Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

This Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement sets out the ethical principles and responsibilities of all parties involved in the publication process, including Authors, Reviewers, Editors, Editorial Board members, and the Publisher. The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record and follows relevant principles and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The journal upholds the following fundamental principles of scholarly publishing:

1. Editorial Independence and Neutrality – editorial decisions are made independently and without inappropriate influence or conflicts of interest.
2. Fairness – all parties involved in the publication process are treated fairly, and appropriate recognition is given to individuals who have made genuine scholarly contributions.
3. Integrity and Honesty – the journal does not tolerate fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate duplication, citation manipulation, peer-review manipulation, or other forms of research and publication misconduct.

Required Ethical Statements at Submission

Before submitting a manuscript, all Authors must read and comply with this Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement. As part of the initial submission, Authors are required to complete and sign the following documents:

1. Statement of Manuscript Authenticity; and
2. Statement of Open Access (Copyright Transfer Agreement).

The signed documents must be submitted as supplementary files together with the initial manuscript submission. Submission of these documents constitutes confirmation that the Authors have read, understood, and agreed to comply with the journal's publication ethics, authorship, originality, copyright, and open-access requirements.

DUTIES OF EDITORS

Editorial Independence and Fair Play

Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their academic merit, including originality, significance, methodological soundness, validity, clarity, and relevance to the journal's scope. Manuscripts are evaluated without discrimination based on the Authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religious beliefs, political philosophy, institutional affiliation, or other personal characteristics unrelated to the scholarly quality of the work.

Editorial and publication decisions must remain independent from inappropriate commercial, institutional, governmental, personal, or other external influence. The Editor-in-Chief has authority over the editorial content of the journal and the timing of publication, subject to the journal's policies and applicable ethical and legal requirements.

Publication Decisions

The Editor-in-Chief or designated Editor is responsible for deciding which manuscripts will be accepted for publication. Decisions are based on the scholarly quality and validity of the work, its relevance to the journal and its readers, the comments and recommendations of qualified Reviewers, and applicable legal and ethical requirements, including those concerning copyright infringement, plagiarism, privacy, and defamation.

Editors may consult other Editors, Editorial Board members, or Reviewers when necessary before making an editorial decision.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts. Information concerning a manuscript must not be disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding Author, Reviewers, potential Reviewers, relevant editorial advisers, and the Publisher, as appropriate.

Information obtained through the editorial process must not be used for personal advantage or for purposes unrelated to the legitimate evaluation and publication of the manuscript.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Editors and Editorial Board members must not use unpublished information contained in submitted manuscripts for their own research without the Authors' explicit written consent.

Editors must declare and appropriately manage any conflict of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, financial, personal, institutional, or other relationships with Authors or organizations associated with a manuscript. Where a significant conflict exists, the Editor concerned must recuse themselves, and another qualified Editor should be assigned to handle the manuscript.

Peer-Review Management

Editors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts requiring external peer review are evaluated by appropriately qualified and independent Reviewers in accordance with the journal's Peer Review Policy.

Editors should select Reviewers on the basis of relevant expertise, competence, independence, and the absence of inappropriate conflicts of interest. Editorial decisions should consider Reviewer reports critically rather than relying automatically on Reviewer recommendations.

Ethical Responsibilities

Editors must respond appropriately when ethical concerns are raised regarding submitted or published work and should ensure that such concerns are handled in accordance with the journal's policies on research and publication misconduct, complaints and appeals, and post-publication corrections.

DUTIES OF REVIEWERS

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review assists Editors in evaluating manuscripts and making editorial decisions. Constructive Reviewer comments may also assist Authors in improving the quality, clarity, and scholarly contribution of their manuscripts.

Promptness

An invited Reviewer who does not have sufficient expertise to evaluate a manuscript or who cannot complete the review within the required period should promptly inform the Editor and decline the invitation so that another Reviewer can be appointed.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review are confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, disclose, reproduce, or discuss manuscripts or their contents with others without prior authorization from the Editor.

This confidentiality obligation also applies to individuals who decline an invitation to review.

Standards of Objectivity

Reviews must be conducted objectively, professionally, and respectfully. Reviewer comments should be clear, constructive, and supported by appropriate reasoning or evidence.

Personal criticism, discriminatory remarks, hostile language, or comments unrelated to the scholarly quality of the manuscript are inappropriate.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been appropriately cited where this is important to evaluating the manuscript. Reviewers should also notify the Editor of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and other published or unpublished work of which they are aware.

Reviewers must not request citations primarily for the purpose of increasing citations to themselves, their associates, their institutions, or particular journals where those citations are not academically relevant.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must disclose potential conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, financial, personal, institutional, or other relationships or connections with the Authors or organizations associated with the manuscript.

