Publication Ethics
1. Duties of the Authors
Reporting standards
The authors, reporting their study results, should present a correct account of the work done, along with a fair discussion of its significance and data sources.
The article should supply sufficient information and references to allow further replication of the study.
Data Access and Retention
The authors should keep during a reasonable time span after the publication the article raw data steady to supply for editorial review or public access.
Originality and Copy
The authors agree by submission of the text that their work is original. If using the work and/or the words of others, the authors should present this appropriately (i.e., to cite or to mention).
Multiple Publication
The authors must not send for publication texts holding the same research output already proposed for primary publication.
Acknowledgement of Sources
The authors should acknowledge properly the work of other scientist and should cite those having a substantial impact in the article.
Authorship
Limit the authorship to those with significant contribution to the content of the text. The author handles the list of co-authors which should include only those who have taken part in the creative process and show the relevant way or parts of the text where this has happened.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
The authors should declare any financial or other conflict of interest that might be influencing the results or their interpretation.
Errors in Already Published Works
If any author discovers a substantial error or imprecision in a published work, it is her/his responsibility to promptly notify the Editorial Board and to cooperate with the editor to withdraw or correct the paper.
2. Duties of the Editors
Publication Decisions |
The Editor-in-Chief and the scientific secretary manage the decision which of the sent articles to publish at the proposal of the editorial board. The Editor-in-Chief and the scientific secretary follow the policies of the Editorial Board for compliance with legal requirements about offensive statements, copyright violations, and plagiarism. The Editor-in-Chief may consult with other editors or with reviewers for completing the decision. |
Fair Play |
Members of the Editorial Board should evaluate the manuscripts only for their scientific content disregarding any race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors. |
Confidentiality |
Members of the Editorial Board should not show any information about the sent paper to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and representatives of the publisher. The Editorial Board must guarantee the double-blind peer review process in which both authors and reviewers are anonymous. |
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest |
Members of the Editorial Board must not show the content of any unpublished materials from the sent text or to use it for their own research without the written consent of the authors. |
3. Duties of the Reviewers
Contribution to Editorial Decisions |
The reviewers contribute to the editorial decision-making process on the sent texts. They should help the authors in refining their texts through editorial communications. |
Promptness |
Any reviewer who considers her/himself unqualified to review the suggested research output or finds out that he/she could not review the texts promptly should notify the Editor-in-Chief or the scientific secretary and withdraw from the review process. |
Confidentiality |
The reviewer must treat any text received for a review as a confidential document. He/she should not expose to or discuss with any other party its content, unless authorized by the Editor-in-Chief and the authors. |
Standards of Objectivity |
The reviewers should act according to the objectivity premise and should communicate their opinion clearly based on supporting arguments in the required form. |
Acknowledgement of Sources |
The reviewers must inform the Editor-in-Chief about any substantial similarity or overlap between the sent text and any other published work which they are personally acquainted. They show expectedly relevant publications not cited by the authors. |
Disclosure and Conflict of Interest |
The reviewers must keep confidential and must not use for personal benefit any information or ideas obtained during the peer review of the sent manuscript. They may reject to consider the texts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other links which they may have with any of the authors, the companies, or the institutions associated to the research work. |
4. Duties of the Publisher
Independence of the Editorial Decisions |
The publisher shall not get involved in decisions made by the Editorial Board about the publication of individual articles. The publisher is committed in ensuring that the advertising, the reprint, or other commercial activity will have no impact on the editorial decisions. |
Networking with Other Publishers |
The publisher should help the Editorial Board in communications with other journals and/or publishers where this is useful to the Board and/or the reviewers. |
Alignment to International Standards |
The publisher should cooperate to other renowned publishers and industry associations in setting up standards for best practices on ethical matters, errors, and retractions. |