1.- Send your manuscripts to the Editor of Opción, via email or to the headquarters of the Experimental Faculty of Sciences, University of Zulia, Av. Universidad, diagonal to the El Libertador Barracks, Maracaibo, Venezuela.

2.- Papers must be unpublished and must not have been proposed simultaneously to other publications.

3.- Papers will deal with topics related to concluded partial or total scientific investigations, critical or philosophical essays, with theoretical reflection or discussion on current issues. The areas of the journal are the general ones of the Social and Human Sciences, and the specific ones of Philosophy, Anthropology, Communication Sciences and Development Studies. Other publication areas may be consulted with the Editor or the Editorial Committee, who will dictate what is appropriate.

4.- Papers will be accepted based on the relevance of the topic they address, their originality, contributions, updates and scientific level, style standards and agreed editorial standards.

5.- Papers will undergo double-blind peer review by a Committee of renowned Specialist Referees, in order to maintain a high academic and scientific level.

6.- Especially required will be that, in the papers submitted for evaluation, according to the significance and importance of each case, publications of renowned journals be cited, especially those validated in indexes of 'academic prestige', such as Scopus, Web of Science, Redalyc, Scielo, Latindex, Dialnet, DOAJ or other similar ones.

7.-Author or authors will send along with their paper to be evaluated and published once it has been approved, a letter stating originality, stating that their article has not been sent to another scientific journal for the same process.

8.- Author will send an original and three blind copies of their manuscript to the headquarters of the Journal or its post office box, if their shipment is physical, or a file containing said paper to the email addresses indicated, according to the following editorial standards:

Length of Paper: In the case of articles, the length must not exceed thirty (30) letter-size pages, times new roman font, size 12, single-spaced, with a 2cm margin on each side, submitted via the Journal's email: opcioneditorialluz@gmail.com.

Title: It must be a maximum of fifteen (15) explanatory words containing the essence of the paper. If the article is in Spanish, the title must be translated into English. If the article is in French, the title must be translated into English and Spanish. If the article is in English, the title must be translated into Spanish. If the article is in Portuguese or Italian, the title must also be translated into Spanish and English.

Author(s): Indicate full first and last names, without professional titles. There may not be more than (4) four authors, unless submitted for consideration by the Editorial Committee for approval.

Name of the authors' affiliation institution, the author's institutional email address, ORCID code and a biodata at the end of the article, after the References.

Abstract: No more than one hundred (100) words, single spaced, in the language of the paper, and in Spanish and English, preferably containing the main objective of the paper, the methodology, the main results and conclusions.

Keywords: In order to facilitate the inclusion of the article in international databases, keywords should be included in Spanish and English, no more than five.

Sections and subsections: The papers should be divided into introduction, development and conclusion. In the development, the subsections should have Arabic numerals, with free titling and division by the author, ensuring internal coherence of both discourse and theme. It is suggested, as relevant according to the theme posed in the paper, to subdivide the development into: theoretical foundations, methodology and analysis or discussion.

Citations: Quoting will be done in the text using the author-date modality indicating, in the case of a textual quote, it is placed within the parenthesis: author's last name(s), comma, year of publication of the paper, followed by the letter “p” and a period (p.) and the page number(s), for example: according to García (1998, p.:45); if not a textual quote but a paraphrase, only the year number is indicated, example: according to García (1998) or (García, 1998). If there are several papers by the same author published in the same year, they will be literally ordered alphabetically; for example, (García, 2008a, p.12), García (2008b, p. 24). If there are two authors, only the first last name of each will be placed, for example: According to Reyes and Díaz (2008: 90) or (Reyes and Díaz, 2008: 90), following the same criterion explained above for textual quotes and paraphrases. In the case of three or more authors, the principal author's last name will be placed followed by "et al", example: (Rincón et al., 2008:45). References to unpublished papers or papers in press should be avoided if possible, as should references to private communications and documents of limited circulation, unless strictly necessary. In the case of documentary, electronic or other sources whose nature makes adoption of the author - date citation suggested in these standards unfeasible or complex, footnote citation may be used or opted for. When the quote is less than 40 words it is written immersed in the text, between quotation marks and without italics; while if the quote has more than 40 words it should go in a separate paragraph with single line spacing with a 2 cm left margin extra from the rest of the text, without quotation marks. In more specific cases, the APA 7th edition standards can be used. A guide summary of the APA 7th Edition Standards can be viewed at: https://normas-apa.org/wp-content/uploads/Guia-Normas-APA-7ma-edicion.pdf

