Publication Ethics Policy

1. Introduction

"Frontiers in Humanities and Social Research" is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics. All parties involved in the publication process—authors, editors, peer reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to adhere to these standards. This policy outlines our principles for ensuring ethical behavior in all stages of the publication process.

2. Authors' Responsibilities

  • Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original and properly cite or quote the work and words of others. Plagiarism in any form is unethical and unacceptable.
  • Multiple Submissions: Authors should not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently. Submitting to multiple journals simultaneously is unethical and unacceptable.
  • Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project should be acknowledged.
  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.
  • Fundamental Errors in Published Works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is their obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with them to retract or correct the paper.

3. Editors' Responsibilities

  • Publication Decisions: The editor is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The decision should be guided by the journal's policies and constrained by legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
  • Fair Play: The editor must evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
  • Confidentiality: The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and other editorial advisers.
  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Editors should not use unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research without the author's explicit written consent.

4. Reviewers' Responsibilities

  • Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author, may also assist the author in improving the paper.
  • Promptness: Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse themselves from the review process.
  • Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.
  • Standards of Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
  • Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.
  • Disclosure and Conflict of Interest: Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

5. Publisher's Responsibilities

  • Ensuring Integrity: The publisher is committed to ensuring that commercial interests do not affect editorial decisions. We will maintain the integrity of the academic record, publishing corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when needed.
  • Access to Journal Content: The publisher will ensure the permanent availability and preservation of scholarly research by partnering with organizations and maintaining our digital archive.

6. Ethical Oversight

"Frontiers in Humanities and Social Research" is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We will work with our editors, authors, and reviewers to ensure that all research published in our journal is ethical and meets the standards of academic rigor.