Our journal

Under the initiative of the Company of Jesus, our journal Revista de Fomento Social (RFS) was conceived in the year 1946 in an attempt to promote and disseminate social Christian thought, and to serve as a vehicle of expression for a variety of analyses, postures and opinions from the world of social sciences, providing a special focus on underlying ethical dimensions.

Our head office was located at the order’s Loyola Centre in Madrid up until the year 1991, when stewardship of the journal was entrusted to ETEA Cordoba with a pledge “to serve as a communication channel for a variety of topics relating to social sciences as seen from the perspective of Christian values, and to offer a special focus on ethical dimensions, especially in the socio-economic context.”

In April 2014, the Company transferred responsibility from ETEA to Loyola University Andalusia under the same terms.

From the moment of its inception, but especially since 1991, RFS has evolved and adapted its contents and workings to changes in the academic environment and society as a whole. In response to trends demanding greater specialisation from academic publications, from 2019 onwards its vocation of service has led to a more specialised focus on innovative and multidisciplinary analyses in development. This was an area that had always been central to and a distinguishing factor for the institution behind it (Loyola University Andalusia as well as its predecessor ETEA).

In accordance with the general mission statement of Loyola University Andalusia, we understand the term development as a “multidimensional process, approached from different and yet complementary disciplines in order to define determining factors which can work in its favour or against it, study the processes that constitute it and identify the instruments for analysis and action that foster it.” More specifically, this relates to “Pablo VI’s approach, whose idea of development implies that all conditions affecting people’s lives should transition from less human to truly human”. We believe real development must be humane, comprehensive, inclusive, sustainable, and marked by solidarity.”

Values that inspire us

1. Humane, inclusive and sustainable human development marked by solidarity.
2. Respect for people and their diversity.
3. Commitment to a fairer, more egalitarian society that is committed to working towards the common good.
4. Service to society, providing access to the results of research from our areas of expertise.
5. Scientific depth and quality in the works we publish.
6. Transparency in our management practices.
7. Impartiality..

Main Stakeholders

1. Editorial Board

The Editorial Board is the body that assesses RFS management in its general orientation, planning and elaboration of each issue, as well as the publication of submitted articles.

RFS is committed to:

• Providing the Editorial Board with all the information required to carry out its role.

RFS expects the Editorial Board to act with:

• Impartiality in the treatment of the works submitted for publication, and respect for the intellectual independence of the authors.
• Confidentiality with regard to the submitted texts and their contents until they have been approved for publication.
• Impartiality and disregard for any commercial considerations.
• Determination not to use data, arguments or interpretations contained in the unpublished works for their own research, unless expressed written consent has been obtained from those who carried out the work. The Editorial Board shall refrain from participating in deliberations in case any conflict of interest may exist in relation to the articles under consideration.

2. Authors

The authors of the articles are the main collaborators of the RFS journal. Without them, our journal could not exist.

In relation to the authors, RFS is committed to:

• Receiving and processing their works in a timely fashion.
• Making sure peer reviewers do not know the identity of the author(s) or the other reviewer(s).
• Offering explanations in case an article needs to undergo corrections or is not deemed adequate for publication by the journal.
• Recognising their right to appeal in case they receive a negative review.
• Safeguarding confidentiality with respect to data relating to the author(s).

RFS expects authors to:

• Respect the journal’s orientation.
• Provide unpublished original research in the texts submitted for publication, offering sufficient information for any specialist to recreate the research in order to confirm or refute its results.
• Be clear and honest when it comes to the presentation of results obtained through their research, and abstain from engaging in any manner of falsification, misrepresentation or distortion of data.
• Offer effective collaboration, be it one or several authors.
• Accept the reviewers’ verdict, understanding that the review process is performed in compliance with pertinent standards.

3. Reviewers

The role of the reviewer is to collaborate with RFS to help assess the scientific quality of an article, and to decide whether or not it ought to be published by the journal.

RFS is committed to the following as regards reviewers:

• To accept their assessments and take them into account when it comes to deciding whether or not an article should be accepted for publication.
• To maintain confidentiality with regard to authors who have submitted works for review, as well as other reviewers.

RFS expects reviewers to:

• Perform a thorough analysis of the submitted article and provide an objective and well-founded verdict.
• Reject the role of reviewer if their objectivity might be compromised as a result of a recent and significant relationship of any kind with the author or those that represent them.

4. Society in general and developing countries

RFS’s motivation in having a presence in our society comes as a result of its specialisation in innovative and multidisciplinary analyses in development, and its commitment to building a fairer, more humane and sustainable world marked by solidarity.

RFS is dedicated to collaborating with other related institutions, especially with Loyola University and its specialised institutes, in order to maximise its impact on the developing world.

5. Company of Jesus

RFS recognises that it was conceived as an initiative of the Spanish Company of Jesus in order to provide a link between the social sciences and Christian thought, and to offer a special focus on ethical dimensions underlying social issues. It also understands that when stewardship of the project was transferred to Loyola University, part of the inheritance was the pledge to maintain the spirit and direction of the journal.

RFS is committed to serving as a link between the world of science and Christian traditions, offering a space for open and rigorous dialogue between the different areas of knowledge and schools of thought.

6. Loyola University Andalusia

Ownership of RFS corresponds to Loyola University Andalusia.

RFS’s identity is founded on Loyola Andalusia’s mission statement: “to create ideas to better serve humanity, to shape men and women in the service of others; men and women who are committed to finding answers to the world’s problems, and to turning any activity into an encounter marked by fruitful dialogue where people from different cultural backgrounds, beliefs and ideologies can co-exist, inspired by and committed to others as well as God’s creation.

RFS makes the following commitment to Loyola University Andalusia:

• To collaborate in development research, and promote a vision of comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable human development.
• To help disseminate this vision of development among its researchers, teaching staff and in its social projection.
• To serve as a vehicle for collaboration with other universities and institutions who promote studies in development.