Publication Ethics

This journal follows a double-blind peer review process and established international standards on publication ethics. All parties involved in publication editors, reviewers, and authors share responsibility for maintaining academic integrity, transparency, and fairness.

Editors’ Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for:

  • Fair and impartial decisions
    Evaluating submissions solely on academic merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal, without discrimination based on the authors’ identity, institution, or country of origin.
  • Double-blind integrity
    Ensuring that authors’ and reviewers’ identities remain concealed throughout the review process and that submission files and correspondence support this anonymity.
  • Confidentiality
    Treating all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents and disclosing information only to those directly involved in the editorial and peer review process.
  • Handling misconduct
    Acting on suspected misconduct such as plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate publication, and unethical research practices, following COPE-style procedures (querying authors, seeking clarification, issuing corrections or retractions where necessary).
  • Conflict of interest
    Declining to handle manuscripts in which they have any competing or conflicting interests and assigning such manuscripts to an alternative editor.
  • Transparency of editorial process
    Communicating decisions clearly, providing reasons based on reviewers’ comments and editorial judgement, and ensuring a timely review process.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Reviewers support editorial decisions and help authors improve their work. Reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide objective, evidence-based reports
    Evaluate the manuscript’s originality, methodological soundness, ethical conduct, clarity of argument, and contribution to the field, offering constructive and specific feedback.
  • Respect double-blind review
    Refrain from attempting to identify the authors and avoid any action that could compromise anonymity.
  • Maintain confidentiality
    Treat manuscripts as confidential and not share, discuss, or use the content for personal advantage or unrelated research.
  • Declare conflicts of interest
    Inform the editor immediately of any actual or perceived conflict of interest (for example, competitive, collaborative, or financial relationships) and decline the review if such conflicts exist.
  • Report ethical concerns
    Alert the editor to suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, data manipulation, or any serious methodological or ethical issues identified in the manuscript.
  • Timeliness
    Accept reviews only when they can complete them within the agreed time frame and inform the editor promptly if a delay becomes unavoidable.

Authors’ Responsibilities

Authors are accountable for the content they submit. Authors must:

  • Ensure originality and proper citation
    Submit only original work that has not been published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere. Appropriately acknowledge all sources, data, and ideas of others.
  • Avoid plagiarism and redundant publication
    Refrain from all forms of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and redundant or overlapping publication. Any use of previously published material must be clearly cited and, where necessary, accompanied by permission.
  • Provide accurate data and methods
    Present research methods and findings truthfully and transparently, with sufficient detail to allow replication or verification. Manipulation or fabrication of data is unethical and unacceptable.
  • Authorship and contribution
    List as authors only those who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All co-authors must approve the final version and agree to its submission.
  • Address ethical approval
    Confirm that all research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data has received prior approval from an appropriate ethics committee and that relevant ethical standards have been followed.
  • Respect double-blind procedures
    Prepare manuscripts in a way that does not reveal author identities, including removal of identifying information from the text, acknowledgements, and file properties.
  • Disclose conflicts of interest and funding
    Declare all relevant financial or personal relationships and clearly state sources of funding or support.
  • Correct the record
    Inform the editor without delay if a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered in the submitted or published work and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions where required.

By submitting to this journal, all parties acknowledge these publication ethics and agree to adhere to them throughout the submission, review and publication process.