Author Guidelines
We publish original research articles, academic essays, and critical book reviews. Articles may be based on documentary or observational research, employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. We do not accept case studies that seek to test widely accepted theories, review articles, state-of-the-art reviews, or the development of conceptual frameworks.
Only grammatically sound texts in Spanish that meet the checklist and are recommended by our Editorial Committee through a preliminary review will be submitted for consideration. Articles and essays will undergo double-blind peer review, and reviews will be reviewed by the journal's Editorial Committee.
Articles should begin with appropriate and up-to-date theoretical reflection, framing a socio-environmental problem. At the end of the introductory section, they should present the research question(s) or hypothesis (if applicable) and specific objectives. The methods should be sufficiently detailed for validation and replication (including criteria, data collection and analysis techniques, statistical software, among other aspects) and correspond appropriately to the specific objectives. The results should be complemented with tables and/or figures that do not repeat information from the text. The information or empirical evidence presented must clearly correspond to the proposed research question(s) or hypothesis, and the claims must be supported by the data. The discussion should establish a dialogue with previous studies, be argumentative and critical, and not be limited to comparisons of results. The conclusions should revisit the research question(s) or hypothesis and have a clear relationship to the specific objectives. The minimum length is 6,000 words and the maximum is 10,000 words, including footnotes and references.
Essays must include an initial statement or thesis in the introduction, followed by the development of the idea through a substantive theoretical contribution and argumentative analysis, and conclusions, depending on whether it is a deductive or inductive essay. The minimum length is 3,000 words and the maximum is 6,000 words, including footnotes and references. Authors should review the essay writing guide, which forms the basis of our assessment tool: https://www.elsevier.com/es-es/connect/guia-practica-como-hacer-un-ensayo-cientifico
Reviews must have an original title, include the book being reviewed in bibliographic format along with a link to the work, and have a maximum length of 3,000 words, including footnotes and bibliographic references. It is recommended to view examples of recently published reviews.
File Preparation
The file must be created in Microsoft Word. All margins (top, bottom, left, and right) must be 2.5 cm. The font must be Times New Roman, 12-point, and the line spacing must be single.
Title (Articles, Essays, and Reviews)
The title must be presented in both Spanish and English, centered, and in bold, and contain a maximum of 20 words.
Abstract (Articles and Essays)
The abstract, in both Spanish and English, must not exceed 200 words (up to 1430 characters including spaces). It must contain the following information: 1) Context: 2) Objective(s): 3) Methodology: 4) Results: 5) Conclusions:
Keywords (Articles and Essays)
There must be a maximum of five keywords, presented in both Spanish and English, immediately after the abstract and summary, respectively. They must be listed in alphabetical order and separated by semicolons. Words contained in the manuscript title should be avoided.
Manuscript Structure (Articles)
It is suggested, but not required, that the manuscript have the following structure, or that it adequately integrates items 1, 2, 3, and 4:
- Introduction: Critical theoretical reflection, research question(s) or hypothesis, and explicit objective(s).
- Methodology: Describe the procedures, instruments, statistical analyses, and computer programs in sufficient detail for validation and/or replication. Also, indicate if artificial intelligence (AI) was used, covering the following aspects: in which sections, how (accessory or intensive), the primary, secondary, and complementary prompts, what products were integrated into the manuscript, and provide details about the AI model, its version, the date of use, and its integration with other models.
- Results and Discussion: Presentation of data, interpretation, argumentation, and comparisons with previous studies. Conclusions: Main findings, were the questions answered? Was the prediction of the hypothesis(es) fulfilled? New questions or conjectures.
- Acknowledgments: Collaborating institutions, key stakeholders, funding and grants (grant provider and number).
- References: These should conform to the journal's format, and footnotes should only be used for explanatory or clarifying purposes, not for bibliographic references.
Figures (Specifications)
Figures (graphs, maps, photographs, illustrations) should be presented with consecutive numbering, inserted immediately after their mention in the text, and include a descriptive caption and a figure caption indicating the source, specifically whether it is original work or a modification, reproduction permissions, or credit in the case of original photographs or images from open repositories.
Figures in the main text should be submitted as separate image files (JPEG) with a minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch (ppi), identified as Figure 1, Figure 2, and so on.
The main text may include a maximum of five figures. If this number is exceeded, place them in a Word document named Appendices. Appendices must be properly referenced in the main text, for example, Figure A1 in Appendices (the sequential numbering of the figures in the main text should not be used; this is a new numbering system).
