The International Journal of Emerging Knowledge Studies (IJEKS) upholds the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all necessary measures to combat publication malpractices. Our guidelines align with the COPE Principles of Transparency and Best Practice Guidelines and the COPE Code of Conduct. For more details, visit: https://publicationethics.org.

Publication ethics play a critical role in ensuring the global quality of research. This section outlines ethical standards for editors, authors, and reviewers. The publisher’s role is to support timely and ethical publishing without interfering with the content’s integrity.

Editorial Responsibilities

1. Decision-making: Editors are responsible for accepting or rejecting manuscripts based on importance, originality, clarity, and relevance. Submissions must be processed promptly.
2. Reviewer selection: Editors must choose qualified reviewers with relevant expertise and no conflicts of interest to evaluate submissions objectively.
3. Confidentiality: Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential and should not be discussed or shared with anyone outside the review process.
4. Publication decisions: Editors have the final say on which manuscripts will be published, guided by the journal’s policies and legal requirements, such as copyright and plagiarism laws.
5. Conflict of interest: Editors should avoid conflicts of interest concerning manuscripts, including relationships with authors or funders.
6. Reviewer anonymity: Editors and staff should ensure reviewer identities remain confidential before and after publication.

Reviewer Responsibilities

1. Editorial support: Reviewers assist editors in making editorial decisions and help authors improve their manuscripts through constructive feedback.
2. Ethical obligations: Reviewers must comment on any ethical concerns and potential misconduct, including plagiarism or fabrication.
3. Timely reviews: Reviewers should complete reviews within the designated timeframe. If unable to do so, they should notify the editor promptly.
4. Confidentiality: Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential. Information gained during the review process should not be used for personal advantage.
5. Objective reviews: Reviews should be objective, with criticism focused on the work, not the author. Suggestions must be supported by clear arguments.
6. Citation verification: Reviewers should identify missing citations of relevant work and notify the editor of any significant overlap with other publications.
7. Incompetence disclosure: If a reviewer feels unqualified to assess a manuscript, they must inform the editor and withdraw from the review process.

Author Responsibilities

1. Ethical research: Research must be conducted responsibly and ethically, complying with all relevant laws and regulations.
2. Data integrity: Authors should present their findings honestly, avoiding fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of data.
3. Authorship criteria: The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included and that all co-authors have approved the manuscript’s final version.
4. Originality: Manuscripts should be original and not plagiarized. Authors should properly cite or quote any use of others’ work.
5. Avoiding duplicate submissions: Authors should not submit the same research to more than one journal at the same time or republish work in multiple outlets.
6. Data transparency: Authors may be asked to provide raw data and should be prepared to make the data publicly accessible if required.
7. Corrections: If an author discovers a significant error in their work, they must promptly notify the editor and cooperate in retracting or correcting the paper.

Dealing with Potential Misconduct

Editors are required to act if they suspect or are alerted to misconduct, whether in published or unpublished papers. They must seek responses from the involved parties, and if unsatisfied, they should escalate the matter to the author’s institution or relevant authorities. Editors are responsible for ensuring a proper investigation is conducted and should make reasonable efforts to resolve the issue.

Plagiarism

Manuscripts submitted to the journal are checked for plagiarism. Authors submitting manuscripts declare that their work is original and free of plagiarism. While the editor makes reasonable efforts to verify the integrity of submissions, ultimate responsibility for originality lies with the author. Plagiarism occurs when one author uses another’s work without permission, credit, or acknowledgment. Authors must give appropriate credit to the work of others.

Ethical Oversight

Research involving chemicals, human or animal subjects, or equipment with inherent hazards must be identified in the manuscript to ensure compliance with ethical standards. Authors must provide legal or ethical clearance where required. For research involving confidential data or business practices, authors must ensure the data is securely handled.

Disclaimer

The International Journal of Emerging Knowledge Studies Editorial Board makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the content in its publications. However, the Editors and Reviewers make no guarantees about the completeness, accuracy, or suitability of the content for any purpose and disclaim all such representations and warranties to the maximum extent permitted by law. Any views expressed in published articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors.