The journal’s publication ethics and malpractice statement is primarily based on the guidelines and standards established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The ethical principles set out below apply to all parties involved in the publication process—namely authors, editors, peer reviewers, and publishers—and are intended to ensure the integrity of the research and publication process.
1. Submitted manuscripts must represent original research, be truthful and reliable in content, and properly cite any quoted literature, data, figures, or tables. Acts of academic misconduct, including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate submission, and redundant publication, are strictly prohibited.
2. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and truthfulness of the research data and conclusions. Original data must be properly preserved to facilitate verification by the journal if required.
3. Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the research. All authors must confirm and agree to the final version of the manuscript.
4. Any conflicts of interest that may affect the impartiality of the research must be disclosed, and all sources of funding must be clearly acknowledged.
5. Submitted manuscripts shall avoid containing classified, sensitive, or otherwise unsuitable information for publication.
6. The journal is open access, and articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
7. If significant errors are discovered in a published paper, authors must promptly notify the editorial office and cooperate in the retraction or correction of the paper.
1. Editors shall handle, review, and edit manuscripts in a timely manner, treating each manuscript objectively and fairly throughout the review process. The results of the review shall be communicated to the authors without undue delay.
2. Editors and editorial staff must maintain strict confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts and shall not disclose any information about the manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and relevant editorial personnel.
3. Editors should recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest. The content of unpublished manuscripts shall not be used in the editors’ own research or disclosed to third parties.
4. If academic misconduct is detected or suspected, editors shall investigate and address the matter in accordance with COPE guidelines.
1. Reviewers of the journal should be experts and scholars with high academic standing, familiar with the frontier developments and research hotspots in the relevant fields.
2. During the review process, reviewers shall evaluate manuscripts objectively, honestly, rigorously, impartially, and scientifically, basing their comments on factual evidence. Their opinions shall be expressed clearly and constructively in the review form.
3. Upon accepting an invitation to review, reviewers shall complete the review within the agreed timeframe. If unable to meet the deadline for any reason, they shall notify the editorial office in advance to avoid delaying the processing of the manuscript.
4. Reviewers must treat the reviewed manuscripts with strict confidentiality and shall not share, discuss, or use any information from the manuscript for their own purposes.
5. Reviewers must declare any potential conflicts of interest. If a conflict of interest exists with the authors, they should proactively recuse themselves.
6. If reviewers identify any academic misconduct in the manuscript, they shall promptly inform the editorial office.
1. The publisher undertakes to ensure compliance with the good practice standards set out in this statement. The publisher has no right to interfere with the integrity of the content and is solely committed to supporting the timely publication of research results.
2. The publisher is responsible for ensuring that the journal content is securely archived and made publicly accessible through the journal’s website.
3. The publisher shall cooperate with the editors in investigating and resolving any allegations of research or publication misconduct.
1. The journal adheres to a zero‑tolerance policy against academic misconduct. To initiate further investigation into reported misconduct, complete and sufficient evidentiary materials must be provided. The preliminary investigation shall be conducted by the editors. Editors may consult with the editorial board and/or the publisher as needed. Individuals accused of misconduct shall be given an opportunity to respond to the allegations.
2. Depending on the severity of the misconduct, the outcomes may include one or more of the following:
- Issuing a formal notice of violation in the journal;
- Sending a formal notification to the individual’s affiliated institution or organization;
- Notifying the relevant professional bodies of the misconduct;
- Retracting or withdrawing the publication from the journal;
- Imposing a temporary ban on the individual’s submissions to the journal or service as a reviewer;
- In cases involving copyright infringement, legal action may be taken in accordance with the law.
3. Corrections and Retractions
When significant errors or inaccuracies are identified in a published work, the journal shall issue an appropriate correction, expression of concern, or retraction in accordance with COPE guidelines.
