Publication Ethics

The Academic International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (AIJSSH) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, and transparency throughout the editorial and publishing process. The journal expects authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher to uphold ethical principles that promote responsible scholarly communication.

AIJSSH follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and internationally recognized standards for ethical scholarly publishing.

1. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to AIJSSH are expected to:

  • Submit original work that has not been published previously or submitted simultaneously to another journal.
  • Ensure the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of all research data, analyses, interpretations, and references.
  • Properly acknowledge all sources and avoid plagiarism, duplicate publication, and other forms of academic misconduct.
  • List as authors only those who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the research.
  • Obtain all required ethical approvals and informed consent where applicable.
  • Disclose any financial, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest and all sources of research funding.
  • Cooperate with the journal in correcting or retracting published work when significant errors or ethical concerns are identified.

Detailed manuscript preparation and submission requirements are provided in the Author Guidelines.

2. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play a vital role in maintaining the quality and integrity of scholarly publishing. They are expected to:

  • Treat all manuscripts as confidential documents.
  • Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations.
  • Declare any conflicts of interest before accepting a review invitation.
  • Report suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, research misconduct, or other ethical concerns to the editorial office.

Additional reviewer responsibilities are available in the Reviewer Guidelines.

3. Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair, impartial, confidential, and transparent editorial process. Editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, and relevance of submitted manuscripts.

Editors are expected to:

  • Maintain confidentiality throughout the editorial and peer-review process.
  • Avoid conflicts of interest and recuse themselves whenever necessary.
  • Investigate ethical concerns in accordance with COPE recommendations.
  • Preserve editorial independence, fairness, and academic integrity.

4. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher supports ethical scholarly communication by ensuring:

  • Editorial independence.
  • Transparent publication policies.
  • Long-term preservation and accessibility of published articles.
  • Appropriate handling of corrections, withdrawals, retractions, and ethical concerns.

5. Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • Plagiarism and self-plagiarism.
  • Data fabrication or falsification.
  • Duplicate or redundant publication.
  • Improper authorship attribution.
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
  • Ethical violations involving human participants, research data, or copyrighted materials.

All allegations of research misconduct are investigated fairly and confidentially in accordance with COPE guidance.

6. Corrections, Withdrawals, and Retractions

When significant errors or ethical concerns are identified, the journal may publish corrections, expressions of concern, withdrawals, or retractions as appropriate to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

All cases are handled fairly, transparently, and in accordance with COPE recommendations.

Further information is available in the journal's Withdrawal and Retraction Policy.

7. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions or submit complaints regarding ethical matters. All appeals and complaints are evaluated objectively, fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with the journal's established procedures.

8. Compliance with Ethical Standards

By submitting a manuscript to AIJSSH, authors confirm that they have read, understood, and agree to comply with this Publication Ethics Policy and all related journal policies.