Publication Ethics and Malpractice

Statement Guidelines:

The process of publishing an article in Tishreen University Journal, a peer-reviewed journal published by Tishreen University, has a great role in knowledge improvement. The journal is reflecting the quality of the authors' works as well as the institutions they work for. As peer-reviewed articles support the scientific method, so it  is important to follow certain standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, chief editor, the journal editor, the peer reviewer and the publisher. Tishreen University takes its duties of guardianship over all stages of publishing and recognizes its ethical and other responsibilities seriously.

The journal has committed ensuring that editorial decisions cannot be not affected or influenced by factors of  advertising, reprinting or any other commercial revenue. In addition, the Editorial Board will assist publishers to be able to communicate with other journals and/or where this is useful to the editors.

Authors of reports of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Essential data should be represented accurately in the research paper. A paper should contain sufficient details and references in order to be replicated by others. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. Review and professional publication articles should also be accurate and objective, beside the  editorial ‘opinion’ works which should be clearly identified.

 

Editorial Duties and Responsibilities: 

- Publication Decisions

The chief editor is the responsible body for approving the publication of the scientific researches which are submitted to the journal. The research papers are evaluated to ensure that they meet all the criteria of publication’s terms and conditions regardless of race, gender, religious backgrounds, ethnicity, nationality, and political philosophy. Scientific value, ethical criteria of work, scientific research integrity, language, citation and plagiarism are the most essential and required aspects in any work. Articles are published according to their importance, clarity, originality and their accordance with the terms and conditions announced to the researchers with the commitment of the editorial board panel to improve the scientific sobriety of the journal. The editor may be guided by the policies of the journal’s editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. In the process of  making  decisions the editor may consult with other editors or reviewers (or society officers).

Publication Decisions:

1. The journal editor is in charge of taking responsibility in the final action related to publication process and basic or partial revision-acceptance or rejection of the research.
2. The decision of publication or non publication is based on referees' reports and notes, the scientific value of the research, its originality, clarity and its relevance with the Journal specialization.
3. The editor may need to counsel other editors and specialists referees to make decisions regarding the offered researches.
4. The editor takes into consideration matters related to defamation, violation of copyrights and plagiarism .The manager of the journals should be informed to take strict procedures.

 - Confidentiality

The chief and the members of the editorial board panel undertake not to disclose any information in submitted documents or papers to the journal except those necessary information authorized by the authors, editors, consultants and publisher.

 - Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

The chief or the members of the editorial board are not  permitted to use the information stated in the unpublished documents or papers for their own scientific researches except in case of  a written permission from the original author of the research.

Peer-review

All articles submitted to journals cheks for Plagiarism and all publication are subject to a double-blind research review process. Articles are initially reviewed by the editor-in-chief. The editor-in-chief may reject the article submitted before selecting the specialized arbitrators, either because it is not related to the scope and topics of the journals, or because it is of such low quality that it does not rise to arbitration at all. Articles deemed eligible for review are sent to three reviewers who have experience in the field of the submitted material. The reviewers for the article must be unknown to each other. It also asks them to decide whether the article is publishable as is, publishable with minor changes, drastic changes, or not publish at all. The referees send their reports to the editor-in-chief and send them to the researcher (or researchers) for comment and making the required modifications. The researcher (or researchers) shall be notified in an official manner if the research is not accepted for publication. The judging process is completed within two months at the most, and accepted articles are usually published within 2 months and mostly in the next issue of the journal.

Procedures of dealing with wrong practices and plagiarism in publication

1. The editor inform immediately about any wrong behavior discovered pre, during or post publication in case one of the editorial  staff or referees know about that.
2. Anyone informing about wrong practices should provide evidence and enough details.
3. After revealing such behavior , the journal principal and the editor began immediate detection and taking the claims seriously until they take decision based on clear evidence.
4. Detections about wrong practices can be conducted even if they are discovered after a long period of publication.
5. If it is proved that there is a violation of publication morals , the journal principal in line with the editor inform the researcher or researchers about the matter to give them a  chance to reply to the complaints or the claims.
6. If the wrong behavior is minor, the journal principal solves legal procedures according to the accredited  
7. If the wrong behavior is serious ,the journal principal in cooperation with the editor inform university  deputy of scientific affairs and scientific research to conduct further detections and evaluate the extent of danger of misbehavior. Then, legal procedures are followed according to the accredited methods in Tishreen University.

 

Involvement and cooperation in investigations
When ethical complaints have been presented concerning a submitted manuscript or published  paper, an editor should take reasonably responsive measures in conjunction with the publisher (or society). Such measures will generally include contacting the author of the manuscript or paper and giving consideration to the respective complaint or claims made. It may also include further communications to the relevant institutions and research bodies. If the complaint is upheld, the publication of a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other note are a must, as may be relevant. Every reported act of unethical publishing behavior must be looked into, even if it is discovered years after publication.

