ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

1. Publication and Authorship

All submitted manuscripts must be original works and must not be under consideration elsewhere. Authors must ensure that the manuscript represents honest and accurate reporting of research. Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the research.

2. Authors’ Responsibilities

Authors must:

  • Ensure originality and avoid plagiarism in all forms.
  • Properly cite and acknowledge all sources.
  • Avoid data fabrication, falsification, and inappropriate data manipulation.
  • Disclose any conflicts of interest.
  • Notify the editor promptly if significant errors are found after publication.

3. Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Reviewers must:

  • Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations.
  • Maintain confidentiality of the manuscript.
  • Identify relevant published work not cited by the authors.
  • Declare conflicts of interest and recuse themselves when necessary.

4. Editors’ Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for:

  • Making publication decisions based on the manuscript’s scholarly merit.
  • Ensuring a fair, unbiased, and confidential review process.
  • Avoiding conflicts of interest.
  • Taking appropriate action in cases of suspected misconduct.

5. Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants or sensitive data must comply with ethical standards and obtain necessary approvals. Authors must provide evidence of ethical clearance when required.

6. Publication Misconduct

The journal does not tolerate:

  • Plagiarism
  • Data fabrication or falsification
  • Duplicate or redundant publication
  • Citation manipulation

All allegations of misconduct will be handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.

7. Complaints and Appeals

Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions. Complaints will be handled transparently and fairly.

8. Data Access and Retention

Authors may be asked to provide raw data for editorial review and should be prepared to retain data for a reasonable period after publication.

9. Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain copyright but grant the journal the right to publish and distribute the work. Licensing terms should be clearly stated.