References: References should be at the end of the article. These will be subdivided into: bibliographic, journalistic, documentary, electronic, oral and other references that have been used. They should be single spaced and with a 1cm French indentation, with 1.5 line spacing between referenced papers. The order of references is alphabetical by last name. Different papers by the same author will be organized chronologically, in ascending order, and if there are two or more papers by the same author and year, the strict alphabetical order by title will be maintained. Only papers cited in the paper should be included. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references. If an author is cited more than once, the traditional line substituting the author's last name and first name(s) should be avoided. This is because electronic repository search engines read words and the dash has no alphabetical meaning.

Books:

Last name(s), Full first name(s) of author(s) (year). Title of paper (Nsima edition [if applicable]). Publishing house or entity [should not include the word "editorial" unless it is part of the name of the publishing institution].

Example of book with one author:

García Gavidia, Nelly (2020). Claude Lévi Strauss (1908 -2009): una vida, un método, una antropología. Fondo Editorial UNERMB.

Arrieta Ríos, Naida (2023). De Pueblo Viejo a Mene Grande: Representaciones espaciales en la construcción de las identidades (2da edición). Ediciones Clío.

Example of book with two authors:

Acosta, Nora and Arenas, Owen (1999). América Latina en el Mundo. Ediluz.

Example of book with more than two authors:

González, Pedro and others (1999). La innovación es un tema para discutir en países no desarrollados. Kopena.

Example of book obtained from the web:

Real Academia Española (2011). Nueva gramática de la lengua española. Manual. Espasa. http://www.revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/psicologia/article/view/27899/43273

Book chapters or part of a compilation:

Last name(s), Full first name(s) of author(s) (year). Title of chapter or section; in Last name(s), Full first names of editor(s)-compiler(s) (Ed., Comp. or Coord.). Title of paper (Nsima edition [if applicable]). Publishing house or entity.

Example of book chapter:

Abric, Jean-Claude (2001). Las representaciones sociales: aspectos teóricos; en Abric, Jean-Claude (Comp.). Prácticas sociales y representaciones (pp 25-41). Ediciones Coyoacán.

Article in peer-reviewed journal:

Last name(s), Full first name(s) of author(s) (year). Title of article. Title of journal, volume or year, (number), page numbers.

Example of print article in peer-reviewed journal:

Montero Gutiérrez, Cecilia (2023). Cantos de arrullo y estudios decoloniales: la naturalización de las epistemes dominantes o cómo se hegemoniza desde la sutileza del canto.

Example of article in peer-reviewed journal with DOI (Digital Object Identifier):

Ramírez Méndez, Luis Alberto (2015). El cultivo del cacao venezolano a partir de Maruma. Historia Caribe, 10(27), 69-101. doi: 10.15648/hc.27.2015.3

Example of article in online peer-reviewed journal without DOI:

Castillo Herrera, Luis Fernando and Borregales, Yuruari (2015). Más allá del pergamino: la pintura histórica y la caricatura política en el estudio historiográfico venezolano. Procesos Históricos, 027(XIV), 126-141. http://www.saber.ula.ve/bitstream/123456789/39640/1/articulo6.pdf

Unpublished degree/thesis paper:

Last name(s), First name(s) of author(s) (year). Title of paper. [Undergraduate/master’s thesis/doctoral thesis]. Institution, Location]./Retrieved from

Example of unpublished degree/thesis paper:

Lozano Parga, Emiliano (1999). Casos de mercadeo en empresas colombianas. [Undergraduate thesis. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá (Colombia)].

