About the Journal
Welcome to GIST, our Education and Learning Research Journal. The Journal’s name, «gist», means «the main point of material part, the pith of a matter, the essence of all that can be said about a matter». We chose the name because we believe that the dissemination of research progress reports and final results is an essential contribution to institutional, academic, and societal growth.
GiST is sponsored by Institución Universitaria Colombo Americana ÚNICA, a private, non-profit higher education institution specializing in teacher training and Spanish-English bilingualism. Founded in 2004 as a social responsibility project by Grupo Bolívar in partnership with the Centro Colombo Americano, UNICA aims to transform and improve the quality of education and redefine the role of teachers in Colombia and around the world.
At UNICA, innovative and unique programs have been designed for individuals with a vocation for transforming lives through education. GiST supports UNICA’s mission by promoting high-quality scholarly articles and research that contribute to the advancement of bilingual education and teacher training, thus aligning with UNICA’s goal of enhancing educational practices and recognizing the crucial role of educators globally.
Focus and Scope
To disseminate the results of national and international research being carried out in the field of language education, in particular bilingual education, as well as innovations in language teaching and learning.
Journal History
GiST Journal is currently listed in the following international agencies: MLA - Modern Language Association, ERA - Educational Research Abstracts, Linguistics Abstracts Online, ERIC, CLASE - Citas Latinoamericanas en Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, Proquest CSA, EBSCO Host, Dialnet, REDIB, DOAJ, Emerging Sources Citations, and Ulrich´s Periodicals Directory.
Open Access Policy
GiST Education and Learning Research Journal is an open access publication. The articles can be downloaded in PDF format at no cost from the Open Journal System (OJS) platform. The journal has no AP (Article Processing Charge)
Periodicity
GiST is open for submissions year-round, with an editorial process that follows a first-come, first-served basis. Occasionally, we will announce Call for Papers (CFP) via social media and email to highlight specific themes or topics.
Copyright Notice
GiST Education and Learning Research Journal uses the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial-NoDerivatives License 4.0. As such, the journal’s articles may be downloaded in PDF format as long as the author is cited and no modifications are made.
Archiving
GiST Journal has its electronic backup and preservation of access to the content in Portico
Process
GiST accepts submissions year-round, following a first-come, first-served editorial process. Occasionally, we announce Call for Papers (CFP) via social media and email to highlight specific themes or topics.
The Editor conducts a preliminary evaluation to ensure articles meet the journal's criteria and guidelines. This initial review is usually completed within three weeks. If adjustments are needed, authors are given two weeks to revise and resubmit their manuscripts. Once compliant, the articles enter the peer review stage, typically within one month.
Articles meeting the presentation standards undergo a double-blind peer review. The Editor, with input from the Editorial Committee, assigns peer reviewers based on the article's topic. Reviewers are then invited to evaluate the manuscript, with a usual review period of one month. Adjustments to deadlines may occur to accommodate reviewers’ schedules.
Reviewers complete an evaluation form recommending whether the article should be published, require revisions, or be rejected. The Editor communicates the decision to the authors, who have one month to make necessary adjustments. The final decision on publication considers both the reviewers' feedback and the Editor’s assessment.
Upon acceptance, the article undergoes editing and proofreading, followed by the author's final approval, before being sent to the design team.
For more detailed information on reviewer expectations and how to become one, please visit Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.
For more detailed information on submission guidelines and author expectations, please visit Author Guidelines
Relinquishing of rights and distribution of published material
The publication of articles in GIST implies that authors relinquish all rights to the article and its content. Authors also authorize GIST to promote and distribute the article via the means it deems appropriate, be it in print or electronic. For this purpose, authors should sign and send both the letter of relinquishment, and the declaration of conflict of interest upon submission of the article. These formats are available in the OJS platform of the Journal. These should be signed and sent to the Journal at the following e-mail address:gist@unica.edu.co.
Download HERE letter of copyright Assignment Agreement and Conflict of Interest Statement
Code of Ethics and Good Practices
The Editorial Committee of GiST Education and Learning Research Journal, as part of in its commitment to the scientific community, strives to guarantee the ethics and quality of its articles. The publication takes the code of conduct and good practice of the Committee of Ethics in Publications (COPE) as its point of reference, which defines standards for editors of scientific journals, as well as the legal and ethical standards of the American Psychological Association (APA) in the seventh edition of its Style Manual.
All parties involved in the publication of the journal (Editor, Committees, Authors, and Peer Reviewers) must accept and adhere to the ethical guidelines and principles outlined here.
Editor Obligations and General Responsibilities
The Editor of the journal is responsible for ensuring strict compliance with the policies and principles of the journal. Specifically, the Editor is expected to act in an ethical manner in the following aspects:
Decision making: The Editor guides all decisions regarding articles submitted and published according to verifiable criteria of impartiality and fairness, taking into consideration the primary objectives of the journal.
The works submitted are evaluated objectively, based solely on the scientific merit of their content, without discrimination in regards to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic background, nationality or political persuasion.
Confidentiality: The Editor is committed to the principle of confidentiality and anonymity in communications between Editor and Authors, and Editor and Peer Evaluators. The Editor shall not disclose information related to the article or its process with third parties or colleagues not related to the journal, except in cases when an expert opinion is required, and in which the express permission for this purpose is granted by the author(s). The Editor shall not use the results of research of articles not accepted for publication for his or her own benefit or that of others, except with express permission from the author(s).
