Publication Ethics

Our publication ethics are based on the guidelines and principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure transparency, integrity, and accountability in scholarly publishing. All parties involved in the publishing process—including authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers—are expected to adhere to the following ethical standards.

1. Duties of Authors

• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their works are original and properly cite or quote any content derived from other sources. Plagiarism in all forms, including self-plagiarism, is unacceptable.
• Data Accuracy and Transparency: Authors should present their research data accurately and provide sufficient details to enable reproducibility. Fraudulent or intentionally inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior.
• Authorship Criteria: Authorship should be limited to those who made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All contributors should be acknowledged, and no one who did not contribute significantly should be listed as an author.
• Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of their work.
• Multiple or Concurrent Submissions: Authors should not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently.

2. Duties of Editors

• Fairness: Editors must evaluate manuscripts solely based on their academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.
• Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, or the publisher, as appropriate.
• Conflict of Interest: Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.
• Decision-Making: Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based on the peer review process, the journal’s editorial policies, and legal requirements concerning libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
• Corrections and Retractions: Editors should take appropriate action when ethical concerns are raised about a submitted or published paper. If errors or misconduct are identified, corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern must be issued promptly.

3. Duties of Reviewers

• Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and not shared or discussed with unauthorized parties.
• Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively and comments should be constructive, avoiding personal criticism of the author.
• Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript and other works should be reported.
• Timeliness: Reviewers should complete their reviews promptly and inform the editor if they cannot meet the deadline or if they feel unqualified to review the manuscript.
• Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.

4. Duties of Publishers

• Oversight and Support: Publishers must ensure that the journal operates with ethical policies and procedures in line with COPE guidelines.
• Corrections and Retractions: Publishers must collaborate with editors to correct or retract published content when necessary.
• Integrity in Advertising: Any advertisements or sponsorships should not influence editorial decisions.

5. Ethical Issues and Misconduct

• Investigation: Any allegations of misconduct, such as plagiarism, fabrication, or manipulation of data, will be investigated thoroughly following COPE guidelines.
• Resolution: Misconduct, if proven, will result in actions such as rejection of the manuscript, retraction of the published article, or notification to relevant authorities or institutions.

These publication ethics serve as a foundation for promoting ethical practices in publishing and are regularly updated to ensure alignment with COPE’s evolving standards.