Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Our publication ethics and publication malpractice statement are based on the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers by using  the Publishing Ethics Resource Kit and in compliance with Elsevier recommendations:

https://publicationethics.org/

https://www.elsevier.com/editors/perk

In general

Research Integrity

We uphold the high standards of our journal, and expect research published by Communications in Physics to abide by the principles:

• Honesty in all aspects of research;

• Scrupulous care, thoroughness, and excellence in research practice;

• Transparency and open communication;

• Care and respect for all participants in and subjects of research.

In addition to the general principles above, we will provide specific guidelines and policies for authors on research integrity and ethics appropriate to their subject matter and discipline.

Editorial Process

We are committed to editorial independence and strive in all cases to prevent this principle from being compromised through conflicts of interest, fear, or any other corporate, business, financial or political influence. Our editorial processes reflect this commitment to editorial independence.

We do not discriminate against authors,  editors or peer reviewers based on personal characteristics or identity.

Peer Review

Peer review is critical to maintaining the standards of our publications.  We:

- Provide appropriate systems, training and support  to facilitate rigorous, fair and effective peer review for all our publications;

- Encourage our editors and peer reviewers to familiarise themselves with and act in accordance with relevant best practice guidelines on peer review. For journal editors and peer reviewers, please refer to COPE’s Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.

- Expect those who oversee the peer review process to be able to recognise warning signs of fraudulent or manipulated peer review, and to raise any concerns by emailing us. People who oversee the peer review process may be contracted by us;

- Support our editors and peer reviewers in investigating and acting on any suspected cases of manipulated or fraudulent peer review;

- Protect the confidentiality of participants in the peer review process where anonymity forms part of that publication’s peer review process. We also expect our publishing partners,  authors, and peer reviewers to uphold any relevant confidentiality arrangements for journal and to provide necessary information to support this.

Authorship and Contributorship

We recommend applying the following principles.

 - Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; and/or

- Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and

- Final approval of the version to be published; and

-  Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work and to ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

We consider the corresponding author to be the person who handles the manuscript and correspondence during the publication process. We ask that the corresponding author confirm that they have the authority to act on behalf of all co-authors in all matters pertaining to the publication of the manuscript including supplementary material. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining such agreements and for informing the co-authors of the manuscript’s status throughout the submission, review, and publication process. In addition, the corresponding author also acts as the main point of contact for any inquiries (including those relating to the integrity of the work) after the paper is published.

We encourage authors to list anyone who does not meet the criteria for authorship in an Acknowledgments section in their publication, for example, to recognize the contributions of anyone who provided research or writing assistance.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism can occur in respect to all types of sources and media, including:

• Text, illustrations, extended mathematical derivations, computer code, etc.;

• Material downloaded from websites or drawn from manuscripts or other media;

• Published and unpublished material, including lectures, presentations, and grey literature.

We do not tolerate plagiarism in any of our publications, and we reserve the right to check all submissions through appropriate plagiarism checking tools. Submissions containing suspected plagiarism, in whole or part, will be rejected. Our journal use the iThenticate CrossCheck to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts.

Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Duplicate or redundant publication, or ‘self-plagiarism’, occurs when work, or substantial parts of a work, is published more than once by the author(s) of the work without appropriate cross-referencing or justification for the overlap. This can be in the same or a different language.2

We do not support substantial overlap between publications,  unless:

• It is felt that editorially this will strengthen the academic discourse; and

• We have clear approval from the original publication; and

• We include citation of the original source.

When authors submit manuscripts

When authors submit manuscripts to our journals, these manuscripts should not be under consideration, accepted for publication, or in press within a different journal, book, or similar entity. However, the deposition of a preprint on the author’s personal website, in an institutional repository, or in a preprint archive shall not be viewed as prior or duplicate publication.

Conflicts of Interest and Funding

Authors are required to declare any potential conflicts of interest that could interfere with the objectivity or integrity of a publication. Conflicts of interest are situations that could be perceived to exert an undue influence on the presentation, review, or publication of a piece of work. These may be financial, non-financial, professional, contractual, or personal in nature.  Our journal requires the inclusion of a funding declaration  in addition to conflicts of interest declaration. 

Retractions, Corrections, and Expressions of Concern

Journal editors will consider retractions,  corrections, or expressions of concern in line with COPE’s Retraction Guidelines. If an author is found to have made an error, the journal will issue a corrigendum. If the journal is found to have made an error, they will issue an erratum. Retractions are usually reserved for articles that are so seriously flawed that their findings or conclusions should not be relied upon. Journals that publish Accepted Manuscripts may make minor changes such as those which would likely occur during typesetting or proofreading, but any substantive corrections will be carried out in line with COPE’s Retraction Guidelines.

Fraudulent Research and Research Misconduct

 Any publication found to include fraudulent results will be retracted, or an appropriate correction or expression of concern will be issued. Please see the Retractions, Corrections, and Expressions of Concern section of these guidelines for more information.

Transparency

We strive to follow COPE’s Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly.