Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
STOU Academic Journal of Research and Innovation (Humanities and Social Science)

STOU Academic Journal of Research and Innovation (Humanities and Social Science) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against any publication malpractices. Our guidelines are based on the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) Core Practices. The responsibilities of editors, reviewers, and authors are outlined as follows:

1. Duties of Editors

  • Publication Decisions: The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding which articles submitted to the journal should be published based on their academic merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to the authors' race, gender, religious belief, or institutional affiliation.
  • Impartiality and Transparency: Editors must ensure a fair peer-review process. If a conflict of interest arises regarding a manuscript, the editor must recuse themselves and delegate the decision-making process to another member of the editorial board.
  • Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and the publisher.
  • Integrity and Plagiarism Detection: Editors must ensure that all manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using reliable software and must take appropriate action if research misconduct is suspected

2. Duties of Reviewers

  • Objectivity: Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
  • Confidentiality: Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.
  • Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors or institutions connected to the papers.
  • Promptness: Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse themselves from the review process.

3. Duties of Authors

  • Originality and Submission: Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original and has not been published elsewhere or is not currently under consideration by another journal (Duplicate Submission).
  • Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism: Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given.
  • Human and Animal Rights: * Research involving human subjects or animals must be approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee. The approval number must be clearly stated in the methodology section.
    • Authors must ensure that the research was conducted according to the principle of Informed Consent and that the privacy and confidentiality of participants are strictly protected.
  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.
  • Fundamental Errors in Published Works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

4. Handling Research Misconduct

  • Fabrication and Falsification: The journal does not tolerate data fabrication (making up data) or falsification (manipulating research materials or changing results) under any circumstances.
  • Investigation Process: In cases of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication, or plagiarism, the editor will follow the COPE flowcharts to investigate and address the situation, which may include contacting the author’s institution.
  • Sanctions: If misconduct is confirmed, the journal reserves the right to issue a formal retraction and may impose a temporary ban on future submissions from the authors involved.

Note: STOU Academic, Research, and Innovation Journal (Humanities and Social Sciences) strictly adheres to the COPE Core Practices in all aspects of the publication process.