Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Plaridel Journal, in its pursuit to publish scholarly articles, commits to uphold a high standard of quality and academic integrity. To this end, Plaridel, its publisher, editors, reviewers, and authors shall adhere to the following publication ethics and malpractice statement.

Courtesy and respect — Editors, authors, referees, and editorial staff shall observe courtesy and mutual respect in the exercise of their roles and responsibilities at all times.

Editors’ responsibilities – The editors determine the direction of each issue and make first-line decisions on whether submissions are sufficiently of good quality in order to move forward for review. Associate editors, through diligent initial editorial review, can reject or endorse manuscripts for refereeing based on its sound theoretical and conceptual frameworks, appropriate methodology, and adherence to the Plaridel’s citation and referencing guidelines

It is the editors’ responsibility to select at least two referees to review a manuscript. They will ensure the integrity of the blind-refereeing process by selecting peer reviewers with an exceptional scholarly background and without any conflict of interest.

Editors can make executive decisions to accept or reject manuscripts for publication. Decisions are based on referees’ reviews and observance of Plaridel’s publication ethics and malpractice statement.

Referees’ responsibilities — Referees greatly contribute to the standards of the Journal. They are selected based on their recognized research interests and expertise. Referees are expected to provide their written opinion on an article based on an objective reading of its strengths and weaknesses “with the aim of improving the study” (Committee on Publication Ethics, 1999, p. 44).

Referees shall adhere to a high standard of scholarship and objectivity, and when unable to, disclose their competence or conflict of interest to the editors and withdraw from reviewing. They shall maintain strict confidentiality. They shall not disclose, discuss, or make any use of the data, arguments, or conclusions of the manuscript being reviewed (Committee on Publication Ethics, 1999, p. 44).

Referees shall notify the editors of any suspicion of violation of research ethics such as, but not limited to, plagiarism, failure to cite sources or double submission.

Authors’ responsibilities — Submitting authors shall guarantee originality, ownership and authorship of their manuscript. Authors shall provide attribution and consent from their co-authors to submit their manuscript for publication consideration to Plaridel. Under no circumstances will authors cause to, or fail to disclose their co-authors or contributors for proper acknowledgement and attribution. Authors shall disclose conflict of interest and/or funding sources that may influence the outcome of their study.

It is the authors’ duty to read, understand, and comply with the Information for Authors (www.plarideljournal.org/information-for-authors/), particularly in using the prescribed citation and referencing format before submitting their manuscript.

Manuscripts should not have been simultaneously submitted to another publication nor have been published elsewhere in substantially similar form or with substantially similar content. Authors shall submit a full disclosure on the submission, withdrawal, and revision history, and contact details of the journals where the manuscript has been previously submitted.

Authors take full responsibility for the content of their manuscript particularly in ensuring that ideas not their own are properly attributed, quotations are cited, and references are listed. They shall not engage in any form of academic fraud such as, but not limited to plagiarism, false citations, false data, etc. Authors are responsible for gaining permission for including any copyrighted material that needs permission.

Authors shall strive to abide by the schedule set by the editors in submitting their revisions. In case they are unable to follow the schedule, they should advice and seek the concurrence of the editors for a reasonable timetable. Failure by authors to respond to any communication by the editors may result to a rejection of the manuscript.

Review process —Plaridel Journal publishes original articles that have gone through a rigorous double-blind peer-review process. The journal maintains a pool of competent local and international referees and continues to widen its network of reviewers.

Review articles and documents are reviewed by assigned associate editors.

Confidentiality — Plaridel maintains a strict code of confidentiality. Author and referee information, including correspondences, shall be kept classified except to the editors and editorial staff. Information on submitted manuscripts shall be limited to editors, the editorial staff, corresponding authors, referees, and potential referees.

Correspondences and notices — Plaridel shall respond in a timely manner to correspondences by authors and referees. The journal will observe transparency, as appropriate, and provide notices to the authors on the status of their manuscripts.

Publication and Copyrights — Authors are required to read, understand, and agree to the publication and copyrights agreement before their manuscripts are published.

Dealing with misconduct — Plaridel reserves the right to determine misconduct. The journal defines misconduct as “the intention to cause others to regard as true that which is not true” (Committee on Publication Ethics, 1999, p. 46).

The editors, along with the appropriate body (advisory board and/or referees) will determine the gravity of the misconduct and its corresponding sanctions using the Guidelines on Good Publication Practice on dealing with misconduct (Committee on Publication Ethics, 1999, p. 46-47).

References

Committee on Publication Ethics. (1999). Guidelines on good publication practices. Retrieved from http://publicationethics.org/resources/code-conduct).

Plaridel (2016). Information for authors. Retrieved from https://www.plarideljournal.org/information-for-authors/