Publishing Ethics

Table of Content

• Introduction
  
• Our Responsibilities as Publisher
  
• Editorial Responsibilities
  
• Reviewer Responsibilities
  
• Author Responsibilities
  

Introduction

ETFLIN commitment to Ethical Guidelines is paramount. We ensure that all published works adhere to established ethical standards, whether set by publishing organizations, scholarly communities, or government regulations. We provide access to and information about ethical guidelines to authors, reviewers, and editorial staff.

Our Responsibilities as Publisher

Transparency and Openness are core values in our editorial process, decision-making, and publishing policies. We prioritize transparent editorial processes and provide clear, accessible information to readers regarding funding sources, conflicts of interest, and editorial decision-making processes.

We manage Conflicts of Interest by identifying, disclosing, and appropriately managing conflicts throughout the publication process. We establish clear policies on addressing potential conflicts of interest among authors, reviewers, or editorial staff.

Maintaining Scientific Integrity is non-negotiable for us. We reject unethical practices such as plagiarism, data manipulation, or reporting inaccurate results. We promote scientific honesty, research integrity, and accurate reporting of research outcomes.

Handling Complaints and Ethical Violations is part of our responsibility. We develop effective mechanisms for managing complaints related to ethical violations from readers, authors, or other involved parties. We conduct fair and objective investigations into reported ethical violations and take appropriate actions when violations are found.

Supporting Intellectual Property Rights is crucial. We respect copyrights and intellectual property ownership, ensuring that works are published in compliance with relevant laws and regulations regarding intellectual property rights.

We are committed to Sustainability and Positive Impact. We take steps to support sustainable publishing practices, both environmentally and socially. We are mindful of the impact of published works on society and the environment, striving to provide a positive impact through our publications.

As Ethical Pioneers, we actively support best practices and ethical standards in publishing, both locally and globally. We build relationships with organizations and initiatives that promote ethics in publishing and participate in dialogues and advocacy related to ethical issues in the publishing field.

Editorial Responsibilities

Integrity Assurance

Plagiarism Detection: Editors use plagiarism detection software and manual checks to identify any instances of plagiarism or unoriginal content in submitted manuscripts. This includes verbatim copying of text, ideas, or data without proper attribution. By ensuring that all content is original and properly cited, editors uphold the integrity of the research and prevent academic misconduct.

Data Integrity and Reproducibility: Editors verify the integrity of data presented in manuscripts by checking for consistency, accuracy, and adherence to research ethics standards. They may require authors to provide raw data, methods, and materials to facilitate reproducibility and transparency. This helps prevent data fabrication, manipulation, or misrepresentation, thereby maintaining the integrity of the research. 

Image and Figure Integrity: Editors scrutinize figures, graphs, and images to detect any manipulation, fabrication, or misrepresentation. This includes ensuring that images are not altered in a way that could mislead readers or distort the research findings. Editors enforce guidelines against image manipulation and require authors to provide original, unaltered data when necessary.

Cross-Check for Ethical Compliance: Editors cross-check manuscripts to ensure compliance with ethical standards such as obtaining informed consent for studies involving human subjects, following animal research guidelines, and disclosing any potential conflicts of interest. They also verify that research involving sensitive topics or vulnerable populations has undergone appropriate ethical review and approval.

Editorial Oversight: Editors provide editorial oversight throughout the publication process, from manuscript submission to final publication. They work closely with authors, reviewers, and editorial board members to address any ethical concerns, resolve conflicts, and maintain the highest standards of integrity in scientific publishing.

Ethical Guidelines Enforcement: Editors enforce ethical guidelines set by the journal, professional organizations, and regulatory bodies. This includes adhering to standards for authorship, data sharing, consent, conflicts of interest, and reporting of research results. Editors may also educate authors, reviewers, and readers about these guidelines to promote ethical conduct in research and publishing.

Transparency Promotion

Peer Review Transparency: Editors ensure transparency in the peer review process by clearly communicating the review criteria, process timelines, and expectations to authors and reviewers. They may also provide feedback summaries or anonymized reviewer comments to authors, promoting transparency in decision-making.

Ethical Review Disclosure: Editors require authors to disclose ethical considerations such as informed consent, ethical review board approval, and any potential conflicts of interest. This information is made available to readers, ensuring transparency about the ethical conduct of the research.

Data Sharing Policies: Editors promote transparency by implementing data sharing policies that encourage authors to provide raw data, methods, and materials necessary for reproducibility. They may recommend data repositories or supplementary materials to accompany published articles, enhancing transparency and accessibility for readers and researchers.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Editors oversee the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest by authors, reviewers, and editorial staff. They ensure that financial, personal, or institutional relationships that could bias research or editorial decisions are transparently disclosed to readers, maintaining trust and integrity in the publication process.

Publication Ethics Statements: Editors include clear publication ethics statements in journals, outlining ethical standards, guidelines for authors and reviewers, and procedures for handling ethical issues such as plagiarism, data integrity, and conflicts of interest. This transparency informs stakeholders about the journal's commitment to ethical publishing practices.

Correction and Retraction Transparency: Editors handle corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern transparently, following established protocols and guidelines. They communicate reasons for corrections or retractions to readers, maintaining transparency and accountability in addressing errors or ethical violations.

Open Access and Licensing: Editors support open access publishing models and encourage authors to choose appropriate licenses for their work, such as Creative Commons licenses. This promotes transparency by allowing readers to freely access, reuse, and build upon published research while respecting authors' rights and attribution.

