Publication Ethics
Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice statement
These are an essential ethical oversight followed for publication in AJPS, which are primarily derived from the guidelines set by the Committee On Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org/). All parties involved in the publication process are expected to adhere to these terms.
Appeals and complaints
Journal Complaints and Appeals Process
The journal accepts appeals regarding editorial decisions, complaints regarding delays in paper handling, and concerns related to publication ethics. Detailed and supported appeals regarding editorial decisions will be addressed by the editor(s) of the journal initially, who will evaluate their validity. If deemed valid, the appeal will be reviewed by the journal's editorial board and/or external peer reviewers. The outcome of this review will lead to a new editorial decision being made.
In accordance with the guidelines provided by the Committee On Publication Ethics (COPE), AJPS will thoroughly evaluate complaints, appeals, and allegations. This evaluation process applies to both pre-and post-publication stages. When a complaint is lodged with a journal, it is required to be forwarded to the editor(s) of the journal, who must then address the issue in accordance with COPE guidelines. If necessary, the allegations will be referred to the appropriate institution for further investigation. Depending on the investigation's outcome, the published record will be updated accordingly, accompanied by a post-publication notice, either in the form of a correction or a retraction. This notice will be linked to the original article via a permanent digital object identifier (DOI) and universal resource locator (URL) to promote transparency and maintain the integrity of the publication record. Only in exceptional cases, where it is in the best interest of the public, may an article be removed.
If you need to submit a complaint or bring up a potential case of misconduct to a journal, or if you wish to appeal an editorial decision, you can follow these steps:
- Reach out to the editor(s) of the journal and provide them with a detailed explanation of your complaint or appeal.
- In the event that your complaint revolves around the editors of the journal, you have the option to address your concerns directly to the publisher. To do so, write an email to the editorial office at [email protected].
Ethical Oversight Policy
AJPS focuses on СОРE’s definition of Ethical Oversight, i.e., “Ethical oversight shall include policies regarding consent to publication, a publication about vulnerable populations, the ethical conduct of research using animals, the ethical conduct of research using humans, the handling of confidential data and practices Commercial/Marketing”. According to this definition, the journal editorial staff is concerned with the issue of adhering to ethical principles. The Journal will be obligated to consider the Ethics and Oversight Committee’s calls for professional and scientific activity concerning disrespect of the ethical principles by our authors. AJPS is also ready to consider other appeals if they are not anonymous and substantiated.
Data Sharing and Reproducibility Policy
Data (data obtained directly by the authors "primary data", as well as data from other sources analyzed by the authors during the study "secondary data" during the research, substantiating the content of their publications) sharing is encouraged by the journal, but is generally not mandated for most articles typical of the AJPS. Research data can take various forms (quantitative information or qualitative statements collected by researchers during their work through experiments, observations, modelling, interviews or other methods). Research data includes tabular data, code, images, documents, maps, and processed and/or raw data and they are the fundamental evidence on which the statements made by the authors in their research are based. The public exchange of this data helps to maximize the openness, transparency and effectiveness of research. It also increases the research process's reliability, maintaining the results' reproducibility and reproducibility. The consent of authors' consent access to research data does not affect the decision to publish. However, requirements for data sharing will be at the sole discretion of the editor based on the need for transparency and reproducibility. Data sharing requirements will be identified as early as possible in the review process.
Journal’s policy on intellectual property
AJPS complies with the open-access publishing policy. All articles are published and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International License CC-BY license [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/]. All manuscripts submitted to AJPS imply that they present original, unpublished work of authors, which has not been published previously, has not been accepted for publication elsewhere and is not under consideration for publication by any publisher in any print or electronic media. Leading Author on behalf of all authors of the manuscript will be required to sign and submit a completed Author Agreement Form when submitting the article for publication. All articles published in AJPS Journal are open-access articles, published and distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-4.0 license, which permits reproduction, distribution, derives and commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited and authors and the publisher are properly identified. Editor may ask the author to show such consent at any time.
Post-publication discussions and corrections
AJPS allows post-publication discussion on the journal’s website, through emails to the editor. AJPS has mechanisms for correcting, revising, or retracting articles after publication.
- Correction Policy
Erratum is an error that affects the accuracy of the published paper, and the reputation of the authors. Errata are published as distinct articles. AJPS publishes errata in the case of a serious mistake or a factual error or omission in the methods, results, or conclusions. To warrant an erratum, the scientific error must be serious enough to affect the scientific content of the article and interpretation of results. - Cases that raise an erratum:
- A figure or table was not explained and mentioned correctly;
- A figure or table was missed out;
- Incorrect results were included in a table;
- An author accidentally is missed out.
A notice of correction will be issued by AJPS to the article and correct considerable errors that appear in online articles when these errors considerably affect the content or understanding of the work reported (e.g., error in data presentation) or when the error affects the publication’s metadata (e.g., misspelling of an author’s name). In these cases, AJPS will publish a correction that will be linked to the original article.
