CIJFMR is committed to the highest standards of publication ethics. This statement sets out the duties of authors, reviewers, editors and the Publisher, and explains how the Journal responds to suspected misconduct. It draws on the Core Practices and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and on the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. CIJFMR is not a member of COPE; it uses COPE's guidance as its reference.
1. Duties of authors
1.1 Originality and plagiarism
Authors submit only original work and properly acknowledge the work and words of others. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable, including copying text, ideas, data, figures or arguments without attribution; close paraphrase without attribution; reproducing the author's own published work without disclosure and citation (text recycling); and presenting translated work as original.
1.2 Multiple, redundant and simultaneous publication
Authors do not submit the same manuscript, or manuscripts describing essentially the same research, to more than one journal at a time, and do not publish the same research in more than one outlet except as permitted by the Instructions to authors and with full disclosure.
1.3 Accuracy and integrity of research
Authors present accurate accounts of their work and an objective discussion of its significance. Fabrication, falsification and selective or misleading reporting of data, sources or case law are serious misconduct. Authors keep their research records and make them available to the editors on reasonable request.
1.4 Accuracy of references
Authors verify that every reference exists and supports the proposition for which it is cited. Citing sources the author has not consulted, or fabricated or AI-generated references, is misconduct.
1.5 Authorship
Only persons who meet the authorship criteria in the Instructions to authors appear as authors, up to a maximum of four. The corresponding author ensures that all co-authors have approved the final version and agreed to its submission. Gift, guest and ghost authorship are not permitted.
1.6 Funding, acknowledgements and conflicts of interest
Authors acknowledge all sources of funding and everyone who contributed without meeting the authorship criteria, and disclose any financial, professional or personal interest that could appear to influence the work.
1.7 Research involving people
Authors obtain ethics approval and informed consent where required, protect the privacy of participants and comply with applicable data protection law.
1.8 Use of AI tools
Authors follow the Journal's Use of AI tools policy and disclose any use of AI tools.
1.9 Errors in published work
Authors who discover a significant error in their published article notify the Journal promptly and cooperate in publishing a correction or retraction.
1.10 Citation manipulation
Authors do not cite sources solely to increase the citations of a particular author, journal or publisher, and do not take part in citation exchanges.
2. Duties of reviewers
- Contribute to editorial decisions through objective, timely and constructive assessment.
- Keep manuscripts confidential and do not use unpublished material for their own research.
- Do not upload manuscripts to generative AI tools or other external services.
- Declare conflicts of interest and decline where one exists.
- Draw the editor's attention to substantial similarity with other work and to any other ethical concern.
- Do not request citations to their own work unless genuinely necessary.
- Notify the editor promptly if they cannot complete a review on time.
3. Duties of editors
- Decide on the publication of manuscripts on the basis of scholarly merit, relevance and integrity, without discrimination.
- Ensure that each manuscript receives a fair, confidential and timely review.
- Disclose conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from any manuscript where one exists.
- Do not use unpublished material for their own research without the author's written consent.
- Keep editorial decisions separate from the Journal's commercial functions.
- Respond to credible allegations of misconduct promptly and in accordance with COPE guidance.
- Publish corrections, retractions and expressions of concern where needed.
- Protect the anonymity of reviewers and authors.
4. Duties of the Publisher
LawFoyer, as Publisher, guarantees the editorial independence of the Journal; keeps fees and payments separate from editorial decisions; maintains the Journal's archive and metadata; supports the editors in investigating misconduct and publishing corrections and retractions; ensures that the Journal's policies, charges and editorial board are stated accurately on the website; and makes no false or misleading claims about indexing, impact metrics or affiliations.
5. Handling suspected misconduct
5.1 Raising a concern
Anyone may raise a concern about a manuscript or a published article by writing to editor@cijfmr.com with the title, the reference number or article link, and the evidence. The Journal considers anonymous concerns where they contain specific, verifiable evidence.
5.2 Investigation
The Editor-in-Chief, or an editor without a conflict of interest, investigates the concern, normally following the relevant COPE flowchart: a preliminary assessment of whether the concern is credible; a written request to the author for an explanation, with the evidence; consideration of the author's response; and, where necessary, advice from independent experts or contact with the author's institution or employer. Every investigation is confidential, and the good faith of all parties is presumed until the facts are established.
5.3 Possible outcomes
- dismissal of the concern where it is unfounded;
- an explanation to the author and correction of minor issues;
- rejection of the manuscript;
- publication of a correction or an expression of concern;
- retraction of the published article;
- notification of the author's institution, employer or funding body;
- a ban on further submissions from the author for a defined period.
Retractions and expressions of concern follow the Corrections, retractions and expressions of concern policy.
6. Paper mills, manipulation and impersonation
The Journal rejects manuscripts produced by paper mills, manuscripts with manipulated authorship and submissions using fake reviewer identities. CIJFMR does not accept payment in exchange for acceptance, guaranteed publication or expedited review. Anyone who claims to sell publication in CIJFMR does not act for the Journal.
7. Intellectual property and defamation
Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts do not infringe intellectual property rights, contain defamatory statements, breach confidentiality or prejudice ongoing legal proceedings. The Journal may require changes to a manuscript on legal advice.