Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Global Research Journal of Natural Science and Technology (GRJNST) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. This statement is based on internationally recognized guidelines, including those of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and Elsevier. All parties involved in the publication process—authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher—are required to adhere to these ethical standards.

1. General Ethical Principles

All manuscripts submitted to GRJNST must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere. Any form of plagiarism, data fabrication, or falsification is strictly prohibited. The journal reserves the right to reject or retract any manuscript found to violate ethical standards at any stage of the publication process.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair, unbiased, and timely peer review process. Manuscripts shall be evaluated solely on the basis of academic merit, without regard to the authors’ race, gender, nationality, religious beliefs, or political affiliations. Editors must maintain the confidentiality of all submitted materials and must not disclose any information about a manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and publisher as appropriate. Editors must avoid conflicts of interest and take appropriate action in cases of suspected misconduct.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers assist the editorial team in making publication decisions and improving the quality of manuscripts. Reviews must be conducted objectively and constructively. Reviewers are required to maintain strict confidentiality and must not use any unpublished information for personal advantage. Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited and report any suspected plagiarism or ethical concerns. If a reviewer considers themselves unqualified to review a manuscript, they should promptly inform the editor and withdraw from the review process.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original and that any use of others’ work is properly cited. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously is considered unethical and unacceptable. Authors should present accurate data and provide sufficient detail to allow replication of the research. All listed authors must have made a significant contribution to the work and must approve the final version of the manuscript. Any conflicts of interest must be clearly disclosed.

5. Ethical Misconduct

Ethical misconduct includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, improper authorship, and citation manipulation. In cases where misconduct is identified, the journal will take appropriate action, including rejection of the manuscript, retraction of published articles, and notification of relevant institutions where necessary.

6. Peer Review Policy

GRJNST follows a double-blind peer review process. The identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed throughout the review process. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent experts in the relevant field. Editorial decisions are based on the reviewers’ evaluations of the manuscript’s originality, significance, and scientific quality.

7. Plagiarism Screening

All submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism screening using appropriate detection software such as Turnitin. A similarity index exceeding the acceptable limit may result in rejection or request for revision.

8. Corrections and Retractions

If significant errors or ethical issues are identified after publication, the journal will take appropriate measures, including issuing corrections or retracting the article. Retraction notices will be clearly indicated and publicly accessible.

9. Confidentiality

All manuscripts and associated materials are treated as confidential documents. Information regarding submitted manuscripts must not be disclosed to unauthorized individuals.

10. Complaints and Appeals

Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions or file complaints regarding the publication process. All appeals and complaints will be handled in a fair, transparent, and timely manner by the editorial board.

Final Statement

GRJNST is dedicated to maintaining integrity, transparency, and ethical responsibility in scholarly publishing. Any breach of these ethical standards will be addressed seriously to ensure the credibility of the journal and the research it publishes.