This statement clarifies ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing an article in Society, including authors, editors, and reviewers.

Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed Society is an essential building block in the development of a coherent and respected knowledge network. It reflects the authors' work quality and the supporting institutions. As the publisher, Society is dedicated to maintaining the highest ethical standards at every stage of the publication process.

We adhere to the Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Duties of Authors

1. Reporting Standards: Authors must present an accurate account of the research performed, ensuring the paper's accuracy and providing sufficient detail for replication. Knowingly inaccurate statements are considered unethical.
2. Data Access and Retention: Authors may be asked to provide raw data for editorial review, and they should be prepared to do so in a reasonable timeframe.
3. Originality and Plagiarism: Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their work and properly citing or quoting others' work.
4. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication: Authors should not submit the same research to multiple journals simultaneously, as it is considered unethical publishing behavior.
5. Acknowledgement of Sources: Proper acknowledgment of others' work must be provided, citing influential publications.
6. Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who significantly contributed to the research, ensuring all co-authors have seen and approved the final version.
7. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Authors must transparently disclose any financial or substantive conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation.
8. Fundamental Errors in Published Works: Authors are obligated to promptly notify the journal editor of significant errors in their published work.
9. Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects: Authors must clearly identify hazards in the manuscript related to chemicals, procedures, or equipment.

Duties of Editors

1. Fair Play: Editors evaluate manuscripts based on intellectual content without discrimination.
2. Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must not disclose submitted manuscript information without authorization.
3. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Unpublished materials from submitted manuscripts must not be used in the editor's research without written consent.
4. Publication Decisions: Editors decide which articles to publish based on validation, importance, and legal requirements.
5. Review of Manuscripts: Editors ensure fair and transparent peer review processes, using appropriate reviewers.
6. Handling Complaints and Appeals: Editors are committed to addressing any complaints or appeals in a fair and timely manner. Authors, reviewers, or other stakeholders with concerns regarding editorial decisions, publication processes, or related matters should submit their concerns in writing to the journal's editorial office. Editors will thoroughly investigate, consult relevant documentation, involve the editorial board if necessary, and communicate the resolution promptly.

Duties of Reviewers

1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Reviewers play a vital role in assisting the editor in making editorial decisions and provide constructive feedback to authors to enhance the quality of the paper.
2. Promptness: Reviewers commit to providing timely reviews or promptly notifying the editor if they are unable to fulfill the assigned review within the stipulated timeframe.
3. Standards of Objectivity: The editors and reviewers are required to evaluate papers based on the content. The review comment must be respectful of authors. The reviewers are required to justify their decision and recommendation.
4. Confidentiality: Manuscript content is treated with the utmost confidentiality. The journal uses a double-blind process. Except for the editor-in-chief, the editors and reviewers cannot discuss the paper with any other person, including the authors.
5. Disclosure and Conflict of Interest: Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.
6. Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. Reviewers are also responsible for alerting the editor to substantial similarities or overlaps between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

Journal’s Policy on Ethical Oversight

The journal maintains a robust policy on ethical oversight, ensuring that all aspects of the publication process are conducted with the highest ethical standards. This includes the treatment of authors, reviewers, and the editorial board.

Journal’s Policy on Intellectual Property

The journal upholds a clear policy on intellectual property, respecting the rights of authors and contributors. Any concerns related to intellectual property should be addressed to the journal's editorial office.

Intellectual Property Protection:

The journal is committed to safeguarding the intellectual property rights of authors and contributors. We explicitly state our dedication to protecting original works and creative contributions. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Atribusi-Non Commercial-Share Alike (CC BY-NC-SA) license.

Author Rights:

Authors maintain ownership of the intellectual property contained in their published work. The journal respects the rights of authors, including copyright and moral rights. Authors are free to share, reproduce, and distribute their work, provided they adhere to the journal's citation policies.

Permissions and Usage:

Any use of published material beyond what is allowed under copyright law requires explicit permission from the copyright holder. The journal facilitates proper attribution and compliance with licensing agreements. Requests for usage permissions should be directed to the journal's editorial office.

Reporting Concerns:

Authors and contributors who have concerns about the intellectual property aspects of their work published in the journal are encouraged to contact the editorial office promptly. The journal is committed to addressing and resolving any intellectual property-related issues in a fair and timely manner.

Journal’s Options for Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections

The journal provides options for post-publication discussions and corrections, allowing for continuous improvement and integrity in the scholarly record. Authors and readers are encouraged to participate in constructive discussions to enhance the quality of published articles.

Journal Policies on Data Sharing and Reproducibility

Authors submitting manuscripts to Society are responsible for adhering to the journal's policies on data sharing and reproducibility. They should present data accurately and transparently, following the journal's guidelines for data availability and the steps required to reproduce the findings. This ensures the integrity and credibility of the research process.

Editors play a crucial role in ensuring that these journal policies are followed. They are responsible for overseeing the adherence to guidelines related to data sharing and reproducibility. This joint responsibility between authors and editors aims to uphold the highest standards of transparency and research integrity.

Citation Manipulation:

Authors whose submitted manuscripts are found to include citations primarily intended to artificially increase the number of citations to a specific author's work or articles published in a particular journal may face sanctions.

Editors and reviewers are prohibited from requesting authors to include references with the sole purpose of inflating citations to their own or an associate's work, to the journal, or to another journal they are associated with.

Fabrication and Falsification:

Authors of submitted manuscripts or published articles discovered to have fabricated or falsified results, including image manipulation, may incur sanctions, and the published articles may be retracted.

Corrections and Retractions:

When errors are identified in published articles, the publisher will assess the necessary actions and may consult with the editors and the authors' institution(s).

Errors made by the authors may be rectified by a corrigendum, and errors by the publisher may be addressed by an erratum.

If errors significantly impact the conclusions or if there is evidence of misconduct, this may necessitate retraction or an expression of concern following the COPE Retraction Guidelines.

All authors will be required to agree to the content of the notice.

Author name changes after publication will be made to the article and any citing articles published by Society without the need for documentation, a corrigendum notice, or informing other authors, following a request to the journal.