Publication Ethics

JUSPN is dedicated to ensuring the quality of each paper that it publishes. Academic research includes many synchronized steps and processes – apposite study design, study implementation, data collection, data analysis, and lastly publication. While going through these stages and concluding in a publication can be exhausting experience, one should be aware of ethical code of conduct that applies to researchers at every phase. The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) is an international Body for editors and publishers of peer-reviewed journals to offer the code of conduct in order to define publication ethics.

Ethical values for the publication are essential for JUSPN to ensure:-

• High-quality scientific publications.
• Public trust in scientific findings.
• Valuable credits for authors’ ideas.

With the aim to maintain good standards in academic publishing, we need to follow the Core Practices and guidelines formed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Researchers may contact this journal regarding any ethical concerns.

Article Assessment

All research papers are subject to peer review and are expected to meet standards of academic excellence. If approved by the editor, submissions will be assessed by peer reviewers, whose identities will remain anonymous to the authors. Our Research Integrity team can consult experts and the academic editor before deciding on appropriate actions, assessment by additional editors, and declining to further consider a submission.

Plagiarism

Authors must not use the words, figures, or ideas of others without attribution. All sources must be cited at the point they are used, and reuse of wording must be limited and be attributed or quoted in the text.

Research Papers that are found to have been plagiarized from a manuscript by other authors, whether published or unpublished, will be rejected and the authors may sustain sanctions. Any published articles may need to be corrected or retracted.

Duplicate submission and redundant publication

JUSPN does not consider for publication manuscripts that have been submitted to more than one journal at the same time or that do not present novel results. Thus, for example, an English translation of a paper that has already been published in another language would not be considered. Furthermore, manuscripts should not be published in our Journal if major original information has already been published elsewhere. Accordingly, previously published figures or images may be included, even by the authors themselves, but only after necessary permission has been obtained from the original copyright holders for publication

Redundant publication, the inappropriate division of study outcomes into more than one article may result in rejection or a request to merge submitted manuscripts, and the correction of published articles.

Citation Manipulation

Authors whose submitted Research Papers are found to include citations with the purpose to increase the number of citations may suffer consequent actions. Editors and reviewers must not ask authors to include references merely to increase citations to the own or some associate’s work.

Fabrication and falsification

Data fabrication is the intentional misrepresentation of research data by making up findings, recording, or reporting results. Data falsification is the manipulation of research materials, equipment or processes and includes omitting and changing data with the intention of giving a false impression. Changes to images can create misleading results when research data are collected as images. The authors of submitted Research Paper or published articles that are found to have fictitious or falsified the results, including the manipulation of images, may sustain subsequent actions, and published articles may be withdrawn.

Authorship and Acknowledgements

All recorded authors must have made a significant scientific contribution to the research in the research work, approved its claims, and agreed to be an author. It is important to mention everyone who made a substantial scientific contribution. Author contributions may be pronounced at the end of the submission. Any later Changes in authorship must be declared to the Journal and agreed to by all authors. Any other person who contributed to the research work or its preparation, being not the author, should be acknowledged with prior consent. Submissions by other than of the authors will not be allowed.

Conflict of Interest:

The possible conflicts of interest for all authors must be shown in their papers before submission. Authors must pinpoint and declare any interest that may be perceived as unsuitably influencing the representation or interpretation of the reported research results. If there is no conflict of interest, author should submit that the authors declare no conflict of interest. It is required that authors present their research findings accurately and discuss the significance of their work objectively.

Misconduct

JUSPN expects all authors, editors and reviewers to be aware of the best practice in publication ethics. Any form of misconduct is strictly prohibited. Authors should keep their original data and source files after submitting their articles, as the editor might request this material in the publication evaluation process, which otherwise will be suspended until any issue is resolved. Reviewers and editors must treat research works fairly and confidently and declare any competing interests. We will strongly investigate claims of research or publication misconduct. Suspected breaches of the publication ethics policies as well as concerns about unethical research behavior should be reported and will undergo a thorough investigation.

Consequences

The COPE provides vibrant guidelines and steps to be taken when each of the aforementioned misconducts is identified. The first step is to contact authors and informing them that their misconduct is identified. If the authors acknowledge accepting their fault, the paper is rejected and the management of authors' institution is intimated. If the paper is already published, authors are provided with a chance of self-confession in the method of an erratum in the journal. If the misconduct is major, the editor has the right to revoke the paper after due thoroughness. The authors can also be blacklisted by Journals, and such information will be shared with COPE so that all member journals are informed. If authors deny their misconduct, editors can take appropriate action against miscast as per the COPE policy.

Conclusion

There are numerous methods of unethical practices that authors deploy in their research work, sometimes deliberately and sporadically by chance. Being aware of publication ethics duly elucidated above will help researchers to consciously avoid such misconduct and perform authentic ethical research and follow their publications.