Public Ethics
Publication Ethics & Malpractice Policy – JournalStack
COPE compliant ethical standards for publication across all JournalStack journals.
Introduction
JournalStack is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics. This Publication Ethics & Malpractice Policy is based on the guidelines and best practices of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) and applies to all journals under JournalStack.
Responsibilities of Authors
- Authors must ensure their work is original, accurate, and not submitted elsewhere.
- All sources must be properly cited; plagiarism is strictly prohibited.
- Data and methods must be presented transparently and reproducibly.
- Authors must disclose all conflicts of interest.
- Studies involving human or animal subjects must include ethics approval.
- Authors must promptly report any major errors discovered after publication.
Responsibilities of Editors
- Editors must ensure fair, transparent, and timely review of all submissions.
- Editorial decisions must be based solely on scholarly merit and relevance.
- Editors must not discriminate based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or nationality.
- Editors must maintain confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts.
- Editors must manage conflicts of interest and recuse themselves when necessary.
- Editors must take appropriate action in cases of misconduct.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
- Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly, and promptly.
- Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and avoid unauthorized sharing of content.
- Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest before accepting a review.
- Reviewers must identify relevant published work not cited by the authors.
- Reviewers must not use manuscript content for personal research.
Publication Malpractice
JournalStack prohibits all forms of unethical behavior including:
- Plagiarism (text, data, or image plagiarism).
- Fabrication or falsification of data.
- Duplicate publication or redundant submission.
- Improper authorship attribution (ghost, gift, or coerced authorship).
- Attempting to influence the peer review process.
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Handling of Misconduct
• All allegations of misconduct will be investigated following COPE flowcharts.
• Authors will be contacted with an opportunity to respond.
• If misconduct is confirmed, actions may include:
– Rejection of the manuscript
– Retraction of published articles
– Publication of correction or expression of concern
– Notification to the authors’ institutions
– Banning authors from future submissions
Retraction & Correction Policy
- Articles may be retracted if evidence of major violations or data manipulation is found.
- Corrections will be issued for minor errors that do not affect overall conclusions.
- Retractions include explanations and remain accessible to ensure transparency.
Data Sharing & Transparency
- Authors must retain raw data for verification if requested.
- Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to deposit datasets in public repositories.
- Transparent reporting of methods, analysis, and code is strongly recommended.
Copyright & Licensing
- All articles are published under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY).
- Authors retain copyright.
- Authors grant JournalStack the right to publish and distribute the work
Archiving & Preservation
- JournalStack uses digital preservation systems such as PKP PN, LOCKSS, and CLOCKSS.
- All published articles remain permanently accessible.
Contact Information
For ethical concerns or misconduct reporting:
Email: ethics@journalstack.com
Website: www.journalstack.com
Committed to Publication Ethics
JournalStack promotes academic integrity through COPE-compliant ethical standards.