Journal Publication Ethics

Publication ethics are an essential part of the journal’s quality and credibility. The journal adheres to the highest standards of scientific and academic integrity at all stages of the peer-review and publication processes. This commitment is based on the firm conviction that scientific research can only fulfill its mission when it is founded on truthfulness, objectivity, and full respect for the intellectual and scientific rights of others. Therefore, the journal is committed to applying clear rules governing the duties and responsibilities of the Editorial Board, reviewers, and authors, thereby ensuring the integrity of the review and publication processes.

Unethical practices, including plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and copyright infringement, are considered serious violations of research and scientific publishing ethics. Turnitin is used to identify textual similarity and potential plagiarism in submitted articles and, where applicable, to assist in identifying the inappropriate use of artificial intelligence in the preparation and formatting of manuscripts. For further details and information about the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), please visit the following links:

https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines

https://publicationethics.org/

First: Editorial Board Responsibilities

The Editorial Board is committed to evaluating submitted articles based solely on scientific and professional criteria, without discrimination based on the author’s nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, beliefs, or intellectual orientation. Decisions to accept or reject submitted articles are based on the scientific value, originality, clarity, methodological soundness, and relevance of the research to the journal’s scope and objectives.

The Editorial Board is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of all submitted articles and to not disclosing any information related to them to unauthorized parties. The ideas, data, or results contained in unpublished research must not be used for any personal or academic purpose without the author’s explicit consent.

The Editorial Board is responsible for selecting qualified and specialized reviewers with appropriate scientific expertise relevant to the topic of the article through a rigorous double-blind peer-review process, while taking appropriate measures to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. If a potential conflict of interest is identified involving an editor or reviewer, the individual concerned will be excluded from the review and decision-making process to ensure the integrity and impartiality of the editorial decision.

The Editorial Board is responsible for making the final decision regarding the acceptance, rejection, or revision of submitted articles based on the reviewers’ reports and recommendations. The Editorial Board reserves the right to take appropriate measures if any ethical or scientific violation is identified during the review or publication process.

Second: Responsibilities of Reviewers

 

Reviewers play a crucial role in improving the quality of submitted articles. Therefore, they are obligated to conduct the review process objectively, impartially, and independently, free from any personal or institutional considerations. Their comments should focus on the scientific, methodological, and linguistic aspects of the article, be clearly written, and be supported by sound scholarly reasoning that helps authors improve their work.

Reviewers are obligated to maintain the confidentiality of submitted articles. They must not share the article or discuss its contents with any other party, nor may they use its ideas, data, or findings before publication. Reviewers must also immediately disclose any potential conflict of interest that could affect their impartiality and decline the review if they lack sufficient expertise in the subject matter or are unable to complete the review within the specified timeframe.

Reviewers are also responsible for alerting the Editorial Board to any substantial similarities between the submitted article and previously published works, or to any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, or inaccurate or inappropriate documentation. By doing so, reviewers contribute to maintaining the integrity and quality of the journal’s publication process.

Third: Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must submit original work that has not been previously published, in whole or in part, and has not been simultaneously submitted to another journal or publishing entity, as this constitutes a violation of publication ethics.

Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of the data, results, and analyses presented in their articles, the soundness of the research procedures and methodology, and the accuracy of the documentation and citations of the sources and references used. Authors must also appropriately cite previous works relevant to their research and must not present any idea, text, or result belonging to another author as their own.

If an article has more than one author, all authors must have made a substantial and genuine contribution to the research, including its design, implementation, analysis, writing, or substantive revision. Authors’ names should be listed in an order that reflects their actual contributions, and individuals who did not make a substantive contribution to the research should not be listed as authors.

Authors are also required to disclose any financial or institutional support received for the research, as well as any relationship or conflict of interest that could influence the interpretation of the results or the peer-review process. If the research involves human participants, animal experimentation, or materials or procedures that may pose particular risks, authors must obtain the necessary ethical approvals before conducting the study and clearly indicate such approval in the article.

Furthermore, authors must respond to the comments and recommendations of the reviewers and Editorial Board seriously and responsibly. They must make the required revisions within the specified timeframe or provide clear scientific justifications for not addressing particular comments. If authors discover a substantial error or inaccuracy in their article after submission or publication, they must immediately notify the Editor-in-Chief and cooperate with the journal to correct the error or withdraw the article, as appropriate.

