Purpose
This statement outlines the ethical principles and responsibilities for all parties involved in the publication process of the journal, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher. The goal is to ensure integrity, transparency, and fairness in scholarly publishing.
Responsibilities of Authors
Originality and Plagiarism
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Authors must submit original work that has not been published elsewhere or is under consideration by another journal.
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All sources must be properly cited, and plagiarism in any form (e.g., copying text, paraphrasing without attribution, or reusing one’s own published work without disclosure) is strictly prohibited.
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Manuscripts must have a similarity index of 20% or less, as screened by plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate or Turnitin), excluding citations, references, and common phrases.
Authorship and Contribution
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All listed authors must have made significant contributions to the research and agree to the submission.
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Individuals who did not contribute substantially should not be listed as authors but may be acknowledged.
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Changes to authorship after submission must be justified and agreed upon by all authors.
Data Integrity and Reproducibility
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Authors must ensure the accuracy of data presented and provide access to raw data upon reasonable request for verification.
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Fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of data is unethical and grounds for rejection or retraction.
Conflict of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the research or its interpretation.
Multiple Submissions
Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously is unethical and prohibited.
Acknowledgment of Funding
All funding sources supporting the research must be disclosed in the manuscript.
Responsibilities of Editors
Fair and Unbiased Review
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Editors must evaluate manuscripts based on academic merit, regardless of the author’s race, gender, religion, nationality, or institutional affiliation.
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Decisions to accept or reject a manuscript must be based on its originality, significance, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
Confidentiality
Editors must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential and not disclose information to unauthorized parties.
Conflict of Interest
Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have a conflict of interest (e.g., personal or professional relationships with authors).
Handling Misconduct
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Editors must investigate allegations of misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication) promptly and fairly, following the journal’s policies.
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If misconduct is confirmed, editors may reject the manuscript, issue a retraction, or impose sanctions on authors.
Transparency
Editors must provide clear guidelines on submission, peer review, and publication processes to authors and reviewers.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Objectivity
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Reviewers must provide unbiased, constructive, and evidence-based feedback on manuscripts.
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Personal criticism of authors is unacceptable.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential, and reviewers must not share or use the content for personal purposes.
Conflict of Interest
Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and decline to review manuscripts where impartiality may be compromised.
Timeliness
Reviewers must complete reviews within the agreed timeframe or notify the editor promptly if unable to do so.
Identification of Issues
Reviewers should alert editors to potential ethical issues, such as plagiarism, duplicate publication, or concerns about data integrity.
Responsibilities of the Publisher
Editorial Independence
The publisher must ensure that editorial decisions are free from commercial or external pressures.
Access and Archiving
The publisher must ensure published content is accessible, preserved, and archived in accordance with industry standards (e.g., CLOCKSS, LOCKSS).
Corrections and Retractions
The publisher must facilitate the publication of corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary, with clear explanations.
Ethical Oversight
The publisher must support the journal in implementing and enforcing ethical policies.
Handling Ethical Violations
Investigation
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Allegations of misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, falsification, authorship disputes) will be investigated thoroughly by the editorial board.
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Authors, reviewers, or editors involved will be given an opportunity to respond to allegations.
Consequences
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Confirmed violations may result in rejection of the manuscript, retraction of published articles, or sanctions (e.g., temporary bans on submission).
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Retractions will be published with a clear explanation, and relevant institutions or funding agencies may be notified in severe cases.
Appeals
Parties may appeal decisions by submitting a written request to the editorial board within 14 days. The board’s decision after review is final.
Peer Review Process
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The journal employs a double-blind peer review process to ensure impartiality, where both authors’ and reviewers’ identities are concealed.
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Manuscripts are evaluated based on originality, methodological rigor, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
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Reviewers are selected based on expertise and must adhere to ethical guidelines.
Open Access and Copyright
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The journal follows an open-access model, ensuring free access to published content under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license.
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Authors retain copyright but grant the journal the right to publish and distribute the work.
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Any reuse of published content must comply with the journal’s CC BY-SA licensing terms, requiring attribution and sharing under the same license.
Commitment to Ethical Standards
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The journal is committed to upholding the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and adheres to best practices in scholarly publishing.
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All stakeholders are expected to act with integrity to maintain the trust of the academic community.