A Reviewer with a significant conflict of interest should decline the review invitation.

Privileged information or unpublished ideas obtained through peer review must remain confidential and must not be used for the Reviewer's personal, professional, or scholarly advantage without appropriate authorization.

DUTIES OF AUTHORS

Reporting Standards

Authors of original research must present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Data, methods, analyses, and results must be reported honestly and with sufficient detail to allow readers to understand and evaluate the work and, where appropriate, enable its replication.

Fraudulent, fabricated, falsified, deliberately misleading, or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

Data Access, Availability, and Retention

Authors may be asked to provide underlying data or other materials necessary for editorial assessment or investigation. Authors should preserve relevant research data in accordance with applicable disciplinary, institutional, ethical, funding, and legal requirements.

Where appropriate and practicable, Authors are encouraged to make research data available through recognized repositories or other suitable mechanisms, subject to legitimate restrictions concerning privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property, ethical approval, or legal obligations.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must submit original work. Where the work, ideas, data, figures, methods, or words of others are used, appropriate acknowledgement and citation must be provided.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, presenting another person's work as one's own, copying or closely paraphrasing substantial material without appropriate attribution, and claiming research findings produced by others.

Plagiarism in any form constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

Multiple, Duplicate, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors must not simultaneously submit substantially the same manuscript to more than one journal. Manuscripts describing essentially the same research should not ordinarily be published as original publications in more than one journal.

Legitimate secondary publication or translation may be considered where appropriate ethical requirements are satisfied, relevant Editors agree, the relationship to the primary publication is transparent, and the original source is properly acknowledged.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Authors must appropriately acknowledge publications and other sources that have influenced the reported work.

Information obtained privately through conversations, correspondence, peer review, grant evaluation, or other confidential processes must not be used or disclosed without appropriate permission.

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the work and who are able to take appropriate responsibility for the published content.

Authors should normally:

1. make substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the work;
2. participate in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content; and
3. review and approve the final version and agree to its submission and publication.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged where applicable and with their permission when required.

The corresponding Author is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate co-Authors, and no inappropriate Authors, are included in the manuscript and that all Authors have reviewed and approved the submitted version.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest and Funding

Authors must disclose financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research, interpretation of results, or publication of the manuscript.

All relevant sources of financial support must be disclosed, including grant information where applicable.

Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants, animals, confidential or sensitive data, hazardous materials, procedures, equipment, or other ethically sensitive activities must comply with applicable ethical, institutional, disciplinary, and legal requirements.

Where ethical approval is required, Authors must obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or other authorized body and provide relevant information in the manuscript. Documentation of ethical approval may be requested by the journal.

For research involving human participants, Authors must obtain appropriate informed consent where required and protect participants' privacy, dignity, and confidentiality.

Research involving animals must follow recognized standards for the ethical treatment and welfare of animals.

Where manuscripts involve confidential data, vulnerable populations, or sensitive business, organizational, or marketing information, Authors must explain and appropriately manage relevant ethical and confidentiality considerations.

Participation in Peer Review

Authors are expected to cooperate with the editorial and peer-review process by responding appropriately to requests for clarifications, data, ethical documentation, copyright permissions, and other relevant information.

When revision is requested, Authors should respond systematically to Reviewer and Editor comments and clearly describe the revisions made or provide reasoned explanations where a suggested revision has not been adopted.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

If Authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must promptly notify the journal and cooperate in determining the appropriate corrective action.

Where a significant problem is brought to the journal's attention by another party, Authors are expected to cooperate with the journal's investigation and provide relevant information or evidence when requested.

DUTIES OF THE PUBLISHER

Editorial Independence

The Publisher respects the editorial independence of the journal and does not improperly influence editorial decisions concerning individual manuscripts.

Ethical Responsibilities

The Publisher supports the Editors in addressing allegations of research or publication misconduct and in implementing appropriate corrective actions in accordance with the journal's policies and applicable publication-ethics standards.

Preservation and Access

The Publisher is committed to supporting the long-term preservation and accessibility of published scholarly content through appropriate digital preservation and archiving arrangements.

ALLEGATIONS OF RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION MISCONDUCT

Research and publication misconduct may include fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate duplication, citation manipulation, peer-review manipulation, undisclosed serious conflicts of interest, inappropriate authorship practices, unethical research, or other conduct that may compromise the reliability or integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal takes allegations concerning both submitted and published manuscripts seriously. Allegations may be raised by Authors, Reviewers, Editors, readers, institutions, or other parties.

