Accountable authorship
Authorship identifies meaningful contributors who accept responsibility for the work. Guest, honorary, purchased or intentionally excluded authorship is not permitted.
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Publication Ethics
A shared framework for honest research, independent review, fair editorial decisions and a reliable scholarly record.
Responsible publishing
Integrity is a process, not a slogan.
Authors, editors and reviewers are expected to act with honesty, transparency, confidentiality and professional independence.
The Journal's procedures are informed by recognised scholarly-publishing principles, including relevant COPE guidance. This does not imply organisational membership unless separately verified.
Publication ethics and editorial independence
Authors are responsible for submitted research, reviewers for confidential and impartial assessment, and editors for fair administration and reasoned decisions.
- Scholarly considerations determine editorial outcomes
- Publication fees, sponsorship and advertising remain separate from decisions
- Editors disclose conflicts and recuse themselves where necessary
- Affected parties receive a reasonable opportunity to respond to material concerns
- Actions are documented and proportionate to the available evidence
Independent assessment and confidentiality
Applicable research manuscripts use double-blind peer review. The usual route includes screening, editorial assessment, reviewer selection, independent reports, revision where required, a final editorial decision and production after acceptance.
Manuscripts and review correspondence are confidential. They must not be distributed, exploited, publicly discussed or uploaded to external systems that cannot protect confidentiality, personal information and intellectual property.
Decision responsibility: reviewer recommendations inform the editor. They do not transfer the Journal's decision-making responsibility to reviewers or to a mechanical vote.
Authorship, originality and citation integrity
Original work
Direct plagiarism, unattributed translation, inappropriate paraphrasing, undisclosed recycling, duplicate publication and misappropriation are incompatible with publication.
No concurrent submission
Substantially the same manuscript must not be under consideration by CIJFMR and another journal at the same time.
Relevant citation
References must serve the scholarship. Authors, reviewers and editors must not manipulate citations or pressure gratuitous additions.
Similarity software may assist screening, but a numerical percentage alone neither proves nor disproves misconduct. Context, attribution, extent and scholarly significance require editorial assessment.
Evidence, participants, conflicts and AI
Fabrication and falsification
Intentional creation, omission or manipulation of data, evidence, images, authorities, quotations or findings is prohibited.
Human participants
Authors should provide appropriate ethics approval, consent and privacy information where the research requires it.
Vulnerable and sensitive contexts
Research involving children, trauma, discrimination, criminal records or sensitive personal information requires particular care.
Conflicts of interest
Financial, personal, professional, academic, institutional and legal interests should be disclosed and appropriately managed.
Funding transparency
Relevant support and any funder role in design, analysis, writing or publication should be stated.
Generative AI
AI cannot be an author. Material use should be disclosed and every output, reference and claim independently verified.
Responsibilities of reviewers and editors
Independent advice
- Review only within appropriate competence
- Disclose conflicts and preserve confidentiality
- Assess evidence and reasoning objectively
- Use specific, respectful and non-discriminatory language
- Report integrity concerns privately, without independent investigation
Reasoned decisions
- Assess manuscripts fairly and select suitable reviewers
- Protect confidential and blind identities
- Manage conflicts and exclude self-interested handling
- Communicate decisions clearly
- Investigate credible concerns and protect the published record
Complaints, appeals and investigations
A complaint may concern administration, reviewer conduct, authorship, conflicts, privacy, website services or the publication record. It should identify the relevant manuscript or publication and provide enough information for assessment.
An editorial appeal should identify a significant factual error, procedural irregularity or material misunderstanding. It is not a demand for acceptance or a different reviewer merely because an author disagrees with criticism.
Investigative limits: universities, employers, funders or regulators may need to investigate matters beyond a journal's authority. CIJFMR may cooperate with legitimate enquiries while preserving appropriate confidentiality and procedural fairness.
Corrections, concerns, retractions and removal
01
Correction
A linked notice addresses a material error that does not invalidate the whole work.
02
Expression of concern
Readers are alerted when significant doubts remain under incomplete or inconclusive investigation.
03
Retraction
A public notice corrects the literature when the central record is seriously unreliable or other grave circumstances apply.
04
Exceptional removal
Full removal is reserved for compelling legal, privacy or safety risks that cannot be resolved otherwise.
A retraction corrects the scholarly record; it is not a private punishment. Withdrawal before publication does not automatically terminate an integrity investigation. Credible post-publication criticism is assessed on substance rather than the status of the person raising it.
Copyright, open access and financial separation
CopyrightRetained by authors
Default licenceCC BY 4.0
Reader accessImmediate open access
Article processing chargeINR 500
Authors grant the rights reasonably required to publish, identify, distribute, preserve and maintain the version of record. Subject to the article licence and third-party rights, authors may ordinarily share the published article in repositories, academic websites, scholarly profiles and teaching contexts.
Payment cannot determine whether a manuscript passes review. Any future advertising or sponsorship must remain separate from editorial decision-making.
Privacy, preservation and policy updates
Personal information should be limited to what is reasonably required for journal administration, review, publication, communication, security and legal compliance. Confidential manuscripts and reviewer reports are not public records.
Ethics contacteditor@cijfmr.com
Grievance routeDisplayed after verification
Preservation providerPending preservation-provider configuration and verification
Policy versionsDated and auditable
Material policy changes should be dated and publicly accessible. They should not be applied retrospectively in an unfair manner.
Questions or concerns
Use a verified editorial route.
Research-integrity concerns should identify the relevant record and provide enough information for confidential assessment.