We appreciate your interest in publishing your work in Vanguardia Jurídica, a platform for the dissemination of legal knowledge.

We recommend that you read this document carefully before submitting your manuscript, to ensure it meets all the requirements established by our editorial team.

The editorial team of the journal is the governing body of the publication. The members of this committee are recognized experts in the journal’s fields of knowledge and are well-versed in the best practices promoted by the publication.

SELECTION PROCESS

All submitted materials will be reviewed by the editorial team, as well as by external peers and/or evaluators in each specific area, who will determine whether the manuscript meets the required characteristics and format of the journal.

Only original, unpublished documents that adhere to the journal's citation and reference guidelines will be accepted.

Since this is a specialized journal focused on the study of Law and Political Science, manuscripts that have been previously published in another journal or are currently under review by another publishing house—whether in print or digital formats, in whole or in part—will not be accepted.

The editorial team reserves the right to request modifications, reject, or accept manuscripts. Other types of contributions are also accepted, such as notes, communications, conference papers, summaries of contributions, and book reviews.

STEP 1: MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

To submit a manuscript, you must  Register on the OJS platform. If you are already registered, you can log in and select the New submission option.

Alternatively, you may submit your manuscript via email to: vanguardia.juridica@up.ac.pa, using the subject line: “Manuscript for Evaluation / Author’s First and Last Name”, and include the following general information: full name, ID number, ORCID, and institutional affiliation.

Once the manuscript is submitted, the editorial team will contact you within five (5) business days to confirm receipt.

STEP 2: EDITORIAL REVIEW

Once receipt is confirmed, the editorial team will have one (1) month to review your manuscript.

After the review process, the editorial team will notify the author of the outcome via email. Possible decisions include:

✔ The manuscript is fully accepted.

✎ The manuscript is accepted with modifications: the areas to be revised will be indicated. The author will have 30 calendar days to make the necessary changes.

✖ The manuscript is rejected for not meeting the established parameters.

STEP 3: PEER REVIEW

If the manuscript passes the preliminary review, it will proceed to a double-blind peer review process, which typically lasts between 2 and 3 months.

Reviewers may issue the following decisions:

✔ Publish without changes.

✎ Publish with minor corrections (no further review required).

►  Publish after major revision (requires re-evaluation).

If the manuscript is not approved after this re-evaluation, it will be rejected without the possibility of resubmission.

The final decision will be communicated to the author within approximately 5 months from the date of manuscript receipt. If modifications are requested, the author will have 30 calendar days to complete them. Therefore, in such cases, the total process may take up to 6 months.

SELECTION PROCESS
STEP 1				The final publication decision will be communicated to the author within approximately 5 months from the date of receipt of the manuscript. In cases where modifications are required, the process may take up to 6 months.
Submission via OJS platform or by email to: vanguardia.juridica@up.ac.pa	5 days b. Author receives an email confirming receipt of the manuscript.
STEP 2
1 month Editorial team reviews the manuscript.	15 days Editorial team communicates the review results.	Possible outcomes:	Accepted
			Revisions required  30 days
			Rejected
STEP 3
2-3 months Double-blind peer review process.	10 days Final decision on article publication is communicated to the autor.

Note: Manuscripts may be submitted at any time throughout the year.

EDITORIAL GUIDELINES FOR PUBLICATION

• The content must be aligned with the journal’s focus and scope.
• A letter addressed to the Editorial Board must be included, signed by the author(s), declaring the originality of the manuscript.
• All submissions will be subject to plagiarism detection software. A maximum of 20% similarity is allowed; exceeding this threshold will result in automatic rejection.
• Plagiarism in any form is considered an ethical violation and will not be tolerated.
• Bibliographic references must follow the APA Style (7th edition).
• Submission and publication in the journal are free of charge for authors.
• If two or more articles with the same co-authors are accepted, they will be scheduled for publication in different volumes.
• The same applies if two or more sole-authored manuscripts are accepted: they will be published in separate volumes.

MANUSCRIPT STRUCTURE

1. Scientific Articles

• Title: Clear, in Spanish and English, no more than 18 words, centered and in bold.
• Author(s): Full name, institutional affiliation, ORCID, and email address.
• Resumen (max. 250 words): Rationale of the study, objective/hypothesis, methodology, results, and conclusions.
• Abstract: English version of the resumen.
• Keywords: Minimum of 5, in Spanish and English, and different from the title.
• Introduction: States the problem, objective, and hypothesis.
• Results
• Discussion and Conclusions
• Acknowledgements (optional)
• References in APA Style (7th edition)
• Formatting Requirements:
• Length: 12–20 pages
• Line spacing: 1.5
• Font: Times New Roman, size 12
• Paper size: Letter (8.5” x 11”)
• Images and tables: Must be numbered consecutively, with titles above the figure/table.
• Permissions: Images from other sources must include proper authorization or licenses.

2. Review Articles and Academic Essays

These are not original research articles, but critical analyses of existing literature.

Structure:

• Introduction: Problem statement and objectives
• Methodology: Source selection criteria
• Development and Discussion: Literature analysis
• Conclusions: Findings and future research directions
• References: APA Style (7th edition)
• Length: 12–20 pages.

3. Book Reviews

Structure:

• Resumen (max. 200 words): Objective, methodology, findings, conclusions
• Abstract: English version of the resumen
• Keywords: 3 to 5
• Introduction: Context, background, and objectives
• Main Body: Impersonal writing style, aligned with the journal’s focus
• Results, Analysis and/or Discussion: Tables and figures allowed, if applicable
• Conclusions
• References: APA Style (7th edition), including DOI or URL where available

Manuscript Originality Statement Template

This document must be attached to the manuscript. The letter must include the full details of all authors, clearly identifying:

The corresponding author, and the author responsible for the content.

Important: Manuscripts submitted without an originality declaration will not be accepted.