Publication Ethics & Malpractice

Principles of Publication Ethics

All parties involved in the publication process, including editors, reviewers, authors, and the publisher, are responsible for maintaining academic honesty, objectivity, confidentiality, transparency, and scholarly integrity. Every editorial action is directed toward maintaining publication quality and the reliability of the scholarly record.

Manuscripts are evaluated on the basis of their scholarly quality and contribution and in accordance with the journal's policies. Personal, commercial, institutional, or other interests unrelated to scholarly quality must not influence the publication process.

Editorial Independence and Fairness

Editorial decisions are made independently on the basis of scholarly substance, relevance to the journal's aims and scope, methodological quality, research integrity, and the results of peer review. Decisions must not be influenced by the authors' institutional affiliation, nationality, gender, race, religion, political views, or other personal characteristics unrelated to scholarly evaluation.

Financial relationships between authors and the journal, including any applicable publication fees, do not influence decisions to accept or reject manuscripts. Interests that may affect the independence and objectivity of the parties involved are governed further under the Conflict of Interest policy.

Research and Publication Integrity

Authors are responsible for ensuring that the data, information, methods, research findings, analyses, and scholarly statements reported in their manuscripts are accountable and reliable. Data and research findings must not be fabricated, falsified, misleadingly altered, improperly concealed, or presented in a manner that produces a misleading interpretation.

A manuscript must constitute work that the authors are legitimately entitled to submit, and any use of another party's work, ideas, data, or information must be accompanied by appropriate acknowledgment of the source. Plagiarism and manuscript similarity screening are governed under the Plagiarism & Similarity Screening policy, while the use of artificial intelligence and automated tools is governed under the AI & Automated Tools Policy.

Publication Malpractice

This journal does not tolerate conduct that compromises the integrity of research, editorial processes, peer review, or the scholarly record. Publication malpractice includes, but is not limited to:

• fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data and research findings;
• plagiarism or substantial use of another party's work without appropriate attribution;
• duplicate or redundant publication and simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal;
• citation manipulation, including the use or solicitation of citations that lack scholarly relevance;
• manipulation of the peer review process, reviewer identities, review reports, or editorial mechanisms;
• concealment, falsification, or presentation of misleading information that materially affects the evaluation or validity of a publication.

The designation of authors and recognition of contributions are governed under the Authorship & Contributorship policy, while interests that may affect objectivity are governed under the Conflict of Interest policy.

Ethical Oversight of Research

Research that, by its nature, requires ethical approval must be conducted in accordance with applicable ethical principles, standards, and requirements. Depending on the type of research, these requirements may include the involvement of human participants or vulnerable groups, the use of animals in research, the management of personal data or confidential information, and consent for the use or publication of specific information.

Authors are responsible for obtaining the required ethical approval, participant consent, or other necessary permissions and for providing sufficient information in the manuscript when relevant. Editors may request evidence of approval or clarification when necessary to verify compliance with ethical requirements.

Handling Allegations of Misconduct

Any allegation of ethical misconduct or publication malpractice received before or after publication is examined objectively, confidentially, proportionately, and on the basis of the available information and evidence. Parties associated with an allegation are provided with an adequate opportunity to provide clarification or a response.

When an examination requires authority beyond the editorial process, the journal may seek clarification from or cooperate with the authors' affiliated institutions, ethics committees, research institutions, or other relevant authorities. The journal addresses editorial consequences and matters affecting the integrity of the scholarly record within the scope of its authority.

Actions Affecting the Scholarly Record

When an error or integrity concern affecting an article or the scholarly record is identified, the journal takes the editorial action necessary to maintain the accuracy, transparency, and reliability of the publication.

Editorial actions may include correction, retraction, manuscript withdrawal, or other measures appropriate to the nature and seriousness of the issue. The criteria and procedures governing such actions are provided under the Corrections, Retractions, & Withdrawals policy, while objections or complaints concerning journal processes and decisions are handled under the Complaints & Appeals policy.