 Electronic Archive  

The principle of the journals makes sure that the published researches are put according to the issuing  date  to the journals within numbers published  on the electronic site of the directorate and they are available to the public. In addition, all the published materials are stored electronically in the Journal website within Tishreen University website.

 

Reviewers' Responsibilities:

- Contribution to Editorial Decisions

The research’s reviewing helps the editorial panel in making the appropriate decision concerning the research in addition to helping the author to make their research accepted. The regulations, standards, and the level of originality of the documents and papers accepted for publications in the journal are in the responsibility of the editorial board panel to be given and declared to the reviewers. The editorial board panel is also responsible for not disclosing the names of the reviewers except with a written consent by the reviewers themselves.

 

- Promptness

Selected reviewers should notify the editorial board panel  their apology for reviewing an article, as soon as possible, if they think that they are unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or know that their prompt review will be impossible, in order to be excused from the review process.

 

- Confidentiality

Reviewers are required to deal confidentially with the papers and documents sent to them. It is not allowed to disclose the documents and papers with others, except with the editor of the journal.

 

- Standards of Objectivity

The editors should conduct the articles and make their reviews objectively according to the articles scientific value. It is inappropriate to criticize the authors personally. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments, regardless of the authors' race, gender, religious backgrounds, ethnicity, nationality, and political philosophy.

The objective criteria in reviewing are a must and the personal judgment about authors is not allowed otherwise it will be disregarded. The reviews must be reinforced by clear opinions and scientific arguments in accordance with the journal’s regulations and approved criteria of “publication terms”.

 

- Acknowledgement of Sources

The editorial board panel must be informed with the non-compliance of the author with the standards of publication by the reviewers. They should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument  which had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. Reviewers should also check the aptness of the references as well as the correct referencing as references should match the body and bibliography. It must be ensured that the presented views and arguments do not belong to other researches. Reviewers must notify the editor in case of similarity or overlap between their manuscript submitted to the journal and any other published researches.

 

- Disclosure and Conflict of Interests

It is not allowed for reviewers to use any information and ideas stated in the reviewed manuscripts for personal purposes, competitive interests, or any other interests. Moreover, they should also make clear any conflict of interests that may make their opinion about the manuscript biased.

 

Authors' Duties:

- Reporting Standards

Researcher(s) must comply with the regulations and disciplines of “publication policy” and the writing style defined by the journal. Criteria of accurate manuscripts must be provided through clarity of the aim, presentation of results in an accurate and sequent way, discussion of these results to fulfill the aims of the research along with object justification of the research method. The manuscripts should be enhanced with work details as well as with modern scientific references. Researches should not include results stated in other researches. Inclusion of results that are forged or stolen is considered unethical and unacceptable. The researcher should sign a pledge concerning the items mentioned above. 

 

- Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Researchers are not allowed to send their work to more than one journal; otherwise, it would be against the discipline of the publication. Researchers cannot submit a manuscript that is being evaluated to another journal which has its own policy of publication. In case of submitting a manuscript, a researcher can retain the published material.

 

- Authorship of the Paper

Specific names of the authors must be given, those who had a significant contribution in the research including the idea, design, implementation, and writing of the research. One of the authors must be appointed as a coordinator to contact the journal. A final approval is given for the final version of the manuscript which is submitted to publication (the pledge).

 

 Hazards and Animal Subjects:

The author must clearly identify in the manuscript if the work involves chemicals, procedures or equipment that have any unusual hazards inherent in their use. The author should also ensure that the manuscript contains a statement that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that they have been approved by the appropriate institutional committee(s) if the work involves the use of animal subjects. Authors should include a statement in the manuscript that informed consent was obtained for experimentation with human subjects.

- Disclosure and Conflict of Interests

Researchers should reveal financial support or any other kind of support provided for them. Also, they should reveal any financial conflicts or other issues that affect the results or the interpretations of the research.

Examples of possible conflicts of interest that should be disclosed are: recruitment, consulting, stock ownership, fees, paid expert testimony, patent/registration applications, grants or other forms of funding. They must disclose any  possible conflict of interest at the earliest possible stage.

  - Fundamental Errors in Published Works

Researcher(s) should notify the editor or the publisher in case of misstatements in the material of their manuscripts in order to do the necessary corrections in the misprinting forms. When authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in the published research, they should inform and cooperate with the editor or the publisher of the journal in order to undo or correct their researches in the misprinted form.

The guardianship authority Tishreen University – Syria: Tishreen University undertakes to carry out its guardianship duties with all seriousness at all stages of publishing, aware of its ethical and other responsibilities.