Tables (Specifications)
Tables should be presented with consecutive numbering, inserted immediately after their mention in the text, in table format, and include a descriptive header and a footer indicating the data source. A maximum of three tables may be included in the main text. If this number is exceeded, they should be placed in a Word document named Appendices. Appendices must have an appropriate reference in the main text, for example, Table A1 in Appendices (the consecutive numbering of the tables in the main text should not be used; this is a new numbering system).
Tables in the main text should not exceed half a page in portrait orientation; otherwise, they should be placed in appendices, following the previous guidelines.
Narrative, Parenthetical, and Direct Quotations
In the case of narrative quotations, the author's last name(s) and the year should be indicated in parentheses. If there is one author, cite the following: Villegas (2015). If there are two authors, cite the following: Vallejo and Rodríguez (2020). If there are more than two authors, cite Villegas et al. (2015).
Parenthetical citations should be included at the end of the paraphrased text with the author's last name and the year of publication, separated by a comma: (Villegas, 2015). If there are two authors, use "and" to join the last names, separating them from the year with a comma: (Vallejo and Rodríguez, 2020). If there are three or more authors, include only the last name of the first author and the abbreviation "et al." (from the Latin "et alii"), separating them from the year with a comma: (Villegas et al., 2015). If more than one reference is included in parentheses, they should be ordered alphabetically, separating the references with a semicolon (Acuña, 2020; Vallejo and Rodríguez, 2020; Villegas et al., 2015).
In the case of direct quotations, if they are fewer than 40 words, they should be enclosed in quotation marks within the text and the source should be included at the end, including the author's last name, year, and page number, separated by a comma: (Villegas, 2015, p. 63). Direct quotations of 40 words or more should be placed in a separate paragraph, indented 0.5 inches from the left margin, in a smaller font size (11 points), and include the parenthetical citation at the end, as previously described. This criterion also applies to interview transcripts.
It is important to verify that all sources of information included in the text have bibliographic references and vice versa (cross-references). This prevents additional rounds of manuscript revision during the production stage.
Bibliographic References
Starting in 2026, Sociedad y Ambiente will gradually adopt the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition (APA 7) style. To facilitate the preparation of bibliographic references, we have prepared a brief guide with examples of the most frequently used sources in our publications: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20670902. However, for more detailed information and specific examples, we recommend consulting the APA website: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/
Submission of Manuscripts
Proposals for publication must be submitted through our editorial management platform, for which prior registration is required. The main text file, named Manuscript, must include the title (in Spanish and English) and omit the authors' names and contact information. Figures in image format and appendices (if applicable) must be submitted as separate files, following the instructions detailed above.
In a separate file, named Data Format, include the manuscript title in Spanish and English. Next, provide the complete information for each author: academic degree (Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctoral degree) and the university or institution where it was obtained; university or institution where they are affiliated or work (include the title or position, as well as the unit, department, or faculty); areas of interest; email address; ORCID; and whether they are the corresponding author. Finally, add the specific contribution of each author, using the CRediT taxonomy as a guide: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18421449
For articles and essays, include the complete contact information for three potential reviewers specializing in the topic, with whom there is no conflict of interest: name; academic degree; institution; areas of interest; SNII ranking if residing in Mexico; email address; and a link to ResearchGate or Google Scholar.
Editorial Process
Submitted proposals are subject to a technical review (preliminary opinion) by the editorial team to determine their relevance to the journal's thematic focus, evaluate their clarity (theoretical reflection, thesis, questions, hypotheses, and objectives), and presentation (structure, writing style, and format).
All texts undergo a similarity analysis with other online sources using the iThenticate® program to determine the correct use of bibliographic references and ensure originality. In this regard, we encourage authors to review the book Plagiarism and Ethics, published by the National Autonomous University of Mexico: https://www.libros.unam.mx/plagioyetica.pdf
If the preliminary review is favorable, at least two specialists in the subject matter, from a constantly updated list, are selected from an institution different from that of the authors to avoid conflicts of interest. These specialists evaluate the manuscripts using a standardized review form. The impartiality of the review process is always ensured by keeping the authors' identities anonymous to the reviewers, and vice versa (double-blind review).
Based on the specialists' observations, manuscripts may be accepted for publication or proceed to a process in which, through the editors' intervention, different versions are revised and evaluated until an editorial decision is reached. Accepted manuscripts are then sent to the production stage.
Production Stage
Accepted manuscripts undergo a process of copyediting, formatting, and preparation of supplementary forms. In this phase, the journal reserves the right to modify the wording of the texts to improve their style. Therefore, prior to publication, manuscripts are shared with the authors in PDF (Portable Document Format) for review, corrections, and approval.
Publication Frequency
Sociedad y Ambiente publishes one issue annually using a continuous publication model. This means that when a manuscript is accepted, it is made available on our website immediately upon completion of the production phase
