Publication Ethics

ISCO is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. The journal follows the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and adheres to the following principles:

 

1. Duties of the Editor

• The Editor is responsible for deciding which manuscripts will be published based on academic merit, regardless of the author's race, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, or political affiliation.
• The Editor must ensure a fair and unbiased double-blind peer review process.
• The Editor must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not disclose information about manuscripts to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and editorial staff.
• The Editor must not use unpublished materials from submitted manuscripts for personal research without the author's written consent.
• The Editor must act promptly when ethical complaints arise and take appropriate measures, including retracting articles if misconduct is confirmed.

 

1. Duties of Reviewers

• Reviewers must provide objective, constructive, and professional evaluations of manuscripts.
• Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of the review process and must not share or discuss the manuscript with others.
• Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from reviewing manuscripts where such conflicts exist.
• Reviewers must complete their reviews within the agreed-upon timeframe.
• Reviewers must report any suspected ethical violations (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication) to the Editor.

 

1. Duties of Authors

• Authors must ensure that their submitted manuscripts are original and have not been published elsewhere or are not under consideration by another journal.
• Authors must accurately report their research methods, findings, and data. Fabrication, falsification, and manipulation of data are serious ethical violations.
• Authors must properly cite and reference all sources used in their research. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.
• All individuals who have made significant contributions to the research must be listed as authors. Authorship should not be granted to individuals who have not contributed substantially.
• Authors must disclose any financial or personal conflicts of interest that may influence their research.
• Authors must cooperate with the editorial process, including responding to reviewers' comments in a timely manner.

 

1. Handling Misconduct

If ethical misconduct is suspected or reported, the Editor will follow the COPE flowcharts to investigate and resolve the issue. Possible outcomes include: a written warning to the author, rejection of the manuscript, retraction of a published article, or notification to the author's institution.