At IJSSR, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical publication. We require that all authors, reviewers, and editorial board members adhere strictly to the ethical guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Any instance of ethical misconduct is taken seriously and will be addressed following COPE’s procedures.
Responsibilities of Authors:
• Publication and Submission Fees: Authors are not required to pay any fees upon submission of their manuscripts. A nominal Article Processing Charge (APC) is only applicable once an article has been accepted for publication. This APC is necessary to support the journal’s open access model, ensuring that research is freely accessible to the public. The fee can be covered by the author, their institution, or funding bodies. More information regarding the fee is available on the journal’s website.
• Open Access Policy: All articles published in IJSSR are open access, aimed at promoting the free exchange of knowledge on a global scale.
• Data Access and Retention: Authors should be prepared to provide raw data for review if requested by editors and ensure that the data is retained for a reasonable period post-publication. Public access to such data should be granted whenever feasible.
• Reporting Standards: Research reports must include an accurate and objective account of the work performed and its significance. The paper must provide sufficient detail and references to allow others to replicate the study. Misrepresentation or the presentation of falsified data is considered unethical behavior.
• Plagiarism and Authenticity: Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their work. Proper citation or acknowledgment is required for any work or words borrowed from other authors. IJSSR has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. If plagiarism or falsified data is detected post-publication, an inquiry will be initiated, and the author’s institution or funding agencies will be notified. Depending on the severity, the paper may be retracted or marked accordingly in the journal’s PDF copy.
• Concurrent or Redundant Publication: Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently is prohibited. Such redundant publication is unethical and harms the integrity of academic publishing.
• Acknowledgment of Sources: Proper acknowledgment of others’ contributions is essential. Authors must cite all influential works relevant to their research.
• Co-authorship: All contributors who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have approved the final version of the paper before submission.
• Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Authors must disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that could affect the interpretation of their work. All sources of financial support must also be disclosed.
• Errors in Published Works: If significant errors are found in a published paper, it is the author’s responsibility to promptly notify the journal and cooperate with the editor to correct or retract the paper.
• Hazards and Human/Animal Subjects: Authors must clearly identify any unusual hazards posed by the chemicals, procedures, or equipment used in their research.
Responsibilities of Editors:
• Fair Play: Manuscripts are evaluated based solely on their intellectual merit, regardless of the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, nationality, or political philosophy.
• Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a manuscript under consideration to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and relevant editorial staff.
• Conflict of Interest: Editors must not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for their own research without the author’s express written consent.
• Publication Decisions: The decision to publish a manuscript is based on its significance, originality, and relevance to the journal’s readership, following peer review. Editors must consider legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
• Peer Review: Editors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts undergo a thorough and fair peer review process. They must select appropriate reviewers who possess the necessary expertise and have no conflicts of interest.
Responsibilities of Reviewers:
• Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer reviewers assist the editor in making editorial decisions and provide feedback to authors to help improve the quality of the manuscript.
• Promptness: Reviewers who feel unqualified to review a manuscript or cannot complete the review in a timely manner should notify the editor promptly.
• Objectivity: Reviews must be conducted objectively, with no personal criticism of the author. Feedback should be clear and supported by reasoned arguments.
• Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share the manuscript with others without the editor’s permission.
• Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors, institutions, or companies associated with the paper.
• Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should ensure that previously published work relevant to the manuscript has been properly cited. They must also inform the editor of any similarities between the manuscript under review and other published works known to them.
For further inquiries or ethical concerns, please contact IJSSR at ijssr.in@gmail.com.