About the Journal

Message from the Director of RLCS

The Revista Latina de Comunicación Social (RLCS) was founded in 1998, ahead of its time in an electronic format. Now, facing the challenge of maintaining this beacon that illuminates communication research, the new management—Historia de los Sistemas Informativos—aims to further internationalize. The increasingly global and interdisciplinary academic world needs new references to connect researchers with common interests, using electronic journals that have transcended space and time through new technologies.

We understand our referential role as a publication born for and directed towards the field of COMMUNICATION. Therefore, the articles we publish will primarily belong to this area of Social Sciences, while also embracing opportunities to expand into other knowledge fields. Our commitment to non-commercialization of texts, the international openness of our Scientific and Editorial Committee, and meticulous text selection by top-level reviewers in their areas promise a bright future. The inherited standard is high, but our goals are even higher, as continuous improvement is our most desired tool.

We conclude these words of welcome to those unfamiliar with the Revista Latina de Comunicación Social and to our loyal readers from the beginning. Like the Romans, marking the start of a new friendship with a white stone, we acknowledge that the true essence of an academic journal lies in its audience, not its managers.

Welcome, this is your home!

David Caldevilla Domínguez

Director of Revista Latina de Comunicación Social

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Types of Contributions

RLCS subjects original contributions to double-blind peer review (anonymity of reviewers and authors), published in the following sections:

  • Research Articles: Original and unpublished, resulting from scientific research. Up to 10,000 words. (Article template)
  • Review Articles: Providing an updated, critical, and evaluative analysis of existing scientific literature on a specific research problem, offering a novel state of the art. Up to 10,000 words. (Article template)
  • Reviews: Up to 500 words. Editorial filter based on the relevance and objective interest of the reviewed books. (Review template)

Manuscript Evaluation Process

The manuscript selection process follows the principle of double-blind peer review by reviewers specialized in the central theme of the research. Approval or rejection will be communicated by the editor.

  • Initial Evaluation: The editor verifies:

    • Scientific, original, and unpublished nature of the manuscript.
    • Relevance to RLCS’s objective and thematic scope.
    • Compliance with formal and ethical requirements per the publication guidelines and ethical code.

  • Review Duration: Up to 90 days post initial editorial review.

  • Reviewer Selection: Three reviewers selected based on their expertise, external to the author’s institution and RLCS editorial board.

    • Contradictory Reviews: If reviewers' judgments conflict, the article is sent to a fourth reviewer.

Reviewers’ Reports

Reviewers use a structured form designed by RLCS, evaluating:

  • Thematic relevance
  • Authors' scientific level (international index ratings, category)
  • Consistency with RLCS's historical research lines
  • Manuscript originality
  • Co-authorship and internationalization
  • Compliance with RLCS guidelines
  • Scientific reliability and validity: methodological quality
  • Quality of results, conclusions, and alignment with objectives, contribution to RLCS
  • Clarity and quality of writing, inclusive language usage
  • Proper structure and scientifically presented data
  • Reference to updated literature with low self-citation rate
  • Ethical conduct in line with scientific research standards

Rejection of Publication

Authors will be informed of the manuscript rejection with a summary of reviewers' reports. Authors can respond within 15 days.

Open Access Policy

RLCS provides immediate free access under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license (CC BY-NC-ND). This allows copying, distributing, and displaying texts and images, respecting authorship, non-commercial use, and no modifications. We also inform you that RLCS is adhered to the Declaration of Berlin.

Article Archiving Policy

RLCS maintains an internal registry of received articles. Authors can exercise their rights to access, rectify, cancel, and oppose their personal data as per Spanish Data Protection Law.

Review and Correspondence Archiving Policy

RLCS maintains an internal registry of review reports and correspondence between the editorial team and reviewers/authors. Authors and reviewers can exercise their rights regarding their personal data as per Spanish Data Protection Law.

Publication Fees

RLCS charges Article Processing Charges (APCs). The bilingual journal covers translation, layout, and proofreading costs totaling 896 € (VAT included). External translations are not accepted.

Funding

The Council Science Editors recommend specifying research funding sources.

Self-Archiving Policy

RLCS allows simultaneous publication in self-archiving systems, institutional repositories, social networks, academic and scientific profiles, including bibliographic data.