Ethical Guidelines

The journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. All parties involved in the publication process—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to adhere to these ethical principles. The journal broadly follows the principles recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to the journal must ensure that:

Originality: The work is original and has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
Plagiarism: All sources are properly cited. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.
Authorship: Authorship is limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the research. All co-authors must approve the final manuscript.
Data Integrity: Data presented are accurate, honestly obtained, and not fabricated, falsified, or manipulated.
Multiple Submissions: Simultaneous submission to more than one journal is unethical.
Acknowledgement of Sources: Proper acknowledgment of all works and contributions is mandatory.
Conflict of Interest: Any financial or personal conflicts of interest must be clearly disclosed.
Ethical Clearance: Research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must comply with ethical standards and approvals.

2. Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for:

Fair Evaluation: Manuscripts are evaluated solely on academic merit, originality, and relevance, without discrimination.
Confidentiality: Manuscript details are kept confidential and shared only with those involved in the review process.
Publication Decisions: Decisions are based on peer-review reports and the journal’s editorial policies.
Conflict of Interest: Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts exist.
Misconduct Handling: Editors take appropriate action in cases of plagiarism, data fabrication, or unethical research.

3. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers must adhere to the following:

Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents.
Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively, with clear and constructive comments.
Timeliness: Reviewers should complete reviews within the stipulated time or inform the editor if unable to do so.
Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work not cited by the authors.
Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and decline review if necessary.

4. Publisher’s Ethical Responsibilities

The publisher ensures that:

Editorial decisions are independent and free from commercial influence.
Ethical issues, complaints, and appeals are addressed transparently.
Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern are published when required.

5. Plagiarism and Misconduct Policy

All submissions may be screened using plagiarism detection software.
Manuscripts found to contain plagiarism, duplicate publication, or fabricated data will be rejected.
Proven misconduct may result in blacklisting of authors and notification to affiliated institutions.

6. Corrections and Retractions

Corrections are issued for honest errors that do not invalidate the work.
Retractions are issued for serious ethical breaches, unreliable findings, or misconduct.
The journal follows a transparent and documented retraction process.

7. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may submit complaints or appeals regarding editorial decisions. All cases are reviewed fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with ethical best practices.

8. Compliance Statement

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that they have read, understood, and agreed to abide by the journal’s ethical guidelines.