Publication Ethics
The Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement outlines the ethical standards expected of authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers involved in the publication process. The goal is to uphold the integrity and quality of academic publishing.
Responsibilities of Authors
1. Originality and Plagiarism:
Authors are responsible for guaranteeing that their submissions are original and appropriately acknowledge the contributions of others. All types of plagiarism are deemed unethical and are absolutely forbidden.
2. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publications:
Authors must avoid submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals at the same time, as duplicate publication is considered unethical.
3. Authorship of the Paper:
Only individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research should be listed as authors. All those who contributed to the work must be appropriately acknowledged.
4. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest:
All authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.
5. Data Access and Retention:
Authors should be ready to submit the original data for editorial examination and are expected to keep this data for a reasonable time following publication.
6.Ethical Oversight:
Studies or research involving human or animal participants must adhere to both institutional and international ethical guidelines. Proper ethical approval must be obtained and clearly documented.
Responsibilities of Editors
1. Publication Decisions:
Editors are responsible for deciding which submitted articles should be published, based on the paper's importance, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal.
2. Fair Play:
Manuscripts will be assessed exclusively based on their scholarly value and content quality, with no consideration given to the author's race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, nationality, or political beliefs.
3. Confidentiality:
Editors must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, or other editorial advisers.
4. Conflicts of Interest:
Editors should excuse themselves from overseeing manuscripts when they have any conflicts of interest.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions:
Peer review assists editors in making editorial decisions and may assist authors in improving their manuscripts.
2. Confidentiality:
Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and not use the information for personal advantage.
3. Standards of Objectivity:
Reviews should be conducted objectively and constructively, avoiding personal criticism of the author.
4. Acknowledgement of Sources:
Reviewers need to point out significant published works that the authors have overlooked in their citations.
5. Conflicts of Interest:
Reviewers should refrain from evaluating manuscripts where they have a personal or professional conflict of interest.
Publisher’s Responsibilities
1. Integrity of the Scholarly Record:
The publisher is committed to ensuring that errors, fraudulent or plagiarized content are promptly corrected or retracted.
2. Ethical Oversight:
The publisher shall take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred.
Handling Misconduct
Allegations of misconduct will be taken seriously and investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines. Retractions, corrections, or expressions of concern will be issued as necessary.
Compliance
All participants in the publication process must adhere to this ethical policy. Any breaches may lead to the manuscript being rejected, retracted, or the relevant institutions being notified.