Editorial Policy

Editorial Policy
Last updated: October 2025

Commitment to Ethical Publishing

Researcher Publishers is committed to upholding the highest standards of editorial integrity, academic honesty, and research ethics. Our editorial policies follow the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), ensuring that all manuscripts published under our imprint meet internationally recognized ethical and professional standards.

Editors have full editorial independence in handling submissions and are expected to make fair, objective, and timely decisions, free from commercial or personal bias. All research published by Researcher Publishers must represent original work conducted with integrity, transparency, and accountability.

Statement of Publication Ethics and Malpractice

Researcher Publishers strictly prohibits any form of unethical behavior, including but not limited to plagiarism, falsification, fabrication of data, duplicate publication, or undisclosed conflicts of interest.

All submissions undergo plagiarism screening before the review process. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized or manipulated content will be immediately rejected, and authors may be barred from future submission.

Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern will be issued promptly and transparently when errors or misconduct are detected, in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers must declare any financial or non-financial relationships that could be perceived as influencing their work.

  • Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest within the past three years, including affiliations, grants, consulting fees, or other financial ties that may be relevant to the submitted research.
  • Editors must recuse themselves from decisions involving manuscripts where conflicts exist.
  • Reviewers must declare any conflicts before accepting an invitation to review and should decline to review if impartiality cannot be ensured.

Disclosure of conflicts does not imply wrongdoing; it supports transparency and helps readers assess possible influences on the research.

Disclosures and Declarations

Authors are required to include the following information in their manuscripts, where applicable:

  • Sources of funding or sponsorship;
  • Ethical approval for studies involving human or animal participants;
  • Statements of informed consent;
  • Disclosures of material or data availability; and
  • Acknowledgment of any non-financial support or institutional affiliations.

The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved these disclosures before submission.

Authorship and Contributor Roles

Authorship should accurately reflect individuals who made substantial contributions to the research. All listed authors must have:

  • Contributed significantly to the conception, design, data acquisition, or interpretation;
  • Participated in drafting or revising the manuscript;
  • Approved the final version for publication; and
  • Agreed to take public responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

Contributors who do not meet these criteria should be acknowledged separately.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author acts on behalf of all co-authors and is responsible for:

  • Coordinating communication with the journal;
  • Ensuring that all authors approve the submission and author list;
  • Managing disclosure statements; and
  • Addressing post-publication queries and corrections.

Originality and Plagiarism

All submissions must represent the authors’ own original work and must not have been published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.

Proper citation is required for all ideas, data, and text derived from other sources. Duplicate publication, text recycling, and self-plagiarism are strictly prohibited.

Manuscripts submitted to Researcher Publishers are screened using plagiarism detection tool Turnitin. Works with a similarity index exceeding 25% or showing signs of copied or paraphrased content without citation will be rejected.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-Assisted Tools

Researcher Publishers recognizes that AI tools may support legitimate aspects of research such as data analysis or visualization. However:

  • AI systems cannot be listed as authors; authorship implies human accountability.
  • AI-assisted writing tools must not be used to generate, draft, or edit scholarly text.
  • If AI or AI-assisted technologies were used for data processing or other methodological purposes, this must be transparently described in the Methods section of the manuscript.
  • Authors are fully responsible for verifying and disclosing any AI use.

Submissions found to have used generative AI for writing without disclosure will be rejected or retracted.

Duplicate Submission and Redundant Publication

By submitting a manuscript to any journal under Researcher Publishers, authors confirm that:

  • The work is not under consideration elsewhere;
  • No part of the manuscript has been published previously; and
  • The same or substantially similar research will not be republished elsewhere without permission and proper acknowledgment.

Violations of this policy will result in withdrawal or retraction of the manuscript and possible notification of affiliated institutions.

Data Transparency and Availability

Authors are expected to ensure that data, materials, and software underlying their findings are accurately presented and available for verification. Data should be retained for a reasonable period and, where possible, deposited in recognized repositories.

Exceptions may apply when sharing data would breach confidentiality, privacy, or legal restrictions.

Research Integrity and Ethical Compliance

All research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive materials must comply with relevant ethical guidelines and institutional requirements. Authors must include statements confirming:

  • Ethical approval by a recognized committee;
  • Informed consent for human participants;
  • Humane treatment of animals in research; and
  • Compliance with local and international ethical standards.

Editors may request documentation verifying ethical approval at any stage of the review process.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

When significant errors or misconduct are discovered:

  • Minor errors will be corrected through a published erratum or correction notice.
  • Major issues involving invalid data, falsification, or ethical breaches will lead to retraction.
  • Editors will act in accordance with COPE retraction guidelines and ensure transparent public notification.

Authors must cooperate fully with editors during investigations or post-publication corrections.

Confidentiality

All materials submitted to Researcher Publishers, including manuscripts under review and editorial communications, are treated as confidential.

Editors and reviewers must not share or discuss the content with third parties without explicit permission.

Authors must also maintain confidentiality regarding all correspondence with editors and reviewers.

Peer Review Process

All manuscripts submitted to Researcher Publishers undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review (unless otherwise stated by individual journals).
Editors assign at least two qualified reviewers based on subject expertise and absence of conflicts of interest.

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide fair, constructive, and timely feedback;
  • Evaluate manuscripts based on scholarly merit, originality, and methodological soundness;
  • Maintain confidentiality; and
  • Declare conflicts of interest.

Final editorial decisions rest solely with the editor, who considers reviewer recommendations and overall suitability for publication.

Editorial Decision and Independence

The editor is responsible for deciding which manuscripts are suitable for publication. Decisions are based on:

  • Academic merit;
  • Relevance to the journal’s aims and scope;
  • Scientific validity and clarity; and
  • Compliance with to ethical standards.

Editors have full independence in making publication decisions and are not influenced by commercial interests or external pressure. Researcher Publishers fully supports this editorial independence.

Post-Publication Responsibilities

After publication, authors are expected to:

  • Correct or retract the work if errors are discovered;
  • Cooperate with editors in investigations related to complaints or misconduct; and
  • Respond promptly to legitimate reader concerns.