Publication Ethics

Management Strategies and Engineering Sciences (MSES) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, ensuring the integrity and credibility of the academic record. The journal follows best practices in scholarly publishing, adhering to the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All stakeholders, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, are expected to uphold these ethical standards throughout the publication process.

This Publication Ethics policy outlines the responsibilities of each party involved in the submission, review, and publication of manuscripts in MSES.

1. Duties of Authors

1.1 Originality and Plagiarism

  • Authors must ensure that their submitted work is original and not previously published elsewhere. Plagiarism in any form—including self-plagiarism, verbatim copying, or improper paraphrasing—is strictly prohibited. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized content will be rejected, and MSES reserves the right to take appropriate action, including retraction of published articles in cases of confirmed plagiarism.
  • All sources and influences must be appropriately credited, and proper citations must be included for any work that is borrowed, whether it is text, data, ideas, or images.

1.2 Acknowledgment of Sources

  • Authors are responsible for acknowledging the contributions of others in their research. All data, citations, and ideas that are not the author’s own should be properly cited. Failure to properly attribute the work of others constitutes a breach of ethical standards.

1.3 Authorship and Contribution

  • Only those individuals who have made significant contributions to the research and writing process should be listed as authors. All listed authors should meet the following criteria:

    • Made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research.
    • Participated in drafting, reviewing, or approving the manuscript prior to submission.
    • Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that issues related to accuracy and integrity are appropriately resolved.

  • Guest, ghost, or honorary authorship is unethical and unacceptable. Any changes to the authorship (e.g., addition or removal of an author) after submission must be agreed upon by all listed authors and justified to the editorial office.

1.4 Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

  • Authors must certify that their manuscript is not under consideration for publication in another journal. Submitting the same research to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior.
  • MSES does not accept redundant publications, where the same dataset, analysis, or findings are presented in different articles without proper cross-referencing. If previous work has been published or is under consideration elsewhere, it must be disclosed at the time of submission.

1.5 Data Access and Retention

  • Authors may be required to provide raw data supporting their research for editorial review and should be prepared to make such data publicly available if requested. Authors are expected to retain data for a reasonable period after publication to allow for verification and reproducibility of their research.

1.6 Conflict of Interest

  • Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. Conflicts of interest may arise from financial support, personal relationships, employment affiliations, or other competing interests.
  • Authors should disclose all sources of financial support for the research, including grants, sponsorships, and any relevant affiliations.

1.7 Ethical Approval

  • Authors must confirm that their research complies with ethical standards, especially when it involves human participants, animals, or sensitive data. For studies involving humans or animals, authors must provide evidence of approval by an appropriate ethics committee, along with confirmation that informed consent was obtained where necessary.

1.8 Reporting Standards

  • Authors are expected to present accurate and precise accounts of their research and findings. Misrepresentation, falsification, or manipulation of data is considered a severe breach of publication ethics. Authors should also provide sufficient details and references to allow others to replicate their study.
  • The use of technical jargon and unexplained assumptions should be minimized to enhance transparency in reporting.

2. Duties of Editors

2.1 Fairness and Objectivity

  • Editors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts are evaluated based on their intellectual merit without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors. Editorial decisions should be objective, impartial, and solely based on the content of the manuscript.

2.2 Confidentiality

  • Editors must protect the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and communications with authors, reviewers, and editorial board members. Information about a submitted manuscript will not be disclosed to anyone outside the editorial process, including reviewers and potential reviewers, without proper authorization.

2.3 Conflict of Interest

  • Editors must recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with authors or institutions connected to the work. In such cases, another qualified editor will be assigned to manage the review and decision-making process.

2.4 Decision-Making Process

  • The editor-in-chief holds the final authority for accepting or rejecting manuscripts, based on the recommendations from the peer reviewers and the editorial board. Decisions should be communicated to authors in a timely and respectful manner, with a clear rationale for the decision.
  • Editors are expected to take appropriate actions when ethical concerns are raised about a submitted or published manuscript. If ethical violations are confirmed, the editor will consider issuing corrections, retractions, or other remedial actions.

2.5 Handling of Complaints

  • Editors must ensure that complaints regarding unethical behavior, conflicts of interest, or any misconduct are investigated thoroughly and fairly. All reported cases of ethical concerns will be treated seriously, and appropriate action will be taken in consultation with COPE guidelines.

3. Duties of Reviewers

3.1 Confidentiality

  • Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents. They should not share, distribute, or discuss the content of a manuscript under review with anyone outside the editorial process, unless authorized by the editor.

3.2 Objectivity and Fairness

  • Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and unbiased feedback to authors, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate, and reviews should be conducted professionally and courteously.
  • Reviews should focus on the content of the manuscript and its scholarly merit, without bias related to the authors’ nationality, gender, or other personal characteristics.

3.3 Promptness

  • Reviewers are expected to complete their reviews in a timely manner. If a reviewer feels unqualified to review a manuscript or knows they will not be able to meet the deadline, they should notify the editor promptly so that alternative reviewers can be assigned.

3.4 Acknowledgment of Sources

  • Reviewers must ensure that authors have properly cited relevant work and that the manuscript does not plagiarize or misrepresent the research of others. Reviewers should notify the editor if they suspect plagiarism or have concerns about the originality of the work.

3.5 Conflict of Interest

  • Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that may bias their judgment, such as financial relationships, personal connections, or academic rivalries. If such conflicts exist, reviewers should recuse themselves from the review process.

4. Duties of the Publisher

4.1 Accountability

  • The publisher of MSES works in partnership with the editors to ensure that the journal adheres to the highest standards of publication ethics. This includes overseeing the integrity of the editorial and peer-review processes, providing resources for ethical education, and supporting the implementation of corrective measures when ethical violations occur.

4.2 Access and Preservation

  • The publisher ensures that published articles are freely accessible to the global scholarly community and are preserved for future use. MSES’s open-access policy, coupled with the use of reputable archiving services (e.g., MAGIRAN, SID, NOORMagz), guarantees that all published content remains permanently accessible.

4.3 Transparency and Openness

  • The publisher supports transparency in publication practices and is committed to disclosing any fees, funding sources, and potential conflicts of interest associated with the journal. The publisher also ensures compliance with ethical standards across all aspects of the publication process, including peer review, editorial decision-making, and authorship.