Writing Guide

Abstract

It is a brief and comprehensive summary of the manuscript written in a precise, non-evaluative, coherent, and readable manner. It should include the research problem, objective, materials and methods, main results including statistical significance, conclusions, and implications, written in a continuous paragraph of no more than 250 words. It should not include references.

Keywords

Select no more than five words that describe the content of the manuscript and are different from those used in the title. It is recommended to use specialized thesauri related to the research topic.

Introduction

This section should provide essential information on why the study was conducted and its importance. Include a general description of the addressed problem, relevance in the field, the relationship of the manuscript to previous studies (including citations), objectives, and research design. The length should be approximately 1 or 2 pages. Avoid the use of textbooks, web pages, theses, and outdated literature unless it is relevant or unique. Use recent citations and structure the text from general to specific. Throughout the document, write paragraphs without space and with indentation, using citation and references according to the APA 7th edition format.

Materials and Methods

This section consists of a detailed and clear description of the steps used to obtain the results. Include the study design, subjects and conditions, sample and data collection, and method of analysis. The following sections are suggested:

Geographical Location and Temporal Scope of the Research/Data Collection
This section is required when the description of the geographical and temporal scope of the study is relevant to the research. It should detail the research area and/or the place where the information was obtained; likewise, it should indicate the temporal scope of the study. Depending on the nature of the research, the inclusion of maps to geographically locate the sampling sites may be considered.

Data Collection
Indicate the characteristics of the universe or population as well as the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the sample. The sample should be defined in numerical terms, and if a statistical calculation was performed, the calculation parameters should be reported. If the sample was by intention or convenience, it should be justified. Include special field sampling procedures or the strategy used to obtain the information. If experiments were conducted, mention the experimental design used, the number of replicas or repetitions performed, with the corresponding statistical calculation or justification if the replicas were established by convenience.

Techniques and Instruments
Detail the strategies and procedures followed to achieve the objectives and indicate the techniques and instruments for data collection or the development of experiments.

Data Processing and Analysis
Describe and justify the methods and techniques of analysis, specifying the aspects that correspond according to the approach and type of research. Also, mention in detail the statistical procedures used, indicating the purpose of the analysis without entering into technical details, and indicate the interpretative aspects such as the level of confidence (for estimates) or the level of significance (for hypothesis testing), compliance with assumptions, methods to evaluate correlation and regression processes, multiple comparison tests if necessary, etc. Mention the use of specialized computer programs, whether open-source or licensed. If ChatGPT was used in the process of preparing the manuscript, specify its use at the end of this section.

Ethical Aspects

In the case of research involving humans or animals, the applied ethical aspects must be indicated. This section requires reporting the approval of the protocol by an Ethics Committee.

Results

The results should be precise and concrete. They should be presented and described in an orderly manner, consistent with the objectives and materials and methods. Tables and figures necessary to summarize the results should be used. Tables for each result are not required, but rather summary tables that group an adequate amount of data. Present the results in sufficient detail to discuss and conclude. Use p-values or 95% confidence intervals, when applicable. In this section, there should be no interpretation of results, disproportionate data, extraneous variables, or heterogeneity in the units of measurement.

Discussion

Analyze, evaluate, and interpret the obtained results, relate the results to those achieved by other researchers on the same subject, and indicate the reasons for their similarity or difference. Refer to the scope and limitations of the study. Support the discussion with new citations. This section is the only one that allows the use of graduate theses when citing results. Do not include new results that were not presented in the previous section. Ensure to end with a citable statement as a conclusion or recommendation for your study.

Acknowledgments

Include only collaborators and institutions that contributed to obtaining, analyzing, or interpreting the results, provided they do not meet the authorship criteria and are not already included in the affiliation or authors section of the manuscript. Acknowledgments should be brief, avoiding mention of anonymous reviewers or editors, and omitting unnecessary words or effusive comments. When acknowledging the source of funding, include the project number and year of execution. Multiple funding sources can be recognized, as long as the activities contributing to the publication are within the scope of the grant or a direct result of it. For national funding through the Research Fund of the General Directorate of Research of the University of San Carlos of Guatemala, it should be cited as follows: "This research was co-financed by DIGI-USAC (year), project: (budget item number)".