Complaints and Appeals

Complaints and Appeals

This policy outlines the process for handling complaints and appeals related to authorship, contributions, and other issues in published works, in line with best practices from COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME. As an open-access journal using the CC-BY license, authors retain copyright while granting broad permissions for distribution and reuse. We adhere to COPE's Core Practices.

Authorship and Contributions

Authorship must reflect substantial contributions to research conception, design, execution, or interpretation. Authors must:

• Make significant intellectual contributions (e.g., research conception, data analysis, manuscript drafting).
• Approve the final version and take responsibility for its content.
• Be accountable for defending research findings in public forums if needed.

A contribution statement may be required to clarify each author’s role.

Disputes and Changes in Authorship

In case of authorship disputes, the editorial board will review the contributions of each party and may consult COPE guidelines for impartial resolution. Requests to alter authorship after submission will be considered only in exceptional cases with written explanations from all involved authors.

Honorary and Ghost Authorship

Both honorary and ghost authorship are prohibited. Minor contributors should be acknowledged in the acknowledgments section, not listed as authors.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including financial interests or personal relationships, that could affect the impartiality of their work.

Ethical Guidelines

Authors must comply with ethical standards, including obtaining permissions for copyrighted materials, securing informed consent, and ensuring ethical treatment of human and animal subjects.

This policy will be reviewed periodically and updated as needed. Revisions will be communicated to authors and published on the journal's website.