Ethics and Malpractice Statement
1. Introduction
This journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. The journal follows the ethical guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
All parties involved in the publication process—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—must adhere to these ethical standards.
2. Duties of Authors
2.1 Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. If the work or words of others have been used, they must be appropriately cited.
Plagiarism in any form (including self-plagiarism) is unethical and unacceptable.
2.2 Multiple or Concurrent Submission
Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.
2.3 Data Access and Retention
Authors should retain raw data related to their manuscript and provide it when requested by the editorial board.
2.4 Authorship Criteria
Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to:
- Concept/design
- Data acquisition/analysis
- Drafting/revising the manuscript
All co-authors must approve the final version before submission.
2.5 Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that could influence the results.
2.6 Acknowledgement of Sources
Proper acknowledgment of all sources and prior work is mandatory.
2.7 Ethical Approval
For studies involving humans, animals, or sensitive data, authors must provide ethical clearance and approval details.
3. Duties of Editors
3.1 Publication Decisions
Editors are responsible for deciding which submitted articles should be published based on:
- Scientific merit
- Relevance to journal scope
- Reviewer recommendations
3.2 Fair Play
Manuscripts are evaluated solely on intellectual content without discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or nationality.
3.3 Confidentiality
Editors must not disclose any information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than reviewers and editorial staff.
3.4 Conflicts of Interest
Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.
4. Duties of Reviewers
4.1 Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer review assists editors in making publication decisions and helps authors improve their manuscripts.
4.2 Confidentiality
Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents.
4.3 Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively with constructive feedback.
4.4 Acknowledgement of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant published work not cited by authors.
4.5 Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers must decline review if conflicts of interest exist.
5. Publisher Responsibilities
The publisher ensures:
- Editorial independence
- Prevention of unethical practices
- Transparent publication processes
The publisher supports editors and maintains ethical oversight.
6. Plagiarism Policy
- All manuscripts are checked using plagiarism detection tools.
- Acceptable similarity index: ≤10–15% (excluding references)
- Manuscripts exceeding limits will be rejected or returned for correction.
7. Handling of Misconduct
7.1 Types of Misconduct
- Plagiarism
- Data fabrication/falsification
- Duplicate publication
- Authorship manipulation
7.2 Actions
Depending on severity:
- Manuscript rejection
- Retraction of published articles
- Notification to institutions
- Author blacklisting (temporary/permanent)
8. Retraction Policy
Articles may be retracted if:
- Proven ethical violations
- Major errors affecting conclusions
- Fraudulent data
Retraction notices will be clearly linked to the original article.
9. Corrections and Errata
Minor errors will be corrected through:
- Erratum
- Corrigendum
10. Copyright and Licensing
Authors retain copyright but grant publishing rights to the journal.
Articles may be published under open access licensing (if applicable).
11. Archiving Policy
The journal ensures long-term digital preservation of content via:
- Institutional repositories
- OJS archival systems
12. Complaints and Appeals
Authors can appeal editorial decisions by contacting the editorial office with proper justification.
All complaints are handled transparently and fairly.