Furthermore, AJPS assumes authors inform the editorial office of any errors they have observed (or have been informed of) in their article once published.
- Removal of Published Content
In extraordinary situations, AJPS reserves the right to remove a paper from its website. This happens when:
- AJPS is advised that content is libelous that contains false information about a method or a researcher;
- Infringes a third party’s intellectual property right, right to privacy, or another legal right;
- It causes an immediate and serious risk to safety and integrity if acted upon.
- Addenda
An addendum is a notification to add information to a published paper. It should be noted that the supplements do not contradict the original publication and are not used to fix the error. For the errors, AJPS will publish a correction notice. Actually, if the author needs to update or add some
Conflicts of interest
Editors' Conflicts of interest
The editor and members of the editorial board are expected to handle unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted paper with confidentiality. They should not utilize these materials for their own research purposes without obtaining explicit written consent from the author.
Reviewers' conflict of interest
Reviewers are expected to maintain the confidentiality of privileged information or ideas obtained through the peer review process and refrain from using them for personal advantage. It is important for reviewers to avoid conflicts of interest when considering manuscripts. This includes situations where they have competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the papers.
Authors' conflicts of interest
Authors must provide a statement detailing any financial or significant conflicts of interest that could potentially impact the outcomes or interpretation of their manuscript. Additionally, they should disclose all sources of financial support received for the project.
Duties and Responsibilities of Editors
Publication decisions
The editors are the first step, in a process or course of action, responsible for deciding (reject or accept) any submitted manuscript to the journal. The editors evaluate manuscripts solely on the basis of academic merit of the content (importance, originality, clarity, study’s validity) and its relevance to the journal’s scope, regardless to the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, political philosophy or institutional affiliation. Furthermore, the decision also considers current legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
Confidentiality
The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.
Duties and Responsibilities of Reviewers
Contribution to editorial decisions
The peer-reviewing process assists the editor and the editorial board in making editorial decisions and may also serve the author in improving the paper.
Promptness
If a selected reviewer feels that they lack the necessary qualifications to review the research presented in a manuscript or anticipates that they will be unable to conduct a timely review, it is important for them to promptly inform the editor and withdraw from the review process.
Confidentiality
The reviewer is expected to maintain a high degree of confidentiality regarding the submitted manuscript and should not disclose any information about it to anyone outside the parties involved in the publication process.
Standards of objectivity
Reviews should be conducted in an objective manner, without resorting to personal criticism of the author. Reviewers should express their views clearly, providing supporting arguments to substantiate their opinions.
Acknowledgement of sources
Reviewers have the responsibility to identify instances where relevant published work mentioned in the paper has not been properly cited in the reference section. They should also indicate whether observations or arguments derived from other publications are accompanied by the appropriate sources. If reviewers become aware of any significant similarity or overlap between the manuscript being reviewed and another published paper that they are personally familiar with, they should promptly notify the editor.
Reviewer Feedback
The reviewers should focus on the content and quality of the paper, providing specific and detailed comments to help improve the manuscript and address both strengths and weaknesses, pointing out any flaws or inconsistencies in the methodology, analysis, or interpretation of results. Reviewers should also provide their feedback in a clear and concise manner, ensuring that their comments are easily understood by the authors and not let personal biases or conflicts of interest influence their judgments or evaluations, meaning that their feedback solely base on the merit and scientific rigor of the manuscript
Duties and Responsibilities of Authors
Reporting standard
Authors of original research reports have the responsibility to ensure that they present an accurate and transparent account of their work. They should provide a clear and objective discussion of the significance of their research findings. Essential data should be accurately represented in the paper, without any manipulation or misrepresentation. A research paper should include enough detail and references to enable others to reproduce or replicate the work if they wish to do so. Any form of fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements is considered unethical and should be avoided.
Data access and retention
Authors may be required to provide their study's raw data along with the paper for editorial review. They should also be ready to make the data publicly accessible if possible. Additionally, authors should guarantee that other professionals can access the data for at least ten years after publication. This accessibility can preferably be through an institutional or subject-based data repository or another data center. However, this is permissible only if participant confidentiality is protected and legal ownership of the data allows for its release.
Originality, plagiarism and acknowledgement of source
Authors must submit original works. They must cite or quote others' work or words properly. Additionally, they should cite influential publications that shaped their reported work.
Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication
It is considered unethical to publish the same research in multiple journals. Submitting the same paper to more than one journal is not acceptable. Likewise, manuscripts that have already been published elsewhere cannot be submitted. Furthermore, manuscripts that are currently being reviewed by a journal should not be resubmitted to copyrighted publications. However, authors still retain the rights to their published material when they submit a manuscript. If their work is published, they allow others to use it under a CC-BY license [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/], which permits copying, distributing, and transmitting the work, as well as adapting it and making commercial use of it.
