Publication Ethics Policy

The International Women Online Journal of Distance Education (intWOJDE) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. This policy outlines the ethical principles and responsibilities that govern all aspects of the journal's editorial processes, from manuscript submission to final publication.

Ethics Statement

intWOJDE upholds the fundamental principles of academic publishing ethics, including honesty, transparency, accountability, and respect for intellectual property. The journal recognizes its responsibility to ensure that all published research meets rigorous ethical standards and contributes meaningfully to the academic community.

All parties involved in the publication process—authors, reviewers, editors, and the editorial board—are expected to adhere to these ethical principles. Violations of publication ethics may result in rejection of manuscripts, retraction of published articles, or other appropriate sanctions as determined by the editorial board.

COPE Alignment

intWOJDE follows the COPE Core Practices and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). While intWOJDE is not a formal COPE member, our editorial policies and procedures are aligned with COPE's ethical standards and best practices for scholarly publishing.

The journal's commitment to COPE principles includes:

• Transparent editorial processes and decision-making
• Fair and unbiased peer review
• Clear policies on authorship, conflicts of interest, and research misconduct
• Appropriate handling of complaints and appeals
• Ethical oversight and accountability mechanisms

For detailed information on COPE guidelines, please visit https://publicationethics.org/core-practices.

Duties of Editors

Editors and members of the Editorial Board are responsible for maintaining the integrity and quality of the journal's publications. Their duties include:

Editorial Independence

Editors make editorial decisions based solely on the academic merit, originality, and relevance of manuscripts to the journal's scope. Editorial decisions are not influenced by commercial interests, personal relationships, or external pressures. The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over all editorial content and decisions.

Fair Evaluation

Editors ensure that all manuscripts receive fair and objective evaluation. Manuscripts are evaluated based on their intellectual content without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff maintain strict confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts. Information about submitted manuscripts is disclosed only to authors, reviewers, potential reviewers, and other editorial advisors as appropriate.

Conflict of Interest

Editors must declare any potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where such conflicts exist. Conflicts of interest may include personal, financial, professional, or academic relationships that could influence editorial judgment.

Ethical Violations

Editors take appropriate action when ethical violations are suspected or reported. This may include rejecting manuscripts, requesting additional information, contacting relevant institutions, or retracting published articles. Editors work in collaboration with the publisher and relevant authorities to address serious ethical breaches.

Duties of Reviewers

Peer reviewers play a crucial role in maintaining the quality and integrity of published research. Reviewers are expected to:

Objective Assessment

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts objectively, based solely on academic merit and relevance to the journal's scope. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Confidentiality

Reviewers must maintain strict confidentiality regarding manuscripts under review. Manuscripts must not be shared, discussed, or cited without explicit permission from the editor. Reviewers must not use information obtained during the review process for personal advantage.

Timeliness

Reviewers should respond promptly to review invitations and submit reviews within the agreed timeframe. If unable to complete a review within the specified period, reviewers should notify the editor immediately and decline or request an extension.

Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must declare any potential conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment. Conflicts may include competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with authors, institutions, or companies connected to the manuscript. Reviewers should decline review invitations when conflicts exist.

Ethical Concerns

Reviewers should alert editors to any suspected ethical violations, including plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate publication, or other forms of research misconduct. Reviewers should not investigate suspected violations independently but should report concerns to the editor.

Duties of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions meet ethical standards and accurately represent their research. Authors must:

Originality and Accuracy

Authors must ensure that their work is original and has not been published elsewhere. Submitted manuscripts must accurately represent the research conducted, and all data must be presented honestly. Authors must not fabricate, falsify, or manipulate research data or results.

Authorship

Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. All co-authors must have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission. Individuals who have contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

Citation and Attribution

Authors must properly acknowledge the work of others through appropriate citations and references. All sources of information, data, and ideas must be cited accurately. Authors must obtain permission for the use of copyrighted materials and acknowledge all sources of funding and support.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation of their research. This includes financial relationships, personal relationships, professional affiliations, or any other circumstances that might be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.

