Authorship Policy

  1. Authorship Criteria

Authorship must be based on substantial scientific contribution to the research, including the formulation of the research problem, study design, methodology, analysis, and interpretation of findings, as well as participation in drafting, reviewing, and approving the final manuscript. Contributions limited to technical or support roles (such as translation or copyediting) do not qualify for authorship but may be acknowledged.

All co‑authors must review and formally approve the final submitted version. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors meet the authorship criteria.

 

  1. Acknowledgements and Disclosures

Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria must be acknowledged appropriately. Authors must declare all sources of financial support, including funding agencies, grant numbers, and institutional affiliations.

Research derived from a Master’s or PhD thesis must be clearly indicated in a footnote, including full thesis details (title, degree, institution, and year). Where applicable, authors must also obtain necessary permissions and comply with the requirements of the degree‑granting institution.

Authors must confirm institutional ethical approval (e.g., IRB) and informed consent for studies involving human participants.

 

  1. Thesis‑Derived Publications

Manuscripts based on Master’s or PhD theses are permitted, provided they represent a substantially reworked scholarly contribution and do not reproduce the original text verbatim. The student must be listed as the primary author, and a supervisor may only be included as co‑author if they have made a clear scientific contribution. Proper acknowledgment of the thesis source in the published article is mandatory.

 

  1. Order and Eligibility of Authorship

Authors are responsible for determining the order of authorship based on individual contributions. Early agreement among co‑authors is strongly recommended to ensure transparency and avoid disputes.

 

  1. Changes to Authorship

Any changes to authorship (addition, removal, or reordering) must be formally requested by the corresponding author and supported by a clear justification and an updated Author Declaration Form signed by all authors. Changes after publication are permitted only in exceptional and justified cases.

 

  1. Conflict of Interest

Authors must declare all sources of financial support, including funding agencies, grant numbers, and institutional affiliations, ensuring full transparency.

Authors are required to confirm that their work is conducted free from any conflicts of interest that could influence, compromise, or bias the validity of the data, analysis, interpretation, or conclusions.

All authors must formally declare the absence of conflicts of interest through the Author Declaration Form. 

 

  1. Research Integrity and Ethical Conduct

Authors must ensure that all submitted work is original, accurate, and ethically conducted. Plagiarism in any form—including copying, paraphrasing without attribution, or misrepresenting others’ work—is unacceptable.

If any part of the work has been previously published, authors must disclose this and obtain all necessary permissions. The editorial team reserves the right to verify originality and reject non‑compliant submissions.

 

  1. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

The responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools is permitted for limited purposes such as language editing, grammar improvement, literature discovery, data analysis support, and technical enhancement of figures, provided that authors verify all outputs and retain full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their work. AI tools should not be listed as authors or co-authors.

Limitations and Disclosure of AI tools

The use of AI tools to generate substantial portions of manuscript text, research ideas, study designs, analyses, conclusions, references, data, images, or other scholarly content presented as original work is prohibited. Authors must disclose any use of generative AI tools at the time of submission and provide details of the tool used and its purpose. Failure to disclose AI use or compliance with these requirements may result in rejection, retraction, or other editorial action.

 

  1. Plagiarism and Publication Ethics

All submissions are subject to similarity screening using plagiarism detection tools prior to peer review. The journal adheres to international best practices in scholarly publishing and maintains strict policies on plagiarism, authorship transparency, conflict of interest disclosure, and research integrity. Non‑compliant submissions may be rejected at any stage of the review or publication process.

To ensure the highest standards of academic integrity, all manuscripts must be the original work of the authors. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools must comply with the journal's AI Use Policy. Undisclosed or prohibited use of AI-generated content may constitute a breach of publication ethics and research integrity.

 

  1. Corrections, Investigations, and Retractions

The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. Where concerns arise, the editorial office will conduct investigations in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

This may involve cases such as plagiarism, data fabrication, authorship disputes, or misleading findings. Where necessary, the journal may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions to ensure transparency and protect research integrity.

 

  • Multiple or Concurrent Submissions
    Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one outlet simultaneously or publish the same research in multiple venues. Such practices are considered unethical and may result in rejection or retraction.

 

  • Author‑Initiated Corrections
    Authors must promptly notify the editorial office if they identify significant errors in their published work and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions.

 

  • Publisher‑Initiated Actions
    If misconduct or significant errors are identified, the editorial office will take appropriate action in accordance with COPE guidelines, including corrections or retractions.

 

  • Article Withdrawal Policy

Submission of a manuscript constitutes a commitment to publish. Authors are therefore not permitted to withdraw their manuscript after it has passed the initial screening and before publication, except in exceptional and justified circumstances, subject to editorial approval.

Withdrawal requests must be submitted formally in writing by the corresponding author, and must include a detailed justification, along with signed consent from all co‑authors. A manuscript will not be considered withdrawn until officially confirmed by the editorial office.

Unjustified withdrawal or failure to comply with the publication process may result in editorial action in line with COPE guidelines. Such actions may include reimbursement of review and/or publishing costs incurred by the journal and restrictions on future submissions by the author/s.