Publication Ethics
Our Ethical Principles
Integrity
Research and publication records should be accurate and trustworthy.
Transparency
Editorial and publishing policies should be clear and accessible.
Fairness
Authors and reviewers should be treated consistently and professionally.
Accountability
Concerns about published research are handled through appropriate editorial processes.
Responsibilities Across the Publishing Process
Authors
Original work, accurate reporting, authorship, and disclosures.
Editors
Fair decisions, confidentiality, and appropriate handling of concerns.
Reviewers
Objective, confidential, constructive evaluation and disclosure of conflicts.
Publisher
Publishing infrastructure, policy transparency, and the integrity of the scholarly record.
Authors & Authorship
Authorship should reflect meaningful contribution to the research and its reporting, with authors agreeing on authorship and order before submission where appropriate. Changes to authorship after submission should be agreed by all authors and confirmed with the editorial office. Ghost and guest authorship are inconsistent with responsible authorship practice.
Originality & Duplicate Publication
Submitted work should be original and should not be under consideration elsewhere at the same time, unless a journal explicitly permits an exception. Not every form of text reuse is treated identically — proper self-citation differs from undisclosed duplicate or redundant publication.
Plagiarism & Attribution
Authors are expected to properly attribute quoted and paraphrased material, acknowledge sources, and secure permission to reuse previously published text, images, or figures.
Funding & Financial Disclosure
Where research was funded, authors should disclose the funder’s name and any applicable grant number as part of submission.
AI-Assisted Tools & Generative AI
Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their submitted work regardless of what tools were used to help prepare it; AI tools are not credited as authors. See the full AI & Generative AI Policy for disclosure requirements and permitted use.
Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions should be based on the scholarly merit of a submission rather than personal relationships, commercial pressure, author identity, institutional prestige, or unrelated political or personal considerations.
Editorial Responsibilities
- Fair assessment of every submission
- Confidentiality of manuscripts under review
- Management of conflicts of interest in the editorial process
- Appropriate reviewer selection
- Correction of the scholarly record where required
- Avoidance of discrimination in editorial decisions
Peer Review Ethics
Reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality, evaluate manuscripts objectively, disclose conflicts of interest, provide constructive feedback, and avoid using unpublished manuscript information for personal advantage.
Research Involving Human Participants
Where a study involves human participants, authors should provide relevant information about ethical approval, institutional review, and informed consent. Where a study does not involve human participants, authors may indicate that this requirement is not applicable.
Consent & Participant Privacy
Consent may be required for interviews, case studies, identifiable images, or other sensitive participant information. This applies only where such material is actually part of the submission.
Research Data & Supporting Evidence
Authors are expected to report research accurately and to be prepared to provide supporting evidence for their claims where reasonably requested. PenScholar does not impose a data-sharing requirement beyond what a journal’s own policy specifies.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors
Disclose relevant financial or non-financial interests that could reasonably be seen to influence the research.
Reviewers
Declare conflicts and decline reviews where impartiality could reasonably be affected.
Editors
Avoid handling submissions where a relevant personal, professional, or financial conflict exists.
Research Misconduct
Serious concerns include fabrication, falsification, manipulation of research data, and other misrepresentation of research or its reporting. An allegation of misconduct requires appropriate assessment and supporting evidence before any editorial action is taken; authors are not publicly accused without due process.
Corrections & Updates
Errors identified in a published article may require a correction to the scholarly record, made transparently and preserving a clear record of what changed. See the full Corrections & Retractions policy for how corrections are decided and issued.
Retractions
A published article may require retraction where a serious issue undermines the reliability of the scholarly record. A retraction is not a punitive measure; its purpose is to correct the record. See the full Corrections & Retractions policy for details.
Complaints & Concerns
Authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders may raise concerns about editorial conduct, the publication process, authorship, peer review, or published content. See the full Complaints & Appeals policy for what to include and how concerns are assessed.
Appeals
Where a journal allows appeals, authors may request reconsideration of an editorial decision. An appeal is reviewed by the editorial team; it does not guarantee reconsideration or a different outcome. See the full Complaints & Appeals policy for what can and cannot usually be appealed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if plagiarism is suspected?
Suspected plagiarism is reviewed by the editorial team, which may request clarification from the author or take further editorial action depending on the findings.
How do I report an ethical concern?
Concerns can be raised with the editorial office through the journal’s contact channel.
Can authors appeal an editorial decision?
Where a journal allows appeals, authors may request reconsideration of an editorial decision; an appeal does not guarantee a different outcome.
What happens if an article contains a serious error?
Depending on its significance, an error may be addressed through a correction to the published record.
How are authorship disputes handled?
Authorship disputes are addressed by the editorial office in consultation with the authors involved.
What should a reviewer do if they have a conflict of interest?
A reviewer with a conflict of interest should decline the review and inform the editorial office.
How does PenScholar handle research misconduct?
Concerns about research misconduct are assessed by the editorial team, which may investigate further before reaching a decision.