Submissions

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Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
  • The article is completely original, does not infringe the rights of other authors and is exclusive (has not been published, has not been accepted for publication, has not been sent for consideration to another journal).
  • Two separate files (cover page and manuscript) were prepared in Microsoft Word format, in the original language of the article (Spanish or English), using the RCA formats (available for download in the "author guidelines" section).
  • All figures and tables included in the manuscript are in color, in editable format, and are located within the text rather than at the end.
  • The DOI (Digital Object Identifier) ​​and web addresses of all references cited in the manuscript were included, to the extent possible.
  • The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, all sources of funding, and any potential conflicts of interest have been properly declared.

Author Guidelines

1. DOWNLOADABLE SUBMISSION TEMPLATES

a) Title Page

b) Manuscript

2. STYLE AND FORMAT GUIDELINES

All manuscripts submitted to RCA must comply with the following style and format guidelines to be considered in the editorial process.

a) Word Count

Articles must be between 4,000 and 7,000 words in length, excluding the abstract, tables, figures, and references.

b) Font and Size

The main text, as well as the content of tables and figures, must be presented in 12-point Times New Roman font.

c) Line Spacing

All text must be 1.5-spaced.

d) Citation and Reference

Style RCA uses the American Psychological Association (APA) style, 7th edition. All sources cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and vice versa.

e) Titles and Headings

A hierarchy of up to three heading levels shall be used:
• Level 1: Left-aligned, bold, initial capital letter, 14-point font.
• Level 2: Left-aligned, bold, initial capital letter, 12-point font.
• Level 3: Paragraph heading, bold and italic, initial capital letter, indented, ending with a period, 12-point font.

f) Footnotes

Their use should be restricted to the minimum necessary and employed only for brief clarifications or explanations that cannot be smoothly integrated into the main text. They must not be used to cite bibliographic sources.

g) Abbreviations and Units

Abbreviations must be defined upon their first appearance in the text (e.g., Dry Matter (DM)). The International System of Units (SI) must be used, along with the nomenclature standardized by the corresponding scientific unions (e.g., IUPAC for chemical compounds).

h) Equations

Equations must be created with an equation editor (not as images). They must be left-aligned and numbered consecutively in parentheses on the right. All symbols used must be defined immediately after the equation.

i) Tables and Figures

They must be prepared according to APA 7th edition standards and submitted in an editable format. Each table and figure must be numbered, have a clear, concise title, and be referenced in the text. The caption must be self-explanatory. If taken from other sources, they must be cited appropriately. If they are original creations, it must be indicated at the end of the caption: "Source: authors' own elaboration."

j) Illustrations, Maps, and Photographs

They must have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi (ideally 600 dpi) and be attached as separate files in JPG or TIFF format. Maps must include a scale and cardinal points, if pertinent. Authors are responsible for managing and attaching the copyright permissions for any graphic material that requires them.

3. SUBMISSION PREPARATION

Authors must prepare two main files for their submission via the RCA's OJS platform.

a) File 1: Title Page (Not Anonymized)

An MS Word file containing the following information:

• Authors: Full names, complete institutional affiliation (including department, faculty, university, city, and country), institutional email address, ORCID iD for each author, and a brief summary of each author's academic profile and research interests (maximum 50 words per author).
• Article Type: Specify if it is a research, review, reflection, or scientific note.
• Acknowledgments (optional): Acknowledgments to funding institutions (with project code), technical collaborators, or laboratories. Personal acknowledgments will not be accepted.
• Funding: Declare the funding sources for the preparation of the article.
• Conflict of Interest Declaration: An explicit declaration of any financial, professional, or personal conflict of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of the work.
• Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Declare whether AI tools were used in generating the content. If the answer is affirmative, briefly describe how they were used.
• Suggested Peer Reviewers (optional): Authors are invited to suggest a minimum of two (and a maximum of three) specialists as potential reviewers, with whom they have no conflicts of interest. The final decision on their selection rests with the Editorial Team.

b) File 2: Manuscript (Anonymized for Peer Review)

An MS Word file without any information that could identify the authors (names, affiliations, acknowledgments, or projects). The manuscript must follow this order:

• Title: Must be presented in the article's language (Spanish or English). It must be concise (no more than 15 words) and clearly describe the study's content and focus.
• Abstract: Maximum 200 words in the article's language (Spanish or English). It must be a single paragraph (without subheadings) that includes: objectives, basic procedures, main findings (quantifying results, if possible), and the most relevant conclusions.
• Keywords: Maximum five, in the article's language (Spanish or English). They must be presented in alphabetical order, separated by semicolons. The use of descriptors from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations' AGROVOC thesaurus is recommended.
• Introduction: Must contextualize the research problem, present the state-of-the-art with pertinent references, justify the research, and, finally, clearly state the study's objectives.
• Materials and Methods: Describe the design, materials, equipment, and procedures in sufficient detail to allow for their replication. Statistical analysis must be detailed, and collection permits and repository codes (e.g., GenBank, GBIF) must be specified when applicable.
• Results: Present the findings in a logical sequence, using tables and figures if necessary. This section must be limited to reporting the data objectively, without interpreting or discussing it.
• Discussion: Interpret the significance of the results, comparing them with previous studies and relevant literature. It must not be a repetition of the Results section. Include the study's implications and its limitations.
• Conclusions: Concisely present the main conclusions, responding directly to the stated objectives. They must be based exclusively on the study's findings.
• References: List in alphabetical order only the sources cited in the text, strictly following APA 7th edition format.

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