Fourth: Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest

The journal is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of all information related to submitted articles, including the identities of reviewers and their review reports, in accordance with its established peer-review policy. All parties involved in the review and publication processes—including editors, reviewers, and authors—are required to disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest that may affect their scientific judgment or the integrity of the publication process.

A conflict of interest is any financial, professional, personal, or academic relationship or interest that may directly or indirectly affect objectivity or impartiality. The journal reserves the right to take any appropriate action if a conflict of interest arises that could compromise the fairness of the peer-review process or the integrity of the editorial decision.

Fifth: Plagiarism and Misconduct

Plagiarism in all its forms is among the most serious violations of research and publication ethics. This includes copying texts, ideas, tables, figures, or results from the work of others without proper citation; paraphrasing or presenting them in a manner that suggests they are the author’s original work; or republishing the same work, in whole or in part, without appropriate permission or clear attribution.

Unethical practices also include fabricating or falsifying data, concealing significant results, listing individuals as authors who did not contribute to the work, excluding individuals who made substantial contributions, manipulating the peer-review process, or providing misleading information about the status, funding, or originality of the article.

The journal reserves the right to use appropriate software and tools to check for textual similarity, verify the accuracy and integrity of citations, and assess the originality of submitted articles. In the event of any violation, the journal will take the necessary editorial and academic measures in accordance with its policies and applicable publication-ethics guidelines.

Sixth: Procedures for Handling Violations

If a suspected ethical violation arises in a submitted or published article, the Editorial Board will address the matter seriously, fairly, and impartially. The Editorial Board will begin by reviewing the available evidence and contacting the author(s) to request clarification or additional information. If the violation is confirmed, the journal reserves the right to take appropriate action, including rejecting the article, suspending the peer-review process, retracting the article after publication, publishing a correction or clarification, or, where necessary, notifying the author’s academic institution.

In all such cases, the journal adheres to the principles of fairness, the right of reply, and due process, while maintaining complete documentation of the relevant evidence, procedures, and decisions.

Seventh: Peer-Review Policy

The journal employs a confidential peer-review process in which submitted articles are evaluated by experienced reviewers with relevant expertise through a rigorous double-blind peer-review process to ensure the quality and scientific integrity of published works. The journal is committed to maintaining objectivity, accuracy, and impartiality throughout the peer-review process, with the aim of improving the article and highlighting its scientific value rather than merely evaluating it.

The journal may appoint an additional reviewer if significant discrepancies arise between the reviewers’ reports or if the nature of the article requires an additional expert opinion.

Eighth: Correction and Retraction

The journal recognizes that maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record requires the correction of any significant errors discovered after publication. Therefore, if a significant error is identified in the data, analysis, results, or documentation, the journal will work with the author(s) to publish an appropriate correction. However, if a violation or problem fundamentally affects the originality, validity, or integrity of the work, the article may be retracted in accordance with established principles of research and publication ethics.

Ninth: General Commitment

By submitting an article to the journal, authors implicitly agree to comply fully with the journal’s publication ethics and policies and to abide by its peer-review, evaluation, and follow-up procedures, as well as the decisions of the Editorial Board made in accordance with these principles. This also reflects the journal’s commitment to the fair, transparent, and professional treatment of all submitted articles and authors.

General Publication Requirements

 

  • Articles submitted for publication in the journal must not have been previously published or submitted for publication in another journal or publishing entity. Authors must provide a declaration confirming this at the time of submission.
  • All articles submitted for publication in the journal are subject to a rigorous peer-review process in accordance with the journal’s established procedures, while maintaining the confidentiality of the review process.
  • The review criteria include the article’s scientific originality, contribution to knowledge, methodology, style, results, adherence to academic integrity, linguistic accuracy, and clarity of presentation.
  • The journal may request revisions to an article before accepting it for publication. The journal also reserves the right to make necessary editorial and language-related amendments to accepted articles.
  • Authors must agree to transfer the copyright of the article to the journal. If the journal wishes to republish the article or any part thereof, it must obtain the author’s consent.
  • Authors are responsible for any expenses incurred during the peer-review process if they choose to discontinue the review or withdraw the article after the review process has begun.
  • The opinions expressed in published articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the World Islamic Sciences and Education University or the Editorial Board of the journal.