journals, as well as the page numbers of the article or chapter in a book. Any additional information that facilitates the location of the document may be included according to the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. Guidelines.

Two or More Authors
T: (Cárdenas y Rodríguez 2004)
R: Cárdenas, Martha y Manuel Rodríguez. 2004. Guerra, sociedad y medio ambiente. Bogotá: Foro Nacional Ambiental.
T: (Mosquera, Léon y Rodríguez 2009)
R: Mosquera Rosero-Labbé, Claudia, Ruby Esther León Díaz y Margarita María Rodríguez Morales. 2009. Escenarios post-Durban para pueblos y personas negras, afrocolombianas, raizales y palenqueras. Editorial CES, Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Note: In the case of three or more authors, the first one is mentioned, followed by et al., both in the body of the text and in the list of bibliographic references.

In the case of books with a translator, editor, or the like, include the information in the list of references, after the title of the book, without inverting the person’s name. 

Multiple Works Published in the Same Year by an Author
In the case of multiple works published by an author in the same year, differentiate them as follows:
T: (Habermas 1998a, 1998b)
R: Habermas, Jürgen. 1998a. Conciencia moral y acción comunicativa.
Barcelona: Edición en Historia, Ciencia y Sociedad, Península S.A.

R: Habermas, Jürgen. 1998b. Facticidad y validez. Sobre el derecho y el Estado democrático de derecho en términos de la teoría del discurso. Madrid: Editorial Trotta.

Unpublished Academic Documents (theses or dissertations)
T: (Ramírez 1996)
R: Ramírez, María Himelda. 1996. “Las mujeres y la sociedad de Santa Fe de Bogotá a finales de la Colonia, 1750-1810” (Tesis de Maestría en Historia, Universidad Nacional de Colombia).
Note: It is essential to include the date of approval, as well as the type of text, the level of studies, and the institution at which it was submitted).

Online Material (books or periodicals)
R: De Miguel Álvarez, Ana. 2005. “La construcción de un marco feminista de interpretación: la violencia de género”. Cuadernos de Trabajo Social, (18). www.ucm.es/BUCM/revistas/trs/02140314/articulos/CUT-S0505110231A.PDF (15 de septiembre del 2009).

Note: In addition to the basic information, the following must be included: date document was written or date when it was published on line, title of both the document and the publication in which it is found, URL, and date of access in parentheses.

Law, Decree, or Draft Bill
R: Congreso de la República de Colombia. Senado de la República. 31 de agosto de 1993. Ley 70 de 1993. “Por la cual se desarrolla el artículo transitorio 55 de la Constitución Política”. Diario Oficial 41.013.

Note: It is essential to include the information regarding the government agency and subdivision issuing the law, as well as the year it was issued, the name of the law, its general provisions (in regular type and double quotes), and any additional information regarding the location of the public document (place of publication, publishing house or agency issuing the law, and date of access in case of an online document).

Authors must submit their academic profile on a separate page: nom de plume (full name normally used to sign academic production), academic background, institutional affiliation including country, current position, ongoing research projects, e-mail, street address, and telephone numbers.

The journal adheres to good editorial practices and has adopted as its ethical principle the publication of responsible ethical research, framed within the code of ethics of Social Work in Colombia.
We abide by Article 20 of the Political Constitution of Colombia, which guarantees individuals the right to express and disseminate their ideas, as well as by the Universidad Nacional de Colombia's principles of autonomy and academic freedom, as set forth in  Agreement 123 of 2013, Rules and Regulations for Academic Staff. 
The Publications Committee is responsible for guaranteeing the ethical integrity of research literature and ensuring that the information published complies with the following guidelines:
With respect to authors:
Authorship: We assume that the authors participated in the research process, in the drafting of the submitted article, and in the subsequent review of the evaluation and editing. Therefore, they are responsible for responding to the Editor's communications regarding the document, abiding by the established timeframes, and attending to the requests derived from the peer review, copy editing, and layout processes.
Collaborators in the research project may be included in a footnote to the title of the article.
Form: Submitted articles must comply with the Journal's guidelines for the presentation of articles, while, at the same time, providing rigorous academic arguments. Citation and referencing of bibliographic sources should follow the guidelines of the Chicago Manual of Style.
Originality: Submitted articles must be the original work of those signing as authors A maximum of three authors per article is allowed. Articles published in other journals, even in another language, or those that do not employ adequate citation shall not be considered.
In order to detect plagiarism or self-plagiarism, the Journal uses an anti-plagiarism software that detects inadequately cited fragments.
By consenting to the peer review process, authors agree not to send the article to another journal. In case authors wish to withdraw an article form the editorial process, they must notify the Editorial team within a reasonable time period.
 Contents: Articles must include the stages of the research process and the practices involved, in compliance with ethical research principles. Results must be presented honestly, without fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data, and specifying the scope and limitations of the information. If people's testimonies were involved in the research process, it is necessary to provide consent to their publication.

With respect to peer reviewers:
Acceptance: The Publications Committee contacts peer reviewers whose professional profile is related to the topic of the article submitted for evaluation.
Contents: Peer reviewers must strive for clarity and rigor in the observations that justify their decision regarding the article: whether to publish it as is, publish it with recommendations, or reject it. The evaluation form should be filled out completely, using appreciative language that contributes to the improvement and dissemination of knowledge.
Timeframe: By accepting to evaluate an article, peer reviewers also accept the time period established by the Journal for evaluation: fifteen working days.
Confidentiality: Articles are sent to peer reviewers only for evaluation purposes, maintaining strict confidentiality.
Conflict of interest: Peer reviewers must make sure they have no conflict of interest, whether institutional, financial, or personal, regarding the document to be evaluated. The anonymity of the evaluation is guaranteed by both parties.