Guidelines for authors

Sistemas y Telemática (S&T) is a scientific periodical publication, published quarterly by the Engineering Faculty of Icesi University. Its mission is to contribute to the diffusion of innovation and knowledge through the publication of high - quality original articles related to research activities in systems engineering areas, in its widest sense, informatics, telematics, computing and other related sciences.

Its target audience includes engineers who develop their professional activity in Colombia, primarily those responsible for technology (Chief Information Officers) of outstanding corporations, professors and university students; and researchers and academic staff. To ensure that its contribution is accessible to the Colombian university community, S&T gets to libraries of all engineering schools in Colombia in a hard- copy format. Additionally, it is available in electronic format and can be downloaded at www.icesi.edu.co/sistemas_telematica

S&T is an open publication in its structure and editorial content. Its scientific and editorial committees include extensive professional specialists, external to the institution, linked to prestigious corporations of the country and abroad. Its content provides a balance between the production of authors linked to the institution, and that one of external authors.

Reception and consideration of articles

S&T is a refereed publication. Anonymous academic peers, under a formal, structured and documented procedure are responsible for reviewing and approving contributions. The process of articles acceptance consists of two stages: pre- grading and reference (refereed articles).

Pre- grading is made by the editorial and the scientific committees. The former checks that the contribution responds to the mission of the publication whether it is scientific, relevant and unpublished, and that it reasonably covers the criteria explained in this guide. The latter, by reviewing the article summary, states its concept in terms of topic’s relevance and appropriateness of author’s approach. The outcome of this stage can be: preliminary acceptance of the paper and delivery to reference; non- acceptance of the paper, with recommendations for improvement to the author; definitive non- acceptance.

Reference is conducted by well known professionals with academic training at postgraduate university level, and extensive knowledge of the central main topic of the paper. Reference process includes using a standard format. In their decisions referees can recommend: publication without changes, publication subject to adjustment, and no publication. If the author disagrees with the referee’s decision, the journal will proceed to send the paper to a new referee, whose decision will be definitive and final.

Decisions of the pre- grading and reference process are formally communicated to the authors by the editor of the journal. It is expected that the reception and decision process described be completed in a period not exceeding 30 days. At the time of their publication, articles will include the date when they were received and the date in which their publication was approved.

The journal accepts contributions written in English or in Spanish throughout the year. Its policy is to publish articles that are accepted in their original language. For their consideration, contributions should be sent to the electronic mail of the editor.

S&T publishes original articles. When submitting an article for consideration by the journal, the authors should ensure that it is an original and unpublished paper, and that it is not nominated for publication in another journal.

Since the authors are responsible for the content of their articles, their publication does not compromise either the principles or the policies of Icesi University or of this journal.

About the articles

S&T receives contributions in electronic form, processed in Microsoft Word (or compatible), with contents that correspond to types 1, 2 and 3 as defined in the classification of the National Bibliographic Index Publindex (Colciencias, 2010) ¹.

Type 1. Scientific and technological research articles. Document that presents, in a detailed way, original results of finished research projects. Its structure includes: introduction, methodology, results and conclusions.

Type 2. Reflection article. Document that presents the results of completed research from the author’s analytic, interpretative or critical perspective on a specific topic, resorting to original sources.

Type 3. Revision article. Document that results from a completed research on a scientific or technological area in which the research findings of published or unpublished research are analyzed, systematized and integrated with the purpose of giving an account of advances and development trends. It presents a thorough bibliographical revision of at least 50 references.

In order to facilitate the work of preparing, reviewing, editing and making the layout of papers, S&T appreciates that the authors incorporate in their production format the following guidelines:

- Letter -sized page, with margins of 2.5 cm.

- Titles and paragraphs using font size 11 points and single spaced.

- Double space between paragraphs, and between paragraph and title.

- Titles: Upper case (first level), lower bold case (second level); lower italic case (third level).

Articles submitted for consideration must contain:

Title Page. A page that includes title of the article in Spanish and in English (maximum 100 characters including spaces, in each language) complete name, initials of the highest academic degree obtained, electronic -mail, and data of each author’s institutional affiliation (position, entity, city, country) and, if applicable, basic information of the research project that gives rise to the article, including the entity in charge and its financing sources.

Abstract. A page that includes an executive summary of the article, written in Spanish and in English (maximum 100 words in each language), three to six key words in Spanish and in English, and classification of the article under author’s criteria according to Colciencias typology.

Body. Maximum 15 pages including: Introduction (background, objective of the research and leading thread of the article), Methodology (details of the research method that was used), Results (application of the methodology and results achieved, and Conclusions (conclusions, recommendations and planning of future research).

References. List of all sources used strictly prepared under the APA style criteria.

Brief Curriculum Vitae. A paragraph of maximum 100 words per author, describing his / her academic background, experience and professional achievements.

Additionally:

All tables must be cited in the text and numbered in a consecutive way according to their order of appearance. This must also be done with figures and equations, each one with its consecutive numbering.