Fairness and Objectivity

Impartial Review Process: Editors oversee a fair and unbiased peer review process by selecting diverse and qualified reviewers who can evaluate manuscripts objectively. They ensure that reviewers' comments are constructive, unbiased, and focused on the scientific merit of the research rather than personal biases or preferences.

Double-Blind Review: Editors implement double-blind peer review processes to anonymize author and reviewer identities, reducing potential biases based on authorship or affiliations. This enhances the objectivity of peer review evaluations and editorial decisions.

Merit-Based Decisions: Editors make editorial decisions based on scientific merit, relevance, originality, and methodological rigor rather than subjective criteria or perceived significance. They prioritize the quality and integrity of the research, ensuring that all submissions undergo fair and thorough evaluation.

Consistency in Editorial Decisions: Editors maintain consistency in editorial decisions by applying journal policies, ethical guidelines, and peer review criteria uniformly across submissions. They ensure that similar standards are upheld for all authors, regardless of their background, affiliation, or reputation.

Transparent Communication: Editors communicate editorial decisions, feedback, and publication policies transparently to authors, reviewers, and readers. They provide clear reasoning and constructive feedback to authors, promoting transparency and understanding of the decision-making process.

Appeals and Dispute Resolution: Editors handle appeals and disputes related to editorial decisions or ethical concerns impartially and transparently. They may involve editorial boards or external experts to review cases objectively and ensure fair resolutions.

Editorial Independence

Autonomy in Decision-making: Editors exercise autonomy and independence in making editorial decisions, free from undue influence or pressure from external parties such as advertisers, sponsors, or stakeholders with conflicting interests. They prioritize scientific merit, relevance, and ethical considerations in decision-making processes. 

Adherence to Editorial Policies: Editors uphold and enforce journal policies, ethical guidelines, and industry standards without external interference. They ensure that editorial processes, peer review procedures, and publication practices align with established policies and ethical principles, maintaining editorial independence.

Protection of Academic Freedom: Editors protect academic freedom by fostering open discourse, diverse perspectives, and intellectual independence in published content. They encourage authors to express innovative ideas, controversial viewpoints, and critical analyses within the bounds of scholarly rigor and ethical standards.

Editorial Board Governance: Editors collaborate with editorial boards to govern journal operations, review policies, and uphold editorial independence. They engage board members in decision-making processes while safeguarding the editorial autonomy and integrity of the journal.

Resisting External Pressures: Editors resist external pressures that may compromise editorial independence, such as requests for preferential treatment of submissions, biased coverage of topics, or editorial interference in content decisions. They uphold the principles of fairness, objectivity, and integrity in publishing practices.

Ethical Leadership and Advocacy: Editors serve as ethical leaders and advocates for editorial independence within the publishing community. They champion ethical standards, transparency, and responsible conduct in research and publishing, promoting a culture of integrity and trust.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Confidentiality: Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript they are reviewing. They should not discuss the content of the manuscript with anyone outside of the peer review process, nor should they use the information for their personal gain or to benefit their own research.

Objectivity and Impartiality: Reviewers should evaluate the manuscript objectively and impartially, without any personal bias or conflict of interest. They should focus on the scientific quality, validity of the research, and relevance to the field.

Timeliness: Reviewers are expected to complete their reviews within the specified timeframe given by the journal. Timely reviews are crucial for ensuring the efficiency of the publication process.

Feedback and Constructive Criticism: Reviewers should provide constructive feedback to help authors improve their manuscript. This includes highlighting strengths and weaknesses, suggesting revisions or additional experiments if necessary, and offering clear, actionable suggestions for improvement.

Ethical Conduct in Research: Reviewers should be vigilant for any ethical issues related to the research presented in the manuscript. This includes plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, ethical misconduct involving human or animal subjects, and conflicts of interest. If reviewers identify any ethical concerns, they should bring them to the attention of the journal's editors. Check our policy on ethics and concent.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers should disclose any conflicts of interest that may influence their review, such as personal relationships with the authors, financial interests, or competitive affiliations.

Respectful Communication: Reviewers should communicate their feedback and criticisms respectfully and professionally. They should avoid using derogatory language or making personal attacks on the authors. Check our policy on harassment.

Author Responsibilities

Originality and Copyright Compliance: Authors must ensure that the work they submit is original and has not been published previously or is under review in another journal. They must also respect the copyrights of others by providing proper citations and giving credit to the sources used.

Methodology and Data Suitability: Authors should present research methodology and data accurately and honestly. They must explain in detail the experimental or analytical steps taken so that the research can be replicated by others. Unethical data manipulation or misleading presentation should be avoided.

Collaboration and Contribution: If the research involves collaboration, authors must acknowledge each individual's contributions appropriately. This includes contributions in research planning, data collection, analysis, writing, and revision. All significant contributors should be acknowledged as authors or stated in footnotes.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose all conflicts of interest that may affect the interpretation or perception of the research findings. Conflicts of interest can include financial, personal, or institutional interests that have the potential to influence the integrity or objectivity of the research.

Research Ethics: Authors should adhere to research ethics principles, including the use of human or animal subjects following relevant guidelines, avoiding plagiarism or unauthorized data use, and reporting results honestly without unethical distortions or manipulations.

Transparency and Accountability: Authors should be prepared to provide access to editors or reviewers regarding original data or additional information supporting their research findings. They should also be ready to respond to feedback and criticism constructively to improve the quality of their work.