Publication Ethics

International Journal of Alternative Education and Philological Sciences is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. The journal follows the ethical guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and endorses the principles outlined in the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

Duties of authors

  • Originality: Authors must submit only original work that has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal.
  • Acknowledgment of Sources: Proper citation and acknowledgment of the work of others is mandatory in all cases.
  • Authorship: Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research.
  • Data Integrity: Authors must ensure data is accurate, reliable, and retained for potential verification. Fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of data is considered serious misconduct.
  • Conflicts of Interest: All financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be seen as influencing the work must be disclosed.
  • Multiple Submission: Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal is strictly prohibited.
  • Corrections: Authors must promptly notify the editor of any errors or inaccuracies discovered in their published work.

Duties of reviewers

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and not share or discuss them with others without editorial authorization.
  • Objectivity: Reviews must be conducted objectively, and personal criticism of authors is not acceptable.
  • Promptness: Reviewers who cannot complete a review in a timely manner should notify the editor immediately.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must not review manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.
  • Disclosure: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors.

Duties of editors

  • Fair Play: Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on their academic merit without regard to race, gender, nationality, religion, or institutional affiliation of the authors.
  • Confidentiality: Editors must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts throughout the review process.
  • Decisions: Editors are responsible for deciding which submitted articles should be published, based on validation, importance, originality, and relevance.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Editors must not use unpublished material from a submitted manuscript for their own research without written consent from the author.

Handling allegations of misconduct

The journal takes allegations of research misconduct — including plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, and authorship disputes — seriously. All allegations are investigated following COPE flowcharts. If misconduct is confirmed, appropriate action is taken, which may include article correction, retraction, notification of the authors' institutions, and a ban on future submissions.

Retraction policy

Articles may be retracted if there is clear evidence that findings are unreliable as a result of misconduct, honest error, duplicate publication, plagiarism, or unethical research practices. Retraction notices are published and linked to the original article, which remains available with a clear retraction watermark to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.