Publication Ethics

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Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

 

Our Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement are based on the COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. Accordingly, this journal follows the COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers.

The following sections summarize the principal ethical responsibilities of editors, reviewers, authors, and publishers. All parties involved in the publication process are expected to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity and responsible scholarly communication.

✦ Duties of Editors

Fair Play and Editorial Independence

Editors evaluate manuscripts exclusively on academic merit, including importance, originality, validity, clarity, and relevance to the journal's scope, without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religious belief, political philosophy, or institutional affiliation. The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over editorial content and publication timing.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must not disclose information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, editorial advisers, and publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Editors and editorial board members must not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for their own research without explicit written consent. Editors must recuse themselves from manuscripts involving conflicts of interest and assign the manuscript to another qualified editor.

Publication Decisions

All submitted manuscripts considered for publication undergo peer review by at least two expert reviewers. The Editor-in-Chief makes publication decisions based on scholarly validity, significance, reviewers' comments, and applicable legal requirements concerning copyright, plagiarism, and libel.

Involvement and Cooperation in Investigations

Editors, in cooperation with the publisher, will respond appropriately to ethical concerns involving submitted or published articles. Suspected misconduct will be investigated in accordance with COPE procedures. Where concerns are substantiated, the journal may publish a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other appropriate notice.

✦ Duties of Reviewers

  • Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review assists editors in making publication decisions and helps authors improve their manuscripts.
  • Promptness: Reviewers who are not qualified or unable to complete a review promptly should notify the editors and decline the invitation.
  • Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be shared or discussed without authorization.
  • Standards of Objectivity: Reviews must be conducted objectively and professionally. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate.
  • Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited and inform editors of substantial similarity or overlap with other works.
  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must declare conflicts of interest and decline assignments where competitive, collaborative, institutional, or other relationships could affect impartiality.

✦ Duties of Authors

  • Reporting Standards: Authors must present an accurate account of the research and provide sufficient detail to permit replication.
  • Data Access and Retention: Authors should retain research data and make it available when reasonably requested, while protecting participant confidentiality and legal rights.
  • Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must submit original work and appropriately acknowledge and cite all sources. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.
  • Multiple or Concurrent Publication: Manuscripts describing the same research must not be submitted simultaneously to multiple journals or published redundantly.
  • Authorship: Only individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation and who have participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript should be listed as authors.
  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose financial and non-financial conflicts of interest and all sources of financial support.
  • Acknowledgement of Sources: Authors must properly acknowledge the work of others and obtain written permission before using confidential information obtained privately.
  • Human or Animal Subjects: Research involving humans or animals must comply with relevant laws, institutional guidelines, ethical approval requirements, informed consent procedures, and privacy protections.
  • Peer Review: Authors must cooperate with the peer-review process, respond to reviewer comments, and provide requested data, ethical approvals, consents, or permissions.
  • Fundamental Errors: Authors must promptly notify the journal when significant errors are identified in their published work and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions when necessary.

✦ Duties of the Publisher

Handling Unethical Publishing Behaviour

The publisher, in cooperation with editors, will take appropriate measures in cases of suspected or confirmed scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication, plagiarism, or other unethical behaviour. These measures may include correction, clarification, expression of concern, or retraction.

Access to Journal Content

The publisher is committed to the permanent availability and preservation of scholarly research and supports long-term access through appropriate digital archiving and preservation mechanisms.

✦ Section A: Publication and Authorship

  1. All submitted papers are subject to peer review by at least two qualified reviewers.
  2. The review process follows a blind peer-review system.
  3. Relevance, soundness, significance, originality, readability, and language are considered during review.
  4. Possible decisions include acceptance, acceptance with revisions, or rejection.
  5. Revision and resubmission do not guarantee acceptance.
  6. Rejected articles will not normally be re-reviewed.
  7. Acceptance is subject to applicable legal requirements concerning copyright, plagiarism, and libel.
  8. The same research must not be published in more than one primary publication.

✦ Section B: Authors' Responsibilities

  1. Authors must certify that manuscripts are their original work.
  2. Authors must certify that manuscripts have not been previously published.
  3. Authors must certify that manuscripts are not under consideration elsewhere.
  4. Authors must participate in the peer-review process.
  5. Authors must provide corrections or retractions when necessary.
  6. All listed authors must have made significant contributions.
  7. Authors must ensure that research data are genuine and authentic.
  8. Authors must disclose conflicts of interest.
  9. Authors must identify all sources used in the manuscript.
  10. Authors must report significant errors discovered after publication.

✦ Section C: Reviewers' Responsibilities

  1. Reviewers must keep manuscript information confidential.
  2. Reviews must be conducted objectively and professionally.
  3. Comments should be clear and supported by appropriate arguments.
  4. Relevant published work that has not been cited should be identified.
  5. Potential plagiarism or substantial overlap should be reported to the Editor-in-Chief.
  6. Reviewers must decline manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.

✦ Section D: Editors' Responsibilities

  1. Editors have responsibility and authority to accept or reject manuscripts.
  2. Editors are responsible for the content and overall quality of the publication.
  3. Editors should consider the needs of authors and readers.
  4. Editors must protect the integrity and quality of the academic record.
  5. Editors should publish corrections or errata when necessary.
  6. Editors should understand authors' funding sources.
  7. Editorial decisions must be based on importance, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal scope.
  8. Editorial decisions should not be reversed without serious justification.
  9. Editors must preserve reviewer anonymity.
  10. Published research must comply with internationally accepted ethical standards.
  11. Editors should accept manuscripts only when they are reasonably satisfied with their academic and ethical quality.
  12. Editors must act when misconduct is suspected in published or unpublished manuscripts.
  13. Editorial action concerning misconduct must be based on evidence and appropriate investigation.
  14. Editors must prevent conflicts of interest among editorial staff, authors, reviewers, and editorial board members.