Publication Ethics Policy

At Indus Journal of Science, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical conduct in the publication process. This Publication Ethics Policy outlines the responsibilities and expectations for authors, reviewers, editors, and the editorial team to ensure that all published research meets the highest standards of scientific rigor, integrity, and transparency.

1. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors:

• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors are responsible for submitting original work.  Indus Journal of Science, uses plagiarism detection tools to identify any instances of plagiarism, and authors must ensure that all content in their manuscript is properly cited and referenced. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited.

• Data Integrity: Authors must ensure that the data presented in their manuscripts is accurate, reliable, and has not been falsified or manipulated. If errors are identified in the data after publication, authors must promptly report these errors and work with the editorial office to correct them.

• Authorship: All authors listed on a manuscript must have made significant contributions to the research and the manuscript. Authorship should reflect the actual contributions of each individual, and the order of authors should reflect these contributions. All co-authors must approve the final version of the manuscript before submission.

• Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could influence the manuscript’s content. Conflicts of interest should be declared at the time of submission, including funding sources, affiliations, and relationships that might be perceived as influencing the research.

• Ethical Approval for Research Involving Humans and Animals: Authors must obtain approval from a relevant ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB) for research involving human participants or animals. Manuscripts involving human subjects must include a statement of informed consent from participants, and research involving animals must comply with ethical guidelines for animal welfare.

• Acknowledgment of Sources: Authors should appropriately acknowledge all sources of data, ideas, and materials used in their research. This includes properly citing previous work and giving credit to contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship.

2. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers:

• Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents. They should not share or discuss the manuscript with anyone else outside of the review process.

• Impartiality: Reviewers should provide an unbiased evaluation of the manuscript based on scientific merit, relevance to the journal, and clarity of presentation. Personal bias, including bias based on the author’s identity or affiliation, must not influence the review process.

• Timeliness: Reviewers should complete their reviews within the agreed-upon timeframe. If they are unable to meet the deadline, they should notify the editorial office promptly.

• Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest before agreeing to review a manuscript. If they have a personal or professional relationship with the authors, they should recuse themselves from reviewing the manuscript.

• Constructive Feedback: Reviewers should provide clear, constructive, and detailed feedback to authors. This feedback should focus on improving the quality of the manuscript and enhancing the clarity, accuracy, and significance of the research. Reviewers should refrain from making personal or derogatory comments.

3. Ethical Responsibilities of Editors:

• Fairness and Transparency: Editors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts are evaluated fairly and without bias. Editorial decisions should be based on the scientific merit of the work and its relevance to the scope of Indus Journal of Science. Editors should not discriminate based on the author’s nationality, gender, or institutional affiliation.

• Confidentiality: Editors must keep all manuscript submissions confidential and should not disclose any details about the manuscript or review process to third parties unless necessary for the editorial process.

• Handling Conflicts of Interest: Editors must disclose any conflicts of interest with regard to the manuscripts they handle. If an editor has a conflict, they should recuse themselves from the decision-making process and assign the manuscript to another editor.

• Ethical Oversight: Editors must ensure that manuscripts adhere to ethical standards, including the proper handling of research data, protection of human and animal subjects, and adherence to publication ethics. If ethical violations are identified, editors must investigate the matter and take appropriate action.

• Publication Decisions: Editors make the final decision on whether a manuscript is accepted for publication. Editors should base their decisions on the feedback provided by reviewers and ensure that the manuscript meets the journal’s scientific and ethical standards.

• Handling of Corrections and Retractions: Editors are responsible for managing the process of issuing corrections or retractions if errors, ethical violations, or misconduct are identified after publication. Retraction notices should clearly explain the reason for retraction, and the original article will remain in the archive with an appropriate notice.

4. Ethical Guidelines for Research with Human and Animal Subjects:

• Ethical Approval for Human Research: All research involving human participants must be approved by an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee. Authors should include a statement in the manuscript indicating that the study was approved by the relevant body and that informed consent was obtained from participants.

• Ethical Approval for Animal Research: Research involving animals must comply with ethical guidelines for the use and care of animals in research. Authors must provide evidence of ethical approval from an animal ethics committee or equivalent body.

5. Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication:

• Plagiarism Detection: Indus Journal of Science uses plagiarism detection tools to check for instances of plagiarism in submitted manuscripts. Manuscripts that are found to contain plagiarized material will be rejected immediately.

• Duplicate Publication: Authors must not submit the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously. Indus Journal of Science will not accept manuscripts that have been previously published or are under consideration elsewhere. Authors must disclose if parts of the manuscript have been published or are being considered for publication elsewhere.

6. Retractions and Corrections:

• Retraction Policy: If a published article is found to contain serious ethical violations or errors (e.g., data manipulation, plagiarism), it will be retracted. A retraction notice will be issued, and the reason for retraction will be clearly explained.

• Correction Policy: If minor errors are identified post-publication (e.g., typographical errors or citation mistakes), a correction notice will be issued to update the original article. Corrections will be linked to the article and clearly marked as an update.

7. Commitment to Ethical Publishing:

Indus Journal of Science, adheres to the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and is committed to ensuring the highest standards of academic publishing. We aim to foster transparency, fairness, and integrity in all aspects of the publication process.