Publication Ethics
We are committed to the highest standards of publishing integrity, aligned with COPE guidance.
COPE alignment
Author responsibilities
Authors must ensure that submissions are original, not previously published, and not under consideration elsewhere. All authors must have contributed substantively, and everyone who contributed must be listed. Sources of funding and conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
Plagiarism and misconduct
Manuscripts are screened for originality against published journal articles, books, conference proceedings, theses, and openly-accessible internet sources. Substantial overlap with previously published work, undeclared use of AI, fabrication or falsification of data, and duplicate submission are treated as misconduct and may result in immediate rejection, retraction, and notification of the authors' institutions. Detailed similarity thresholds and the full UGC-aligned procedure are documented on the Plagiarism Policy page.
Peer review
All research articles undergo double-blind peer review. Reviewers are asked to evaluate manuscripts on relevance, originality, methodological rigour, evidentiary support, clarity, and ethical propriety. Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest and treat manuscripts as confidential.
Editorial independence
Editorial decisions are made solely on scholarly merit. Editors recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have a personal, professional, or financial interest.
Corrections and retractions
If a substantive error is found after publication, the journal will issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction as appropriate, with a clear editorial note linked to the original article.
Complaints
Complaints regarding editorial process or publication ethics may be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief. Complaints are acknowledged within 5 working days and resolved within 30 days wherever possible.
Data availability
Authors are encouraged to make research data openly available in a trusted repository and to include data availability statements in their manuscripts.
Research involving human participants
Where research involves human participants, authors must comply with applicable ethical standards and provide ethics committee / institutional approval information where required. Manuscripts must state the name of the approving body and the approval reference. Studies without a required approval will not be considered.
Informed consent
When individual participants, patients, or their data or images are included, authors must confirm that appropriate informed consent was obtained and that any personally identifying details have been anonymised unless the individual has given written permission to be identified.
Conflicts of interest
Authors, editors, and reviewers must declare any financial, personal, professional, institutional, or ideological relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their work. Undisclosed conflicts of interest are grounds for correction, retraction, or removal from the editorial process.
Funding disclosure
Every manuscript must disclose all sources of funding for the research, including grant numbers where applicable. If no funding was received, authors should state so explicitly.
Authorship and contributorship
Author eligibility follows the four ICMJE criteria: substantial contribution to conception / design / analysis / interpretation; drafting or critically revising the work; final approval of the version to be published; and accountability for all aspects of the work. Contributions of individuals who do not meet all four criteria should be acknowledged rather than listed as authors. Authorship changes after submission require written agreement from every author and editorial approval.
Duplicate submission and publication
Manuscripts under consideration by another journal, or substantially overlapping with previously published work, are not accepted. Substantially expanded or reanalysed versions of a conference paper are considered on a case-by-case basis and must clearly cite the earlier work.
Fabrication and falsification
Fabrication (invention of data or results) and falsification (manipulation of data, images, methods, or results in ways that misrepresent the research) are serious forms of research misconduct. Any such findings result in immediate rejection or retraction and notification of the authors’ institutions.
Generative AI in scholarly writing
Authors may use AI-assisted tools for language improvement, formatting, or limited research assistance where appropriate. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their work. Any substantive use of generative AI in preparing the manuscript must be disclosed. AI tools must not be listed as authors and cannot bear responsibility for the work. Full submission-time rules are on the Instructions for Authors page.