Ethical Guidelines

1. Overview 2. Ethical Responsibilities of Editors 3. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors 4. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers 5. Ethical Responsibilities of Publisher 6. Authorship/Contributorship & Changes in Authorship 7. Manuscript Submission Policy & Manuscript Withdrawal Policy 8. Plagiarism & Misconduct Policy 9. Copyright, Licensing & Intellectual Property Right 10. Ethics Approval for Human & Animal Research 11. Informed Consent & Confidentiality 12. Acknowledgments, Corrections, Retractions, Expressions of Concern, Complaints & Appeals 13. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Large Language Model (LLM) 14. Post-Publication Policy 15. Open Access Policy 16. Data Integrity, Availability & Reproducibility 17. Open Access Policy

  1. OVERVIEW

The Editor-in-Chief and editorial board of the Journal of Recent Advances in Applied Sciences are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct, transparency, integrity, and professionalism in scholarly publishing. The journal editorial policies are developed in accordance with its aims and scope and are aligned with internationally accepted publishing standards.  Journal of Recent Advances in Applied Sciences is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and follows the guidelines and best-practice principles recommended by recognized international organizations, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, and the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association (WMA). All authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and publishing personnel are required to uphold these ethical principles at every stage of the scholarly publishing process, including manuscript submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, publication, and post-publication activities.

  1. ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF EDITORS

The Editor-in-Chief and the editorial team are committed to ensuring that all submitted manuscripts are handled with fairness, integrity, confidentiality, and impartiality throughout the editorial and peer-review process. Editorial decisions are made independently and are based solely on the scholarly quality and merit of the work.

Editors are responsible for the following:

  1. Fair and Unbiased Evaluation: All manuscripts are assessed exclusively on their scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, relevance to the journal's scope, ethical compliance, and clarity of presentation. Editorial decisions are made without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, institutional affiliation, religious beliefs, political views, or personal relationships.
  2. Editorial Decision-Making: Acceptance, revision, or rejection decisions are based on the recommendations of independent peer reviewers, the journal's editorial policies, and the overall academic quality of the manuscript. Editors ensure that decisions remain objective, transparent, and free from external influence.
  3. Confidentiality: Editors maintain strict confidentiality throughout the editorial process. Information regarding submitted manuscripts is disclosed only to the corresponding author, reviewers, editorial staff directly involved in the evaluation process, or others when required by ethical or legal obligations.
  4. Conflict of Interest: Editors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which personal, professional, financial, or institutional relationships could compromise impartiality. Such manuscripts are assigned to another qualified editor.
  5. Editorial Independence: The journal maintains complete editorial independence. Editorial decisions are made without influence from publishers, sponsors, advertisers, institutions, or any external organizations, ensuring that academic integrity remains the primary consideration.
  6. Publication Ethics and Misconduct: Editors are responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record. They take appropriate action when allegations or evidence of plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication or falsification, unethical research practices, image manipulation, authorship disputes, or other forms of publication misconduct arise. Investigations are conducted in accordance with established ethical guidelines, and appropriate corrective measures, including corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions—are implemented when necessary.
  7. Post-Publication Responsibility: Editors remain responsible for addressing ethical concerns that emerge after publication and for taking timely corrective action to preserve the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of the published scientific record.

 

  1. ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF AUTHORS
  1. Authors submitting manuscripts to the journal are expected to uphold the highest standards of research integrity and publication ethics. They must ensure that the submitted work is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration by any other journal at the time of submission.
  2. All sources, data, ideas, and previously published materials used in the manuscript must be properly cited and acknowledged. Plagiarism, duplicate publication, text recycling without proper attribution, fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data is strictly prohibited.
  3. Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the study. All listed authors must review and approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission.
  4. Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, authenticity, and reliability of the data presented in their work. Any financial, institutional, personal, or professional conflicts of interest that may influence the research or its interpretation must be clearly disclosed.
  5. For studies involving human participants, animals, clinical data, or sensitive information, authors must obtain appropriate ethical approval from a recognized ethics committee or institutional review board. Such research must be conducted in accordance with relevant ethical standards, guidelines, and applicable regulations.

4. ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF REVIEWERS

  1. All manuscripts submitted to the journal are evaluated through a structured peer-review process, as outlined in the journal peer-review policy. Depending on the journal review model, submissions may be assessed through single-blind, double-blind, or open peer review.
  2. Reviewers and editors are expected to follow recognized ethical standards, including the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. Reviewers play an important role in maintaining the quality, integrity, and credibility of scholarly publishing.
  3. Reviewers are required to treat all manuscripts and related materials as strictly confidential. They must not share, discuss, or use unpublished content for personal, professional, or financial benefit. Reviews should be fair, objective, constructive, and based only on the academic and scientific merit of the work.
  4. Reviewers should submit their reports within the specified timeframe. If they are unable to complete the review on time, lack the necessary expertise, or identify any conflict of interest, they should promptly inform the editor and decline the review when appropriate.
  5. Reviewers are also encouraged to point out relevant published studies that have not been cited by the authors, where applicable. Any potential conflict of interest, whether financial, institutional, personal, or professional, must be disclosed before accepting the review assignment.
  6. Manuscripts submitted by editors or editorial board members are handled independently to ensure impartiality. In such cases, the submitting editor is excluded from all editorial decisions and review-related processes concerning the manuscript.

5. ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF PUBLISHER

The publisher is responsible for supporting ethical and transparent publishing practices. It ensures that editorial decisions are made independently and are not influenced by commercial, financial, or external interests. The publisher also facilitates the fair handling of ethical concerns, complaints, and appeals in accordance with established journal policies. When necessary, the publisher supports the publication of corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

6. AUTHORSHIP/CONTRIBUTORSHIP & CHANGES IN AUTHORSHIP

  1. Authorship should be granted only to individuals who have made meaningful intellectual contributions to the submitted work. Each listed author must have participated substantially in the study and should meet the accepted criteria for authorship.
  2. To qualify as an author, an individual should have contributed to one or more key aspects of the work, including the conception or design of the study, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of findings, drafting of the manuscript, or critical revision for important intellectual content. All authors must review and approve the version submitted to the journal as well as the final version accepted for publication. They must also agree to take responsibility for the integrity, accuracy, and accountability of all aspects of the work.
  3. All listed authors are required to approve the manuscript before submission and before final publication. Contributors who have supported the work but do not fulfil the criteria for authorship should be recognized in the acknowledgements section, with their permission where applicable.
  4. At the time of submission, authors must provide clear author contribution statements, details of funding or financial support, conflict of interest disclosures, ethical approval information where relevant, and an AI declaration if any artificial intelligence tools were used in the preparation, analysis, writing, editing, or development of the manuscript.
  5. Any request to add, remove, or rearrange author names after manuscript submission must be formally submitted by the corresponding author. The request should include a clear and detailed explanation for the proposed change, along with written confirmation and consent from all authors affected by the modification. All authorship change requests will be carefully reviewed by the editorial office and handled in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
  1. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION & MANUSCRIPT WITHDRAWAL POLICY

Manuscript Submission Policy

All manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with the journal Instructions for Authors and any applicable reporting guidelines relevant to the study design. The journal accepts submissions only through its official online manuscript submission system. Manuscripts sent by email or through any unofficial route will not be processed or considered for review. By submitting a manuscript, the authors confirm that the work is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration by any other journal. Authors also confirm that all listed authors have read, reviewed, and approved the submitted manuscript. Where applicable, the required ethical approvals, informed consent, and permissions must have been obtained before submission. Authors are also responsible for declaring all sources of funding and any potential conflicts of interest. The corresponding or submitting author is responsible for all communication with the journal throughout the submission, peer-review, editorial decision, and publication process.

Manuscript Withdrawal Policy

Requests to withdraw a manuscript must be submitted formally by the corresponding author using the registered email address. The request should clearly state the reason for withdrawal. Withdrawal requests received during peer review, after completion of peer review, or after acceptance will be assessed by the editorial team on a case-by-case basis. The journal reserves the right to reject a withdrawal request if there are unresolved concerns related to publication ethics, authorship disputes, duplicate submission, misconduct, or other editorial issues. In certain circumstances, the Editorial Team may require written confirmation or consent from all listed authors before approving the withdrawal request. Silent, unjustified, or unethical withdrawal of a manuscript after acceptance may be treated as a violation of publication ethics.

