Publication Ethics

SPORTIVA: Sport Inclusivity, Value and Activity is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against any publication malpractices. This statement is based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Best Practice Guidelines.

1. Duties of Editors

  • Fair Play & Confidentiality: Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on their intellectual merit without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy. The editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

  • Publication Decisions: The editorial board is responsible for deciding which submitted articles should be published. This decision is based on the validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers. Editors may be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and constrained by legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

  • Conflict of Interest: Editors will recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships/connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

2. Duties of Reviewers

  • Contribution to Decisions: Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and, through the editorial communications with the author, may also assist the author in improving the manuscript.

  • Promptness & Confidentiality: Any selected reviewer who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse themselves from the review process. Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents.

  • Objectivity & Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Reviewers should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

3. Duties of Authors

  • Reporting Standards: Authors of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work.

  • Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original works. If the authors have used the work and/or words of others, this must be appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Manuscripts found to be plagiarized will be rejected or retracted.

  • Data Access and Retention: Authors may be asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review and should be prepared to provide public access to such data, if practicable, and should in any event be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.

  • Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication: An author should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior.

  • Acknowledgment of Sources: Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given.

  • Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author ensures that all co-authors have approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or their interpretation in the manuscript.