This journal strictly follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors (2011). For further details, please refer to the official COPE website.
Authorship Criteria
All authors listed must have made substantial contributions to the conceptualization, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. They should be actively involved in drafting or critically revising the manuscript and must approve the final version submitted. Additionally, all authors agree to be accountable for the integrity and accuracy of their work and will address any queries related to it.
Standards for Reporting
Authors are expected to provide a truthful and precise description of their research, including enough information to enable others to replicate the study. Any form of data fabrication or misrepresentation is strictly unethical.
Originality and Proper Attribution
Manuscripts must be original works. All sources and ideas borrowed from others should be appropriately cited to avoid plagiarism.
Simultaneous Submission and Redundant Publication
Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals at the same time or republishing previously published work is unethical and not permitted.
Data Availability and Preservation
Authors may be required to supply raw data underlying their findings and should ensure these data are retained for at least ten years post-publication, respecting legal and ethical boundaries.
Corrections and Retractions
If errors are discovered after publication, authors must promptly notify the journal. Corrections will be issued as errata or corrigenda, and in cases of severe issues, retraction may follow COPE’s policies.
Declaration of Conflicts of Interest
Any financial or personal relationships that could potentially influence the research must be openly disclosed by the authors.
Decision-Making
Editors hold the responsibility of determining which manuscripts merit publication, based on their quality, novelty, and suitability to the journal’s aims, ensuring impartiality and fairness without discrimination.
Maintaining Confidentiality
All submitted materials and communication must remain confidential and should not be shared outside the editorial process.
Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
Editors must not use unpublished materials for their own research without explicit permission from the original authors.
Role in Peer Review
Reviewers support editorial decisions by offering constructive, impartial critiques of submitted manuscripts.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential documents and not disclosed or discussed without authorization.
Objective and Thorough Evaluation
Reviews should be objective, well-justified, and identify any relevant uncited work or potential duplications.
Disclosure of Conflicts
Reviewers should decline assignments where personal or professional conflicts of interest may compromise their impartiality.
Plagiarism
Direct copying of others’ work without proper credit is prohibited. Alleged cases will be handled following COPE’s established procedures.
Data Manipulation and Fabrication
Altering or inventing data is strictly forbidden. All published research must honestly represent actual results.
Image Integrity
Images must not be manipulated in a manner that could mislead readers. Permissible adjustments, such as changes to brightness or contrast, must be applied uniformly to the entire image and maintain the original context.