Publication Ethics

Introduction

The Urdu Research Journal KATIB is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical conduct in the publication of research. This document outlines the ethical responsibilities of all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher. Adherence to these principles is essential for maintaining the journal’s reputation and credibility.

Author Responsibilities

• Originality and Authorship: Authors must ensure that their submitted work is original and has not been previously published or is under consideration for publication elsewhere. All authors must have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, interpretation, and writing of the manuscript. Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant intellectual contributions to the work.
• Data Integrity: Authors must report research data accurately and honestly. Data fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of data is strictly prohibited.
• Acknowledgement of Sources: All sources used in the research must be properly cited and acknowledged. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.
• Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may influence the research or its interpretation.
• Reviewing and Editing: Authors must cooperate with the journal’s peer-review process and provide timely responses to reviewers’ comments.
• Publication Ethics: Authors must adhere to the journal’s publication ethics policies and guidelines.

Reviewer Responsibilities

• Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Information obtained through the peer-review process must not be used for personal advantage or disclosed to third parties.
• Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively and based solely on the scientific merit of the manuscript. Personal criticism of the author should be avoided.
• Timeliness: Reviewers must provide timely reviews in accordance with the journal’s guidelines.
• Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may affect their ability to provide an unbiased review.
• Constructive Criticism: Reviewers should provide constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement.

Editor Responsibilities

• Fairness and Objectivity: Editors must handle all submitted manuscripts fairly and objectively, without regard to the authors’ affiliations or nationalities.
• Peer Review: Editors must ensure that all submitted manuscripts undergo rigorous peer review by qualified experts.
• Confidentiality: Editors must maintain the confidentiality of the peer-review process.
• Publication Decisions: Editors have the final authority to accept or reject manuscripts for publication. Decisions must be based on the quality of the research and its relevance to the journal’s scope.
• Ethical Conduct: Editors must adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct and avoid conflicts of interest.

Publisher Responsibilities

• Ethical Conduct: The publisher must uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct in all aspects of the publication process.
• Copyright and Permissions: The publisher must ensure that all copyright and permissions issues are properly addressed.
• Publication Ethics: The publisher must establish and maintain clear publication ethics policies and guidelines.
• Retraction: The publisher must have procedures in place for investigating and, if necessary, retracting published articles that are found to be fraudulent or seriously flawed.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s ideas or work as one’s own. It is a serious breach of academic integrity and is strictly prohibited. The journal uses plagiarism detection software to screen all submitted manuscripts. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate rejection of the manuscript.