The journal Ciencia & Salud is an academic publication edited by the University of Medical Sciences (UCIMED) that has been dedicated to exploring and disseminating advances in the fields of health and medical sciences since 2017. This journal stands out for its commitment to research and the dissemination of knowledge relevant to the academic and professional communities.

The journal is published quarterly, with issues covering the periods from January 1 to April 30, May 1 to August 31, and September 1 to December 31, resulting in three issues per year.

Ciencia & Salud with ISSN 2215-4949, is open access and does not charge article processing charges (APC). Articles undergo a double-blind peer-review process.

The journal covers a wide range of disciplines within the field of health, including medicine, microbiology, pharmacy, physical therapy, nutrition, and bioengineering. Its primary objective is to promote the exchange of ideas and the development of new approaches in clinical practice, healthcare management, and scientific research.

Each issue of the Ciencia & Salud  journal features original articles, systematic reviews, case studies, and theoretical contributions, all evaluated by peer reviewers who are experts in their respective fields. This rigorous review process ensures the quality and relevance of the published content, establishing the journal as a reliable and up-to-date resource for healthcare professionals and ac

Mission

The mission of the journal Ciencia & Salud is to disseminate original, high-quality research in the fields of health and biomedical sciences through a rigorous, transparent, and ethical editorial process that contributes to the generation, exchange, and application of scientific knowledge for the benefit of the health of individuals and communities.

Vision

To be a leading scientific journal in the health sciences, recognized for the quality and integrity of its editorial process, its visibility in indexes and databases, and its commitment to open access to science.

Values

• Scientific rigor: commitment to methodological quality and the validity of published results.
• Integrity and ethics: adherence to best practices in academic publishing and applicable regulations.
• Transparency: clarity and traceability at every stage of the editorial process.
• Open access: free and unrestricted availability of knowledge to anyone interested.
• Respect and equity: impartial and respectful treatment of authors, reviewers, and readers.
• Social responsibility: contributing scientific knowledge to the well-being of society.

Scope and Subject Matter

The journal publishes manuscripts in the field of health and biomedical sciences related to medicine, nutrition, microbiology, pharmacy, physical therapy, and biomedical engineering. Manuscripts must be relevant to this scope, as outlined in the Guidelines for Authors; those that fall outside this scope may be rejected during the thematic relevance review in the submission phase.

 

Editorial Policies

In its commitment to the quality of each manuscript, the journal has established a set of policies that guarantee authors, readers, and peer reviewers a transparent and ethical management of the publication process. These policies are presented below in the following order:

• Policies for Manuscript Submission
  • Declaration of Originality and Unpublished Status

The journal accepts only original manuscripts; that is, those written by the individuals signing the document, who must take full responsibility for their content and declare the absence of conflicts of interest.

Furthermore, the manuscript must be unpublished, meaning it has not been previously published, either in part or in full, in any other medium, such as journals, repositories, websites, blogs, print media, or others.

Failure to comply with this policy will result in the immediate rejection of the manuscript.

• • Authorship

Only those who have participated in the preparation of the manuscript should be listed as authors, in accordance with the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors.

• • Language of Publication

The journal publishes its content in Spanish and English

• • Format, Style, and Citation System

When submitting a manuscript, authors must follow the guidelines set forth in the submission section.

 

• Plagiarism and Unethical Practices Control

During the first phase of the editorial process, all manuscripts are reviewed using Turnitin, a tool for detecting plagiarism and similarities.

This tool compares the text of the document with its database—which includes international databases—and generates a similarity report based on the results. The Editorial Board analyzes this report and evaluates each case individually, paying special attention to those with a similarity rate exceeding 25%.

Authors will be notified of the report’s findings and the actions they must take regarding their manuscript. If the editor determines that the alerts result from omissions or unintentional misconduct in the writing process, authors will be given the opportunity to correct the text.

Texts that contain intentional plagiarism and documents that fail to cite sources will be rejected immediately.

 

• Artificial Intelligence Tools

The use of artificial intelligence tools in manuscript drafting, the creation of graphical elements, or data analysis must be disclosed in the Materials and Methods section, specifying the tool used. Authors are responsible for the content generated by the tool and for any disputes arising from copyright infringement caused by it, in accordance with the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (Authorship and AI tools | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics).

 

• Review and Publication Policies
  • Peer Review and Editorial Decisions

As indicated in the critical path, manuscripts that pass the initial verification of thematic relevance and similarity undergo peer review using a double-blind methodology, which preserves the anonymity of both authors and reviewers.

The editor selects at least two reviewers. Reviewers are asked to assess the degree of originality and the quality of the submitted manuscripts.

If the reviewers’ opinions differ significantly, additional reviewers will be invited for a second round of review. The editor mediates between the peer reviewers and the authors, and the final decision rests with the editor-in-chief.

• • Frequency of Publication

The journal is published quarterly, for a total of three issues per year. Manuscripts are accepted year-round.

 

• Access, Licensing, and Cost Policies
  • Open Access and Open Science

The journal is open access and adheres to the principles of open science. Its content is freely, immediately, and openly available online—without the need for a subscription, registration, or payment—for reading, downloading, and dissemination for academic purposes, in accordance with the license assigned to each article.

• • License and Copyright

Each article will be assigned the corresponding Creative Commons license, in accordance with the journal’s policies. Once the manuscript is accepted, all authors must sign and submit a declaration of assignment of reproduction rights. Upon publication, they may disseminate the text on social media and other platforms, while respecting the journal’s distribution rights, in accordance with the assigned license.

• • Statement on Article Processing Charges (APCs)

The journal does not charge article processing charges (APCs) or any other fees to authors for the receipt, evaluation, editing, typesetting, or publication of manuscripts. Access to the content is also free for readers.

 

• Ethical and Legal Policies
  • Code of Ethics

The journal promotes best practices in academic publishing. Consequently, it adheres to and endorses the policies of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). By aligning with these internationally recognized standards, it ensures the integrity, transparency, and quality of its publication process. Authors must comply with these ethical guidelines, which cover topics such as authorship, conflicts of interest, data integrity, and peer review standards.

View the code of ethics here.

• • Registration of Biomedical Trials

In compliance with current ethical and legal standards, all biomedical trials submitted for consideration must conform to the provisions of the Law Regulating Biomedical Research, Law No. 9234 of Costa Rica. Under this law, all biomedical research conducted in Costa Rica must comply with the procedures and regulations established by the National Health Research Council (CONIS).

To ensure compliance with these regulations, authors must consult the applicable legislation and submit the trial registration documentation to CONIS. The information can be found at the following link: Procedures (ministeriodesalud.go.cr).

The journal reserves the right to request proof of registration and compliance with the law before proceeding with the review and publication of the manuscript.

Failure to comply with these ethical and legal regulations may result in the manuscript not being considered or being rejected for publication in the journal.

 

• Information Management Policies.
  • Digital Preservation of Content.

To ensure the preservation of information, the journal implements the following measures:

The final files from the publication process (PDF, XML, and HTML) and the editable files (Adobe InDesign) are stored and safeguarded on the server of the Department of Educational Technology at the University of Medical Sciences (UCIMED).

The server automatically performs a full daily backup using the Acronis client application, which stores the information remotely, in encrypted form, and incrementally. This service is provided and monitored by the UCIMED IT Department.

In accordance with the guidelines of the National Library System, legal deposit is carried out for the preservation of the national memory.

• • Interoperability Service

The journal maintains an open OAI-PMH service for information system queries and interoperability with content management systems.

The public link to this service is https://revistacienciaysalud.ac.cr/ojs/index.php/cienciaysalud/oai