Example of online unpublished degree/thesis paper:

Loaiza, Manuel (2015). Casos de mercadeo y publicidad en empresas ecuatorianas. [Master’s thesis]. http://www.dspace.uce.edu.ec/simple-search?location=&query=&filter_field_1=subject&filter_type_1=equals&filter_value_1=MERCADO&filtername=title&filtertype=equals&filterquery=tesis&rpp=10&sort_by=score&order=desc.

Papers presented at scientific events and/or conferences:

Last name(s), First name(s) of author(s) (Month, year). Title of paper. Paper presented at <Name of conference> of <Organizing institution>, location.

Example of papers presented at scientific events and/or conferences:

García Delgado, Julio and Duran, William (May, 2013). Empoderamiento comunal y gestión de riesgos en espacios comunales de la Costa Oriental del Lago de Maracaibo. Retos y propuestas. Paper presented at the Natural Hazards and Education Conference of the Faculty of Humanities and Education of the University of Zulia, Maracaibo (Venezuela).

Newspaper article:

Last name(s), Full first name(s) of author(s) (year, month and day). Title of article. Title of newspaper, page.

Example of newspaper article:

Soto, Andreína (September 23, 2015). PNL logra cambios de conducta en 20 minutos. Versión final, p. 14.

Example of online newspaper article:

Chirinos, Paulina (September 22, 2015). Caminata por un corazón sano. La Verdad. http://www.laverdad.com/zulia/105830-caminata-por-un-corazon-sano.html

Constitutions:

Title of constitution [Const.]. (date of enactment). edition number. Publisher/Retrieved from

Example of constitution:

Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela [Const.]. (1999). 3rd edition. Ex Libris.

Laws:

Enacting body. (day, month and year). Title of law. Official Gazette [where it is found]/Retrieved from

Example of laws:

National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. (August 15, 2009). Organic Law of Education. Official Gazette No. 5,929 Extraordinary.

Documents in archive:

Name of archive. Section where located.  Book or volume. File, Title or subject of document. Folio(s).

Example of documents in archive:

General Archive of the Indies. Audience of Caracas. Cost aids. File 943. No. 267. Report to the general accountancy favorable to a request from the Poor Clares of the Convent of Mérida de Maracaibo in the sense that they be given from the spoils of Bishop Ramos de Lora what was necessary to make repairs. Madrid, March 31, 1796. ff. 1r-2v.

Interviews:

Name of interviewee, conducted on day, month year in Place (Place).

Example of interviews:

Humberto Chirinos, conducted on February 07, 2016 in the Punto Fijo neighborhood (Cabimas).

Website pages:

Last name(s), First name(s) (year). Title of entry. Retrieved from

Example of website page:

Ministry of People's Power for Education (2014). Bicentennial Collection. http://www.me.gob.ve/sistemas/coleccion_bicentenario/index.php

Blog entry:

Last name(s), First name(s) (year). Title of post. [Blog entry]. Retrieved from

Example of blog entry:

Moreno, Duglas (2014). Book of tricks “Distributions based on Debian GNU / Linux”. [Professor Duglas Moreno's website]. http://blogs.unellez.edu.ve/duglasmoreno/archives/85

Podcast:

Last name(s), First name(s) (Producer). (day, month and year). Title of post [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from

Example of Podcast:

Leto, Josías (January 18, 2015) "Las Moscas" by Horacio Quiroga in Dark November [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.ivoox.com/las-moscashoracio-quiroga-audiosmp3_rf_3967422_1.html

Film:

Last name(s), First name(s) (producer) and Last name(s), First name(s) (director) (year). Title of film [Film]. Country of origin: Studio.

