Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics

Ethical Guidelines for Authors:

  • Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure their submission is original, not under review elsewhere, and properly cited.
  • Authorship: Only individuals who made a significant intellectual contribution should be listed as authors; all authors must approve the submission and take responsibility for its content.
  • Data Integrity: Authors must present accurate, transparent and verifiable data; fabrication, falsification or selective reporting is prohibited.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial, personal or professional conflicts that may influence the work.
  • Ethical Treatment of Subjects: For research involving human participants, animals or sensitive data (if applicable to warfare/conflict research), authors must comply with ethical standards, institutional review board approvals, informed consent where required.

Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers:

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents, not share them or use their content for personal gain.
  • Objectivity: Reviews should be unbiased, focused on scholarly merit, and provide constructive guidance.
  • Conflicts of Interest:Reviewers must decline assignments in which they have any conflict (collaboration with author, competition, personal relation).
  • Timeliness: Reviewers should complete their review within the agreed timeframe or inform the editor if unable to do so.

Ethical Guidelines for Editors:

  • Editorial Independence: All editorial decisions must be made based solely on scholarly merit and without undue influence from external parties (commercial, political, personal).
  • Fairness: Submissions should be handled impartially; no discrimination on basis of gender, ethnicity, institution, or country of origin.
  • Transparency: Editors should clearly communicate decisions (acceptance, revision, rejection) with reasons, maintain records of decision-making and peer review.
  • Correction and Retraction: If a published article is found to contain serious error or ethical violation, the editorial team must act promptly to issue a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction, as appropriate.

Ethical Guidelines for the Editorial Team:

  • Integrity: The editorial team should uphold the highest standards of professionalism.
  • Compliance: Ensure all submissions comply with ethical standards.

Conflict Resolution: The team should address conflicts in a fair and timely manner.