Publication ethics Policy

IJPR follows the principles, guidelines, and flowcharts published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for all editorial decisions, misconduct investigations, and ethical disputes.

Forms of Misconduct Covered

  • Plagiarism (see the dedicated Plagiarism Policy)
  • Data fabrication (inventing data or results) or falsification (manipulating data, images, or results)
  • Duplicate or redundant publication
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest affecting the integrity of the published work
  • Authorship disputes, including ghost authorship (uncredited contributors) and guest authorship (credited non-contributors)
  • Unethical research practices, including inadequate ethical approval or consent for human/animal research
  • Reviewer misconduct, including breach of confidentiality or misuse of manuscript content

Investigation Process

  1. A concern is raised — by a reviewer, reader, editor, or third party — and documented by the editorial office.
  2. The Chief Editor reviews the concern to determine whether it warrants formal investigation.
  3. Where warranted, the corresponding author (and relevant co-authors) is formally notified and given the opportunity to respond in writing.
  4. The editorial team evaluates the response against the original concern and, where relevant, against COPE's specific flowchart for that type of case.
  5. Author institutions may be contacted where an investigation cannot be resolved on the basis of author response alone.
  6. A decision is issued: no action, correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

Timeframes

Investigations are conducted as promptly as thoroughness allows; straightforward cases are typically resolved within 8–12 weeks, though cases requiring institutional input may take longer. The editorial office will provide status updates to involved parties at reasonable intervals.

Confidentiality During Investigation

Misconduct investigations are conducted confidentially while ongoing. Details are not made public until a final decision (correction, expression of concern, or retraction) is published, except where required by law.

Reporting a Concern

Concerns about research or publication integrity, whether about a submitted, in-review, or already-published article, can be raised at [email protected]. Reports are treated seriously regardless of the reporter's identity, and anonymous concerns will be considered on their merits.