Publication Ethics
Publication Decisions
The editor is responsible for deciding which submitted articles will be published in the journal.
The editor may follow the policies of the journal’s editorial board and is bound by applicable legal regulations regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editor may consult with other editors or peer reviewers in making these decisions.
Fair Play
Editors must evaluate manuscripts objectively without regard to the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.
Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript except to the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher as appropriate.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in the editor’s own research without the explicit written consent of the author.
Duties of Reviewers
Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer review helps the editor in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communication with the author, may assist the author in improving the paper.
Promptness
Any reviewer who feels unqualified to assess the research or knows that timely review is not possible should notify the editor and excuse themselves from the review process.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and should not be shown or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.
Standards of Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should clearly express their opinions with supporting arguments.
Acknowledgment of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant published works that have not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument has been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. Reviewers should also alert the editor to any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and any other published work they are aware of.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must remain confidential and not be used for personal advantage. Reviewers must not assess manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the paper.
Duties of Authors
Reporting Standards
Authors of original research reports should present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be accurately represented in the manuscript. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to allow replication. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. If the work or words of others are used, they must be properly cited or quoted.
Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
Authors should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously constitutes unethical publishing behavior.
Acknowledgment of Sources
Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that influenced the research.
Authorship of the Paper
Authorship should be limited to those who made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All who made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Those who participated in specific aspects should be acknowledged or listed as contributors.
The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included, no inappropriate co-authors are listed, and all co-authors have seen and approved the final version and agreed to submission.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
All authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of the manuscript. All sources of financial support must be disclosed.
Fundamental Errors in Published Work
If authors discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their published work, they must promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate to retract or correct the paper.
