Publication Ethics

In the same way as other peer-reviewed journals, Thoughts is committed to standard ethical behavior for the entire process of publishing a scholarly journal. We adhere to COPE’s (Committee On Publication Ethics) standards of publication ethics and best practice guidelines for journal editors. The following is a summary of the guidelines. For the complete statement, please refer to the website: http://publicationethics.org/files/u2/Best_Practice.pdf.

Duties of Editors

1. The editor is responsible for deciding which of the article submissions should be published. The decisions made are based upon validation of the work in question and its contribution to researchers and readers. The editor may confer with other editors or reviewers (or society officers) in making this decision.
2. The editor should evaluate manuscripts for their contents without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
3. The editor and any editorial staff must not reveal any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding authors and (prospective) reviewers, potential reviewer. 
4. The editor should refrain from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive or collaborative connections with any of the authors or institutions connected to the papers.
5. The editor should take responsive measures when ethical complaints or observations have been made concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper. The measures may include communications with the authors or relevant institutions.  

Duties of Reviewers

1. Reviewers will assist the editor in making editorial decisions and the author, via the communication with the editorial team, in improving the quality of the paper. 
2. Reviewers must not show or discuss the manuscripts under considerstaion to others. No unpublished materials, information or ideas disclosed in a submitted manuscript or can be used for reviewers’ own research or for personal advantage. 
3. Reviews should be conducted clearly and objectively. 
4. Reviewers should also bring to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.
5. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive or collaborative connections with any of the authors or institutions connected to the papers.

Duties of Authors

1. Authors should present an accurate original account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. 
2. Authors should ensure that their manuscripts are original works and that any work and/or words of others used in their manuscripts has been appropriately cited. Plagiarism in all forms constitutes unethical behavior and is unacceptable.
3. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Authors should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal. Publication of some kinds of articles, e.g. translations, in more than one journal is sometimes justifiable, provided that certain conditions are fulfilled. The authors and editors of the journals concerned must agree to the secondary publication, which must reflect the same data and interpretation of the primary document. The primary reference must be cited in the secondary publication. Further detail on acceptable forms of secondary publication can be found at www.icmje.org. 
4. Authors should ensure that all sources of financial support for the work presented in the manuscript are acknowledged. Potential conflicts of interest that may arise from grants or funding should be disclosed at the earliest stage possible.
5. When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate with the editor to withdraw or correct the article. If the editor learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error, it is the obligation of the author to promptly withdraw or correct the article or provide evidence to the editor of the correctness of the original article.