Example of film:

Jácome, María Eugenia (producer) and Arvelo, Carlos (director) (2007). Cyrano Fernández [Film]. Venezuela: Indigo Media.

Audio:

Last name(s), First name(s) of writer (copyright year). Title of song. [Recorded by Last name(s), First name(s) (if different from writer)]. On Album title [Recording medium (CD, Vinyl, etc.)]. Location: Record label. (Recording date if different from copyright)

Example of audio:

Fuentes, Rubén (1964). La Bikina. [Recorded by Gualberto Ibarreto]. On 32 Greatest Hits [CD] Caracas, Venezuela. (1998).

Image (photograph, painting):

Last name(s), First name(s) of artist (year). Title of paper [Format]. Location: Where exhibited.

Example of image:

Kahlo, Frida (1944). The Broken Column [Painting]. Mexico: Dolores Olmedo Patiño Museum.

Online video or image:

Last name(s), First name(s) (year). Title or name of video or image [Video/image file]. Retrieved from

Example of online video:

Santos, Danilo (2012). Ecological Apocalypse [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzAektg101M

X:

Last name(s) First name(s) [User on X (day, month and year)]. Content of Post [Post]. Retrieved from

Example of X:

Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santodomingo [teatromayor] (January 19, 2015). Vangelis, composer of the original scores of Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire is the author of the music for Landscapes http://bit.ly/luzcasalenvivo [Post]. https://twitter.com/teatromayor/status/557272037258186752

Facebook:

Last name(s) First name(s) [Facebook user] (day, month and year). Content of post [Facebook status]. Retrieved from

Example of Facebook:

Hawking, Stephen. [stephenhawking] (December 19, 2014). Errol Morris’ A Brief History of Time is a very respectful documentary, but upon a viewing last night, I discovered something profound and warming. The real star of the film is my own mother. [Facebook status]. https://www.facebook.com/stephenhawking/posts/749460128474420

Acknowledgements: Acknowledgements corresponding to the elaboration of the paper, such as those organizations that financed the research, or any other acknowledgements the researchers would like to make of an institutional type, will go before the Bibliographic References and after the Conclusions or Final Reflections.

Appendices: Appendices constitute complementary elements of the text that refer the reader to a part of the paper or outside of it, with the purpose of illustrating the ideas expressed in the text, expand, clarify or complement what is expressed there.

In the case of figures and charts, the author may accompany the original with the illustrations they deem necessary. Opción may choose not to include them, with prior communication to the author, if they do not meet the technical requirements for reproduction. Photographs and illustrations must be submitted in jpg format with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Legends or photo captions should not be part of the images, therefore, they must be indicated separately. Appendices should be numbered (Image 1, Illustration 2, etc.) and referenced within the text (See illustration x). The background of graphs, tables and charts should be white. It is the responsibility of the author to obtain and deliver to the journal permission to publish images that require it. Photocopies of illustrations will not be accepted, unless they are documents that do not have records of another nature, as long as they are locatable in physical or digital form. Abbreviations used in graphs and tables and their source will be explained at the foot of them. If there are figures or graphs, only one per page will be allowed.

Observations regarding writing and style

The subdivisions in the body of the text (chapters, subchapters, etc.) must have Arabic numerals, except for the introduction and conclusion which are not numbered. Subchapters will be listed in decimals (1.1, 1.2, 5.6,) while the subdivisions of the latter must be presented in consecutive letters (a, b, c, d, successively).

Terms in Latin and foreign words must appear in italics or italics.

The first time an abbreviation is used, it should appear in parentheses after the complete formula; subsequently only the abbreviation will be used.

Textual quotes exceeding forty (40) words should be placed in long quote format, between quotation marks, single spaced, with a 2cm left margin extra with respect to the rest of the text.

The beginning of each paragraph is not indented.

Footnotes should appear in Arabic numerals.

While the use of footnotes is allowed, they will have an explanatory and expansive character (if warranted) of the ideas put forward in the paper. The use of footnotes for citation or reference data will not be accepted, except for references to documents in archives.

Charts, graphs, illustrations, photographs, maps and the like must be referenced and explained in the text. They must also be titled, numbered and identified sequentially and accompanied by their respective image captions and source(s), as follows: Source: Last name(s), year. E.g .: Source: Márquez, 2012.

Charts, tables, graphs, illustrations and the like should preferably be self-produced (unless the paper presented involves the analysis of appendices of external authorship). Their insertion must be fully justified and strictly related to the subject matter and/or aspects covered in the paper submitted to Opción.

Good practices

Regarding plagiarism: Plagiarism implies lack of originality in papers. Opción understands original paper as “that scientific, artistic, literary or any other kind of paper that results from the inventiveness of its author”, according to the definition of the Royal Spanish Academy. Plagiarism, meanwhile, constitutes the act of copying others' papers and attributing their authorship to oneself. Plagiarism occurs when taking an idea, external text, or even the complete paper. These actions are considered improper behavior, which can lead to sanctions such as the temporary or permanent veto of authors from publishing in Opción, depending on the severity of the case. If plagiarism is discovered before the article's publication, it will not be published and will be discarded; if discovered after its publication, it will be withdrawn from the electronic version, with notification of its withdrawal due to proven plagiarism.

Redundancy: Papers derived from the same project initiative will not be considered "redundant" to the extent that the question or aspect posed is different. The approach to data, aspects not considered in previous papers (a more advanced stage or definitive results), the application of the same methodology in other spaces, further reflection on an aspect addressed previously. In the event of the existence of previous papers derived from the same project, they must be cited (failure to do so will be considered plagiarism or "self-plagiarism") and, likewise, clarify the differences with respect to the paper submitted for evaluation by means of an explanatory note.

Papers submitted to journals must be original and unpublished, unless it is clearly stated that a paper is being republished with the express knowledge of the author and the editorial team of the journals or publication, with the prior approval of Opción's editorial committee. Papers that have been written on information that has already been extensively discussed in a previous publication, or that is part of material already published in any medium (print or electronic) will not be accepted. Only those articles that have been rejected by other journals, or that are based on a preliminary publication (an abstract published in conference proceedings, a poster or an extensive paper in refereed conference proceedings) will be considered.

Conflicts of interest: Authors must disclose in their manuscript any financial or other conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of their paper. Examples of possible conflicts of interest that should be described include employment and salaries, consultancies, stock ownership, fees, paid expert testimony and grants or other funding directly related to the research carried out. It is therefore necessary for authors to report, preferably as an author's note in the submitted material, possible conflicts of interest in the research paper.

Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools: Authors who use artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the preparation of their manuscripts, whether for text generation, data analysis, or the performance of various tasks, must declare this explicitly. Likewise, the authors will ensure that these tools have not been used to copy or paraphrase content from other sources without proper acknowledgment or citation.

Other papers

The following short papers are also accepted (maximum three pages): Rapid communication: to publicize intellectual property rights. Technical notes: Descriptions of a technique or technological process. Letters to the editor: options on new topics or current issues. News: updated information on scientific events and postgraduate courses. Reviews: reading commentary on recently published books. Critical Reviews: analysis or critical commentary on recently published books. Documents: texts of a historical, legal nature, agreements, declarations. Interviews: conducted for research purposes. All these papers must refer to the areas published by the journal.

Other provisions

Originals will not be returned, and the Editorial Committee reserves the right to make adjustments and changes to ensure publication quality. The order of publication and thematic orientation of each issue will be determined by the Editorial Committee, regardless of the order in which the articles have been received and refereed. Any other unforeseen situation will be resolved by the editors as they deem appropriate in Opción's interest, without right of appeal by the authors.