  1. PLAGIARISM AND MISCONDUCT POLICY

All manuscripts submitted to the journal may be screened for textual similarity using recognized plagiarism-detection tools. The editorial office reviews similarity reports carefully to identify possible concerns, including plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, redundant publication, and inappropriate or misleading citation practices. Manuscripts showing unacceptable levels of similarity or evidence of plagiarism may be rejected, returned to the authors for clarification or revision, or subjected to further investigation in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The journal follows the recommendations of COPE, WAME, and ICMJE for the identification, investigation, and management of research and publication misconduct. Research and publication misconduct may include, but is not limited to, plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, inappropriate image alteration, citation manipulation, duplicate or redundant publication, failure to disclose conflicts of interest, violation of ethical approval requirements, manipulation of the peer-review process, and disputes related to authorship. Suspected cases of misconduct may be investigated by the editorial office. Where necessary, such matters may be referred to the authors institutions, ethics committees, funding bodies, or other relevant authorities for further review. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the case, the journal may take appropriate actions, including rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction or retraction, notification of concerned institutions, or temporary or permanent restriction on future submissions.

  1. COPYRIGHT, LICENSING & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT

Copyright and Licensing: Authors are required to complete and submit all applicable copyright and licensing forms before the article is published. Articles are published under the Creative Commons license adopted by the journal. In accordance with the journal open access policy, authors generally retain the copyright of their published work unless otherwise specified.

Intellectual Property:  Authors retain copyright of their articles. Unless clearly stated otherwise on the individual article webpage, articles published by the journal are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share-Alike license (CC BY-NC-SA). Some archived articles or materials originally published under previous publishers or earlier publication agreements may be governed by different licensing terms that were applicable at the time of their original publication. The specific license applicable to each article will be clearly mentioned on the respective article webpage. Authors are responsible for securing permission to use or reproduce any copyrighted material obtained from third-party sources. This includes figures, tables, images, questionnaires, illustrations, and substantial text excerpts. Such permissions must be obtained before manuscript submission. The journal strictly prohibits plagiarism, unauthorized use or reproduction of copyrighted material, copyright infringement, and misuse of published content. Any suspected violation of intellectual property rights or licensing conditions will be reviewed and investigated in accordance with COPE recommendations and relevant copyright policies.

  1. ETHICS APPROVAL FOR HUMAN & ANIMAL RESEARCH

All research involving human participants must receive prior approval from a recognized Institutional Review Board (IRB), institutional ethics committee, or other appropriate ethics review body. The manuscript should clearly state the name of the approving ethics committee, the approval or reference number where applicable, and a confirmation that ethical approval was obtained before the study was conducted. Research involving human participants must be performed in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Studies involving animals must comply with relevant institutional, national, and international ethical standards for animal care and use. Where required, approval from an institutional animal ethics committee or equivalent regulatory body must be obtained and clearly reported in the manuscript.

  1. INFORMED CONSENT & CONFIDENTIALITY

Informed Consent: Written informed consent must be obtained from all research participants, or from their legally authorized representatives or guardians, before their inclusion in any study. Where the manuscript contains identifiable patient information, clinical details, images, photographs, or other materials that may reveal a participant’s identity, specific consent for publication must also be obtained. Authors must include a clear statement in the manuscript confirming that informed consent was obtained wherever required. The journal may request supporting documentation related to consent if considered necessary during editorial review or ethical assessment.
Confidentiality: All manuscripts submitted to the journal are handled as confidential documents. Editors, reviewers, editorial staff, and publishing personnel are required to maintain strict confidentiality throughout the editorial and publication process. Individuals involved in manuscript handling must not disclose the content of submitted manuscripts, share unpublished data, use confidential information for personal benefit, or discuss submissions with anyone outside the authorized editorial process. Manuscripts may be shared only with persons directly involved in editorial assessment, peer review, production, indexing, or ethical investigation, when such sharing is necessary. The responsibility to maintain confidentiality remains in effect even after the peer-review and editorial decision process has been completed.

