Fair play and editorial independence
The manuscripts submitted must be evaluated by the editors exclusively on the basis of their
relevance to the scope of the journal and their academic merit (importance, originality,
study’s validity, clarity). The authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin,
citizenship, religious belief, political philosophy, or institutional affiliation should not
be taken into consideration while evaluating the manuscripts. Apart from the journal, decisions
to edit and publish will not be determined by the policies of governments or any other agencies.
In the same regard, the Editor-in-Chief will have full authority over the entire editorial content
of the journal and the timing of publication of that content.
Confidentiality
This journal operates as a double-blind review process. In accordance with the publishing norms and keeping in
view the review process, it will be the Editors and editorial staff's responsibility to ensure to details about
the submitted manuscript is shared with anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential
reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.
Disclosure and conflicts of interest
Unpublished information from a manuscript will not be used by Editors and editorial board members for their
own research purposes without the authors’ explicit written consent. Privileged information or ideas obtained
by editors as a result of handling the manuscript will be kept confidential and not used for their personal
advantage. Editors will recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of
interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships/connections with any of the
authors, companies or institutions connected to the papers; instead, they will ask another member of the
editorial board to handle the manuscript.
Publication decisions
In accordance with the peer review process of the journal, the editors will ensure that all submitted
manuscripts being considered for publication undergo double-blind peer-review by at least two reviewers
who are experts in the field. Based on the evaluation process, the Editor-in-Chief will be responsible for
deciding which of the manuscripts submitted to the journal will be published. The criteria for the same will
be based on the validation of the work in question, its importance to researchers and readers, the reviewers’
comments, and such legal requirements as are currently in force regarding libel, copyright infringement, and
plagiarism. The Editor-in-Chief may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.
Involvement and cooperation in investigations
Editors (in conjunction with the publisher and/or society) will take responsive measures when ethical
concerns are raised with regard to a submitted manuscript or published paper by following the
COPE Flowcharts when dealing with cases of suspected misconduct. Every reported act of unethical
publishing behavior will be looked into, even if it is discovered years after publication. If upon
investigation, the ethical concern is well-founded, a correction, retraction, expression of concern,
or other note as may be relevant, will be published in the journal.
