This journal adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors (2011).
For more information, visit: COPE Website

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authorship
All listed authors must:

• Contribute significantly to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research.
• Participate in drafting, revising, or critically reviewing the manuscript.
• Approve the submitted version and any major revisions.
• Agree to be accountable for the work and address questions regarding its accuracy or integrity.

Reporting Standards
Authors must present an accurate and objective account of their work, including sufficient detail to allow replication. Misrepresentation or fabrication of data is unethical.

Originality and Plagiarism
Manuscripts must be original. Proper citation is required for others’ work and ideas.

Multiple Submissions
Simultaneous submission to multiple journals or redundant publication is unethical. Previously published work cannot be submitted.

Data Access and Retention
Authors may be asked to provide raw data and should ensure that data are preserved for at least ten years after publication, subject to legal and ethical constraints.

Corrections and Retractions
All authors are obliged to provide retractions or corrections of mistakes. Errors of the authors may be corrected by a corrigendum and errors of the journal by an erratum. If there are errors that significantly affect the conclusions or is evidence of misconduct, this may require retraction or an expression of concern following the COPE Retraction Guidelines.

Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial or personal conflicts that could influence the research.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

Publication Decisions
Editors are responsible for deciding which submissions are published, based on quality, originality, and alignment with the journal’s scope—free from discrimination of any kind.

Confidentiality
Editors must maintain the confidentiality of all submissions and correspondence.

Conflicts of Interest
Unpublished materials must not be used by editors for personal research without explicit permission from the authors.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer Review Contribution
Reviewers assist in editorial decisions and should provide constructive, unbiased feedback.

Confidentiality
All manuscripts must be treated as confidential and not shared without authorization.

Objectivity and Acknowledgment of Sources
Reviews must be objective, well-reasoned, and identify any uncited relevant work or suspected duplication.

Conflict of Interest
Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.

4. Publishing Malpractice

Plagiarism
Verbatim copying without attribution is unacceptable. COPE’s procedures will be followed in suspected cases.

Data Falsification/Fabrication
Manipulating or fabricating data is strictly forbidden. Research must reflect honest and accurate results.

Image Manipulation
Images must not be altered in a way that misleads. Acceptable adjustments (e.g., brightness, contrast) must apply to the entire image and preserve the original context.