Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

This journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity in scholarly publishing. All parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, are expected to follow ethical principles and professional responsibilities.

This journal adheres to the ethical standards and best practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The editorial team is committed to ensuring transparency, fairness, confidentiality, accountability, and academic integrity throughout the editorial and peer-review process.

1. Duties of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that the submitted manuscript is original, accurate, and free from any form of research or publication misconduct.

  • Authors must submit only original work that has not been published elsewhere.
  • Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time.
  • Authors must properly acknowledge and cite the work of others.
  • Authors must ensure that all data, findings, and statements presented in the manuscript are accurate and not fabricated or manipulated.
  • Authors must ensure that all listed co-authors have made significant contributions to the research.
  • Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Authors must inform the editor if they discover a significant error in their published work.

2. Duties of Editors

Editors are responsible for managing the editorial process fairly, objectively, and transparently. Editorial decisions must be based on the academic merit, relevance, originality, and quality of the manuscript.

  • Editors must evaluate manuscripts without discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion, nationality, political belief, or institutional affiliation.
  • Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
  • Editors must not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for personal advantage.
  • Editors must ensure that all manuscripts are reviewed by qualified reviewers.
  • Editors must take appropriate action when ethical concerns or publication misconduct are suspected.
  • Editors must ensure that corrections, clarifications, retractions, or apologies are published when necessary.

3. Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers play an important role in maintaining the quality and integrity of scholarly publication. Reviews must be conducted objectively, constructively, and confidentially.

  • Reviewers must provide objective, fair, and constructive feedback.
  • Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents.
  • Reviewers must not use information obtained through peer review for personal advantage.
  • Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors.
  • Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment.
  • Reviewers should complete the review process within the agreed timeframe.

4. Publication Misconduct

This journal does not tolerate any form of publication misconduct. Publication misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • Plagiarism
  • Data fabrication or falsification
  • Duplicate or redundant publication
  • Simultaneous submission to multiple journals
  • Improper authorship or guest authorship
  • Citation manipulation
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • Misuse of artificial intelligence tools without proper disclosure, where applicable

5. Plagiarism Policy

All submitted manuscripts must be free from plagiarism. The journal may use plagiarism detection tools to screen manuscripts before or during the editorial process. Manuscripts with unacceptable similarity levels or evidence of plagiarism may be rejected or returned to the authors for correction.

6. Handling of Ethical Issues

When ethical concerns or suspected misconduct arise, the editorial team will investigate the case carefully and fairly. The investigation may involve communication with authors, reviewers, editors, institutions, or other relevant parties.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the case, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Request clarification or correction from the authors
  • Reject the manuscript
  • Publish a correction or clarification
  • Retract the published article
  • Notify the authors' institution or relevant authority when necessary

7. Retraction, Correction, and Withdrawal

The journal may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when substantial errors, ethical violations, or unreliable findings are identified. Article withdrawal may be considered only under exceptional circumstances and must follow the journal's editorial policy.

8. Confidentiality

Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff must maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts. Information related to submitted manuscripts must not be disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, editorial board, and publisher as appropriate.

9. Conflict of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial, personal, institutional, or professional relationships that may influence the research, review, or editorial decision-making process. When a conflict of interest exists, the affected party must withdraw from the relevant process.

10. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently by the editorial team based on academic quality, originality, relevance, and contribution to the field. The publisher, sponsor, or any external party must not interfere with editorial decisions.

11. Peer Review Integrity

This journal applies a peer-review process to ensure the quality and validity of published articles. Reviewers are selected based on their expertise and relevance to the manuscript topic. The editorial team ensures that the review process is fair, confidential, and free from conflicts of interest.

12. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher supports the editorial team in maintaining publication ethics, editorial independence, and long-term digital preservation. The publisher does not interfere with editorial decisions and is committed to supporting ethical scholarly communication.