Publication and Ethics Policy

International Research Journal of Scientific Studies is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. We adhere to the guidelines and principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and strive to ensure transparency and fairness in all aspects of our publishing process. This policy outlines the ethical responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editors, and the journal itself.

 

I. Authors' Responsibilities:

Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their submitted work is original and has not been published elsewhere, except as an abstract or in a conference proceeding. All submissions will be screened for plagiarism using appropriate tools. Any instances of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, will be taken seriously and may result in rejection of the manuscript.

Authorship: Authorship should be based on substantial contributions to the research, including:
- Conception and design of the study, or data acquisition, or analysis and interpretation of data.
- Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
- Final approval of the version to be published. All authors must approve the submitted manuscript and agree to its publication. Changes to authorship after submission must be justified and agreed upon by all authors.

Data Fabrication and Falsification: Authors must ensure the integrity and accuracy of their data. Fabrication or falsification of data is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate rejection of the manuscript and may lead to further sanctions.

Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may influence the interpretation or presentation of their research, including financial, personal, or professional relationships.

Dual Submission: Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously is unethical and will result in rejection.

Citation: Authors must properly cite all sources used in their work.

Image Integrity: Images should be clear and accurately represent the original data. Manipulation of images that could misrepresent the data is unethical.

 

II. Reviewers' Responsibilities:

Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents. They should not share the manuscript with anyone or use the information for their own purposes.

Objectivity: Reviews should be objective and constructive, focusing on the scientific merit of the manuscript. Personal criticisms are inappropriate.

Timeliness: Reviewers should make every effort to complete their reviews within the assigned timeframe.

Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may affect their review. They should decline to review a manuscript if they have a conflict of interest.

Plagiarism: Reviewers should be vigilant in identifying potential plagiarism or other ethical violations.

 

III. Editors' Responsibilities:

Fairness and Impartiality: Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair and unbiased peer-review process. Manuscripts will be evaluated solely on their scientific merit, without regard to the authors' race, gender, nationality, or institutional affiliation.

Confidentiality: Editors must maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts.

Timeliness: Editors should strive to make timely decisions on submitted manuscripts.

Conflict of Interest: Editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may affect their handling of a manuscript.

Corrections and Retractions: Editors are responsible for publishing corrections or retractions when necessary to maintain the integrity of the published literature. Retractions will be issued for cases of proven misconduct, plagiarism, or significant errors that invalidate the research findings.

Handling Complaints: Editors will investigate and respond to all complaints regarding ethical violations.

 

IV. Journal's Responsibilities:

Transparency: The journal is committed to transparency in its publishing process. This policy, as well as information about the journal's editorial board and peer-review process, is publicly available on the journal's website.

Accessibility: The journal is committed to providing open access to its published articles.

COPE Guidelines: The journal adheres to the COPE guidelines for handling ethical issues.

 

V. Handling Misconduct:

Any suspected or alleged breaches of publication ethics will be investigated by the editorial board. Depending on the severity of the misconduct, the following actions may be taken:
- Rejection of the manuscript.
- Retraction of the published article.
- Notification of the authors' institution.
- Banning authors from future submissions.

 

This policy is subject to change. Any updates will be posted on the journal's website. For any questions or concerns regarding this policy, please contact the editorial office.