About the Journal

The Mesoamerican Forest Journal Kurú (RFMK) is an academic publication managed by the School of Forest Engineering at the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (Tecnológico de Costa Rica) and is part of the official journal portal hosted by the Editorial Tecnológica.

General Information about the Journal

  • Full title: Revista Forestal Mesoamericana Kurú

  • Acronym: RFMK

  • ISSN: 2215-2504

  • Publishing entity: Editorial Tecnológica de Costa Rica

  • Academic unit in charge: School of Forest Engineering

  • Frequency: Biannual (January–June / July–December)

  • Publication license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

  • Languages of publication: Spanish, English, and Portuguese

  • OAI-PMH Interoperability Protocol: https://revistas.tec.ac.cr/index.php/kuru/oai

Publishing Entity

Aims and Scope

RFMK is an open-access scientific journal published biannually, focusing on the dissemination of knowledge in the fields of forest sciences and natural resource management. Its main goal is to foster the integration, dissemination, and transfer of scientific and technical information through digital technologies that ensure free and immediate access to its content.

The journal publishes original manuscripts that encourage academic reflection, scientific advancement, and technological innovation in the forestry sector, at both national and international levels. Its audience includes researchers, professionals, students, and the general public interested in the sustainable management of natural resources.

Manuscripts may be submitted in Spanish, Portuguese, or English, and should relate to topics such as:

  • Forest ecosystem management and conservation

  • Silviculture, agroforestry, and ecological restoration

  • Climate change, ecosystem services, and landscape ecology

  • Wood technology and non-timber forest products

  • Forest policy, governance, and economics

  • Innovation in forestry education and rural extension

Additionally, RFMK aims to highlight the academic work of the School of Forest Engineering and the Research Center for Forest Innovation (CIF) of the Costa Rica Institute of Technology, promoting the integration of scientific research, knowledge transfer, and multi-stakeholder dialogue in the forestry domain.

Journal Sections

RFMK only accepts original and unpublished manuscripts that are not under simultaneous review by other journals or publishing bodies. Submissions must correspond to one of the following categories:

  • Editorials (evaluated exclusively by the editorial team and assigned a DOI)

  • Scientific Articles (must adhere to author guidelines and policies, evaluated as per the peer-review section)

  • Forum Articles, focusing on current issues related to the journal's research areas. Authors interested in this format should contact the Editor-in-Chief. Submissions in this category are peer-reviewed and assigned a DOI.

Peer Review Process

The editorial team first verifies that each manuscript aligns with the journal's scope and meets formatting requirements. If the manuscript is unsuitable or incomplete, it will be rejected at the "ad portas" stage or returned for correction.

Once accepted for review, manuscripts are evaluated by three external reviewers in a double-blind peer review process, ensuring reciprocal anonymity between authors and reviewers. Based on the reviewers' recommendations, the editor may issue one of the following decisions:

  • Accepted (no changes)

  • Accepted with minor revisions (no further peer review needed)

  • Accepted with major revisions (resubmission required for additional review)

  • Rejected (manuscript has substantial deficiencies that prevent publication)

The final decision will follow the majority recommendation of the reviewers. Revised manuscripts must be resubmitted for final editorial assessment.

Publication Frequency

RFMK is published biannually, with issues released in January–June and July–December.

Editorial Workflow and Review Timeline

RFMK is committed to an efficient and transparent editorial process. Initial editorial assessment takes approximately 7 to 15 business days. If accepted for external review, the double-blind peer review is expected to take between 4 and 8 weeks.

Authors are granted up to 15 days for minor revisions and up to 30 days for major revisions. Extensions may be requested and will be evaluated by the editorial team. Final publication timing is determined by editorial scheduling and response times.

Editorial Policies

Plagiarism Detection Policy

RFMK uses Turnitin software to detect plagiarism. A maximum similarity threshold of 15% is allowed. If exceeded, the editorial team will review the overlaps and contact the authors for clarification. Failure to respond within seven business days will result in rejection.

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence

RFMK acknowledges the growing use of AI tools in scientific writing. The following rules apply:

  • Transparency: Any use of generative AI (e.g., language models, translation tools) must be declared in the acknowledgments or methodology section, including the specific tool and its purpose.

  • Authorship Restrictions: AI tools cannot be listed as authors.

  • Academic Responsibility: Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of AI-assisted content. Undisclosed use of AI or manipulation of data will be treated as ethical misconduct.

  • Editorial Review: The editorial team may request clarification or reject submissions suspected of improper AI use.

In cases of suspected undisclosed AI generation, detection tools may be applied. Based on results, the Editorial Committee may request clarifications, ask for revision, or reject the manuscript.

Open Access Policy

RFMK ensures free and immediate access to all content. No article processing charges (APC) are applied at any stage, for authors, reviewers, or readers. Financial sustainability is provided by the School of Forest Engineering at the Costa Rica Institute of Technology, supporting a non-profit publication model. RFMK adheres to the Budapest Open Access Initiative, promoting unrestricted scientific knowledge sharing.

Digital Preservation Policy

RFMK follows a digital preservation strategy to ensure long-term accessibility. This includes local storage of all manuscript versions (preprint, postprint, and final) and semiannual secure backups. Published manuscripts are deposited in the Institutional Repository of the Costa Rica Institute of Technology and the National Library System Repository (SINABI).

Copyright Notice

By accepting publication, authors transfer the economic rights of reproduction, distribution, and public communication to RFMK, while retaining moral rights (authorship and content integrity).

All published content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), allowing third parties to share content with proper credit, without commercial use or modification.

Special Issue Policy

RFMK may publish special issues that meet the following criteria:

  • Thematic coherence aligned with the journal's scope

  • Originality declarations for each manuscript

  • Compliance with editorial standards and author checklist

  • Minimum of five original manuscripts (excluding the editorial)

Submissions will be evaluated by the Internal Editorial Committee (CEI). Peer review may be requested if deemed necessary. A final decision will be issued within three months of submission. The journal may publish up to two special issues per year.

Code of Ethics and Best Practices

RFMK adheres to the ethical guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and supports the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). The journal promotes fair, transparent, and content-centered evaluation, avoiding the use of impact factor as a quality metric.

All prospective authors must follow these ethical principles, ensuring academic integrity, originality, and respect for the editorial process.