  1. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, CORRECTIONS, RETRACTIONS, EXPRESSIONS OF CONCERN, COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS

Acknowledgments: The acknowledgments section should recognize individuals, institutions, organizations, or funding bodies that provided support or assistance to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship. Such contributions may include technical assistance, statistical support, editorial or writing help, administrative assistance, institutional support, or financial sponsorship. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from all individuals named in the acknowledgments before publication.
Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern: The journal follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for managing post-publication corrections, updates, and notices. Corrections, including errata or corrigenda, may be issued when an article contains errors that require correction but do not compromise the overall validity or reliability of the scientific findings.
Retractions: may be issued when the findings of an article are considered unreliable due to major error, research misconduct, fabrication or falsification of data, plagiarism, unethical research practices, or other serious concerns affecting the integrity of the work.
Expressions of concern: may be published when significant doubts exist regarding the integrity, reliability, or validity of a published article and an investigation is still ongoing or has not yet been resolved.
All correction notices, retraction notices, and expressions of concern will be clearly linked to the original published article to preserve transparency and accuracy in the scholarly record.
Complaints and Appeals: Complaints related to editorial decisions, peer-review procedures, ethical matters, publication practices, or journal processes may be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief or the publisher. All complaints and appeals will be handled confidentially, fairly, and in accordance with COPE guidance. Appeals against editorial decisions must include a clear explanation of the grounds for appeal, along with relevant evidence or supporting documentation.

  1. USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) & LARGE LANGUAGE MODEL (LLM)

The journal follows the recommendations of WAME and COPE regarding the responsible use of artificial intelligence tools and large language models in scholarly publishing.

  1. AI tools, chatbots, or large language models cannot be listed as authors because they cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, originality, or accountability of the submitted work.
  2. Authors must clearly disclose any use of AI tools in manuscript preparation, including writing assistance, language editing, image preparation, data analysis, literature searching, or any other part of the research or publication process.
  3. The authors remain fully responsible for the content of the manuscript, including the accuracy of information, originality of the work, validity of data, integrity of images and analyses, proper citation of sources, and compliance with ethical standards.
  4. Undisclosed, inappropriate, or unethical use of AI-generated content may be considered a form of publication misconduct and may lead to editorial action in accordance with journal policies and applicable publication ethics guidelines.
  1. POST-PUBLICATION POLICY

The Journal of Recent Advances in Applied Sciences values scholarly communication and supports constructive academic discussion of articles published in the journal. Readers, authors, and researchers may contact the editorial office regarding published articles to seek clarification, report possible errors, or raise concerns about the scientific accuracy, interpretation, validity, or integrity of the published work. When deemed appropriate by the editorial team, the journal may publish letters to the editor, author replies, editorial comments, corrections, or other post-publication notices to ensure transparency and preserve the reliability of the scholarly record. All post-publication comments, queries, and concerns are reviewed by the editorial team in accordance with the journal’s editorial policies and applicable COPE recommendations.

  1. OPEN ACCESS POLICY

The journal is committed to open access publishing and supports the wide dissemination of scientific knowledge. All published articles are made freely available online immediately after publication under the applicable Creative Commons license. Editorial decisions are made independently and are not influenced by commercial interests, advertising, sponsorship, or other financial arrangements.

  1. DATA INTEGRITY, AVAILABILITY & REPRODUCIBILITY

Authors are expected to maintain the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of all data presented in their manuscripts. Wherever possible and appropriate, authors are encouraged to preserve and share research data, study protocols, analytical methods, and other supporting materials to promote transparency, verification, and reproducibility of research findings. Where applicable, manuscripts should include a clear data availability statement, clinical trial registration details, relevant reporting guideline checklists, and links to recognized data repositories or supplementary materials. The editorial team may request access to raw data, study protocols, analysis files, ethical approval documents, or other supporting records during editorial assessment, peer review, or investigation of ethical concerns.

  1. ADHERENCE TO COPE CORE PRACTICES

COPE's core practices, which are followed by Journal of Recent Advances in Applied Sciences are listed below: