Publication Ethics

 

 

 Al-Muthanna Journal for Legal and Political Sciences considers academic publishing a shared responsibility among authors, reviewers, and the editorial board. It is therefore committed to the principles of academic integrity, objectivity, transparency, and respect for intellectual property rights throughout all stages of submission, peer review, and publication. This policy aims to strengthen trust in the publication process and to ensure the quality and credibility of scholarly work.

First: Responsibilities of Authors

  1. Authors must ensure that their manuscript is original and prepared in accordance with academic integrity, with accurate and proper citation of all sources and references.

  2. Authors must respect intellectual property rights and avoid plagiarism, unauthorized use, or undocumented borrowing.

  3. Manuscripts must not be submitted to more than one journal at the same time and must not have been previously published in violation of academic publishing standards.

  4. Authors must disclose any conflict of interest that may affect the research, its findings, or its interpretation.

  5. Authors are expected to present their ideas, analyses, and findings with objectivity, accuracy, and scholarly responsibility.

  6. All contributors to the research must be properly and fairly acknowledged, and no name should be included without genuine academic contribution.

  7. Authors should respond to reviewers’ comments and submit the required revisions within the specified time.

  8. Authors must promptly inform the editorial board if they discover a significant error in their manuscript before or after publication.

Second: Responsibilities of Reviewers

  1. Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts fairly, impartially, and solely on the basis of their scholarly merit.

  2. Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not use their content for personal or academic purposes outside the review process.

  3. Reviewers should provide clear, objective, and constructive comments within the specified review period.

  4. Reviewers should decline the review if there is any conflict of interest or any relationship or circumstance that may affect their impartiality.

  5. Reviewers should notify the editorial board of any substantial similarity, suspected plagiarism, or other ethical concern identified during the review process.

  6. Reviewers must refrain from making personal or non-academic remarks to the author.

Third: Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

  1. The editorial board makes publication decisions based on the scholarly quality, originality, and relevance of the manuscript to the journal’s scope.

  2. The editorial team treats all submitted manuscripts with full confidentiality and does not disclose related information except within the editorial and review process.

  3. The journal ensures that the peer-review process is fair, clear, and properly managed.

  4. The editorial board follows up on any complaint or allegation of unethical conduct, examines it carefully, and takes the appropriate action.

  5. Authors are informed of editorial and review decisions, as well as required revisions, clearly and in a timely manner.

  6. The journal respects authors’ rights and considers their inquiries or appeals in accordance with established academic standards.

  7. The editorial board avoids conflicts of interest at all stages of editorial handling and decision-making.

Fourth: Violations and Actions

The journal reserves the right to reject, request correction of, or retract a manuscript if plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, undisclosed conflict of interest, or any other form of academic misconduct is established. The editorial board may take any appropriate academic or administrative action necessary to preserve the integrity and credibility of the publication process.

Fifth: Compliance with International Standards

The journal is committed to recognized principles of publication ethics and follows relevant international standards related to academic integrity, transparency, and scholarly responsibility. It is guided by the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in handling cases of plagiarism, conflicts of interest, and research misconduct, in order to maintain the quality and credibility of academic publishing