Publications Ethics

KEUNIS upholds rigorous publication ethics to maintain the integrity and quality of its scholarly communications. These standards are informed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.​

Duties of Authors:

  • Reporting Standards: Authors are expected to present accurate and honest accounts of their research, including objective discussions of their findings' significance. Fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation are considered unethical. Manuscripts should provide sufficient detail and references to allow replication of the study. 

  • Originality and Plagiarism: Submissions must be original works not under consideration elsewhere. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism without proper citation, is strictly prohibited. Authors should ensure appropriate acknowledgment of sources and use plagiarism detection tools, such as Turnitin, to verify originality. ​

  • Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication: Authors should not submit manuscripts describing essentially the same research to more than one journal simultaneously. Such actions are considered unethical. ​

  • Acknowledgment of Sources: All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged, specifying their contributions. Funding sources must also be disclosed.

Duties of Editors:

  • Publication Decisions: Editors are responsible for deciding which articles to publish, guided by the journal's editorial policies, legal considerations, and the potential impact on the readership.

  • Fair Play: Manuscripts are evaluated based on intellectual content without discrimination regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy. ​

  • Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and not disclose information about them to unauthorized parties. ​

  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Editors should recuse themselves from decisions where they have conflicts of interest, ensuring transparency and impartiality in the editorial process. ​

Duties of Reviewers:

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents, not sharing or discussing them outside the review process. ​

  • Standards of Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively, with clear arguments supporting the reviewer's views. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate. 

  • Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and notify the editor of any substantial similarities with other published works. ​

  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from the review process if such conflicts exist. ​

By adhering to these ethical guidelines, KEUNIS strives to uphold the highest standards in scholarly publishing, fostering trust and integrity within the academic community.