Publication Ethics Statement

The International Journal of Social World (IJSW) is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, transparency, fairness, and responsible scholarly publishing throughout the publication process.

All parties involved in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, editors, and the editorial team—are expected to act honestly, responsibly, and professionally at every stage of manuscript submission, peer review, publication, and post-publication.

IJSW refers to relevant internationally recognized standards and recommendations for publication ethics and research integrity, including guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), where applicable.

Authors' Responsibilities

Authors submitting manuscripts to IJSW are expected to:

• Submit original work and provide appropriate acknowledgment and citation of external work, data, ideas, and sources.
• Ensure that authorship accurately reflects meaningful contributions to the research and manuscript.
• Obtain approval of the final manuscript from all listed authors.
• Ensure that research data and results are reported accurately and are not fabricated, falsified, or intentionally manipulated.
• Avoid duplicate or simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal.
• Disclose relevant financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation.
• Ensure that research involving surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, or other human-participant methods is conducted responsibly and in accordance with applicable ethical requirements.
• Protect the privacy, confidentiality, and rights of research participants, particularly when working with sensitive personal or social information.
• Notify the journal promptly if a significant error is identified in a published article.

Research and Publication Integrity

IJSW does not accept practices that compromise the reliability or integrity of scholarly research and publication, including plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabrication or falsification of data, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, manipulation of research data or images, and other forms of research or publication misconduct.

In social research, such misconduct may also include the fabrication of survey responses or interview transcripts, misrepresentation of participants' statements, selective reporting that materially distorts findings, unauthorized disclosure of confidential participant information, or misrepresentation of the methods used to collect and analyze data.

Concerns relating to potential misconduct may be raised by authors, reviewers, editors, readers, institutions, or other relevant parties through the journal's official contact channels. The editorial team will assess such concerns based on the available information and may request clarification, supporting documentation, or additional information where necessary.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the matter, editorial action may include manuscript rejection, correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction. Where appropriate and supported by the available evidence, IJSW may communicate relevant concerns to an author's institution, funding body, research ethics committee, or other appropriate party. Any restrictions on future submissions will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the circumstances of the matter.

Specific procedures for plagiarism, corrections, retractions, authorship, and related matters are addressed in the journal's respective policies.

Research Ethics

Research involving human participants, animals, personal data, or other ethically sensitive materials must comply with applicable ethical, legal, institutional, and professional requirements.

For social and behavioural research involving surveys, interviews, focus groups, ethnographic observations, community studies, or other forms of human participation, authors are responsible for ensuring that appropriate ethical safeguards are followed.

Where applicable, authors must obtain approval from a relevant Institutional Review Board (IRB), research ethics committee, or other authorized body before conducting the research. Any required permissions should be obtained in accordance with applicable institutional and legal requirements.

Where informed consent is required, authors should obtain appropriate consent and provide relevant information in the manuscript. For research involving vulnerable individuals or groups, additional safeguards should be applied where appropriate.

Authors must take reasonable measures to protect participants' privacy, confidentiality, dignity, and rights. Personally identifiable information, interview transcripts, survey responses, photographs, and other sensitive research materials must be handled responsibly. Identifiable information should not be disclosed in published work without an appropriate legal and ethical basis and any required authorization.

Where relevant, authors should explain how participant confidentiality, data protection, informed consent, and ethical approval were addressed. IJSW may request evidence of ethical approval, informed consent, or other relevant documentation where necessary.

Editors' Responsibilities

Editors are expected to:

• Evaluate manuscripts fairly and based on their scholarly and ethical merits.
• Maintain confidentiality throughout the editorial process.
• Manage manuscripts objectively and without inappropriate discrimination or bias.
• Identify and appropriately address potential conflicts of interest.
• Take reasonable action when ethical or publication concerns are identified.
• Consider the ethical implications of research involving human participants, sensitive social data, privacy, and confidentiality.

Editorial decisions should not be improperly influenced by commercial, personal, institutional, or financial interests.

Reviewers' Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to:

• Evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly, and constructively.
• Maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and information obtained during peer review.
• Disclose any relevant conflict of interest before accepting or completing a review.
• Identify and report potential ethical, methodological, or publication concerns to the editor.
• Assess whether the research methods, interpretation of findings, and conclusions are adequately supported by the evidence presented.
• Raise concerns about potentially fabricated data, misrepresented interviews, inappropriate treatment of human participants, or breaches of confidentiality where relevant.
• Avoid using unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage.
• Provide their assessments within the agreed timeframe where reasonably possible.

Detailed information about the journal's peer-review procedure is provided in the Peer Review Process policy.

Artificial Intelligence

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors should disclose financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their work or editorial judgment, including relevant funding sources and affiliations.

In social research, relevant relationships may also include affiliations with the communities or organizations being studied, professional relationships with research participants, or other interests that could affect data collection, interpretation, or reporting.

Further requirements are provided in the Conflict of Interest Policy.

Editorial Independence

IJSW aims to maintain editorial independence throughout manuscript evaluation and publication. Editorial decisions are based on the academic quality, originality, relevance, integrity, and ethical acceptability of the work.

Maintaining the Scholarly Record

IJSW is committed to maintaining an accurate and reliable published record. When significant errors, ethical concerns, or other publication issues are identified after publication, the journal may take appropriate editorial action, including issuing a Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction, as applicable.

Such action may be necessary when concerns arise about the reliability of social research findings, the accuracy of reported survey or interview data, research ethics, participant confidentiality, or the responsible handling of personal information.

Further information is provided in the Corrections and Retractions policy.

Related Policies

This statement should be read together with the relevant IJSW policies, including:

• Authorship Policy
• Peer Review Process
• Generative AI Policy
• Plagiarism Policy
• Conflict of Interest Policy
• Data Availability and Sharing Policy
• Corrections and Retractions Policy
• Open Access and Author Rights
• Article Processing Charges
• Complaints and Appeals