Publication Ethics and Malpractice Guidelines

Responsibilities of the editors

This Journal is always a collaborative effort. Managing challenges of research integrity and publishing ethics in journal is no exception. Legal concerns may arise as a result of these issues. We recommend that journal use these principles as a starting point for developing policies and processes, as well as when dealing with problems.

We recommend that editors, publishers, and other journal team members discuss the concerns raised as a first step in addressing any issue. We recommend that these discussions take place before taking any further action, and that legal advice be obtained if necessary, especially when matters involve potential defamation, violation of contract, privacy, or copyright infringement.

Confidentiality

The corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate, are the only people who should know about a manuscript that has been submitted to them.

Responsibilities of reviewers

The peer-reviewing process helps the editor and editorial board make editorial judgments, and it may also help the author improve their manuscript. Any referee who feels unqualified to examine the research described in a paper or understands that timely review is impossible should inform the editor and withdraw from the review process. Manuscripts submitted for review must be treated as private papers. They must not be shared or discussed with anyone else unless the editor has given permission.

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