Publication Ethics

Our ethical statement refers to the COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Publication Decisions

The editor is responsible for deciding which articles are suitable for publication in the journal. This decision may be guided by the journal’s editorial board policies and constrained by applicable legal requirements such as those related to defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. In making decisions, the editor may consult with other editors or peer reviewers.

Fair Treatment

Editors will evaluate manuscripts based on their intellectual content without regard to the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, nationality, or political views.

Confidentiality

Editors and 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.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Unpublished material contained in a submitted manuscript may not be used in an editor’s own research without the written consent of the author.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions, and communication with the author may help the author improve the manuscript.

Promptness

Any reviewer who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that timely review will be impossible should notify the editor and withdraw from the review process.

Confidentiality

Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

Objectivity Standards

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly and support them with relevant arguments.

Acknowledgment of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Statements that an observation, derivation, or argument has been previously reported must be accompanied by the appropriate citation. Reviewers should also inform the editor of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and other published work of which they have knowledge.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider reviewing manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the manuscript.

Author Responsibilities

Reporting Standards

Authors of original research reports must present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be presented accurately. The manuscript should contain sufficient detail and references to allow others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that the submitted work is original. If the authors have used the work and/or words of others, these must be appropriately cited or acknowledged.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals at the same time constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

Acknowledgment of Sources

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have influenced and are relevant to the reported research.

Authorship of the Manuscript

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Anyone who contributed substantially but does not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged as a contributor.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial or substantive conflicts of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of the manuscript. All sources of funding must be declared.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, the author must promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate to retract or correct the manuscript.