Information For Authors
The essential mission of the Penal Law and Criminology Department of the Externado de Colombia University is to promote analysis and research of the various aspects of penal law, criminal procedure law, disciplinary law, sanctions law in general, and criminology, from a critical and participatory perspective and with complete respect for freedom, equality, plurality and diversity of the thought process.
The proper construction and application of the various mechanisms by which punitive State rulings are determined are, in most cases, by the adequate understanding and analysis of new realities, from a multidisciplinary viewpoint satisfying the demands of social dynamics, always in search of an even balance between combating new forms of criminality and the unconditional respect for fundamental rights and guarantees, from the starting point of constitutional values and principles, whose basic axis is human dignity.
With the purpose of obtaining the above goals, the Department has diverse scientific interaction mechanisms, oriented to facilitating access to various theoretical developments, within a range of sectors that will allow structural improvement of legal institutions in our country, so that the design and application of penal law may adjust in a higher degree to the demands of social reality.
From its creation – in 1977 – until today, the Derecho Penal y Criminología journal, published semi-annually, is one of the multiple spaces dedicated to discussion and scientific diffusion, with the fundamental purpose of selection and circulation of research works from the most outstanding authorities in this area of knowledge, reflecting their thoughts and academic experience obtained in a variety of domestic and international universities and research centers, whose contributions are recognized on a world-wide level, on issues related to criminal law, criminal procedure law, disciplinary law, the general tort law and criminology.
The journal Derecho Penal y Criminología is committed to the fulfillment and elevation of general academic standards. For this reason all articles will undergo a rigorous evaluation process prior to publication. This process will take 4-6 months, approximately. The evaluation, which above all is a feedback and constructive criticism process, will be performed by two anonymous referees from outstanding relevant academic fields. The referees will not have conflict of interest with the authors and their works. They should acknowledge the understanding of the journal´s international standards of scientific publication, especially regarding the control of plagiarism and the process of peer review, and accept the privacy statement.The journal will advise the author of their decision and examiners’ comments, and will maintain confidentiality of the evaluations. Once the suggested corrections are completed, the Editorial Committee will render its final decision as to publication of the article.
The Journal requires the author’s approval, through a license of use, for editing, publication, reproduction, distribution and public communication of its work; in physical and digital format, for exclusively scientific, cultural and non-profit purposes. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, which will be licensed with Creative Commons Attribution -NonCommercial-ShareAlike. The reproduction of documents in other printed or electronic media must include an acknowledgement of the authorship of the work and its initial publication, as set forth in the license. The authors may disclose their documents in any repository or website. Immediately after its publication, the articles will be indexed and archived electronically for future reference and access. The articles are also available free of charge on the website: [www.uexternado.edu.co/penalycriminologia], and in the following databases: Latindex, Sociological Abstracts, Emerging Sources Citation Index, Fuente Académica-EBSCO, Cengage Learning, Proquest, CLASE, Latam-Studies, HeinOnline, SSRN, Dialnet, DOAJ, REDIB y Open Journal System.
There are no author processing charges or submission charges for publishing in this journal. Also, the journal is committed to international standards of scientific publication. It follows the guidelines of the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity, Singapore, July 22-24, 2010:
[http://publicationethics.org/files/International%20standard_editors_for%20website_11_Nov_2011.pdf].
Guidelines for authors can be found in:
[http://publicationethics.org/files/International%20standards_authors_for%20website_11_Nov_2011.pdf].
CRITERIA FOR SUBMISSION AND SELECTION OF ARTICLES
1. The journal Derecho Penal y Criminología has a serious commitment to maintain general academic quality standards. Therefore, true to the liberal and pluralist thinking that guides the learning and teaching process of the Externado de Colombia University, the Journal will accept works for publication that will be examined without any discrimination whatsoever, such as philosophical tendencies, theoretical construction, political content, author’s origin or any other reason, if they are developed on subjects pertinent to the world of penal law, criminal procedure law, general administrative sanctions law and criminology.
Authors must submit their contribution by magnetic media – as well as any correspondence – to the following electronic mail address: revistaderpenal@uexternado.edu.co, together with a current résumé, containing detailed information on professional education, academic degrees and recent publications.
2. Articles will be sent to anonymous external referees using the double blind method to conduct a preliminary review of the text. In addition to the substantive issues will be considered following the completion of the formal aspects:
2.1. Articles must be original and unpublished. However, it is possible to publish contributions which have previously been edited, but that due to their scientific significance, accessibility, innovation level or relevance to current affairs have special applications in the Colombian legal-penal system. When forwarding work on magnetic media, the author must clearly state: i) that agrees with the Editorial Policy of the journal Derecho Penal y Criminología of the Universidad Externado de Colombia; ii) that the article is original and unpublished, and iii) that the article is not in the selection process of another academic journal or publication.
2.2. Articles must be from 4,500 to 12,000 words. Bibliographical summaries or recensions and jurisprudential comments must contain a minimum of 2,000 and a maximum of 8,000 words.
2.3. The first part of all works (articles, reviews and jurisprudential comments) must contain, in strict order, the following information:
a. Text title. If pertaining to an article previously submitted or published, it should be expressly indicated in the footnotes, inserting the corresponding information (where submitted or published).
b. Author’s name. Include in footer a brief intellectual biography indicating: i) academic level (titles obtained); ii) academic affiliation (if applicable) and iii) electronic mail address.
c. Abstract in Spanish or Portuguese, whichever is applicable (between 8 and 13 lines in length)
d. Keywords in Spanish or Portuguese, whichever is applicable
e. Title of article (or work) in English
f. Abstract in English
g. Keywords in English
2.4. Rules for footnotes and bibliographic references must follow the guidelines outlined in the International Standard ISO 690: 2021. The author must adhere to the following outline for bibliographic citations:
When referencing books, works cited must include author’s full name (first and last) in capital letters; title in italics; translator (if applicable); city of publication; publisher; date of publication; pages cited.
Example: GÜNTHER JAKOBS. Acción y omisión en derecho penal. LUIS CARLOS REY SANFIZ y JAVIER SÁNCHEZ-VERA GÓMEZ-TRELLES (TRAD.), Bogotá, Universidad Externado de Colombia, 2000, p. 25.
When citing chapters of collective works, include full names (first and last) of the author in capital letters; title of chapter in quotation marks “in AA. VV.” and title of book in capital letters, full names of the coordinator, compiler or editor, in capital letters; city of publication; editorial; year published; pages being referenced.
Example: BERND SCHÜNEMANN. “Omisión e imputación objetiva en derecho penal”, en AA. VV. Jornadas Hispano-Alemanas de Derecho Penal en homenaje al Prof. Claus Roxin con motivo de su investidura como doctor honoris causa por la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. ENRIQUE GIMBERNAT ORDEIG, BERND SCHÜNEMANN y JÜRGEN WOLTER (comps.), Madrid, Tecnos, 1994, pp. 37-39.
When citing journal articles, structure should be: author’s full name in capital letters; article title in quotation marks; name of journal in italics, volume, issue number and period-year; city of publication, publisher; year of publication, pages being referenced.
Example: RICARDO MATA Y MARTÍN. “Protección penal del software”, Derecho Penal y Criminología, vol. XXVIII, n.º 85, septiembre/diciembre de 2007, Bogotá, Universidad Externado de Colombia, 2007, pp. 75-83.
3. The Editorial Coordinator will notify authors, as soon as feasible, of the decision taken by the referees of the evaluation committee so that if necessary, corrections can be made. Evaluations will remain anonymous and confidentiality will be maintained.
4. If the referee issues a preliminary approval for publication, it will then be submitted to the Editorial Committee for evaluation, which will result in a final decision as to the possibility or not, of publishing the contribution in the Journal. The author will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible.