INSS Press INSS Press

Publishing Ethics

Publishing Ethics Policy

INSS Press is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. All parties involved—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to adhere to internationally recognized ethical guidelines, including those set by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) https://publicationethics.org/

1. Standards and Scope

  • We are committed to the highest publishing standards. All submissions undergo rigorous peer review, plagiarism checks, and must follow the COPE guidelines for research integrity.
  • Articles are published under CC BY 4.0 with permanent DOIs via CrossRef and long-term archiving in CLOCKSS and LOCKSS, ensuring free access and lasting availability.
  • Our journals cover a broad scope, including science, technology, social sciences, health, environment, and interdisciplinary research. We aim to advance open science and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by connecting researchers, policymakers, and practitioners worldwide.

2. Plagiarism and Misconduct

All submissions must be original and free from plagiarism, duplicate publication, and research misconduct. Manuscripts are screened with plagiarism detection software, and any confirmed cases of plagiarism, data falsification, or unethical research will result in rejection or retraction in line with COPE guidelines.

3. Human and Animal Subjects Policy

INSS Press requires that all research involving human participants or animals complies with recognized ethical standards and institutional/national regulations. Authors must confirm ethical approval and informed consent where applicable.

Human Subjects

  • Studies involving humans must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/ and local ethics committee requirements.
  • Authors must state in the manuscript:
    • The name of the approving Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee IRB / Ethics Committee Info, with reference/approval number.
    • That informed consent was obtained from all participants (or legal guardians, where applicable).
  • For studies involving vulnerable populations (e.g., children, patients, minorities), additional safeguards must be explained.
  • Identifiable personal information (e.g., images, case details) must not be published without explicit written consent.

Animal Subjects

  • Studies involving animals must follow internationally accepted standards such as the ARRIVE guidelines https://arriveguidelines.org/ and comply with relevant laws (e.g., EU Directive 2010/63/EU https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2010/63/oj/eng, U.S. Animal Welfare Act).
  • Authors must report:
    • Approval by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent body.
    • Details of animal welfare considerations (housing, care, use of anesthesia, efforts to minimize suffering).
  • Experiments must follow the 3Rs principle: Replacement, Reduction, Refinement.

4. Conflicts of Interest and Funding

  • All parties involved in the publishing process—authors, reviewers, and editors—must uphold the highest standards of transparency.
  • Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence their research, interpretation, or reporting. Examples include funding relationships, consultancies, stock ownership, patents, or personal affiliations. If no conflicts exist, authors must state this explicitly.
  • Funding Sources must be clearly acknowledged, including the funder’s name, grant number, and role (if any). If the funder had no role, this must be declared.
  • Editors and Reviewers are required to recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest could compromise impartiality.
  • Transparency in Publication: Conflict of interest and funding disclosures are published with each article. Undisclosed conflicts or funding sources may result in rejection, correction, or retraction.

5. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

INSS Press is committed to maintaining the accuracy, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record. When necessary, we will take corrective action in line with COPE guidelines.

Corrections (Errata / Corrigenda):

  • Issued when a minor error is identified that does not compromise the overall reliability of the work.
  • Corrections are linked to the original article and remain permanently accessible.

Retractions:

  • Issued when a published article is found to contain serious errors or misconduct (plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, unethical research, duplicate publication).
  • Retracted articles remain online but are clearly marked as retracted with a statement explaining the reasons.
  • Retractions may be initiated by authors, editors, or the publisher following investigation.

Expressions of Concern:

  • Published when there are well-founded doubts about the integrity of an article but conclusive evidence is not yet available.

Editorial Responsibility:

  • Editors follow COPE flowcharts when addressing potential corrections or retractions.
  • Authors are expected to cooperate fully in investigating concerns and implementing necessary actions.

6. Allegations and Appeals

Allegations of Misconduct

  • All allegations of research or publication misconduct are taken seriously and handled according to COPE flowcharts.
  • Allegations may be raised by editors, reviewers, readers, or third parties.
  • Investigations are conducted fairly, confidentially, and without bias.
  • Where misconduct is confirmed, actions may include rejection, correction, retraction, or notifying institutions and funders.

Appeals

  • Authors may appeal editorial decisions they believe were unfair.
  • Appeals must be submitted in writing with clear justification.
  • Appeals are reviewed by a senior editor or independent board member.
  • Decisions on appeals are final.

Author Responsibilities

  • Submit only original, unpublished work not under consideration elsewhere.
  • Properly cite and acknowledge all sources.
  • Disclose conflicts of interest and funding sources.
  • Ensure all listed authors meet authorship criteria and approve the final version.
  • Report errors discovered post-publication promptly.

Reviewer Responsibilities

  • Provide objective, constructive, and timely reviews.
  • Maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
  • Declare conflicts of interest and decline reviews where bias may exist.
  • Refrain from using unpublished data for personal advantage.

Editor Responsibilities

  • Make decisions based solely on academic merit, originality, and relevance.
  • Ensure fair and transparent peer review processes.
  • Recuse themselves in cases of conflicts of interest.
  • Take action in cases of suspected misconduct.

Publisher Responsibilities

  • Ensure long-term preservation and accessibility of published content.
  • Investigate and act on ethical breaches in accordance with COPE guidelines.
  • Provide clear policies on authorship, data sharing, COI, and corrections/retractions.

Misconduct and Investigations

  • Allegations of misconduct will be investigated according to COPE flowcharts.
  • Proven cases may result in rejection, retraction, or sanctions.

Author Responsibilities (Ethics Section)

  • Ethical approval must appear in both manuscript text and metadata.
  • Papers lacking proper approval or consent will not be considered.
  • Supporting documentation must be provided upon request.

Publisher and Editor Responsibilities (Ethics Section)

  • Editors may reject or retract papers that fail to comply with human/animal ethics requirements.
  • The publisher follows COPE guidelines in suspected ethical misconduct cases.