Publication Ethics for the Journal of Laguna Geography (Joulage)

Journal of Laguna Geography (Joulage) is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in research publication. We expect all authors, reviewers, and editorial board members to adhere to the following principles and guidelines to ensure the integrity of the research process and the journal's credibility.

1. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that the work submitted is original and has not been published or submitted elsewhere. Any work or words from other sources must be properly cited or quoted. Plagiarism, in any form, is strictly prohibited.

• Data Integrity: Authors should provide accurate and reliable data and ensure that the research findings are presented truthfully. Manipulating or fabricating data is unethical and will result in the manuscript's rejection.

• Multiple Submissions: Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. Submitting to multiple journals is considered unethical.

• Authorship: All individuals who made significant contributions to the work should be listed as authors. Authors should ensure that all co-authors know and agree with the manuscript's content and submission.

• Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest related to the research or publication. This includes financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence the research.

• Acknowledgment of Sources: Proper acknowledgment must be made for funding sources, individuals, and institutions that contributed to the research. Authors should not omit contributors who meet the authorship criteria.

• Human and Animal Rights: If the research involves human participants or animals, the authors must confirm that ethical approval was obtained and that the research adhered to relevant ethical standards. Participants must have given informed consent if required.

2. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential and not disclose details of the manuscript to others without the journal's explicit permission.

• Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively, and reviewers must provide clear and reasoned explanations for their recommendations. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate.

• Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must not review manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest. If a reviewer has a financial, academic, or personal relationship with any authors, they must decline to review the manuscript.

• Timeliness: Reviewers should complete their evaluations within the agreed time frame and inform the editor if they cannot. Delays in the review process should be avoided.

• Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should point out any relevant published work that the authors have not cited. They should also alert the editor to any possible plagiarism or unethical practices they detect during the review.

3. Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

• Fairness and Objectivity: Editors must handle manuscripts fairly and impartially, making decisions based solely on the quality and relevance of the research. They should ensure that authors’ gender, nationality, and other personal characteristics do not influence editorial decisions.

• Confidentiality: Editors must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the authors, reviewers, and relevant editorial staff.

• Conflict of Interest: Editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, such as a relationship with the author or subject matter. They should not handle manuscripts where they have a personal or financial conflict.

• Peer Review Process: Editors ensure that manuscripts undergo a double-masked peer review process. The decision to accept or reject a manuscript should be based on reviewers’ recommendations and the manuscript's quality.

• Ethical Oversight: Editors must act on any ethical concerns raised during the review process, such as plagiarism or misconduct, and take appropriate action, including contacting the author or retracting the article if necessary.

• Correcting Errors: Editors must promptly address any significant errors or inaccuracies in the published content. If a published article contains serious errors, the journal will issue a correction or retraction as needed.

4. Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher

• Compliance with Ethical Standards: The publisher must ensure that all editorial and publication processes comply with ethical standards and best practices.

• Ensuring Open Access: The publisher ensures that all content in Joulage is freely available to the public, allowing the dissemination of research for academic and societal benefit.

• Handling Complaints: The publisher is responsible for handling any ethical complaints or disputes that may arise, including allegations of plagiarism, misconduct, or ethical violations, and ensuring they are resolved fairly and transparently.

• Retraction and Correction: If an article is found to violate ethical guidelines (e.g., plagiarism, data manipulation), the publisher, in consultation with the editors, may retract it or publish a correction or clarification.

5. Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication

• Manuscripts submitted to Joulage will be screened for plagiarism using recognised software. Any article found to contain plagiarised content will be rejected immediately, and the authors may be banned from submitting to the journal in the future.

• Authors must ensure that their manuscript is not a duplicate publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal or publishing identical content in multiple journals without proper acknowledgement constitutes unethical behaviour.

6. Retraction and Withdrawal

• If a paper is flawed after publication (e.g., due to errors in data, fraudulent claims, or ethical violations), the editor may retract the paper, and a public notice will be issued.

• Authors may request the withdrawal of their manuscript from consideration before it is published. Still, once an article is accepted for publication, withdrawal may not be granted except under exceptional circumstances, which the editor will evaluate.

7. Adherence to Ethical Standards

Joulage adheres to the ethical standards of publication set by internationally recognised bodies, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and encourages all authors, reviewers, and editors to be familiar with and follow these ethical guidelines.

By adhering to these ethical guidelines, Joulage aims to maintain the highest standards of scientific publishing and ensure that the research published in the journal is of the highest quality, trustworthy, and ethically sound.