Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

These are the essential ethical elements of 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.

Editors' responsibilities

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.

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The editor and members of the editorial board are expected to handle unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted paper with confidentiality.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' responsibilities

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

Disclosure and 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’ responsibilities

Reporting standards

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 sources

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 of the paper

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.

 

Disclosure and 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.

 

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].