Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics in the Journal of Innovation in Community Empowerment is based on Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This statement clarifies the ethical behavior of all parties involved in posting an article in this journal, including the authors, the editors, and the reviewers. We have personalized this COPE for our journal as follows: 

Publication Ethics - Authors

1. Reporting Standard: Reports of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient details and references to permit others to replicate the work. 
2. Originality and Plagiarism: The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works. If the authors have used the work and/or words, this has been appropriately cited or quoted. 
3. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication: An author should not generally publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior which is not accepted. 
4. Acknowledgment of Sources: Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work. 
5. Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the research reported in the manuscript. The corresponding author is responsible for keeping co-authors posted with the review process. If accepted, all authors are required to give a signed statement that the research work is their original research work.
6. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or another substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed. 
7. Fundamental errors in published works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, the author should promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper. 

Publication Ethics - Editors

1. Fair Play: An editor at any time evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors. 
2. 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, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate. 
3. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's research without the author's express written consent. 
4. Publication Decisions: The editorial board is responsible for deciding which articles are submitted to the journal to be published. The validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers must always drive such decisions. The editors 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. The editors may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision. 
5. Review of Manuscripts: Editors must ensure that each manuscript is initially evaluated for originality. The editor should organize and use peer review fairly and wisely. Editors should explain their peer review processes in the authors' information and indicate peer-reviewed journal parts. The editor should use appropriate peer reviewers for papers considered for publication by selecting people with sufficient expertise and avoiding conflicts of interest. 

Publication Ethics - Reviewers

1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer reviewers assist the editors in making editorial decisions, and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the paper. 
2. Promptness: The journal editors are committed to providing a timely review to the authors. If a reviewer does not submit his/her report promptly, the paper is immediately sent to another qualified reviewer.
3. Standards of Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments. 
4. Confidentiality: Any 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. 
5. 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. 
6. Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that the authors have not cited. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by relevant citations. 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.