About the Journal

The "Carlos Rafael Rodríguez" University of Cienfuegos, with the purpose of disseminating the scientific-pedagogical work generated in Cuba and the world, has created the electronic journal "Conrado". The publication profile of this journal is related to works dedicated to Educational Sciences.

Conrado Journal was founded in 2005. On the journal's web platform, all volumes and articles published since 2012 are displayed, a period in which OJS was implemented as an editorial management platform and the publication of all content in open access began.

Since 2020, the journal has been published bimonthly in the months: January (January–February period); March (March–April); May (May–June); July (July–August); September (September–October); and November (November–December).

As of 2025, the journal maintains bimonthly publication but under a continuous publication philosophy, so that whenever an article is ready it is published, the issue is closed at the end of the two-month period, and a new issue begins.

Its release has been made possible thanks to the effort of teachers, researchers, and prestigious Cuban specialists. The intention of each issue is to show scientific results aimed at improving the teaching-learning process, pedagogy, and other areas of Educational Sciences, from primary to university level.

The scientific advisory board is composed of teachers who hold the scientific category of Doctor of Science; they have experience in the different areas of knowledge taught in Higher Education and lead important research projects.

Conrado is an open access journal. It adheres to the DOAJ Definition of Open Access, which states that "Open Access" is a broad term encompassing both Gratis and Libre Open Access. It is published under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. This means that all its content is freely available to the user or their institution. Users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without needing prior permission from the publisher or author. This aligns with the BOAI definition of open access. The full terms for authors and users are detailed in our Policy.

Aims, Focus and Scope

Aim

The Conrado Journal aims to disseminate original research, innovative experiences, and theoretical reflections that contribute to the advancement of educational theory and practice, with special emphasis on Ibero-American contexts and other regions of the world.

Focus

The journal adopts an interdisciplinary approach that integrates multiple areas of educational knowledge, including both education sciences and related disciplines. Priority thematic lines include:

  • General and specific didactics

  • Curriculum and educational assessment

  • Pedagogy and learning theories

  • Inclusive education and attention to diversity

  • Teacher training and professional development

  • Educational psychology and neuroeducation

  • Social foundations of education (sociology, philosophy, history, anthropology, politics, and economics of education)

  • Communication and applied linguistics in the educational field

  • Information and communication technologies (ICT) applied to education

  • School demography and educational planning

  • Comparative pedagogy

  • Teaching deontology and professional ethics

Scope

The journal accepts original contributions in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, in the form of research articles, systematic literature reviews, and editorials. All manuscripts undergo a rigorous open peer review process, ensuring the quality and objectivity of the publications.

Accepted Manuscript Types

The journal accepts the following types of manuscripts:

  • Original research articles: empirical works with methodological rigor that present unpublished results.

  • Bibliographic review articles: systematic analyses of the state of the art on relevant topics in the educational field.

  • Editorials: reflective texts or institutional position papers on issues of interest to the academic community.

Integrated Editorial Process

The journal guarantees quality, transparency, and agility through a systematized editorial process, managed through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform. The complete flow is developed in the following phases:

Phase 1: Submission and Admissibility Review

  • Submission: Authors must register and submit their manuscript exclusively through the OJS platform. They accept the mandatory declarations of: originality, authorship, exclusivity (no simultaneous submission), absence of conflict of interest, and authorization to publish the work under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.

  • Initial Editorial Review: The editorial team performs a preliminary evaluation of thematic relevance, regulatory compliance, and formal structure.

  • Originality Check: All submissions are analyzed using the Turnitin semantic matching software.

  • Decision (Maximum period: 1 month): The author is notified whether the work: a) Proceeds to peer review, b) is Rejected due to major formal/thematic deficiencies, or c) requires Prior Corrections to be admitted for evaluation.

Phase 2: External Evaluation

The journal uses an Open Peer Review process.

  • Reviewer Selection: The editor assigns the manuscript to at least two external evaluators who are experts in the subject, prioritizing academics from other national and international institutions.

  • Open Model: In line with the Open Science philosophy, the Open Peer Review model is implemented, where authors and reviewers know each other, promoting constructive dialogue.

  • Evaluation Criteria: Reviewers evaluate originality, methodological rigor, clarity, results, and relevance of references using a standardized form. Finally, they provide an assessment to the editorial committee. (Maximum period: 3 months)

Phase 3: Editorial Decision and Version Review

  • Verdict: The editor makes a decision based on the consolidated reports from the reviewers: Acceptance, Acceptance with Modifications (Major/Minor), or Rejection. In case of discrepancy, a third reviewer is consulted.

  • Communication: Authors receive a unified document with the result and all observations.

  • Review of Corrected Versions: Authors submit the modified version, which is verified by the editors or original reviewers to confirm that the observations have been addressed. (Maximum period: 1 month)

Phase 4: Technical Editing, Layout, and Publication

  • Style Correction and Layout: The accepted manuscript enters the technical editing phase to standardize the style and layout according to the journal's template.

  • Galley Proofs: PDF galleys are sent to the corresponding author for final review, limited to detecting typographical or formatting errors.

  • Final Publication: The article is published in the corresponding issue on the website, in the journal's display formats.

  • Certification and Dissemination: Upon request, publication certificates are issued. The content is automatically disseminated to indexing databases and academic search engines.

  • Maximum period: 2 months.

Commitment to Agility: The journal works to offer an agile and transparent process, focusing on providing greater accessibility to documents and greater visibility to authors, eliminating traditional barriers to scientific publication.

Editorial Process Timelines

The editorial process can take from 6 to 9 months depending on the speed of the evaluation processes and the authors' response to observations and corrections.

Dispute Resolution

Conrado Journal adheres to international good editorial practices. In the event of disputes arising between authors during the editorial process (e.g., regarding external evaluation, editorial management, as well as authorship, contribution, data, or manuscript content), the journal will promote a confidential and respectful dialogue, through official channels, between the involved parties as a first step. If the dispute persists, the journal may offer neutral editorial mediation or, if necessary, temporarily suspend the evaluation of the manuscript until the parties resolve the conflict. Authors are recommended to document their contributions from the start, and ultimately, the journal reserves the right to reject the submission if the dispute compromises the academic integrity of the work. For this, we are guided by the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Editorial Ethics and Good Practices

The editorial team of Conrado Journal is committed to scientific integrity and subscribes to the international standards defined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We have established detailed commitments for authors, reviewers, and editors, covering originality, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, objectivity, and error correction mechanisms. The complete description of these commitments and the procedures for handling complaints is available in our Policy section.

Digital Preservation

Conrado Journal guarantees the digital preservation of its content through the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN), which uses LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) technology to ensure distributed and permanent storage of its files.

Furthermore, under the custody of Editorial Universo Sur, it complies with the Information Security Policies of the University of Cienfuegos. A rigorous digital preservation protocol is implemented, including daily content backups, guaranteeing the permanence and permanent access to the scientific archive.

Recognition and Indexing:
The journal has the National Registry of Serial Publications of Cuba (RNSP: 2081) and is indexed in prominent international directories and databases, ensuring its high level of visibility and positioning:

  • Latindex Catálogo

  • Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO)

  • Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) of the Web of Science

  • Certification as a Scientific Journal (Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment "CITMA" CUBA)

  • Clase (Bibliographic database, Autonomous University of Mexico)

  • Classified in category C by the Integrated Classification System of Scientific Journals (CIRC) in the area of Social Sciences.

For more specific information on submission guidelines, manuscript submission, or direct contact, please visit our Policies, Instructions for Authors, and contact pages available on the official website.