Publication Ethics

This statement describes the ethical behavior of all parties involved in publishing articles in our journal, including authors, editors, bestary partners, and the publisher of DEDICA: Journal of Research and Community Service. This statement is based on the COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

Publishing an article in DEDICA: Journal of Research and Community Service is an important building block in the development of a coherent and respected knowledge network. It is a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. Therefore, it is important to agree on expected standards of ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing: authors, editors, reviewers, publishers, and societies.

Publication decisions

The editor of DEDICA: Journal of Research and Community Service are responsible for deciding which articles to publish. The validity of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers should always drive the decision. The editors may be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and constrained by applicable legal requirements regarding defamation, copyright infringement and plagiarism. Editors may confer with other editors or reviewers in making these decisions.

Fair play

Editors at all times evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to the author's race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, nationality, or political philosophy.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff should not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisors, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosures and conflicts of interest

Unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript may not be used in the editor's own research without the written consent of the authors.

Reviewer Duties

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review assists editors in making editorial decisions and through editorial communication with authors can also assist authors in improving the manuscript.

Timeliness

Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in the manuscript or knows that a prompt review is not possible should inform the editor and excuse himself/herself from the review process.

Confidentiality

Any manuscript received for review should be treated as a confidential document. The manuscript should not be shown or discussed with others unless authorized by the editor.

Objectivity Standard

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Acknowledgment of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published works that have not been cited by the authors. Any assertion that an observation, derivation, or argument has been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. Reviewers should also bring to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and other published manuscripts of which they are personally aware.

Disclosures and Conflicts of Interest

Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review should be kept confidential and not used for personal gain. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts that have a conflict of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the manuscript.

Author Duties

Reporting standards

Authors of original research reports should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. The underlying data must be accurately represented in the paper. The paper should contain sufficient detail and references to allow others to replicate the work. Knowingly fraudulent or inaccurate statements are unethical and unacceptable behavior.

Data Access and Retention

Authors are asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review, and should be prepared to provide public access to such data (consistent with the ALPSP-STM Statement on Data and Databases), if practicable, and should in any event be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.

Originality and Plagiarism

The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited or quoted.

Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication

An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Authorship of the Paper

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects

If the work involves chemicals, procedures or equipment that have any unusual hazards inherent in their use, the author must clearly identify these in the manuscript.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

Fundamental errors in published works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.