Publication policy and ethical considerations
The Journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. While editorial screening aims to identify potential issues such as plagiarism, duplicate submission, or conflicts of interest, certain ethical concerns may only become apparent to reviewers who possess specialized knowledge of the subject area.
For this reason, reviewers play a crucial role in safeguarding the quality and credibility of the publication process. Reviewers are expected to alert the Editor to any suspected breaches of publication policy or ethical standards identified during the review.
All concerns should be reported promptly and communicated in confidence through the Editorial Office. Under no circumstances should reviewers contact the authors directly regarding ethical concerns or any aspect of the manuscript. All communication must be conducted exclusively through the Editorial Office to preserve confidentiality and ensure the integrity of the double-blind peer review system.
For reviewers:
Maintaining the scholarly record
The journal maintains a transparent and accountable scholarly record for every article it publishes. We recognize that corrections, clarifications, updates, expressions of concern, and retractions may become necessary after publication when errors are identified, new evidence emerges, or concerns about integrity arise.
When a significant issue is identified, the Editorial Board will evaluate the matter promptly and determine the most appropriate action. Corrections are used when errors affect presentation, interpretation, or minor factual information but do not invalidate the article's conclusions. Updates may be published when substantive information is added or when a published article is revised with the journal's approval. Expressions of concern are used when the reliability of an article is under investigation and the current record cannot yet be fully affirmed. Retractions are used when the article is fundamentally compromised, unreliable, or in violation of publication ethics.
All such changes are recorded in the article record and, where appropriate, reflected in the Crossmark metadata for the article DOI. Our goal is to preserve the integrity of the published literature while ensuring readers can identify the most accurate and current scholarly record.
