EDITORIAL POLICIES

At SPJ Publication, we are dedicated to upholding the integrity of the scientific record by adhering to strict Publication Ethics and a Publication Malpractice Statement. Our commitment is firmly rooted in the principles outlined by the Code of Conduct and Best Publishing Practices within the realm of scientific publications.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism, which involves misrepresenting someone else’s words, ideas, or expressions as one’s own, is strictly prohibited. This includes incorporating external ideas or works into a manuscript without proper attribution, whether with or without the original author’s consent. We also consider “self-plagiarism” a form of misconduct, where authors reuse their own previously published work without adequate citation. To detect and prevent plagiarism, we employ iThenticate software as part of our manuscript submission system.

PEER REVIEW

Every paper submitted to our journals undergoes a thorough blind review process, involving at least two subject experts who assess its relevance, originality, clarity, and significance. This process typically takes 4-5 weeks, after which authors receive the final review decision. For rejected papers, we provide constructive feedback to guide potential resubmissions elsewhere. We also accept revised papers, treating them as new submissions subject to a fresh review cycle. Our journals operate on a double-blind peer review system, ensuring unbiased evaluation of manuscript quality by independent researchers in relevant fields. This process maintains anonymity between authors and reviewers during assessment.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

During manuscript submission, authors must submit a disclosure form detailing any conflicts or financial interests that could influence the study’s outcome. This includes employment affiliations, consultation roles, ownership stakes, honoraria, patent applications, or testimony involvement. Projects funded by industry entities require comprehensive declarations of funder involvement. If no such role exists, authors must explicitly state that sponsors had no input in the study’s design, execution, recognition, or writing.

PATIENT CONSENT FORMS

For research involving human participants, informed consent must be obtained, guided by a patient consent form detailing the research’s purpose, methods, benefits, risks, and alternatives. Manuscripts must include a statement confirming consent in the Material and Methods section, with editors having the right to request copies of consent forms if necessary.

ETHICS COMMITTEE PERMISSION

Studies involving human subjects require approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB), with the IRB number and protocol stated in the manuscript. Research involving animals must also have protocol approval from the Institutional Committee on Animal Sources, ensuring adherence to ethical standards.

PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Publication Decisions: Editors are responsible for deciding whether to accept, reject, or request modifications to a manuscript. In some cases, multiple rounds of reviews and revisions may be necessary. Editors ensure timely communication of review outcomes and are open to publishing corrections, clarifications, or retractions to maintain academic record integrity. The editor reserves the right to edit, clarify, or condense the manuscript as deemed necessary.

• Equitable Review Process: Editorial decisions regarding paper acceptance or rejection should solely be based on the paper’s significance, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s focus. Editors guarantee each submitted manuscript is evaluated based on intellectual content, without considering authors’ attributes.

• Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff uphold manuscript confidentiality.

• Conflict of Interest: Editors and editorial board members refrain from utilizing unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their research unless explicit written consent is obtained from the author.

• Interactions with Authors: Editors ensure the quality of published material, update guidelines regularly, and refrain from reversing acceptance decisions unless significant issues arise.

AUTHORS RESPONSIBILITIES

• Compliance: Authors must adhere to submission guidelines specified by the journal.

• Contribution: All authors must make substantial contributions to the research and certify manuscript originality and non-publication elsewhere.

• Exclusive Submission: Authors confirm manuscripts are not under consideration elsewhere.

• Conflict of Interest: Authors disclose conflicts potentially influencing the manuscript.

• Correction: Authors provide retractions or corrections for errors or inaccuracies.

REVIEWER GUIDELINES

The SPJ Publication, in rigorous reviews involving a minimum of two experts. Reviewers assess manuscript quality and offer recommendations to the external editor regarding acceptance, revisions, or rejection. Reviewers are expected to:

• Promptly accept or decline invitations based on manuscript relevance.

• Disclose potential conflicts of interest.

• Maintain confidentiality.

• Provide thorough, constructive review reports.

• Assess various manuscript aspects including novelty, scope, significance, quality, scientific soundness, interest to readers, English level, and overall merit.

• Make appropriate recommendations for manuscript processing stages.

PUBLISHER RESPONSIBILITIES

The publisher provides practical assistance to the editor and ensures publication integrity, accessibility, and adherence to good practice.

PENALTY

• Duplicate Submission: Detected duplicate submissions result in immediate termination of the review process, author blacklisting, and prohibition from journal submissions.

• Duplicate Publication: Intentional duplicate publications lead to reporting to relevant parties.