When an allegation is received, the journal will normally:

1. conduct an initial assessment to determine whether the allegation falls within the journal's responsibility and whether sufficient information is available;
2. seek clarification and relevant evidence where appropriate;
3. provide relevant parties with a reasonable opportunity to respond, subject to confidentiality and other legitimate considerations;
4. consult relevant COPE guidance and involve institutions or other competent bodies where appropriate; and
5. take proportionate editorial action based on the available evidence and the outcome of the investigation.

A manuscript found to involve serious misconduct before publication may be rejected. Concerns affecting already published work may result in a Correction, Expression of Concern, Retraction, or other appropriate notice.

The journal will seek to handle allegations fairly, objectively, confidentially, and without unnecessary delay. Allegations will not be treated as proven misconduct solely because they have been made.

COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS

Authors, Reviewers, readers, and other parties may submit complaints concerning the journal's editorial processes, ethical practices, policies, staff, Editors, Reviewers, Editorial Board members, or Publisher.

Authors may also appeal editorial decisions where they believe that a significant factual, procedural, or scholarly issue has not been adequately considered.

Complaints and appeals should clearly describe the issue and provide relevant supporting information. The journal will seek to ensure that they are considered objectively and, wherever practical, independently from the individual whose decision or conduct is being questioned.

Submitting an appeal does not guarantee reconsideration or acceptance of a manuscript. The purpose of an appeal is to determine whether the journal's procedures and scholarly assessment were appropriately applied.

WITHDRAWAL OF MANUSCRIPTS

Authors should carefully consider their decision before submitting a manuscript and should not submit the same manuscript concurrently to another journal.

A request to withdraw a manuscript may be submitted by any Author and should be made in writing, clearly stating the reason for the request. The journal may request clarification, confirmation, or approval from all Authors before processing the withdrawal, particularly where the manuscript has entered peer review, revision, acceptance, or production, or where the request may affect the rights or responsibilities of other Authors.

Withdrawal must not be used to facilitate duplicate or concurrent submission, evade an investigation of possible misconduct, or otherwise undermine the integrity of the editorial process.

If ethical concerns are identified in connection with a withdrawal request, the journal may continue to examine those concerns even after the manuscript has been withdrawn.

POST-PUBLICATION CORRECTIONS AND NOTICES

The journal is committed to maintaining an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record. Depending on the nature and seriousness of an identified issue, the journal may publish a Correction, Expression of Concern, Retraction, Removal Notice, Replacement Notice, or other appropriate post-publication notice.

CORRECTIONS

A Correction may be issued when an otherwise reliable publication contains an error or omission that affects the accuracy, interpretation, attribution, or understanding of the article but does not invalidate the work as a whole.

The Correction should clearly identify the original article and describe the matter being corrected. Where technically possible, the Correction and the original article should be linked to each other.

EXPRESSIONS OF CONCERN

An Expression of Concern may be issued when serious questions have been raised about a published article but the available information is not yet sufficient to determine whether a Correction or Retraction is required.

An Expression of Concern may remain in place while an investigation is ongoing and may later be supplemented or replaced by another appropriate notice when further information becomes available.

ARTICLE RETRACTION

Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record when a published article is found to be seriously unreliable or when serious ethical or publication problems substantially affect the integrity of the work.

Reasons for Retraction may include, but are not limited to:

• fabrication or falsification of data or results;
• major errors that render the findings unreliable;
• plagiarism;
• redundant or unauthorized publication;
• serious copyright, privacy, or other legal violations;
• unethical research;
• seriously compromised or manipulated peer review;
• unauthorized use of data or materials; or
• other serious breaches of research or publication integrity.

A Retraction notice should clearly identify the retracted article, state the reason for the Retraction, identify the party issuing the Retraction where appropriate, and be linked to the original article whenever technically possible.

The original article should ordinarily remain accessible as part of the scholarly record but must be clearly and prominently identified as retracted.

Retraction notices should be objective, factual, transparent, and freely accessible.

ARTICLE REMOVAL

Complete removal of a published article is reserved for exceptional circumstances. Such circumstances may include serious legal restrictions, violation of privacy or legal rights, a court order, defamatory content, or content that could create a serious and immediate risk to health or safety if acted upon.

Where Removal is necessary, the journal should retain bibliographic information whenever legally and technically possible and replace the article content with a notice explaining why the material has been removed.

ARTICLE REPLACEMENT

In exceptional circumstances, a seriously flawed article may need to be retracted and a substantially corrected version published separately. Where this occurs, the relationship between the original article, the Retraction notice, and the corrected or republished version must be transparent.

The publication history should clearly indicate the status of each version so that readers can understand the sequence of changes and the reason for the Replacement.

REFERENCES AND ETHICAL GUIDANCE

This Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement is informed by the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), including guidance concerning editorial responsibilities, peer review, authorship and contributorship, conflicts of interest, ethical oversight, allegations of misconduct, complaints and appeals, and post-publication corrections and retractions.