Publication Ethics

Ethical Guidelines

Publication Ethics

Our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing.

Commitment to COPE Guidelines

QUALITATIVE STUDIES strictly adheres to the best practices and ethical guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publishing process—editors, reviewers, and authors—must uphold these standards to ensure the quality and credibility of the research published.

1. Duties of Editors

  • Fair Play: Evaluate manuscripts based solely on their academic merit, without regard to the authors' race, gender, religion, citizenship, or institutional affiliation.
  • Confidentiality: Keep all information regarding submitted manuscripts strictly confidential, disclosing it only to the author, reviewers, and the publisher as necessary.
  • Conflict of Interest: Recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have a direct conflict of interest with the authors or the research.
  • Publication Decisions: Make acceptance or rejection decisions based on the journal's scope, originality, and the reviewers' evaluations.

2. Duties of Reviewers

  • Objectivity: Conduct reviews fairly and constructively, avoiding personal criticism or bias against the author.
  • Confidentiality: Treat manuscripts as privileged, confidential documents that must not be shared or discussed with others.
  • Promptness: Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe. If unable to do so, notify the editor immediately and decline the review.
  • Acknowledgment of Sources: Identify any relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and report any substantial similarity to other known works.

3. Duties of Authors

  • Originality: Ensure the submitted work is entirely original. Properly cite the work and words of others to avoid any form of plagiarism.
  • No Duplicate Submission: Do not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently. This constitutes unethical publishing behavior.
  • Authorship: Ensure all individuals who made significant contributions are listed as co-authors, and that all authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.
  • Disclosure: Promptly disclose any financial or substantive conflicts of interest that could be construed to influence the research or interpretation of results.
  • Fundamental Errors: If a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered in the published work, promptly notify the editor to retract or correct the paper.
Handling of Misconduct

Any allegations of research misconduct (such as data fabrication, plagiarism, or duplicate publication) will be investigated thoroughly by the editorial board in accordance with COPE flowcharts. If misconduct is proven post-publication, the journal will issue a formal Retraction Notice or Correction, which will be clearly linked to the original article.

By submitting a manuscript, all authors implicitly agree to abide by these ethical standards.