Publication Ethics

The Regional Studies Journal is committed to maintaining high academic and professional standards of research and publication ethics and seeks to ensure academic integrity, transparency, and fairness throughout the submission, review, and publication processes. The journal follows internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, including the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Authors’ Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, and scholarly integrity of their research and must:

·        Submit original work that has not been previously published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere at the same time.

·        Follow appropriate standards of academic citation and referencing and avoid plagiarism.

·        Disclose sources of funding and any actual or potential conflicts of interest.

·        Ensure that all individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the research are appropriately recognized as authors and that all listed authors have approved the submitted manuscript.

·        Cooperate with the Editorial Board when questions arise concerning the accuracy of data or the integrity of the research.

2. Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, impartially, and confidentially. They should:

·        Treat manuscripts and related materials as strictly confidential.

·        Not use information obtained through the review process for personal or professional advantage.

·        Disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest.

·        Decline a review assignment when they are not sufficiently qualified to assess the manuscript or cannot complete the review within the required period.

·        Provide objective and constructive comments based on appropriate scholarly standards.

·        Identify relevant shortcomings or important references where appropriate, without requiring authors to cite the reviewer’s own work.

These principles are consistent with COPE guidance emphasizing objectivity, confidentiality, and disclosure of competing interests in peer review.

3. Editorial Responsibilities

The Editorial Board is responsible for managing the publication process fairly and independently and is committed to:

·        Evaluating manuscripts on the basis of their scholarly quality, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope, without unjustified discrimination based on gender, origin, institutional affiliation, or other factors unrelated to scholarly content.

·        Ensuring that the journal’s peer-review procedures are applied fairly and consistently.

·        Maintaining the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and related information.

·        Selecting appropriate reviewers and avoiding conflicts of interest.

·        Making editorial decisions independently on the basis of scholarly evaluations and the journal’s academic standards.

·        Handling complaints and concerns relating to editorial and peer-review procedures professionally and impartially.

4. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and Editorial Board members must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest that could affect the integrity of the review process or editorial decision.

The Editorial Board may take appropriate measures, including replacing a reviewer or arranging further evaluation, when a conflict could compromise the impartiality of the peer-review or editorial decision-making process.

5. Plagiarism and Research Misconduct

The journal is committed to preventing plagiarism and all forms of research misconduct and unethical publication practices, including:

·        Plagiarism or the appropriation of another person’s ideas or text without appropriate acknowledgment.

·        Duplicate or redundant publication without appropriate disclosure.

·        Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data.

·        Undisclosed relevant conflicts of interest.

·        Manipulation of the peer-review or citation process.

·        Any other practice that may compromise the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal uses similarity-checking tools and editorial assessment to help identify plagiarism or inappropriate overlap. The journal does not rely on a single numerical similarity percentage as the sole basis for determining plagiarism; rather, the nature, context, and source of the similarity are considered.

6. Complaints and Appeals

The Editorial Board handles complaints and appeals relating to the journal or its editorial and peer-review procedures confidentially and impartially and seeks to resolve them in accordance with the journal’s established policies and procedures.

7. Corrections and Retractions

The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the published scholarly record. When a significant error or issue affecting the reliability of a published article is identified, the Editorial Board will take appropriate action according to the circumstances, which may include the publication of a correction or the retraction of the article where justified.

Correction or retraction notices should be clear and appropriately linked to the affected article in order to maintain transparency and the integrity of the scholarly record.

8. Editorial Independence

The journal maintains a clear separation between scholarly and editorial decisions and commercial or financial considerations. Publication fees, funding sources, and the institutional affiliation of authors must not influence editorial decisions concerning the scientific publication of a manuscript.

9. Commitment to International Standards

The Regional Studies Journal is committed to continuously developing its policies and practices in accordance with internationally recognized principles of publication ethics and research integrity, taking into account the disciplines and scholarly communities served by the journal.