Publication Ethics

Introduction

The Journal for Social Science Studies (JSSS) is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct in publishing research. This policy outlines the expectations for authors, reviewers, and editors to ensure the integrity, transparency, and quality of the research published in the journal.

Responsibilities of Authors

  1. Originality and Authorship: Authors must submit original work that has not been previously published or submitted for publication elsewhere. All contributing authors must be listed and have made significant contributions to the research.
  2. Data Integrity and Ethical Conduct: Authors must ensure that their research is conducted ethically and in compliance with relevant regulations. Data must be accurate, complete, and presented honestly. Fabricated data, plagiarism, and other forms of misconduct will not be tolerated.
  3. Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence their research or interpretation of results. These include financial interests, personal relationships with participants, and any other biases.
  4. Authorship Order: The order of authorship should reflect the substantial contribution of each author to the research. Disagreements about authorship should be resolved transparently and communicated to the editor.
  5. Corrections and Retractions: Authors are responsible for promptly notifying the editor of any errors or inaccuracies in their published work. They should cooperate with the editor in issuing corrections or retractions as necessary.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

  1. Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. They should not share the manuscript with anyone outside the review process or use unpublished information for their own research without the author's consent.
  2. Objectivity and Expertise: Reviewers should provide fair and objective evaluations of the manuscript based on its academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal's scope. They should have the necessary expertise to assess the research and provide constructive feedback.
  3. Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could bias their review, such as personal relationships with the author or competing research interests.
  4. Timeliness: Reviewers should provide their reviews in a timely manner and communicate promptly with the editor if they are unable to complete the review within the allotted timeframe.

Responsibilities of Editors

  1. Fair and Unbiased Decisions: Editors are responsible for making fair and unbiased decisions about manuscript acceptance or rejection based solely on the academic merit of the research. They should not be influenced by personal relationships, gender, nationality, or other irrelevant factors.
  2. Editorial Independence: Editors should maintain the editorial independence of the journal and resist any undue influence from sponsors or other stakeholders.
  3. Conflict of Interest Management: Editors should disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence their editorial decisions and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have a conflict.
  4. Reviewer Selection: Editors should select qualified reviewers with expertise in the relevant subject area who are free from potential conflicts of interest.
  5. Confidentiality and Transparency: Editors should maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and reviewer identities. They should also be transparent about the editorial process and provide timely feedback to authors.
  6. Retraction and Correction Policy: Editors should have a clear policy for handling cases of plagiarism, misconduct, and errors in published articles. This should include procedures for issuing corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern.