Ethics Policy

This journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and adheres strictly to the guidelines and best practices set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff are expected to comply with the following policies.
 

1. Editorial Responsibilities

 
  • Objectivity: Editors will evaluate manuscripts solely on their academic merit, without regard to authors’ race, gender, religion, nationality, or institutional affiliation.
  • Confidentiality: Editors will protect the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and reviewer reports.
  • Conflict of Interest: Editors with conflicts of interest related to a manuscript will recuse themselves from the review and decision process.
  • Corrections & Retractions: The journal will issue timely corrections, clarifications, or retractions for published articles containing errors, misconduct, or ethical violations, in full compliance with COPE guidelines.
 

2. Author Responsibilities

 
  • Originality & Authorship: Authors must ensure their work is original, not plagiarized, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere. All authors must meet the ICMJE authorship criteria.
  • Data Integrity: Authors must report their research results accurately and transparently, with no fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of data.
  • Disclosure: Authors must disclose all conflicts of interest, funding sources, and any potential ethical concerns related to their work.
  • Compliance with Research Ethics: Studies involving human or animal subjects must have prior approval from a relevant ethics committee, and informed consent must be obtained and documented.
 

3. Reviewer Responsibilities

 
  • Objectivity & Confidentiality: Reviewers must provide objective, constructive feedback and maintain strict confidentiality of the manuscript and review process.
  • Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts where they have a conflict of interest (e.g., collaborative relationships, competing research, institutional ties).
  • Timeliness: Reviewers must complete their reviews within the requested timeframe, or notify the editorial office if they are unable to do so.
 

4. Plagiarism & Misconduct

 
The journal uses plagiarism detection software to screen all submissions. Any instance of plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate publication, or other academic misconduct will result in immediate rejection of the manuscript, notification of the authors’ institution, and retraction of any published work, per COPE guidelines.
 

5. Complaints & Appeals

 
The journal maintains a formal process for handling complaints and appeals from authors, reviewers, or readers. All complaints will be investigated thoroughly, and decisions will be made in accordance with COPE guidelines. For inquiries, contact the editorial office at contact@focuscholar.com