About the Journal

Focus and Scope

INNOVAS: *Revista Innovación Aplicada a la Sostenibilidad* (Journal of Innovation Applied to Sustainability) is an international, peer-reviewed scientific publication edited by the University of Information Sciences (UCI) in Cuba. Its editorial focus is dedicated to disseminating original research, review articles, and data articles that address the intersection between innovation and sustainable development. It is aimed at researchers, educators, professionals, and graduate students interested in novel solutions to the environmental, social, technological, and economic challenges of our time.

The journal publishes works in Spanish and English and welcomes contributions in three broad thematic areas:

Sustainability Management: circular economy, waste management and clean production, responsible consumption, environmental management, social responsibility, sustainability assessment and reporting, and science, technology, and innovation for sustainability.
Digital Transformation for Sustainability: green information technologies and systems, the environmental impact of ICTs, green computing, digitalization for the SDGs, artificial intelligence applied to sustainability, green software engineering, and sustainable cybersecurity.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): educational innovation, sustainability competencies, active teaching and learning methods, inclusive education and gender perspectives, curriculum and sustainable development, and environmental education.

INNOVAS aligns itself with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda, as well as with Cuba's National Economic and Social Development Plan through 2030 (PNDES 2030).

Peer Review Process

The review of submitted manuscripts is conducted in two phases. First, the Editor-in-Chief performs a preliminary review to verify thematic relevance, compliance with author guidelines, and the originality of the work using similarity detection tools. Manuscripts that do not pass this phase will be rejected or returned to the authors for revision before the formal evaluation process begins. Manuscripts that pass the preliminary review are assigned to an Associate Editor, who manages the peer review process using a double-blind system. Under this system, both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the entire process, thereby ensuring impartiality and scientific rigor in the selection of published works. Each manuscript is evaluated by a minimum of two external reviewers with proven expertise in the relevant field.

Reviewers provide one of the following recommendations: accepted without changes, accepted with minor revisions, accepted with major revisions, or rejected. In the event of conflicting recommendations, the opinion of a third reviewer may be requested. The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief, who communicates it to the authors along with the reviewers' comments.

The journal adheres to the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): https://publicationethics.org

**Publication Frequency**

*INNOVAS* is published semi-annually, with two issues released per year—in June and December. The publication date for each issue corresponds to the last day of the respective month. New issues are published with immediate open access via the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.

**Open Access Policy and Archiving System**

*INNOVAS* provides immediate and free open access to all its content from the moment of publication, based on the principle that allowing free access to research results fosters a greater global exchange of knowledge. The journal operates under a Diamond Open Access model, meaning that no Article Processing Charges (APCs) or publication fees are levied on authors or their institutions.

All published works are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits third parties to distribute, adapt, and build upon the work—even for commercial purposes—provided that original authorship is acknowledged. Authors retain the copyright to their works. For more information, please consult: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es

To ensure the long-term digital preservation of all its content, INNOVAS utilizes the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN), which operates under the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) program. This system offers decentralized and distributed preservation, perpetual access, and the conservation of the authentic original version of the content, thereby ensuring its availability in the event of any technical or institutional contingency.