Ethics Policy

Publication Ethics Policy

Authors' Responsibilities

• Manuscripts must be original and not published elsewhere
• All authors must have contributed significantly to the work
• Proper citation and acknowledgment of others' work is mandatory
• Disclose any conflicts of interest
• Inform the editor about errors and cooperate with corrections
• List all funding sources
• Obtain permission for any copyrighted material used

Reviewers' Responsibilities

• Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts
• Provide objective and constructive reviews
• Declare any conflicts of interest
• Complete reviews within specified timeframe (2-3 weeks)
• Notify editor of any ethical concerns or plagiarism
• Avoid personal criticism of authors

Editors' Responsibilities

• Make fair and unbiased decisions based solely on merit
• Maintain confidentiality of all submissions
• Investigate ethical complaints promptly
• Follow COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines
• Recuse themselves from conflicts of interest
• Promote ethical standards and integrity

Plagiarism Policy

All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using advanced software:

• Acceptable similarity: Less than 15% (excluding references)
• Single source similarity: Less than 5%
• Direct copy without citation: Zero tolerance

Corrections and Retractions

• Corrections: For honest errors that don't affect conclusions
• Retractions: For major violations, errors affecting conclusions, or misconduct
• Expressions of Concern: For unresolved ethical issues

Data Fabrication and Falsification

Any evidence of data fabrication or falsification will result in immediate rejection and reporting to authors' institutions.