Communication: The Editor shall receive and respond to complaints, petitions and comments in a reasonable amount of time. This also applies to the publication of corrections or modifications stemming from the editing process of published articles.
Compliance: The Editor strives to comply with the editorial policies of the Journal, and the publication of each online and print issue according to its established publication schedule.
In the same fashion:
- Consult the opinion of the members of the Editorial Board and Committee.
- Generate initiatives of support and constantly improve editorial practices.
- Support initiatives to educate researchers on issues of publication ethics and other ethical aspects of the journal.
- Take responsibility for the process of all articles submitted to the Journal, and develop mechanisms of confidentiality and peer evaluation up to the point of publication or rejection by the journal.
Other principles to follow include:
Peer review process and editorial decisions: The decision to publish or not shall be established via the process of peer evaluation, according to the “double blind” method in order to guarantee that the evaluation process that is free of conflict of interest between the parties. This rigorous procedure allows peer reviewers to value the technical quality, originality, and scientific contribution of the articles, among other aspects, and at the same time provides authors with the means to improve the article. For this revision process, a sufficient number of peer reviewers will be provided, selected from qualified area experts, with the intention of allowing for a more critical, expert, and objective editorial decision- making process.
Editing and Publication schedule: The Editor provides for the fulfillment of the editing and publication schedule of articles accepted for publication. Upon the publication of each issue, the Editor and the editorial team accept responsibility for the promotion and distribution of the journal to its readers, subscribers, authors, peer reviewers, and other organizations with whom the institution holds inter-institutional agreements, we well as the data bases and national and international indexing services.
General Editor obligations and responsibilities
Authors must present their articles in the link indicated on the OJS-web page, according to the guidelines for the presentation of articles established by the journal. Authors are responsible for the ideas expressed in the articles, and for the ethical appropriateness.
Originality, plagiarism and exclusivity: Authors must explicitly state that the article is original in its creation, and that every effort has been taken to respect the intellectual property of those third parties cited within. Articles must not be reprints, nor published in other journals. Further, authors must declare that the findings are original in nature, that no plagiarism exists, nor distortion or manipulation of the facts.
Exclusivity: Articles submitted to the journal must not be simultaneously submitted to other publications.
Citations and references: Authors must ensure that they have received express permission for the use of material they do not own, including the reproduction of charts, graphs, maps, diagrams, photographs, etc. All sources must be cited appropriately, with complete references provided.
Authorship: Articles with more than one author should order authors’ names in hierarchical fashion, indicating by this the degree of function, responsibility and contribution to the article. By the same token, mention must be made to any individuals who have made significant scientific or intellectual contributions to the research, composition and editing of the article.
Responsibility: All authors submitting articles must assume full responsibility for their work, and ensure that it presents an exhaustive review and discussion of the most recent and relevant literature.
Research ethics: Research studies must use methodology that ensures that subjects are treated with respect and dignity. In addition to those principles of the code of conduct of the American Psychological Association (APA 7th Ed.), GIST highlights the following: discussion of the limitations of confidentiality and the safekeeping of the same, minimization of the intrusion and invasiveness in individuals’ privacy, conservation of data and informed consent to research, record, or film. Further, the names of institutions or individuals should be avoided, even if the author has gained permission for their use. If their mention is considered necessary, the author must submit signed authorization for their inclusion. The names of the researchers and participants shall likewise be omitted from the article. It is suggested that pseudonyms be used in the case of case studies, for example.
Conflict of interest: The Editor shall not consider articles that possibly represent a real or potential conflict of interest, resulting from financial or other relationships of competition or collaboration between authors, companies or institutions mentioned in the article.
Complaints and Appeals: Should any party happen to have any complaint and/or appeal, please inform the Editor and Managing Editor at gist@unica.edu.co
Errors in articles published: Any error or imprecision shall be communicated by the editorial team, and the necessary corrections in the online version of the article made.
Obligations and general responsibilities of peer reviewers:
In the revision process, peer reviewers shall adhere to the following principles:
Confidentiality: Peer reviewers shall not share any information with third parties related to the article or its publication process. In such case that an external opinion may be necessary, reviewers shall seek express written authorization from the Editor in Chief, explaining the reasons. By the same token, reviewers shall not use the content of non-published articles for their own benefit or that of others, except with the express authorization of the authors. The violation of the principle of confidentiality constitutes bad practice by the reviewers.
Contribution to quality: Individuals who commit to evaluating articles submitted to the Journal shall carry out a critical revision, without bias, using clear, non-offensive language, with the intention of guaranteeing scientific and literary quality, according to the area of expertise.
Time management: Although the Journal has a maximum time allotted for the revision process, articles should be evaluated as soon as possible in the hopes of optimizing the revision and editing process. At the same time, peer reviewers who feel that they are unable to fulfill their function as evaluators, either because of lack of expertise, time or possible conflict of interest, shall communicate this immediately to the Editor or editorial team through regular channels.
Detection of errors and bad editorial practices: Reviewers shall pay particular attention to gaps in references to literature or authors that they feel need to be included. At the same time, if in the process of revision it is possible to detect bad practices on the part of authors, peer reviewers are under the obligation to inform the Editor so that he or she may proceed in accordance with the ethical principles of the journal.