Research Ethics

Authors must ensure that their research complies with relevant ethical guidelines, including those related to human subjects, animal research, and data protection. Authors must obtain necessary ethical approvals and informed consent where required. Research involving human participants must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki or equivalent ethical standards.

Corrections and Retractions

Authors are obligated to promptly notify the editor if they discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their published work. Authors must cooperate with editors in issuing corrections or retractions when necessary.

Research Misconduct

intWOJDE takes research misconduct seriously and will investigate all allegations of unethical research practices. The following behaviors constitute research misconduct:

Fabrication

Fabrication involves making up data or results and recording or reporting them as if they were real. This includes inventing research findings, creating false data sets, or reporting experiments that were never conducted. Fabrication undermines the integrity of scientific research and is strictly prohibited.

Falsification

Falsification involves manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented. This includes selective reporting of results, manipulation of images or figures, or misrepresentation of research methods or findings.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism involves the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit. This includes:

• Copying text, data, or ideas from other sources without proper citation
• Paraphrasing others' work without attribution
• Self-plagiarism: reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without disclosure
• Submitting work that has been written by others

All manuscripts submitted to intWOJDE are screened for plagiarism using appropriate detection tools. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized content will be rejected, and authors may be subject to further sanctions.

Redundant Publication

Redundant publication (also known as duplicate or overlapping publication) involves publishing the same research, or substantially similar research, in multiple venues without appropriate disclosure. This includes:

• Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously
• Publishing research that has already been published elsewhere without proper citation or disclosure
• Dividing a single study into multiple publications to artificially increase publication count (salami slicing)

Authors must declare if their manuscript has been previously published or is under consideration elsewhere. Previously published work will not be considered for publication unless it has been substantially revised or represents a different analysis of the same data with appropriate disclosure.

Complaints and Appeals

intWOJDE has established procedures for handling complaints and appeals related to editorial decisions or ethical concerns:

Editorial Decision Appeals

Authors who believe their manuscript was unfairly rejected may submit an appeal to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of receiving the rejection decision. Appeals must:

• Provide clear justification for the appeal
• Address specific concerns raised in the review reports
• Include any additional information or clarifications

The Editor-in-Chief will review the appeal and may consult additional reviewers or editorial board members if necessary. The decision on appeals is final.

Ethical Complaints

Complaints regarding suspected ethical violations should be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief at editor@wojde.org. Complaints must include:

• Clear description of the alleged violation
• Supporting evidence or documentation
• Identification of the parties involved

All complaints will be investigated thoroughly and confidentially. The journal will follow COPE guidelines in handling ethical complaints and will take appropriate action based on the findings of the investigation.

Response Timeline

The journal aims to acknowledge complaints within 14 days and provide an initial response within 30 days. Complex cases may require additional time for thorough investigation. All parties involved will be kept informed of the progress of the investigation.

Ethical Oversight

intWOJDE maintains ethical oversight through multiple mechanisms:

Editorial Board Responsibility

The Editorial Board is responsible for ensuring that the journal's policies and procedures comply with ethical standards. The board reviews and updates ethical policies regularly and provides guidance on ethical issues as they arise.

Retraction and Correction

When serious ethical violations are confirmed, the journal may retract published articles or issue corrections. Retractions are published prominently and clearly identify the reason for retraction. For detailed information on retraction procedures, please refer to the journal's Retraction Policy.

Continuous Improvement

The journal is committed to continuous improvement of its ethical practices. Editorial policies are reviewed regularly and updated as needed to reflect evolving ethical standards and best practices in academic publishing. Feedback from authors, reviewers, and readers is welcomed and considered in policy development.

International Women Online Journal of Distance Education (intWOJDE)

ISSN: 2147-0367 | Founded: 2012

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