In making a submission to the journal, the authors confirm that:
- The paper presents original work that has not been published previously in the same or similar form, and that is not being considered for publication elsewhere.
- All authors are aware of the paper and approve its submission for publication.
- The paper conforms to the general policy of plagiarism and publication ethics, which covers the following issues:
- Plagiarism. It is the unauthorized and/or unacknowledged use or imitation of works, language, and ideas of another researcher. Beyond the literal copying of other authors’ work without acknowledging, also copying substantial elements of work is plagiarism. Authors have to ensure that they clearly cite, reference, and acknowledge all instances where they have used or been influenced by the work of others, including their own previously published articles. If an article reproduces research material, tables, images, or quotations of a substantial nature, the author must receive permission to use that material and fully acknowledge the owner and/or copyright owner of that material. Authors should also be aware of self-plagiarism, which is not acceptable; see redundant publication below.
- Self-plagiarism (Redundant submission). This may occur where an author presents in an article some items that he or she has previously published in his or her other works and makes no reference to those other works. Redundant publication is also the multiple publication or submission of the same research to different journals by an author. This includes the publication of an article in different languages. It includes the reuse of substantial portions of articles without acknowledgment of prior publication. Any article found to have been submitted to or under consideration by more than one journal will not be accepted.
- Fragmenting research findings. It is the practice of dividing the results into parts in order to increase the number of possible articles available for publication
- Article authorship. The author, who acts on behalf of a group (signs the Consent to Publish & Transfer of Copyright form) has to gather the full authorization of each contributing author. No one who made a meaningful contribution to the article should be left out. Similarly, individuals who did not make a meaningful scientific contribution should not be included as contributing authors.
- Conflicts of interest and funding bodies. Relationships that could be viewed as presenting a potential conflict of interest must be disclosed to the journal Editor at the submission stage. Authors should identify individuals who have provided writing or other assistance and disclose the funding source for the assistance. Any affiliation with any organization with a financial interest, direct or indirect, in the subject matter of materials discussed in the manuscript should be explicitly stated.
See more: publication ethics
Multiple submission or multiple publications of research is unethical. It puts a critical burden on the time of the editors and reviewers that form research communities and contribute to the publication of scholarly journals.