Responsibility of the Publisher

Publication ethics

The Publisher will take all reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of articles where misconduct has occurred in either the execution of the research or the writing of the manuscript, as detailed below. Where it suspects or is made aware of any potential misconduct, the Publisher will deal with allegations appropriately, such as by publishing corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies as required. 

Any issues or complaints regarding the journal should be brought to the attention of the Publisher and/or the Editors-in-Chief. 

Copyright and access

Once accepted for publication, articles are edited, typeset (where applicable) and approved by the author. On approval for publication by the author, copyright is transferred to the Publisher, although the author maintains rights to distribute the article, in any medium or format, for non-commercial purposes.

All articles accepted and published in the journal are available to read and download for free.

Responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board

The principal responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board is to determine whether submissions to the journal are appropriate to be published. While ultimate responsibility for publishing lies with the journal Publisher, the Editors have the right to refuse publication of any manuscript, with the ultimate decision left to the Editor-in-Chief. The Editors must ensure that decisions are made on the basis of the manuscript’s merit alone and that the identity, race, gender, religious or political beliefs, ethnicity, or citizenship of the author are not considered.

Responsibility of Reviewers

Purpose of peer review

The peer review process is a crucial component in helping the Publisher and/or Editorial Board reach editorial or publishing decisions, and may also serve the author in improving the quality of the submission.

Suitability and conflicts of interest

A reviewer should withdraw from the review process if they feel unqualified to assess the manuscript, or if they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships/connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.  Manuscripts are reviewed in a double-blind fashion, with author and reviewer identities kept anonymous.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts are considered confidential documents. Information concerning the manuscripts should not be discussed with others without the approval of the Publisher, who should seek permission from the author. Editors and editorial board members will not use unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research purposes without the authors’ explicit, written consent.

Responsibility of the Author

Originality, plagiarism, and acknowledgment of sources

Authors should submit only entirely original works and should appropriately cite or quote the work of others. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Multiple or concurrent publication

Articles should not be submitted if they have been published or are under consideration for publication in another journal.

Authorship

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the writing of the article or execution of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its publication.

Ethical approval and informed consent

All novel research should be conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the 2013 Declaration of Helsinki. All articles reporting on novel research conducted in human participants should contain a statement that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines, and that the work was approved by the appropriate institutional committee(s). No participant-identifying information should be published in the journal, unless with the participant’s written, informed consent.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

All sources of financial support for the article or study should be disclosed. Where the authors feel there may be a financial or other conflict of interest that could influence the study results or writing of the article, these should be disclosed when submitting the manuscript.

Corrections and retractions

If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is the author’s responsibility to promptly notify the journal editor or Publisher, and to cooperate with the editorial team to correct the error or retract the publication. Where the Publisher identifies such an error, the author should cooperate with the editorial team to correct the error or retract the publication.