All tables and figures must have a title and, when they are not personal creation, its source must be included. In the case of images, authors must certify that they do not have any restrictions for publication.

Tables, figures and equations included in the text must be submitted in separate electronic files, in compatible formats with Microsoft Office. Jpg format images must be minimum 300 DPI, and 20cm x 25cm.

S&T is respectful of the style of each author. However, it recommends observing some guidelines from the best practices in the preparation of scientific publications.

- Avoid losing time reference. Instead of “today ...”,” the last decade ... “” the last quarter ...” be accurate:” The first decade of the XXI century ... “,” the second quarter of 2010.... “

- Be as specific as required. Think of the reader. Instead of speaking of “the old computers ...” be precise “the generation of computers with Pentium 4 processor and the like ...”

- Write in a direct, clear, and unadorned way. Be impersonal, use the third person singular. Avoid repetition of topics.

- Highlight the differences only when it is relevant to do so. Inclusion of conditions such as race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, and the like, should have a reason (APA, 2010).

Text Citations and References

Using references is inherent to the production of scientific papers. It makes possible to recognize the contribution of others, while supporting one’s own work. For the purpose of homogenization, S&T has chosen the citation and referencing parameters of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2010), an international standard in scientific publications of all kinds. As described by Cornell University Library PSEC Documentation Committee (2010), this style requires two parts: a citation in the text and a list of references. One complements the other one. Cases of most common use are presented below. For those ones that are not covered in this guideline, or in case of doubts, it is recommended to consult the editor of the magazine via e- mail.

Overall, citations are done by including in the text, the author’s name and the date. The author can be part of the narrative or not.

Standardization permits to obtain comparable results (Rivas, 2007)...

Rivas (2007) argues that standardization to obtain comparable results...

When there is more than one author, in any of the formats indicated in the preceding paragraph, the first time they are cited, all of them are included, separated by commas. The last author is written after the symbol “&” as a connector in English (if his / her name is part of the parenthesis) or after the word “and”, if the citation is made in the text.

Rivas, Manrique and Mina (2007) argue that standardization allows...

The standardization permits to obtain comparable results (Rivas, Manrique & Mina, 2007)

On subsequent occasions, or when the group of authors exceeds six, only the first one is cited, followed by “et al.” (From Latin “and others”)

Rivas et al. (2007) argue that standardization allows...

The standardization to obtain comparable results (Rivas et al, 2007)

If the reference corresponds to several papers by the same author, the year of each one is included, separated by commas. If there are several papers from the same year, the year is mentioned along with a letter of the alphabet in consecutive order.

Rivas (2001, 2005, 2007a, 2007b) states that standardization allows...

If the reference corresponds to several papers by different authors, all of them are included, separated by semicolons.

Standardize allows comparable results (Rivas et al, 2007; Child, 2009; & Mina, 2011) ...

Rivas et al. (2007), Niño (2009) and Mina (2011), argue that standardization...

When dealing with quotations, it is necessary to indicate the page number; otherwise, they should not be included. If the citation is short (up to 40 words), the text is included in quotation mark; otherwise, the text should be included in a separate line, without quotation marks and indented.

“Mobility in areas covered by wireless access networks of different type, scope, technology and capacity, includes the ability of the mobile equipment to make changes between different networks” (Rios, 2009, p.47)

Mobility in areas covered by wireless access networks of different type, scope, technology and capacity, includes the ability of the mobile equipment to make changes between the different networks in an almost imperceptible way to the user, even if it is done in the middle of a traffic session. (Rios, 2009, p.47)

All references cited in the text should be listed. Each reference should include complete name, a point, and the initial letter of the names of all authors, separated by commas, in the order in which their names are recorded in the original source using “and” to include the last one. Each reference in the list begins with the identification of authors, followed by the year of publication written in parentheses.

Ulloa, G., Navarro, A., & Múnera L.E. (2010)

If the reference does not have an explicit author, the information of the editor, followed by “(Ed.)” can be used.

Cuevas, M. (Ed.). (2010)

If it is a corporate author, the name and acronym of the institution (in French parentheses), replace the author’s surname and first name’s initial letters. After the second citation, only the acronym is used.

Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical [CIAT] (2010) the first time

CIAT (2010) the following

References are listed in alphabetical order according to its first author. If there are identical names, the order is done from the second author. A fundamental ordering principle is that “nothing” precedes “something.”

Rosenberg, T. (2009), precedes Rosenberg, A (2010)

Cubides, N. (2010), precedes Cubides, N. & Gomez, M (2007)

References by the same author are organized by year of publication. The oldest, appears first.

Smith, N. (2007), precedes Smith, N (2009)

The content of the reference depends on its format. If it is a book, the Title (in italics should be written after the parenthesis followed by the edition (abbreviated and in parentheses), and the “Place of publication: editor”

Ulloa, G., Navarro, A., y Múnera L.E. (2010). Televisión Digital: el reto para los operadores de telecomunicaciones, (2a ed.). Cali: Universidad Icesi.

