Ethics Statement

Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Axis Community Research Journal (ACRJ) is unwaveringly committed to upholding the highest principles of academic integrity, ethical conduct, and professional practice in scholarly publishing. We adhere strictly to the core practices and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations, and other relevant international standards. This statement delineates the ethical responsibilities and expectations for all participants—authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher—involved in our publication process.

Responsibilities of Authors:

  • Originality and Attribution: Authors must guarantee that their submitted work is entirely original. Any use of the words, ideas, data, or materials of others must be properly cited and attributed. Plagiarism, in all its forms (including self-plagiarism and redundant publication), is unacceptable.

  • Data Integrity and Reproducibility: Authors must present an honest and accurate account of the research performed. Data must not be fabricated, falsified, or manipulated. The methodology should be described with sufficient clarity to permit replication. For community-engaged research, transparency about the participatory process is equally vital.

  • Exclusive Submission: Manuscripts must not be under concurrent consideration by any other publication. Submitting the same work to multiple journals is a serious breach of publishing ethics.

  • Disclosure of Interests: All authors must disclose any financial, personal, professional, or institutional conflicts of interest that could be perceived as inappropriately influencing the work or its interpretation at the time of submission.

  • Ethical Compliance: For research involving human participants or animals, authors must confirm that the work has received formal approval from an accredited ethics review board and that informed consent/assent was obtained. In community-based studies, ethical partnership practices and benefit-sharing must be clearly described.

  • Authorship Criteria: All listed authors must meet the ICMJE criteria for authorship, having made substantial contributions to the work. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have seen and approved the final manuscript and agree to its submission.

Duties of Editors:

  • Objective and Fair Evaluation: Editors will evaluate manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their scholarly merit, methodological soundness, relevance to the journal's scope, and potential community impact, without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, citizenship, religious belief, or institutional affiliation.

  • Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. They must not disclose any information about a submission to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

  • Transparency and Integrity: Editors will ensure a fair, unbiased, and timely double-blind peer-review process. They will recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.

  • Vigilance and Action: Editors have a duty to act promptly in response to ethical complaints or suspicions of misconduct regarding submitted or published papers. This includes pursuing allegations diligently and taking appropriate corrective actions in line with COPE flowcharts.

Responsibilities of Reviewers:

  • Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review is a crucial component of scholarly publishing. Reviewers assist the editor in making editorial decisions and, through constructive communication with the author, may assist the author in improving the manuscript.

  • Objectivity and Constructiveness: Reviews should be conducted objectively, with clear, substantiated feedback. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

  • Confidentiality and Non-Use: Any manuscript received for review is a confidential document. It must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must not be used for personal advantage.

  • Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must decline to review a manuscript if they have a conflict of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors or institutions connected to the paper, and must notify the editor immediately.

  • Alertness to Ethical Issues: Reviewers should be alert to potential ethical issues in the manuscript, including plagiarism, data fabrication, and unethical research conduct, and bring these to the editor's attention.

Addressing Allegations of Misconduct:

ACRJ treats all allegations of potential misconduct with the utmost seriousness. Upon receiving an allegation, the Editor-in-Chief will initiate a confidential investigation following COPE guidelines. This may involve consultation with the editorial board, the publisher (AXIS EXPLORATION AND ACADEMICS), and relevant institutional bodies.
If misconduct is substantiated, appropriate corrective actions will be taken. These may include, but are not limited to:

  • Publication of a formal correction or expression of concern.

  • Retraction of the published article with a clear, linked retraction notice.

  • Refusal of future submissions from the involved individuals for a defined period.

  • Notification of the misconduct to the authors' institution(s) or relevant professional body.

This Ethics and Malpractice Statement is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record, fostering trust among researchers, community partners, and the public, and ensuring that ACRJ remains a reliable and respected venue for interdisciplinary, community-engaged research.