Publication Ethics

Ethics for Editors

Editors must carry out the primary task of acquiring manuscript submissions and negotiating with authors. They should conduct a preliminary review of articles considering aspects such as title, scope, structure, content length, accuracy of information, straightforward reporting, proper citation of sources, clarity of communication, and engaging appeal. They should also preliminarily screen for defamatory content or severe libel and copyright violations.

Editors should remain impartial, free from bias and any conflicts of interest with authors and reviewers. They must ensure the anonymity of authors and reviewers, keeping their identities confidential from each other.

Editors should value the opinions of reviewers regarding the quality of the articles and give importance to content that may provoke academic or legal disputes or objections.

Editors are responsible for the public publication of the journal by agreeing with authors on the rights and responsibilities of each party, including legal liabilities in case of academic plagiarism.

Ethics for Article Authors

Article authors must maintain academic honesty and integrity, not misappropriating others' work as their own or plagiarizing. They must respect and credit the individuals or sources of information used.

Authors must have sufficient foundational knowledge in their field of study and relevant expertise or experience to write quality research or academic articles, preventing issues with analysis, interpretation, or conclusions that could lead to harm.

Especially for research articles, authors must be responsible for their research subjects, whether living or non-living, conducting research with care, precision, and honesty, considering the ethical treatment of people, animals, plants, cultural heritage, resources, and the environment.

Authors must respect human dignity and rights, not letting academic interests compromise or disrespect human dignity, nor violating others' personal rights.

Authors must maintain intellectual independence without bias throughout their work, recognizing that personal or academic biases can lead to distorted data and findings.

Authors should use their work for legitimate purposes, aiming to disseminate knowledge for academic and social benefit, not exaggerating findings or misusing their work.

Authors should respect others' academic opinions, be open to sharing data and methodologies, consider others' academic feedback, and be willing to correct their work.

Ethics for Reviewers

Reviewers should have no conflicts of interest with authors or their work and should not be affiliated with the same institution as the authors.

Reviewers must use their knowledge, expertise, and experience in their field to assess articles honestly and according to consistent standards, evaluating title, objectives, background, methodology, data sources, interpretation, analysis, conclusions, discussions, and the resulting benefits. They should provide constructive, unbiased feedback aimed at helping authors improve the quality and accuracy of their work.

Reviewers should not be working on or planning to work on research or writing academic articles on the same or similar topics as the authors.

Reviewers should not have personal or theoretical beliefs that conflict strongly with the subject matter or otherwise compromise the impartiality of their review.

Ethics for Research Involving Humans

General principles for ethical research involving humans include:

  1. Respect for persons: Respecting human dignity is the cornerstone of ethical research practices, which includes:
    • Respecting the free and informed consent of participants, allowing them to make decisions without coercion or inducement.
    • Respecting participants' privacy.
    • Respecting the confidentiality of personal data.
    • Respecting vulnerable individuals who cannot fully protect themselves, such as those with cognitive or psychological impairments, patients with severe illnesses, prisoners, students, soldiers, marginalized groups, etc.

Researchers should ensure that their target population for research participation is treated ethically by adhering to the following guidelines:

  1. Researchers must draft scientifically valid research proposals.

  2. Before any interactions with participants, such as screenings, researchers must document the consent process, including who will obtain consent, where it will take place, providing information, answering questions, allowing independent decision-making, etc., before participants sign the consent form.

  3. Researchers must include an "Ethical Considerations" section in their proposals, detailing how they will adhere to ethical principles:

    • Respect for persons: Obtaining informed consent from target population members.
    • Beneficence/Non-maleficence: Ensuring participants benefit or experience no harm, safeguarding their confidentiality.
    • Justice: Establishing clear inclusion and exclusion criteria, ensuring equal distribution of benefits and risks through random selection.

  4. Data collection and experimentation with participants should commence only after receiving approval from an ethics review committee.