If the citation correspond to specific pages of the book, its numbers must be included after the number of the edition. If it is a range, the first and last pages are written, separated by a hyphen. If they are not, the page numbers are included, separated by commas.

Ulloa, G., Navarro, A., y Múnera L.E. (2010). Televisión Digital: el reto para los operadores de telecomunicaciones, (2a ed., 104-107). Cali: Universidad Icesi.

If the case of journals, the article’s title is written after the year, followed by the journal’s name and volume (in italics), the number (in parentheses) and the range of pages cited.

Dimitrakopoulos, G. y Panagiotis, D. (2010). Intelligent Transportation Systems. IEEE Vehicular Technology, 5(1), 78-81.

If it is a journal in electronic format that has a digital object identifier (doi), “doi is added to the above information followed by the respective number.” If it does not have one, in its place it is added “retrieved from” followed by the corresponding URL.

Perea, G. (2010). Multas Inteligentes. NGI Magazine, 5(1), 7-8. doi: 10.5038

Perea, G. (2010). Multas Inteligentes. NGI Magazine, 5(1), 7-8. Retrieved from www.ngi.com/tuti

If it is a paper presented at a conference (and published) or if it is a compilation, after the author’s information, the year and the title, the editor’s or compiler’s information is included as follows:”initial letter of name, point, and last name, (Ed.)”, the name of the compiled text, the name of the event, the identification of pages cited, the city and the publishing institution.

Perea, G., et. al. (2010). Dividendo digital y reducción de la brecha, in Gonzales (Ed). Proceedings of the third symposium on radio spectrum management (p. 14-17). Cali: CTIN

Annex 1. Guest column (Firma Invitada)

Overall, a paper of this kind aims to offer the reader the author’s point of view on a particular topic. Unlike a research paper, in an opinion paper, subjectivity is the priority. What is offered is not a fact but an analysis of a fact from the perspective of the author. By definition it is not a descriptive paper but a critical one. It can be positive or negative, but critical. Its purpose is not to inform but to form an opinion. Consequently, it does not present a fact; it analyzes, and in that analysis, it makes a value judgment, with a clear guidance to defend or promote a conclusion (his / her conclusion). Unlike a research paper, in its composition it is valid to write in first person, to use expressions such as “I think”, “I believe”, “I guess”, “I propose” ... and to use adjectives to qualify facts, ideas or behaviors.

Even if the topic is of public domain, the composition must include the presentation of some background, the reading (its reading) of the problem and its causes, argumentation that shows with facts that he / she is right. If the paper makes negative remarks, it is politically correct to offer a proposal. By definition it is an analytical paper and it is it from the outside. Therefore, it is not useful to talk about one.

Length: Between 5,000 and 5,500 characters with spaces.

Annex 2. State of the Art Study

Its purpose is to summarize what it is being done, the newest or the best, in relation to a topic, a product or a particular activity. It is research- based paper on a comprehensive review of available literature on the subject and it is not the opinion or an expert’s point of view (Carramolino, 2009). That is why indexers, like Publindex IBN, require including at least 50 bibliographic references (Colciencias, 2010).

A state of the art study contributes to research by providing the research community with “what exists.” By doing so, it prevents other from spending their time and resources compiling the same information. To discover what has already been discovered. It is also useful because it gives researchers the contribution to knowledge done by other researchers. It does not only provide for its conclusions, but also for its approaches and experiences. By showing how other research projects were raised and carried out, it provides useful ideas to be included or excluded in new approaches to the topic (Primo, 1994).

This type of paper begins with an introduction, continues with the methodology that was used and ends with the conclusions. The body of the paper is placed after the methodology and should have a defined structure, either thematically or chronologically, so that the reader can understand its sequence, and does not get lost among the accumulation of references. It is not just about citing references, but to do so in a clear context.

References List

APA (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Carramolino, B., (2009). La revisión del estado del arte. (Trabajo final del curso Metodología sobre la Investigación en el doctorado del programa Tecnologías de la Información y las Telecomunicaciones). Valladolid: Universidad de Valladolid.

Colciencias (2010). Documento Guía - Servicio Permanente de Indexación de Revistas de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Colombianas, Base Bibliográfica Nacional - BBN, Índice Bibliográfico Nacional Publindex – IBN. Bogotá: Colciencias. Recuperado de http://scienti.colciencias.gov.co:8084/publindex/docs/informacionCompleta.pdf

Cornell University Library PSEC Documentation Committee (2010).Citation Management. Ithaca: Cornell University Library. Recuperado de http://www.library.cornell.edu/newhelp/res_strategy/citing/apa.html

Primo, E (1994). Introducción a la investigación científica y tecnológica.Madrid: Alianza editorial.

 

 

 

Updated by: José Ignacio Claros V. Junio 30 de 2011