Hits: 30263

Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

Science Letters is committed to maintaining the highest standard and integrity of the manuscripts that are being published. Publication ethics and ethical research practices involve all parties, including the publisher, editors, authors and reviewers. Science Letters exercises the code of conduct, which is in line with the codes stated by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (http://publicationethics.org).

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors should:

  • maintain and promote consistent ethical policies for their journals.
  • oversee and act to enforce those policies as needed fairly and consistently.
  • ensure the confidentiality of the review process.
  • exercise the highest standards of personal integrity in their work as editor of the journal, recognising and planning for instances where they could have a competing interest or the appearance of a competing interest.
  • work with authors, reviewers, and Editorial Board members as necessary to ensure they are sufficiently advised regarding their journals’ ethics and publishing policies and that the journal’s stewardship on ethical matters is fair, unbiased, and timely.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors should ensure that:

  • their work is original and written by them.
  • their work has not been previously published and has been submitted only to the journal.
  • where material is taken from other sources (including their own published writing) the source is cited, and that where appropriate permission is obtained.
  • their work does not infringe on any rights of others, including privacy rights and intellectual property rights.
  • their data is true and not manipulated.
  • their data is their own or that they have permission to use data reproduced in their paper.
  • any real or apparent conflicting or competing interest is clearly stated on submission of their paper (this would include funding assistance).
  • they adhere to all research ethics guidelines of their discipline, particularly where human or animal subjects are involved.
  • they contact the Editor to identify and correct any material errors upon discovery, whether prior or after publication of their work
  • authorship of the paper is accurately represented, including ensuring that all individuals credited as authors participated in the actual authorship of the work and that all who participated are credited and have given consent for publication.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must:

  • maintain the confidentiality of the review process.
  • immediately alert the Editor –In – Chief  of any real or potential competing interest that could affect the impartiality of their reviewing and decline to review where appropriate.
  • conduct themselves fairly and impartially.

Publication Malpractice

We take allegations of research misconduct seriously. If misconduct, such as plagiarism, data fabrication, or unethical research, is detected, the manuscript will be rejected or retracted, and the authors may be banned from future submissions.

The journal will follow COPE’s flowcharts when dealing with allegations of misconduct.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

  • Authors who use AI technologies (including, but not limited to, AI-generated writing assistants, data analysis tools, or content creation software) during the research, writing, or editing of their submission must declare their use within the manuscript, either in the acknowledgement section or a dedicated statement.

  • The authors remain fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, including any parts generated with the help of AI tools. AI should not be listed as an author.

  • Reviewers and editors may use AI tools to assist with language checking or technical screening but not for decision-making processes regarding the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript.

Declaration of Competing Interests

All authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.