Authorship and contributorship
Only individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the creation, design, execution, or interpretation of the study should be credited as authors. All those who have made significant contributions should be recognized as co-authors.
The corresponding author is responsible for verifying that all contributing co-authors are included in the author list, while also ensuring that individuals who did not contribute are not credited. Additionally, the corresponding author will confirm that all co-authors have reviewed and endorsed the final version of the paper, as well as agreed to its submission for publication.
Fundamental errors in published works
If an author stumbles upon a substantial error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is their responsibility to promptly inform the journal editor or publisher and collaborate with the editor to retract or amend the paper through an erratum.
Duties and Responsibilities of Publishers
- Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AJPS) is committing to ensure that editorial decisions on manuscript submissions are final.
- Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AJPS) is promising to ensure that the decision on manuscript submissions is only made based on professional judgment and will not be affected by any commercial interests.
- Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AJPS) is committing to maintaining the integrity of academic and research records.
- Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AJPS) monitors the ethics of the Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, Editorial Board Members, Reviewers, Authors, and Readers.
- Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AJPS) is always checking the plagiarism and fraudulent data issues involved in the submitted manuscript.
- Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AJPS) is always willing to publish corrections, clarifications, and retractions involving its publications as and when needed.
Once AJPS confirms a violation against AJPS’s publication ethics, AJPS addresses ethical concerns diligently, following an issue-specific standard practice as summarized below.
- The first action of the journal Editor is to inform the Editorial Office of AJPS by supplying copies of the relevant material and a draft letter to the corresponding author asking for an explanation in a nonjudgmental manner.
- If the author’s explanation is unacceptable and it seems that serious unethical conduct has occurred, the matter is referred to the Editorial board via the Editorial Office. After deliberation, the editorial board will decide whether the case is sufficiently serious to warrant a ban on future submissions.
- If the infraction is less severe, the Editor, upon the advice of the Publication Committee, sends the author a letter of disapproval and reminds the author about AJPS publication and ethical policies; if the manuscript has been published, the Editor may request the author to publish an apology in the journal to correct the record.
- Notification will be sent to the corresponding author. Any work by the author responsible for the violation or any work these persons co-authored under review by the AJPS journal will be rejected immediately.
- The authors are prohibited from serving on the AJPS editorial board and serving as a reviewer for AJPS Journal. However, AJPS reserves the right to take more action.
- In extreme cases, notifications will be sent to the authors' affiliations, and the authors are prohibited from submitting their work to AJPS for 5 years.
- In serious fraud cases that result in the retraction of the article, a retraction notice will be published in the journal and linked to the article in the online version. The online version will also be marked “retracted” with the retraction date.
Hazard related study and research with human or animal
When conducting research involving human subjects, it is essential for the author(s) to ensure that no harm or danger is posed to the individuals involved. Additionally, the study must receive approval from the institutional ethics committee. For the convenience of the authors, a declaration form is provided for download at this link: [click here].
In the case of research involving animals, it is imperative to adhere to established ethical principles governing their use in scientific work. The research must also be approved by the institutional ethics committee. Moreover, the author(s) is/are required to acknowledge their responsibility in adhering to these ethical guidelines when conducting studies involving animal subjects. For authors, a declaration form is available for download at this link: [click here].
Principles of Transparency
- Peer review process:Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AJPS) is a double-blind peer-reviewed electronic and print. AJPS is published quarterly, publication concerned with various aspects of pharmaceutical and biomedical science fields. This process, as well as any policies related to the journal’s peer review procedures, is clearly described on the journal’s website: (AJPS).
- Governing Body:Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AJPS) has a solid editorial board whose members are recognized experts in the pharmacy and biomedical science areas included within the journal’s scope. The full names and affiliations of the journal’s editors are provided on the journal’s editorial team's webpage: (editorial team).
- Contact information:Journal provided the contact information for the editorial office of Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AJPS), (contact).
- Author fees / Access:The Journal database is fully open access. Full text of published articles is available for everyone who can access the Journal website free of cost. Besides, the authors should pay the article publication fee, which is 95US $.
- Identification of and dealing with allegations of research misconduct:Editor-in-Chief takes reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred, including plagiarism, citation manipulation, and data falsification/fabrication, among others.
- Website:A journal’s website (PUBLICATION ETHICS) demonstrate that care has been taken to ensure high ethical and professional standards.
- Name of journal:The Journal name of the Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AJPS) has unique and no one that is easily confused with other journals
- Conflicts of interest:Authors are asked whether impending conflicts do or do not exist while submitting their articles to Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AJPS) through the Disclosure and Conflict of Interest.
- Publishing schedule:The periodicity at which a journal publishes is clearly indicated (ِAbout the journal).
- Archiving:A journal’s plan for electronic backup and preservation of access to the journal content is clearly indicated (Archive policy).
