Research Ethics

At ACW Press, we are committed to promoting the highest standards of research integrity and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. Our Research Ethics Policy outlines the ethical principles and guidelines that authors must adhere to when submitting manuscripts to our journals. This policy ensures that all research published by ACW Press is conducted responsibly, transparently, and respectfully for all subjects involved.

Core Principles

1. Honesty and Integrity

• Authors must present their research findings truthfully and accurately. Data fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of results is strictly prohibited.

• All methods and procedures used in the research must be described in sufficient detail to allow replication by other researchers.

2. Originality and Plagiarism

• Authors must ensure that their work is original and free from plagiarism. Proper citation and acknowledgment of all sources and influences are mandatory.

• Manuscripts must not contain text, data, or theories that are not the authors’ own unless properly attributed. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.

3. Authorship and Contribution

• Authorship should be limited to individuals who have contributed significantly to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study.

• All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission for publication.

• The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission.

4. Conflicts of Interest

• Authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional conflicts of interest that could influence their research.

• The manuscript should include a competing interest statement detailing any potential conflicts and how they were managed.

5. Ethical Treatment of Research Subjects

• Research involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and must have received ethical approval from the appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee.

• Informed consent must be obtained from all human subjects involved in the research.

• Research involving animals must comply with institutional, national, and international guidelines for the care and use of animals in research.

6. Data Management and Transparency

• Authors must ensure that all data generated during the research are accurately recorded and properly stored.

• Data should be made available to other researchers upon request, in accordance with data-sharing policies, and subject to ethical considerations.

7. Publication Ethics

• Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently. Duplicate submission is a serious breach of ethical conduct.

• Authors must promptly notify the journal editor if a significant error in their published work is discovered and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

8. Peer Review and Confidentiality

• Authors must respect the confidentiality of the peer review process and refrain from disclosing any details of the manuscript or review process to third parties.

• Authors should not attempt to influence the peer review process or identify reviewers for their manuscript.

Enforcement and Sanctions

ACW Press takes research ethics violations very seriously. Any breach of this policy will be investigated thoroughly. Sanctions for ethical violations may include, but are not limited to, manuscript rejection, retraction of published articles, notification of institutional authorities, and a ban on future submissions.