Publication Ethics

Our Commitment

The Root Journals is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity and publication ethics. We follow the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines and are committed to transparency, accountability, and the prevention of misconduct.

Author Responsibilities

Originality & Authorship

Authors must ensure the work is original and has not been published previously. All individuals who contributed significantly should be listed as authors. Guest authorship and ghost authorship are not permitted.

Data Integrity

Authors must present their research honestly and accurately. Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data is strictly prohibited. All results, including negative findings, must be reported.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose all financial, personal, or professional conflicts of interest that could influence the research or its interpretation.

Ethical Compliance

Research involving humans or animals must have received appropriate ethical approval. Authors must include statements confirming compliance with ethical guidelines.

Proper Attribution

All sources must be properly cited and referenced. Authors acknowledge contributions of others and ensure permissions are obtained for reproduced content.

Peer Reviewer Responsibilities

Objectivity

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and base their reviews on scientific merit, not personal bias or relationships with authors.

Confidentiality

Reviewers must maintain strict confidentiality regarding the manuscript content and must not discuss the work before publication.

Conflict Declaration

Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest that could affect their objectivity and recuse themselves when appropriate.

Constructive Feedback

Reviews should be constructive, respectful, and focused on scientific quality. Personal criticism and inflammatory comments are inappropriate.

Timely Reviews

Reviewers should complete their reviews within the agreed timeframe or notify the editor if unable to meet deadlines.

Editor Responsibilities

✓ Fair Evaluation: Ensure all manuscripts receive fair, unbiased evaluation
✓ Confidentiality: Maintain confidentiality of authors and reviewers
✓ Conflict Management: Manage and disclose conflicts of interest appropriately
✓ Timely Decisions: Make editorial decisions promptly and communicate clearly
✓ Misconduct Investigation: Address suspected misconduct seriously and thoroughly
✓ Appeals Process: Provide fair appeal mechanism for rejected authors

Prohibited Practices

Fabrication

Manufacturing data or results that were not actually obtained

Falsification

Manipulating or distorting research data or results

Plagiarism

Using others' words or ideas without proper attribution

Self-Plagiarism

Republishing own previously published work without disclosure

Duplicate Submission

Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously

Inappropriate Authorship

Guest authorship, ghost authorship, or honorary authorship

Handling Research Misconduct

The Root Journals takes research misconduct seriously. Our investigation process includes:

Initial Assessment: Review suspected misconduct allegations
Investigation: Conduct thorough, impartial investigation
Communication: Contact all parties involved for response
Determination: Make findings based on evidence
Action: Take appropriate corrective measures (retraction, correction, etc.)
Documentation: Document all proceedings and decisions

Data Management & Reproducibility

Data Availability

Authors are encouraged to make underlying data publicly available through appropriate repositories or as supplementary materials.

Reproducibility

Research should be described in sufficient detail to enable reproducibility by other researchers in the field.

Code & Software

When applicable, authors should provide source code or software tools used in their research.

Report Misconduct

If you suspect research misconduct or unethical practices, please contact us confidentially:

Ethics Committee Email:

ethics@therootjournals.org

Reports will be handled confidentially and investigated thoroughly.