Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

International Journal of Sociologies and Anthropologies Science Reviews (IJSASR)

ISSN (Online): 2985-2730

The International Journal of Sociologies and Anthropologies Science Reviews (IJSASR) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, editorial independence, transparency, and accountability in scholarly publishing.

The journal expects all parties involved in the publication process—including authors, editors, reviewers, editorial staff, and the publisher—to comply with internationally accepted ethical standards and good publication practices.

IJSASR follows the principles and Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and applies relevant COPE guidance and flowcharts when handling suspected publication misconduct or ethical concerns.

Explicit COPE Compliance Statement

The International Journal of Sociologies and Anthropologies Science Reviews (IJSASR) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, research integrity, transparency, and accountability.

The journal follows the principles and Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and applies relevant COPE guidance and flowcharts when handling ethical concerns, complaints, appeals, corrections, retractions, and suspected publication misconduct.

Relevant COPE resources:

COPE Core Practices: https://publicationethics.org/core-practices
COPE Guidance: https://publicationethics.org/guidance
COPE Flowcharts: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts

External Ethical References

COPE Core Practices: https://publicationethics.org/core-practices
COPE Guidance: https://publicationethics.org/guidance
COPE Flowcharts: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts
WMA Declaration of Helsinki: https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/

1. Scope of the Ethics Policy

This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement applies to all manuscripts submitted to IJSASR, including:

Original research articles
Review articles
Academic articles
Conceptual papers
Case studies
Scholarly analyses
Other content considered for publication by the journal

This policy covers ethical responsibilities related to:

Authorship and contributorship
Originality and plagiarism prevention
Research integrity
Human participant protection
Peer-review ethics
Editorial responsibilities
Conflicts of interest
Data integrity and transparency
Complaints and appeals
Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions
Handling publication misconduct

2. Ethical Standards for Research Involving Human Participants

IJSASR prioritizes the safety, dignity, privacy, rights, and well-being of all research participants.

Any research involving human participants must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical standards. Where relevant, authors should follow internationally accepted principles, including the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.

2.1 Ethics Approval

Research involving human participants must be reviewed and approved by an appropriate ethics committee, Institutional Review Board (IRB), or equivalent body where such approval is required.

Authors must clearly state in the manuscript:

Name of the approving ethics committee or IRB
Approval number or reference number
Date of approval, where applicable
Confirmation that the study was conducted according to relevant ethical standards

2.2 Informed Consent

Authors must ensure that participation in research is voluntary and based on informed consent.

Participants should be informed about:

Purpose of the study
Research procedures
Possible risks and benefits
Right to refuse or withdraw
Data confidentiality
Use of research findings for publication

Identifiable personal information may be published only when explicit written consent has been obtained.

2.3 Research Involving Vulnerable Populations

Additional safeguards are required when research involves vulnerable groups, including but not limited to:

Children or minors
School students
Patients
Persons with disabilities
Persons with cognitive impairment
Prisoners
Economically or socially disadvantaged groups
Individuals in dependent or hierarchical relationships

For such studies, authors must clearly explain:

Why inclusion of vulnerable participants is necessary
How risks were assessed and minimized
How voluntary participation was ensured
How privacy and confidentiality were protected
Whether parental or guardian consent was obtained
Whether participant assent was obtained where appropriate
Whether institutional permission was obtained where applicable

Participation must not affect grades, employment, healthcare, access to services, institutional relationships, or other rights and benefits.

2.4 Required Ethics Statement in Manuscripts

All manuscripts reporting research involving human participants must include an Ethics Statement.

Where applicable, the statement should include:

Full name of the ethics committee or IRB
Approval or reference number
Confirmation of informed consent
Confirmation of parental or guardian consent for minors
Confirmation of participant assent, where applicable
Confirmation that data were anonymized or handled confidentially
Confirmation that publication of identifiable information was authorized, if applicable

Example Ethics Statement

This study was approved by [full name of ethics committee/institution] under approval no. [number]. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to participation. For participants under the age of legal consent, written permission was obtained from a parent or legal guardian, and participant assent was obtained where appropriate. All data were anonymized and handled confidentially.

2.5 Studies Not Requiring Formal Ethics Review

If authors believe that formal ethics approval was not required, they must provide a clear explanation during submission and in the manuscript where appropriate.

The editorial office may request supporting documentation. A statement that ethics approval was “not required” does not automatically exempt the manuscript from editorial scrutiny.

2.6 Sensitive Data and Identifiable Information

Authors must exercise particular care when manuscripts include:

Photographs
Audio or video records
Interview transcripts
Case descriptions
School-based observations
Medical or health-related information
Digital tracking data
Any information that may identify an individual directly or indirectly

Such material may be published only when:

Publication is ethically justified
Publication is legally permitted
Explicit consent has been obtained where required
Appropriate anonymization or redaction has been applied

Editors may request additional documentation, anonymization, redaction, or written publication consent before review or publication.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, and ethical compliance of their submitted work.

3.1 Originality and Exclusive Submission

Authors must submit original work that has not been previously published and is not under consideration elsewhere.

The following practices are unacceptable:

Plagiarism
Self-plagiarism or inappropriate text recycling
Duplicate submission
Redundant publication
Data fabrication
Data falsification
Citation manipulation
Misleading reporting
Undisclosed use of third-party material

The journal may use plagiarism-detection tools during editorial screening.

3.2 Authorship and Contributorship

All listed authors must have made substantial scholarly contributions to the work.

Authors should normally contribute to:

Conception or design of the study
Data collection, analysis, or interpretation
Drafting or revising the manuscript
Approval of the final version
Accountability for the integrity of the work

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that:

All co-authors have approved the manuscript
The order of authorship has been agreed upon
No qualified contributor has been omitted
No person has been included as an author without appropriate contribution

Gift authorship, guest authorship, and ghost authorship are not acceptable.

3.3 Accuracy and Research Integrity

Authors must present their research honestly and accurately.

Data, methods, results, and interpretations must not be fabricated, falsified, selectively omitted, manipulated, or reported in a misleading manner.

Authors should retain research records and provide supporting documentation if requested by the editorial office.

3.4 Citations, Acknowledgments, and Funding

Authors must properly acknowledge the work of others and cite relevant sources accurately.

Authors must disclose:

Funding sources
Institutional support
Research grants
Technical support
Non-author contributions
Any assistance received during manuscript preparation

Acknowledgments must not be used to conceal authorship or conflicts of interest.

3.5 Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence the research or its interpretation.

Conflicts may include:

Financial relationships
Employment or institutional relationships
Consultancy or advisory roles
Academic collaboration
Personal relationships
Political or ideological interests
Funding-related influence

If no conflict exists, authors should include a statement such as:

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

3.6 Human Research and Participant Protection

For studies involving human participants, authors must include a complete ethics statement and provide supporting documentation if requested.

Manuscripts may be returned, delayed, or rejected if ethics approval, consent information, or participant protection details are unclear or insufficient.

3.7 Data Transparency and Availability

Where appropriate, authors should provide a data availability statement explaining whether and how data can be accessed.

If data cannot be shared, authors should provide a clear reason, such as:

Participant confidentiality
Legal restrictions
Institutional restrictions
Ethical limitations
Sensitive personal information

3.8 Corrections After Publication

If authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy after publication, they must promptly inform the journal and cooperate in issuing:

Correction
Corrigendum
Erratum
Expression of concern
Retraction, where necessary

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the academic quality, integrity, and ethical standards of IJSASR.

4.1 Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat all manuscripts and related materials as confidential documents.

Reviewers must not:

Share manuscripts with others without permission
Use unpublished material for personal advantage
Discuss the manuscript outside the review process
Contact authors directly regarding the manuscript

4.2 Objectivity and Constructive Review

Reviews should be objective, respectful, evidence-based, and constructive.

Reviewers should evaluate:

Originality
Relevance to the journal’s scope
Theoretical contribution
Methodological rigor
Validity of findings
Clarity of presentation
Ethical adequacy
Quality of references

Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate.

4.3 Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must decline a review invitation if they have any conflict of interest.

Conflicts may include:

Recent collaboration with the author
Same institutional affiliation
Personal relationship
Financial interest
Academic competition
Supervisory or student relationship

4.4 Ethical Alerting Function

Reviewers should alert the editors if they suspect:

Plagiarism
Duplicate publication
Data fabrication or falsification
Unethical research involving human participants
Inappropriate image or data manipulation
Undisclosed conflicts of interest
Peer-review manipulation
Citation manipulation

4.5 Timeliness

Reviewers should complete reviews within the agreed timeframe. If they cannot complete the review on time, they should notify the editorial office promptly.

5. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for maintaining a fair, transparent, independent, and ethical editorial process.

5.1 Editorial Independence and Fair Decision-Making

Editors evaluate manuscripts based on:

Academic merit
Originality
Methodological soundness
Ethical compliance
Clarity
Relevance to the journal’s aims and scope
Contribution to the field

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by:

Race
Gender
Nationality
Religion
Political belief
Institutional affiliation
Personal relationship
Commercial interest

5.2 Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must treat submitted manuscripts as confidential.

Information about a manuscript should be disclosed only to individuals directly involved in the editorial process, such as:

Editors
Reviewers
Editorial staff
Publisher, where necessary
Ethics committees or institutions, where required for misconduct investigation

5.3 Preliminary Editorial Screening

Editors may conduct initial screening before peer review to assess:

Completeness of submission
Relevance to journal scope
Manuscript format
Originality
Plagiarism concerns
Ethical approval and consent statements
Conflict of interest disclosures
Funding statements
Research quality and academic contribution

Manuscripts may be returned for clarification or rejected before peer review if they do not meet ethical, academic, or editorial requirements.

5.4 Conflicts of Interest

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.

In such cases, the manuscript will be assigned to another qualified editor.

5.5 Handling Misconduct and Ethical Concerns

Editors are responsible for responding to suspected misconduct, including:

Plagiarism
Duplicate submission
Redundant publication
Fabricated or falsified data
Unethical research
Authorship disputes
Undisclosed conflicts of interest
Peer-review manipulation
Citation manipulation

Editors may request clarification, supporting documents, raw data, ethics approval letters, consent forms, or institutional statements.

Actions may include rejection, correction, expression of concern, retraction, or notification of relevant institutions, in line with COPE guidance.

6. Responsibilities of the Publisher and Handling of Publication Ethics Cases

The publisher of the International Journal of Sociologies and Anthropologies Science Reviews (IJSASR), DR.KEN Institute of Academic Development and Promotion, is committed to supporting the journal in maintaining high standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, transparency, accessibility, and editorial independence.

The publisher plays a supporting role in the scholarly publishing process and is responsible for:

Maintaining and developing the journal’s website and online publishing platform
Supporting transparent and publicly accessible publication policies
Ensuring continuous and open access to published content
Supporting the correction and integrity of the scholarly record, including corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions
Preserving published content through appropriate archiving and digital preservation systems
Providing administrative and technical support for editorial and peer-review processes
Ensuring compliance with international publishing standards and ethical guidelines

The publisher strictly respects the principle of editorial independence and must not interfere with editorial decisions, peer-review outcomes, or the academic evaluation of manuscripts.

Handling of Publication Ethics Cases

IJSASR is committed to handling all publication ethics cases in a fair, confidential, transparent, and evidence-based manner, in accordance with international standards and the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Ethical concerns may be raised by editors, reviewers, authors, readers, institutions, or other stakeholders at any stage of the publication process, including before or after publication.

Examples of publication ethics concerns include, but are not limited to:

Plagiarism or self-plagiarism
Duplicate submission or redundant publication
Data fabrication or data falsification
Citation manipulation
Authorship disputes (e.g., ghost, guest, or gift authorship)
Undisclosed conflicts of interest
Peer-review manipulation
Unethical research involving human participants
Lack of required ethics approval or informed consent
Misuse of copyrighted or third-party materials

When an ethical concern is identified, the journal may initiate an investigation and request clarification from the authors. This may include requests for:

Detailed explanations or written statements
Supporting documents and research materials
Original or raw data
Ethics approval certificates
Informed consent documentation
Institutional approvals or permissions
Evidence of authorship contributions

All cases are reviewed carefully by the editorial team, and decisions are made based on the available evidence, in alignment with established ethical guidelines. Appropriate actions may be taken depending on the nature and severity of the issue, including manuscript revision, rejection, correction, expression of concern, retraction, or notification of relevant institutions.

7. Misconduct Handling Policy

When a possible ethics issue is reported or detected, IJSASR follows the procedure below:

Preliminary Assessment
The editorial office reviews the concern and collects relevant information.
Evidence Review
Editors examine manuscript files, similarity reports, reviewer comments, publication records, author declarations, and other available evidence.
Author Clarification
Authors may be contacted and asked to provide explanations, supporting documents, raw data, ethics approval, or consent documentation.
Editorial Evaluation
The Editor-in-Chief or designated ethics editor evaluates the case in accordance with COPE guidance.
Decision and Action
Depending on the seriousness of the case, the journal may take one or more actions, including correction, rejection, suspension of review, expression of concern, retraction, or notification of relevant institutions.

IJSASR follows COPE guidance when handling suspected publication misconduct.

7.1 Types of Misconduct

Publication misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

Plagiarism
Self-plagiarism or inappropriate text recycling
Duplicate submission
Redundant publication
Data fabrication
Data falsification
Misleading data analysis
Image manipulation
Citation manipulation
Peer-review manipulation
False authorship claims
Gift, guest, or ghost authorship
Undisclosed conflicts of interest
False ethics approval statements
Lack of informed consent
Unethical research involving human participants
Breach of participant confidentiality
Misuse of copyrighted material

7.2 Procedure for Handling Misconduct

When a concern is raised by editors, reviewers, readers, authors, institutions, or screening tools, the journal will conduct a preliminary assessment.

