Publication Ethics

(i) Ethics for Authors:

• Authors must present an objective, detailed, and well-referenced discussion of their research.
• Data must be accurate, authentic, and verifiable; authors should maintain records and share data upon reasonable request or via repositories.
• Fabrication or falsification of data is unethical.
• Work must be original; proper acknowledgment of others’ work is required. Plagiarism and duplicate submissions are strictly prohibited.
• Funding sources and assistance must be properly acknowledged.
• All co-authors should have significant contributions and agree to the final version before submission.
• Authors must cooperate in the peer review process and respond to reviewer comments.
• Upon discovering major errors, authors should notify editors immediately and assist in publishing corrections or retractions.

(ii) Ethics for Editors:

• Editors have full authority to accept or reject papers, based on academic merit only.
• They must act fairly and objectively, without discrimination of any kind.
• Confidentiality of submissions and reviewer identities must be maintained.
• Unpublished material from submissions cannot be used in editors’ own research.
• Editors must ensure corrections or retractions are issued when necessary.
• Ethical complaints must be handled with appropriate and timely action.

(iii) Ethics for Reviewers:

• Manuscripts must be treated as confidential; information cannot be used for personal gain.
• Reviews should be objective, constructive, and evidence-based, pointing out relevant uncited works.
• Reviewers who are unqualified or unavailable should inform the editor promptly.
• Reviewers must avoid conflicts of interest arising from relationships or collaborations with authors or institutions