Publication Ethics

Journal of Social Governance and Public Administration (SOGPA) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, and responsible scholarly communication. The journal follows the principles of originality, transparency, fairness, confidentiality, accountability, and integrity throughout the publication process.

All parties involved in the publication process including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher are expected to comply with these ethical principles. Any form of academic misconduct, including plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, and undisclosed conflicts of interest, is considered unacceptable.

Ethical Guidelines for Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to SOGPA are responsible for ensuring that:

1. Originality and Plagiarism

Manuscripts must be original works and must not have been previously published or be under consideration for publication in another journal. Authors must properly acknowledge and cite all sources used in their work.

Plagiarism, including copying ideas, text, data, figures, or other intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment, is unacceptable. Manuscripts may be screened for similarity as part of the editorial process.

2. Duplicate and Concurrent Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. Manuscripts that substantially overlap with previously published or submitted works must be disclosed to the editor.

Authors should avoid redundant publication and inappropriate text recycling that could misrepresent the originality of the research.

3. Accuracy and Integrity of Research

Authors must present research findings accurately and objectively. Data must not be fabricated, falsified, manipulated, or selectively presented in a misleading manner.

Where appropriate, authors should retain supporting research materials and be prepared to provide relevant data or documentation if reasonably requested by the editor for verification.

4. Authorship and Contribution

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or development of the manuscript.

All listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission and publication. Individuals who do not meet the criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors.

Any changes to authorship after submission must be communicated to the editor and agreed upon by all affected authors.

5. Acknowledgment and Funding

All significant contributions that do not qualify for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged.

Authors must disclose the sources of financial or institutional support for the research where applicable. Any role of the funding organization in the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or publication decision should be disclosed.

6. Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, or personal relationships that could influence—or could reasonably be perceived to influence—the research or its interpretation.

Editors and reviewers are also required to disclose relevant conflicts of interest and should withdraw from the evaluation process when their objectivity may reasonably be compromised.

7. Research Ethics

Research involving human participants, personal information, sensitive data, public institutions, or other potentially sensitive subjects must comply with applicable ethical standards and regulations.

Where required, authors should obtain appropriate ethical approval, informed consent, institutional permission, or other necessary authorization before conducting the research.

Authors must protect the privacy, confidentiality, and rights of research participants and must not disclose personally identifiable information without appropriate consent or legal justification.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence and Generative Tools

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their manuscripts.

Artificial intelligence or generative AI tools may be used as supporting tools where appropriate, but such tools must not replace the authors' responsibility for the research and scholarly content. AI tools must not be listed as authors.

Where the use of generative AI has materially contributed to the preparation or development of the manuscript, authors should disclose its use in accordance with the journal's applicable editorial requirements.

9. Post-Publication Corrections

Authors have a responsibility to promptly inform the editorial team if they discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their published work.

Authors should cooperate with the editorial team in issuing corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

Ethical Guidelines for Editors

Editors of SOGPA are responsible for maintaining a fair, transparent, independent, and ethical editorial process.

1. Editorial Decision-Making

Editorial decisions must be based primarily on the manuscript's academic quality, originality, relevance, methodological rigor, clarity, and contribution to the fields covered by the journal.

Editors must not discriminate against authors based on personal characteristics, institutional affiliation, nationality, gender, religion, political views, or other irrelevant considerations.

2. Fair and Independent Evaluation

Editors must ensure that manuscripts are evaluated objectively and, where applicable, through an appropriate peer-review process.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by commercial, personal, institutional, or political interests.

3. Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and related information.

Manuscripts must not be disclosed to unauthorized individuals or used for purposes unrelated to the editorial process.

4. Conflicts of Interest

Editors must disclose and appropriately manage any conflict of interest involving a submitted manuscript.

An editor should not handle a manuscript when a personal, professional, institutional, financial, or collaborative relationship could compromise their impartiality.

5. Handling Misconduct

Editors are responsible for responding appropriately to allegations of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, authorship disputes, or other forms of publication misconduct.

Where necessary, editors may request clarification or supporting evidence from authors and may take appropriate actions, including rejection, correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

6. Protection of the Scholarly Record

Editors should take reasonable steps to ensure that published content remains accurate and reliable. When significant errors or misconduct are identified after publication, the journal may publish corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, or retractions as appropriate.

Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers

Reviewers play an important role in maintaining the academic quality and integrity of SOGPA.

1. Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat manuscripts received for review as confidential documents. Manuscripts and their contents must not be shared, copied, or discussed with unauthorized individuals.

2. Objectivity and Constructive Evaluation

Reviews should be conducted objectively, fairly, and professionally.

Comments should focus on the academic content of the manuscript and provide clear, constructive, and evidence-based recommendations. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate.

3. Acknowledgment of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published works that have not been appropriately cited by the authors.

If reviewers identify substantial similarity between the manuscript and another published or unpublished work, they should inform the editor.

4. Conflict of Interest

Reviewers should decline an assignment if they have a financial, professional, institutional, personal, competitive, or collaborative relationship that could affect their impartiality.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained through the review process for their own research or personal advantage.

5. Timeliness

Reviewers should complete evaluations within the agreed timeframe. If they are unable to complete the review within the required period, they should promptly inform the editor.

Ethical Guidelines for the Publisher

The publisher of SOGPA is committed to supporting academic integrity, editorial independence, and responsible scholarly publishing.

1. Editorial Independence

The publisher respects the independence of the editorial team and must not interfere with editorial decisions based on academic or scholarly considerations.

2. Academic Integrity

The publisher supports the editorial team in addressing allegations of publication misconduct and in maintaining the integrity of the journal's scholarly record.

3. Corrections and Retractions

When necessary, the publisher supports the publication of corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, or retractions to preserve the accuracy and reliability of published research.

4. Transparency

The publisher supports transparency in the journal's publication process, including information regarding editorial policies, peer review, authorship, publication ethics, and corrections or retractions.

5. Accessibility and Preservation

The publisher is committed to maintaining the accessibility and long-term preservation of published scholarly content in accordance with the journal's publication and archiving policies.

Handling Allegations of Publication Misconduct

SOGPA takes allegations of publication misconduct seriously. When a concern is raised, the editorial team will assess the allegation and, where appropriate, request explanations or supporting evidence from the authors or other relevant parties.

Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, the journal may take appropriate action, including:

requesting clarification or correction;
rejecting a manuscript before publication;
issuing a correction or clarification;
publishing an expression of concern;
retracting a published article; or
taking other appropriate measures to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal will seek to handle allegations fairly, confidentially, and based on available evidence.