About the Journal
Focus and scope
The journal aims to provide a platform for basic, but often overlooked, scientific contributions that are fundamental to understanding and conserving plant diversity in the Caribbean. Plant inventories, new floristic records, taxonomic treatments, field guides, habitat assessments, conservation status assessments, recovery strategies, germination protocols and seed storage techniques do not always find space in high-impact scientific journals. Yet these contributions are the basis for conservation action. Caribea seeks to fill this gap by providing a space where this type of research can be published, disseminated and used by conservationists, scientists, protected area managers, policy makers and local communities throughout the Caribbean. Importantly, the journal also accepts for publication well-documented negative results from seed germination and storage experiments, recognizing the value of these findings in informing conservation efforts.
Review process
Submitted papers are evaluated under a double-blind peer review system. The journal has an Editorial Board and a group of specialized reviewers who guarantee the scientific quality of the published articles.
Frequency of publication
Caribea operates under a continuous publication model. Articles are published individually once they have completed the editorial process.
Open access policy
Caribea publishes in the open access system. The authors of the articles retain the copyright of their works under the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 licence (CC BY 4.0), which allows unrestricted use provided that the original author and the source are cited (see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Ethics and best practices
Authors must adhere to the highest ethical standards when submitting their manuscripts. At any time, the editor may perform plagiarism checks. In addition, the corresponding author is required to confirm, by means of a statement, that:
(1) The work is original, unpublished, and not under consideration by another journal.
(2) All authors agree to the publication.
(3) The contribution of each contributor has been adequately acknowledged.
(4) Institutional affiliations and contact details are accurate.
(5) The laws applicable to the research conducted have been complied with.
(6) Funding sources and potential conflicts of interest have been declared.
(7) The necessary authorizations to publish the content of the manuscript have been obtained.
Conflicts of authorship and publication – The order of authors is expected to reflect the magnitude of their contributions. Editors may request justification in the case of numerous authorships. In addition, fragmentation of research to produce multiple unnecessary articles will not be accepted.
Declaration of conflicts of interest – It is mandatory to declare any potential conflict of interest, whether financial, personal or professional, that may influence the publication. Reviewers must also disclose any relationship that may affect their impartiality. Authors may notify the editor of the exclusion of reviewers from the evaluation process, without needing to justify it, which will be absolutely confidential.
Copyright and authorship – Authors retain the rights to their work and it is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, allowing free use as long as it is properly cited. Once an original is accepted, the author has the right to have his or her work published in the shortest possible time. The main author has the right to withdraw the article from the evaluation process at any time without affecting its consideration for future publication.
Availability of data and materials – To facilitate the replication of experiments, authors are encouraged to share data, materials and protocols related to their research. The incorporation of additional information that may benefit readers is encouraged, including original data.
Preparation and manipulation of figures – Alteration of images to modify the results presented is not permitted. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are permitted as long as they do not distort the information. The inclusion of tables or figures from other works must be accompanied by explicit permission from the copyright holder or a document certifying that it is from a public or freely accessible source.
Conflict resolution and misconduct – In the event of suspected ethical misconduct, the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) will be followed. Any conflict will be resolved in accordance with the process established by said committee.
