Publication Ethics

All parties involved in the publication process are expected to adhere to the standards of ethical duties and responsibilities established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Duties of Publishers

This section is based on COPE’s Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers.

Publishers should:

  • Define clearly the relationship between publisher, editor, and other parties.
  • Respect the privacy of authors and peer reviewers.
  • Protect intellectual property and copyright.
  • Foster editorial independence.

Publishers, in collaboration with editors, should:

  • Establish and implement journal policies, particularly regarding editorial independence, research ethics, authorship, transparency, integrity, and peer review.
  • Communicate these policies to authors, readers, and reviewers.
  • Review policies periodically in line with COPE recommendations.
  • Publish corrections, clarifications, and retractions when necessary.
  • Ensure timely publication.

Duties of Editors

This section is based on internationally recognised COPE standards for editors.

Responsibility for Journal Content

Editors are responsible for all content they publish and must ensure the quality and integrity of the scholarly record.

Editorial Independence

  • Decisions must be made fairly, impartially, and independently of commercial considerations.
  • Editorial decisions must be based solely on academic merit.
  • Editors must not manipulate journal metrics (e.g., coercive citation practices).

Confidentiality

  • Editors must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and authors.
  • Manuscripts must not be shared without author consent, except in cases of suspected misconduct.
  • Reviewer identities must be protected unless an open review system is used.

Transparency and Honesty

  • Editors must ensure transparent peer review policies.
  • Appropriate reviewers must be selected based on subject expertise.
  • Authorship changes must be approved by all authors.
  • Editors must ensure that published work makes a meaningful scholarly contribution.

Responding to Criticism and Concerns

  • Minor errors should be corrected promptly.
  • Serious issues may result in retraction with a clear explanation.
  • Concerns about misconduct should first be addressed with the authors and, if necessary, escalated institutionally.

Fair Editorial Process

  • Peer review procedures must be clearly explained to authors.
  • Editors may desk-reject submissions that fall outside the journal’s scope or quality threshold.
  • Reviewer selection must avoid conflicts of interest.
  • Reviewers should be instructed to assess ethical issues (e.g., plagiarism, fabrication, falsification).
  • Editors must not handle manuscripts where they have a conflict of interest.

Duties of Authors

This section is based on COPE’s international standards for authors.

Originality and Plagiarism

  • Submissions must be original and not previously published or under review elsewhere.
  • All sources must be properly cited.
  • Others’ ideas, data, or wording must not be presented as the authors’ own.

Soundness and Reliability

  • Research must be conducted using appropriate methods and reported accurately.
  • Authors share collective responsibility for the integrity of the work.

Honesty

  • Fabrication, falsification, and inappropriate data manipulation are unacceptable.
  • Findings must be reported clearly, completely, and without omission of inconvenient results.
  • Errors discovered after submission or publication must be reported promptly.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Any use of artificial intelligence tools (e.g., text generation, translation, data analysis) must be explicitly disclosed.
  • AI tools cannot be listed as authors.
  • Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their work.

Transparency

  • All sources of funding and support must be disclosed.
  • The role of funders in the research process must be clearly stated.
  • Relevant financial and non-financial interests must be declared.

Authorship and Acknowledgement

  • Authorship must accurately reflect contributions.
  • All authors must approve the submitted and final versions.
  • Changes in authorship must be approved by all authors.
  • The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal.

Accountability

  • Authors are responsible for the entire content of their work unless otherwise specified.
  • Authors must cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions when necessary.

Submission and Review Process

  • Manuscripts must not be submitted to more than one journal simultaneously.
  • Authors must respond to reviewer comments in a timely and professional manner.
  • Withdrawal requests must be communicated to the editor.

Research Involving Humans or Animals

  • Appropriate ethical approvals must be obtained prior to research.
  • Authors must provide evidence of ethical compliance if requested.
  • Identifiable personal data must not be published without consent.

Duties of Peer Reviewers

This section is based on COPE’s Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.

Professional Responsibility

  • Reviewers should accept assignments only within their expertise.
  • Reviews must be conducted objectively and responsibly.

Conflicts of Interest

  • All conflicts of interest must be declared.
  • Reviewers must withdraw if impartiality cannot be ensured.

Timeliness

  • Reviews must be completed within the agreed timeframe.

Confidentiality

  • Manuscripts must be treated as confidential documents.
  • Unpublished material must not be used for personal advantage.
  • Reviewers must not contact authors directly without permission.

Impartiality

  • Reviews must be free from personal, ideological, or institutional bias.