Policies on Conflict of Interest, Human and Animal rights, and Informed Consent

Veritas Journal of Social, Legal and Humanistic Studies (VJSLHS), published by The Global Publishers, is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity, academic excellence, transparency, and ethical publishing. The journal follows internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations where applicable, and the ethical guidance of the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

All participants in the publication process—including authors, editors, reviewers, editorial board members, and the publisher—are expected to uphold these ethical standards throughout the submission, peer review, and publication process.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

  • Originality: Authors must submit original work that has not been published previously and is not under consideration by another journal. All sources must be appropriately acknowledged through proper citation.
  • Plagiarism: Manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software. Plagiarism, duplicate publication, undisclosed text recycling, or citation manipulation constitutes publication misconduct and may result in rejection or other editorial action.
  • Authorship: Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the research. All listed authors must approve the final manuscript before submission.
  • Data Integrity: Authors must present research findings honestly and accurately. Fabrication, falsification, manipulation of data, or misleading representation of evidence is strictly prohibited.
  • Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the interpretation of their work.
  • Artificial Intelligence: Any significant use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Generative AI tools during manuscript preparation must be disclosed in accordance with the journal's AI Policy. AI systems cannot be listed as authors.
  • Data Availability: Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to include a Data Availability Statement describing how supporting data may be accessed.

2. Ethical Requirements for Research

Research Involving Human Participants

  • Research involving human participants must comply with recognized ethical principles and applicable institutional or national ethics requirements.
  • Authors should indicate whether ethical approval was obtained from an Institutional Review Board (IRB), Ethics Committee, or equivalent body, where required.
  • Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from participants whenever applicable.
  • Studies involving children or vulnerable populations must demonstrate that appropriate consent procedures were followed.

Privacy and Confidentiality

  • Authors must protect the privacy and confidentiality of research participants.
  • Personally identifiable information, images, or confidential records must not be published without explicit written permission.

Legal, Social Science, and Humanities Research

  • Research should be conducted in accordance with accepted ethical standards within the relevant discipline.
  • Authors should demonstrate respect for cultural diversity, human rights, academic freedom, and responsible scholarship.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

  • Editorial Independence: Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, originality, quality, relevance, and ethical compliance, without discrimination based on nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, political beliefs, or other unrelated factors.
  • Confidentiality: Editors treat all submitted manuscripts and reviewer reports as confidential documents.
  • Conflict of Interest: Editors must withdraw from handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists.
  • Ethical Oversight: Editors take appropriate action when allegations of plagiarism, data fabrication, image manipulation, duplicate publication, authorship disputes, or other ethical concerns arise.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

  • Maintain strict confidentiality throughout the review process.
  • Provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations.
  • Declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest.
  • Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe.
  • Inform the editorial office of suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, unethical research practices, or significant similarities with previously published work.

5. Peer Review

VJSLHS operates a double-blind peer review system. Every research manuscript is normally evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise. Final publication decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief after consideration of reviewer recommendations and editorial assessment.

6. Publication Misconduct

The journal investigates allegations of publication misconduct in accordance with internationally accepted ethical principles.

Examples of misconduct include:

  • Plagiarism and self-plagiarism.
  • Fabrication or falsification of research data.
  • Duplicate or redundant publication.
  • Citation manipulation.
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
  • Authorship disputes or inappropriate authorship.
  • Manipulation of the peer review process.

Where misconduct is confirmed, the journal may request revisions, reject manuscripts, publish corrections, issue expressions of concern, retract published articles, notify relevant institutions, or take other appropriate editorial actions.

7. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

When significant errors or ethical issues are identified after publication, the journal will publish a Correction, Retraction, or Expression of Concern as appropriate. Such notices will remain permanently linked to the original article in order to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

8. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a written explanation to the Editor-in-Chief. Appeals are reviewed objectively and may involve consultation with independent editors or additional reviewers. Complaints relating to editorial conduct, peer review, or publication ethics are handled fairly, confidentially, and without discrimination.

9. Publisher Responsibilities

The Global Publishers supports editorial independence and is committed to promoting ethical publishing practices. The publisher does not interfere with editorial decisions and works with the editorial team to address allegations of research or publication misconduct in accordance with internationally accepted ethical standards.