Publishing Ethics

This journal adheres strictly to the Core Practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All cases of research or publication misconduct are handled in accordance with these guidelines.

Ethical Guidelines for Authors

Authors are required to:

  • Ensure that their submitted work is original and authored by them.
  • Obtain appropriate permissions for the reuse of any previously published material, including figures, tables, or copyrighted content, and ensure no violation of intellectual property or privacy rights.
  • Confirm that the manuscript has not been previously published in peer-reviewed literature.
  • Fully disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that may influence or bias the research.
  • Avoid simultaneous submission of the manuscript to more than one journal.
  • Ensure accurate representation of authorship and contributions.
  • Refrain from unethical practices such as plagiarism, data or image manipulation, falsification, or fraud.

Ethical Guidelines for Journal Editors

Editors are expected to:

  • Ensure that the peer-review process is fair, unbiased, and timely.
  • Assign manuscripts only to suitably qualified reviewers.
  • Base editorial decisions solely on the manuscript’s originality, clarity, validity, importance, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
  • Require reviewers to disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Maintain strict confidentiality throughout the peer-review process.

Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers must:

  • Accept review assignments only when they have the appropriate expertise and can complete the review in a timely manner.
  • Respect the confidentiality of the peer-review process.
  • Not use unpublished information for personal or professional advantage.
  • Declare all potential conflicts of interest.
  • Ensure that reviews are objective, constructive, and free from personal bias.
  • Avoid discrimination based on nationality, gender, religion, political beliefs, or commercial considerations.
  • Provide accurate information regarding their qualifications and expertise.
  • Recognize that impersonation during peer review constitutes serious misconduct.

Allegations of Misconduct

Plagiarism and Data Fabrication

According to the Office of Research Integrity, plagiarism involves the misappropriation of intellectual property or unattributed copying of another’s work. Proper attribution is mandatory. Duplicate publication occurs when authors reuse substantial portions of their own work without proper citation.

Other unethical practices, including data fabrication and image manipulation, are strictly prohibited. Authors must present an accurate and transparent account of their research methods, data analysis, and interpretation.

Allegations of misconduct should be reported to the Editor-in-Chief (gdhiman0001@gmail.com). If the allegation concerns the Editor-in-Chief, it should be directed to the Journal Editorial Office (gaurav.dhiman@psou.ac.in).

All allegations are assessed promptly for credibility and specificity. Wherever possible, a final response will be provided within four weeks. If additional time is required, an interim response will be issued within the same timeframe.

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Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions if they believe a rejection resulted from a significant misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the manuscript. Appeals must be submitted by the corresponding author and include the manuscript number. Requests lacking sufficient justification will not be considered.

Human or Animal Subjects Research

Research involving human or animal subjects must comply with all applicable legal, ethical, and institutional requirements.

Research Involving Human Subjects

Informed Consent

Manuscripts involving human participants must include a statement confirming informed consent. Participants’ privacy and confidentiality must be protected at all times. Identifiable information should not be published unless essential and written consent has been obtained.

Ethics Approval Statements

Authors must obtain approval or exemption from an appropriate Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB). Studies involving multiple institutions require approval from each participating institution.

Research must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki. The manuscript must include a clear ethics approval or waiver statement.

Clinical Trials Registration

In accordance with ICMJE guidelines, all clinical trials must be registered in a recognized public registry prior to patient enrollment. The registration number must be included in the abstract.

Research Involving Animal Subjects

Animal studies must comply with relevant ethical standards, including the ARRIVE guidelines and applicable national or international regulations. Authors must clearly state ethical approval details or provide justification if formal approval was not required.