The process may include:

Recording the concern
Reviewing available evidence
Checking manuscript files and publication records
Requesting clarification from authors
Requesting supporting documents where needed
Consulting editorial board members or external experts
Following relevant COPE guidance and flowcharts
Taking appropriate editorial action

7.3 Possible Outcomes

Depending on the seriousness of the case, outcomes may include:

Request for clarification
Manuscript revision
Correction of records
Rejection of the manuscript
Suspension of editorial evaluation
Publication of correction
Publication of expression of concern
Retraction of article
Notification of authors’ institutions
Notification of relevant bodies or stakeholders

The journal reserves the right to investigate concerns raised before or after publication.

8. Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders may submit complaints concerning:

Editorial process
Peer-review process
Reviewer conduct
Publication ethics
Conflicts of interest
Possible misconduct
Published content

Complaints should be submitted in writing to the editorial office with sufficient details and supporting evidence where possible.

The journal will handle complaints:

Fairly
Confidentially
Promptly
Transparently
In accordance with ethical procedures

Appeals against editorial decisions may be considered only when there is evidence of procedural error, conflict of interest, or significant misunderstanding of the manuscript.

Appeals based only on disagreement with reviewers’ academic judgment may not be accepted.

9. Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

To maintain the integrity of the scholarly record, IJSASR may issue post-publication notices where necessary.

9.1 Corrections, Corrigenda, and Errata

Corrections may be published when an error is identified but does not invalidate the main findings of the article.

9.2 Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be published when:

An investigation is ongoing
Evidence is inconclusive
Serious concerns exist but final resolution is pending

9.3 Retractions

An article may be retracted when:

Findings are unreliable
Misconduct is confirmed
Plagiarism is identified
Data are fabricated or falsified
Ethical approval or consent was misrepresented
The article was published elsewhere
The publication record is seriously compromised

Correction, expression of concern, or retraction notices will be linked to the original article and will clearly explain the reason for the notice.

10. Copyright, Licensing, and Publication

Authors must ensure that their submitted work does not infringe the rights of others.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce:

Figures
Tables
Images
Long quotations
Instruments
Third-party materials
Copyrighted content

The journal’s copyright and licensing terms must be followed as stated on the journal website and in the author guidelines.

11. Transparency and Open Access

IJSASR is an open-access journal committed to transparency in editorial and publication practices.

The journal makes publicly available information on:

Aims and scope
Editorial team
Author guidelines
Peer-review process
Publication ethics
Conflicts of interest
Complaints and appeals
Corrections and retractions
Publication schedule
Copyright and licensing
Publication fees or no-fee statement, where applicable
Contact information

12. Submission Requirements for Ethical Review

To support ethical review and editorial assessment, authors may be required to provide:

Ethics approval letter or certificate
Approval/reference number
Participant information sheet
Consent form template
Parent or guardian consent form for minors
Participant assent documentation
Institutional permission letters
Conflict of interest statement
Funding statement
Data availability statement
Copyright permission for third-party materials

Manuscripts lacking required ethical documentation may be returned, delayed, or rejected.

Examples of Editorial Actions

Depending on the nature and severity of the case, IJSASR may take the following actions:

1. Plagiarism or High Similarity

If plagiarism or excessive similarity is detected before publication, the manuscript may be returned for revision or rejected. If plagiarism is confirmed after publication, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

2. Authorship Dispute

If an authorship dispute arises, the journal may request written confirmation from all authors and may suspend the review or publication process until the issue is resolved.

3. Undisclosed Conflict of Interest

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified, the journal may request a correction to the disclosure statement, reassess the manuscript, or take further action depending on the severity of the case.

4. Research Involving Human Participants

If a manuscript lacks required ethics approval, informed consent, or participant protection information, the journal may request documentation, return the manuscript for clarification, reject the submission, or take post-publication action if the issue is discovered after publication.

5. Data Fabrication or Falsification

If data fabrication, falsification, or serious data irregularity is suspected, authors may be asked to provide original data or supporting evidence. Confirmed misconduct may result in rejection, retraction, and notification of relevant institutions.

Contact for Ethics Concerns

Ethical concerns, complaints, appeals, or requests for correction should be submitted to the journal’s editorial office.

Journal: International Journal of Sociologies and Anthropologies Science Reviews (IJSASR)
Website: https://so07.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/IJSASR
Email: dr.keninstitute@gmail.com
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Kenaphoom/
Website: https://drkeninstitute.or.th/home