Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Publishing Ethics and Responsibilities

To uphold the highest standards of publishing ethics, ANP JSSH is committed to actively preventing publication malpractice. Our mission is to disseminate original scholarly work with integrity, professionalism, and excellence. This commitment extends equally to all parties involved in the publication process—including publishers, editors, reviewers, and authors.

To achieve this goal, we require adherence to the highest standards of originality, fairness, confidentiality, and ethical conduct from all stakeholders. ANP JSSH abides by the international standards and codes of conduct set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and aligns its practices accordingly, including policies on ethics, errors, and retractions, as well as legal reviews when necessary.

This ethical statement applies to all participants in the publishing process: editors, editorial board members, reviewers, authors, and publishers. It is based on the COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Publication Decisions

  • The Editor-in-Chief holds full authority over editorial content and final publication decisions.

  • Decisions are based on the validity, originality, relevance, and significance of the work, along with reviewers' feedback and legal considerations (e.g., libel, copyright, or plagiarism).

  • Editors may consult with editorial board members or reviewers when needed.

  • Government policies or external authorities must not influence editorial decisions.

  • All submitted manuscripts are peer-reviewed by at least two experts in the field.

  • Editors may desk-reject manuscripts that fall outside the journal’s scope, lack scientific merit, or fail to meet quality or originality standards.

2. Editorial Roles

  • Section Editors oversee manuscript reviews and ensure timely decisions.

  • Assistant Editors assist with journal promotion, production, and expansion.

  • Copy Editors ensure grammatical, stylistic, and formatting accuracy.

3. Confidentiality

  • Editors assess manuscripts based solely on academic merit.

  • Editors must not disclose any manuscript content to unauthorized individuals.

4. Fair Play

  • Manuscripts are evaluated objectively, without regard to the author’s background or affiliations.

  • All authors are treated with fairness, transparency, and respect.

5. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

  • Editors must not use unpublished manuscript data for personal research without explicit permission.

  • Editors must recuse themselves from handling any manuscript where a conflict of interest exists.

  • Editors are responsible for investigating ethical concerns, issuing retractions or corrections when necessary, and following COPE guidelines during such proceedings.

EDITORIAL BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Editorial and Ethical Oversight

  • The Editorial Board comprises recognized experts who support the journal’s quality and ethical standards.

  • They advise the Editor-in-Chief on ethical issues and publication appeals.

  • Members may contribute content, assist in attracting submissions, and help shape editorial policy and scope.

2. Confidentiality & Fair Review

  • Manuscripts are assessed solely on academic merit and kept confidential.

  • Board members should not disclose manuscript content or reviewer identities without authorization.

  • Objectivity, fairness, and non-discrimination are expected throughout the editorial process.

3. Conflicts of Interest

  • Editorial Board members must declare any conflicts and avoid using privileged information for personal gain.

  • They assist in resolving reviewer disagreements and contribute to policy enforcement.

REVIEWER RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Contribution to Decisions

  • Reviewers assist editors in making publication decisions and in improving manuscript quality.

2. Timeliness

  • Reviewers should inform the editor promptly if unable to review or meet deadlines so alternative reviewers can be assigned.

3. Confidentiality

  • Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential documents.

4. Objectivity

  • Reviews should be conducted impartially and supported by constructive arguments.

  • Personal attacks on authors are unacceptable.

5. Acknowledgement of Sources

  • Reviewers must identify unreferenced relevant work and notify editors of significant overlaps with other publications.

6. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

  • Reviewers must declare conflicts of interest and abstain from reviewing in such cases.

  • Unpublished data or ideas must not be used for personal advantage.

AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Reporting Standards

  • Authors must ensure their work is accurate, original, and clearly reported.

  • Fabrication, falsification, or misleading reporting is unethical and unacceptable.

2. Data Access and Retention

  • Authors may be required to share raw data and retain it for at least 10 years post-publication, respecting privacy and legal restrictions.

3. Originality and Plagiarism

  • Submissions must be original, with proper citation of others’ work.

  • The journal uses plagiarism detection tools (e.g., Turnitin) and allows a maximum of 20% similarity.

4. Multiple and Redundant Submissions

  • Manuscripts must not be under consideration elsewhere or published previously in a similar form.

5. Acknowledgement of Sources

  • Proper credit must be given to all referenced work and contributors.

6. Authorship

  • Authorship is limited to individuals who significantly contributed to the work.

  • All co-authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission.

7. Ethical Considerations

  • Studies involving humans or animals must be approved by an appropriate ethics committee.

  • Informed consent and privacy protection are mandatory.

8. Conflicts of Interest

  • Authors must disclose any financial or other conflicts that could influence their work.

9. Participation in Peer Review

  • Authors must respond to reviewer comments in a timely and thorough manner and revise their manuscripts accordingly.

10. Corrections of Errors

  • Authors must inform the Editor-in-Chief of any significant errors in their published work and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions.

11. Compliance

  • Authors must follow the journal’s submission guidelines and complete the submission checklist.

PUBLISHER RESPONSIBILITIES

  • The publisher ensures that all parties—editors, reviewers, authors—adhere to best practices and ethical publishing standards.

  • Supports proper editorial processes, timely production, and academic indexing.

  • Collaborates with the editorial team to refine policies and uphold journal quality.

  • Assists in investigating and addressing misconduct or publication disputes.

  • Promotes inclusion and non-discrimination across all activities.

  • Regularly reviews and updates journal policies to reflect current ethical standards.