Overview

Asian Journal of Arts Social Sciences (AJASS) is committed to upholding the integrity of the scholarly record and to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics. The journal expects all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, to observe the principles of honesty, transparency, accountability, and professional responsibility.

The journal does not tolerate unethical conduct in research or publication and will take appropriate action in all cases of suspected misconduct.

1. Authors’ Responsibilities

• Originality and plagiarism: Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts are original and that the work of others is properly acknowledged. Plagiarism in any form is not acceptable.
• Accuracy of reporting: Authors are responsible for presenting an accurate, complete, and honest account of the research performed.
• Multiple, redundant, or concurrent submission: Authors must not submit the same manuscript, or a substantially similar manuscript, to more than one journal at the same time.
• Acknowledgement of sources: Authors must appropriately cite publications, data, and ideas that have influenced the reported work.
• Authorship and contributorship: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a substantial scholarly contribution.
• Disclosure of competing interests: Authors must declare any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the results or interpretation of their work.
• Correction of the record: If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy, the author must promptly notify the journal.

2. Editors’ Responsibilities

• Editorial independence and fairness: Editors are responsible for making publication decisions on the basis of academic merit and relevance to the journal’s scope.
• Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents.
• Conflicts of interest: Editors must not be involved in the editorial handling of manuscripts in which they have a competing interest.
• Peer review oversight: Editors must ensure that peer review is conducted in a fair, unbiased, and timely manner.
• Response to ethical concerns: Editors must take appropriate action when ethical concerns are raised.

3. Reviewers’ Responsibilities

• Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat all manuscripts received for review as confidential documents.
• Objectivity and professionalism: Reviews should be conducted objectively, fairly, and constructively.
• Disclosure of competing interests: Reviewers must declare any competing interests that could affect their impartiality.
• Timeliness: Reviewers are expected to submit their reports within the agreed timeframe.
• Identification of relevant work and ethical issues: Reviewers should alert the editor to any relevant published work not cited by the authors.

4. Publisher’s Responsibilities

• Integrity of the scholarly record: The publisher is committed to safeguarding the integrity, reliability, and permanence of the scholarly record.
• Support for ethical standards: The publisher supports editors, reviewers, and authors in maintaining ethical standards.
• Commitment to best practice: The publisher promotes compliance with internationally recognised standards of ethical publishing and research integrity.

5. Handling of Allegations of Misconduct

AJASS takes all allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously. Allegations may include plagiarism, duplicate publication, authorship disputes, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, citation manipulation, peer review manipulation, undeclared competing interests, and unethical research practices.

All allegations will be assessed in a fair, impartial, and evidence-based manner. If misconduct is confirmed, the journal may take corrective action, including rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction, issuance of an expression of concern, retraction of the article, or notification of relevant institutions.

6. Ethical Guidance

AJASS follows the principles and best practice guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and other internationally recognised frameworks relating to publication ethics, editorial responsibility, and research integrity.