Publication Ethics Policy

Adherence to ethical standards is paramount. The journal’s Publication Ethics Policy will align with COPE Core Practices and DOAJ principles. The policy will explicitly cover:

Authorship and Contributorship: Criteria as described above, plus procedures for disputes. Authors will sign a declaration of authorship on submission. Disputes (e.g. about inclusion or order of authors) will be resolved by the editorial office per COPE guidelines; if unresolved, a notice may be added to the published paper.
Plagiarism: Using others’ words, ideas, or data without proper citation is strictly prohibited. Submitted manuscripts are screened for similarity. Cases of plagiarism (including self-plagiarism) will follow COPE-recommended steps: contact authors for explanation, and if confirmed, reject or retract the paper.
Data Fabrication/Falsification: Authors must not invent or alter data. If editors become aware of suspected falsification, the work will be investigated (possibly contacting authors’ institutions) per COPE’s guidance.Corrections or retractions will be issued if data issues invalidate the findings.
Image Integrity: Authors must not manipulate images (e.g. gels, photos) beyond acceptable adjustments (brightness/contrast) that do not misrepresent data. All images should be original and labeled. The policy will echo STM and COPE recommendations: any case of figure manipulation may lead to rejection or retraction.
Duplicate Publication: Publishing the same data or article more than once (in part or whole) is not allowed. Manuscripts must not be under review elsewhere. Submission implies the work is not simultaneously submitted to another journal. Redundant publication discovered post-publication may result in retraction.
Conflicts of Interest: All participants must disclose any financial or personal interests related to a manuscript. Authors will include a conflict of interest statement in their submission. Reviewers and editors must declare conflicts and recuse themselves when necessary, as noted above. Public disclosure of relevant conflicts (e.g. funding sources) will be included in the published article.
Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern: If significant errors or misconduct are identified post-publication, the journal will issue a correction or retraction notice following COPE’s Retraction Guidelines. For example, authors’ major errors will be corrected; proven fraud or duplicate publication will lead to retraction. If an issue is under investigation, an Expression of Concern may be published to alert readers until resolved. The website will detail these procedures. These measures uphold the integrity of the literature.
Research and Publication Misconduct: Any allegation (plagiarism, citation manipulation, authorship fraud, etc.) will be handled confidentially. Editors will follow COPE procedures: consult COPE flowcharts, give accused authors a chance to respond, and correct the record as needed. The policy will state that such ethical cases will be escalated to COPE or institutional ethics boards if necessary.

These ethics policies will be accessible on the journal site under Publication Ethics in accordance with DOAJ and COPE guidance. They ensure adherence to COPE’s Core Practices (see COPE Authorship, Conflict, Complaints guidance links) and illustrate the journal’s commitment to ethical publishing.