Publication Ethics
Scholarly Open is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. We follow the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in all our editorial processes.
COPE Best Practices
We align our editorial and ethical policies with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) core practices. These best practices help us handle research integrity issues consistently and transparently.
We use COPE flowcharts and guidance when addressing suspected misconduct, ensuring fair treatment of authors, reviewers, and readers.
COPE Core Practices
- Allegations of misconduct
- Authorship and contributorship
- Complaints and appeals
- Conflicts of interest
- Data and reproducibility
- Ethical oversight
- Post-publication discussions and corrections
Core Principles
These fundamental principles guide all aspects of our publishing activities.
All published research must be conducted ethically and in accordance with established standards. Data must be accurately reported without fabrication or falsification.
All listed authors must have made substantial contributions to the work. Ghost authorship and gift authorship are not acceptable.
Submissions must be original work not previously published or under consideration elsewhere. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.
All potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed, including financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence the work.
Peer review is conducted objectively and confidentially. Reviewers must disclose conflicts and recuse themselves when appropriate.
Editorial processes are transparent and decisions are based on scientific merit. We maintain clear policies on corrections and retractions.
Responsibilities
Ethical publishing is a shared responsibility among all parties involved in the publication process.
Authors
- Ensure the work is original and properly attributes sources
- Obtain necessary permissions for copyrighted material
- Declare all funding sources and potential conflicts of interest
- Obtain ethics approval for research involving humans or animals
- Ensure all listed authors meet authorship criteria
- Respond promptly to editorial queries and revisions
- Notify the editor of any errors discovered after publication
Reviewers
- Provide objective, constructive, and timely reviews
- Maintain confidentiality of the manuscript
- Disclose any conflicts of interest
- Not use unpublished information from manuscripts
- Decline reviews outside their area of expertise
- Alert editors to any ethical concerns
Editors
- Make decisions based solely on academic merit
- Ensure fair and unbiased peer review
- Maintain confidentiality of submissions
- Handle conflicts of interest appropriately
- Investigate and respond to ethical complaints
- Issue corrections or retractions when warranted
- Follow COPE guidelines in handling misconduct
Handling Misconduct
We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and investigate them thoroughly following COPE guidelines.
Investigation Process
All allegations are investigated confidentially. We contact all parties involved and gather relevant evidence before making determinations.
Possible Outcomes
Depending on severity, outcomes may include rejection, correction, expression of concern, retraction, or notification to institutions.
Appeals
Parties may appeal decisions by providing additional evidence or explanations. Appeals are reviewed by senior editorial staff.
Corrections & Retractions
We are committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record through appropriate corrections when needed.
Erratum
Published to correct errors introduced during production that affect the understanding but not the scientific integrity of the work.
Corrigendum
Published to correct author errors that affect the scientific record but do not invalidate the main findings.
Retraction
Reserved for cases where findings are unreliable due to misconduct or honest error, or where ethical violations occurred.
Report Ethical Concerns
If you have concerns about the ethical conduct of any work published by or submitted to our journals, please contact us. All reports are treated confidentially.