Author Policies

  1. Withdrawal Policy
  2. Author’s Agreement Form
  3. Plagiarism Policy
  4. Participant/Patient Privacy and Informed Consent
  5. Manuscript Preparation
  6. Complaints Policy
  7. Data Sharing Policy
  8. Digital Preservation
  9. Rights and Grants to the Author
  10. Errata, Retractions, and Corrigenda Policy
  11. APC Waiver Policy
  12. English Language Editing
  13. Submission of Manuscript
  14. Sample Paper
  15. Article Processing Charge
  16. Check List
  17. Licensing Policy
  18. Copyright Policy
  19. Open Access Policy
  20. Human and Animal Rights Policy

Withdrawal Policy

The Withdrawal Policy outlines the process by which authors may retract a manuscript from the journal after submission but before publication. Authors must notify the editorial team immediately and provide a valid reason for withdrawal. The request will be reviewed by the editorial board, and if the manuscript has not yet entered the production phase, it will be withdrawn with no further action. If the manuscript has reached the production stage, authors may be required to pay any incurred costs. In cases of unethical behavior, such as fraud or data manipulation, the journal reserves the right to formally notify the authors’ affiliated institution or funding body. The policy ensures transparency and fairness in managing retracted submissions.

Author’s Agreement Form

The Author’s Agreement Form is a mandatory document to be signed by all contributing authors upon manuscript submission. This form confirms that the authors have read, understood, and agreed to the journal’s policies, including copyright, authorship criteria, and ethical guidelines. The form outlines each author's responsibility for the content, including data accuracy, adherence to ethical standards, and compliance with the journal's open access publication model. It also grants the journal the right to publish, distribute, and reproduce the manuscript upon acceptance. Authors may also confirm that they have no conflicts of interest related to the submission.

Plagiarism Policy

The Plagiarism Policy aims to ensure the originality and academic integrity of all published content in the journal. All submitted manuscripts will undergo plagiarism checks using standard software to identify similarities with existing published work. Any form of plagiarism, whether self-plagiarism, verbatim copying, or unauthorized paraphrasing, is strictly prohibited. Authors found guilty of plagiarism will be asked to retract the manuscript, and the case may be reported to the authors’ affiliated institutions or funding bodies. The journal upholds the highest ethical standards and promotes transparency and proper citation practices.

Participant/Patient Privacy and Informed Consent

The journal adheres to ethical standards concerning the privacy and confidentiality of research participants or patients. Authors must ensure that they have obtained written informed consent from participants involved in the study, and that privacy is maintained throughout the research process. Personal identifiers should be removed from any data published in the manuscript, unless explicit consent is provided by participants. The journal may require authors to submit documentation proving informed consent and adherence to relevant privacy regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or equivalent laws in the jurisdiction of the study.

Manuscript Preparation

Authors are expected to prepare manuscripts in accordance with the journal’s specified formatting guidelines, which include instructions on structuring the article, referencing style, and submission requirements. The manuscript must be written in clear, concise, and scholarly English, following the journal’s style for headings, tables, figures, and citations. Authors should ensure their work is original, includes appropriate literature references, and presents findings transparently and ethically. Manuscripts should be submitted in editable text formats, such as Word or LaTeX, with supplementary material, including images and tables, provided in high-quality formats.

Complaints Policy

The Complaints Policy outlines the procedure for authors, reviewers, or readers to file complaints regarding any aspect of the journal’s operations. This includes issues related to the peer review process, editorial decisions, ethical concerns, or publication errors. Complaints should be submitted in writing to the journal’s editorial team, who will address the issue promptly. The editorial team will review the complaint and take necessary action, which may involve consulting the authors, reviewers, or external experts. If a complaint is found to be justified, appropriate corrective measures will be implemented, and the complainant will be informed of the resolution.

Data Sharing Policy

The journal encourages open data sharing and expects authors to make the data supporting their research findings available for public access, whenever possible. Authors are required to deposit their raw data, analysis code, or other relevant datasets in a recognized open-access repository linked to their publication. This practice ensures that research can be validated and reused by other scholars. The journal recognizes that some data may be sensitive, proprietary, or protected by privacy laws, and in such cases, authors should clearly explain any restrictions to data sharing in the manuscript. Authors must comply with applicable laws and ethical standards regarding data sharing.

Digital Preservation

The Digital Preservation Policy ensures the long-term availability of the journal’s content. All accepted manuscripts are stored in trusted, secure digital archives to preserve them for future access. The journal follows best practices for archiving, using platforms that guarantee the continued availability of articles, even if the journal itself undergoes changes or ceases publication. Authors are assured that their work will remain accessible, and they will be able to refer to it in perpetuity. This policy is critical in maintaining the integrity and permanence of scientific knowledge in the digital age.

Rights and Grants to the Author

Upon submission and acceptance of a manuscript, authors grant the journal a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute, and reproduce their work. Authors retain copyright ownership of their manuscript, but the journal has the right to disseminate the content in both digital and print formats. The journal ensures that authors retain the right to use their work in future academic endeavors, including in their dissertations, books, and presentations. Additionally, the rights granted by the author allow the journal to comply with open access requirements, making the work freely available to the public under the appropriate license.

Errata, Retractions, and Corrigenda Policy

The Errata, Retractions, and Corrigenda Policy ensures that corrections to the published content are handled transparently. In cases where a published article contains errors that affect the integrity or conclusions of the work, authors may request an erratum or corrigendum. If substantial errors are identified post-publication, the article may be retracted. Retractions are typically applied when errors or misconduct undermine the validity of the research, including plagiarism or data falsification. All retractions, errata, and corrigenda are clearly marked and published with the original article to maintain academic integrity and ensure transparency.

APC Waiver Policy

The Article Processing Charge (APC) Waiver Policy aims to support authors from low-income countries or those facing financial constraints. Under certain circumstances, authors may apply for a waiver or reduction of the APC, which is typically required for the publication of accepted manuscripts in the journal. The waiver request must be supported by proof of the author’s financial situation or a justification from their institution. Each waiver request is assessed on a case-by-case basis, and the decision is made by the editorial team. This policy ensures that financial barriers do not prevent the dissemination of valuable research.

English Language Editing

The journal provides an English language editing service to help authors whose first language is not English. The service assists in improving the clarity, grammar, and readability of the manuscript to meet the journal’s high publication standards. Authors are encouraged to utilize professional editing services before submission to ensure the quality and accuracy of the language. This support is essential for maintaining the journal’s commitment to publishing high-quality, understandable research, but authors are ultimately responsible for the content and accuracy of their work.

Submission of Manuscript

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s online submission system, which allows authors to upload their documents and track the progress of their submission. The system also facilitates communication between authors, editors, and reviewers. Authors are required to submit their work in the specified format, including necessary supplementary files (e.g., tables, figures, or data). Submission entails a commitment to the journal’s policies, including those regarding originality, ethical standards, and peer review. The submission process also includes an author checklist to ensure all necessary components are included.

Sample Paper

The journal provides a sample paper to guide authors in manuscript preparation. The sample paper includes the required formatting, structure, and referencing style, offering a clear example of how to organize and present research for submission. Authors are encouraged to review the sample before preparing their manuscript to ensure that all formatting requirements are met. This template helps maintain consistency across submissions and improves the overall quality of publications. It also serves as a reference for authors unfamiliar with the journal’s specific submission guidelines.

Article Processing Charge

The Article Processing Charge (APC) covers the costs of publishing and disseminating articles in an open-access format. The APC helps cover editorial, peer review, production, and digital hosting costs. The charge is typically applicable upon acceptance of the manuscript, and the fee is disclosed upfront. Authors who are unable to pay the APC may apply for a waiver or reduction, as specified in the APC Waiver Policy. The APC ensures that the journal remains sustainable while providing authors with global exposure through open-access publication.

Check List

The Author Submission Checklist ensures that all required materials and information are provided when submitting a manuscript. The checklist includes verifying that the manuscript follows the journal’s formatting guidelines, includes appropriate citations, adheres to ethical standards, and is accompanied by any required declarations (such as conflicts of interest). Authors must also confirm that the manuscript is original and has not been submitted elsewhere. This checklist helps streamline the submission process and ensures that manuscripts meet the journal’s editorial standards before they are sent for peer review.

Licensing Policy

The journal operates under an open-access licensing model, typically using a Creative Commons (CC) license to make all articles freely available to the public. The licensing policy allows readers to access, download, and share articles with proper attribution, depending on the type of Creative Commons license applied. Authors retain the copyright to their work, but they grant the journal a license to distribute it openly. This policy aligns with the journal’s mission to promote the widespread dissemination of knowledge and foster academic collaboration.

Copyright Policy

Under the Copyright Policy, authors retain the copyright to their work but grant the journal a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute, and reproduce the article in any format. The policy also emphasizes the author’s responsibility to ensure that the work does not infringe upon the copyrights of others, such as through the improper use of copyrighted material without permission or attribution. The journal adheres to copyright laws and works to ensure that the work is accessible while respecting the intellectual property rights of authors and other content creators.

Open Access Policy

The Open Access Policy ensures that all articles published in the journal are freely available to the public, promoting global access to research. The policy aligns with the principles of open access, allowing readers to download, distribute, and reuse articles with proper attribution. This model eliminates subscription barriers, making research accessible to a broader audience, including researchers, policymakers, and the general public. Authors benefit from wider visibility, while the journal’s content is preserved and disseminated to support academic collaboration and knowledge advancement.

Human and Animal Rights Policy

The Human and Animal Rights Policy requires that all research involving human participants or animals adheres to the highest ethical standards. For human participants, authors must obtain informed consent, and the research must be approved by an institutional review board or ethics committee. Studies involving animals must comply with ethical guidelines and be approved by an institutional animal care and use committee. The journal adheres to international ethical standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki for human research and the guidelines set by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).