PUBLICATION ETHICS

Praxisfera: Journal of Education and Community Learning is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal follows internationally recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing and expects all authors, editors, reviewers, and other parties involved in the publication process to uphold ethical standards.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for:

  • Submitting original and previously unpublished work;
  • Ensuring that the manuscript is not simultaneously submitted to another journal;
  • Providing accurate and honest research findings;
  • Ensuring that all data, results, and information are presented truthfully;
  • Properly acknowledging and citing all sources;
  • Avoiding plagiarism, duplicate publication, and redundant publication;
  • Ensuring that all listed authors have made significant contributions to the manuscript;
  • Obtaining approval from all authors before submission;
  • Disclosing any potential conflict of interest;
  • Disclosing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, where applicable;
  • Ensuring that research involving human participants complies with relevant ethical requirements;
  • Correcting significant errors discovered in the manuscript after submission or publication.

Authors must not fabricate, falsify, manipulate, or misrepresent research data, results, sources, or references.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for:

  • Evaluating manuscripts fairly and objectively;
  • Ensuring that editorial decisions are based on academic quality, originality, relevance, and scholarly contribution;
  • Maintaining the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts;
  • Selecting appropriate and qualified reviewers;
  • Managing potential conflicts of interest;
  • Ensuring that manuscripts are handled without discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, institutional affiliation, or other personal characteristics;
  • Taking appropriate action when ethical concerns or suspected misconduct arise.

Editors must not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for their own research without the authors' permission.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are responsible for:

  • Conducting reviews objectively, fairly, and constructively;
  • Maintaining the confidentiality of all information contained in the manuscript;
  • Providing clear and constructive comments to assist authors in improving their work;
  • Identifying relevant published work that has not been properly cited;
  • Informing the editor of any potential conflict of interest;
  • Declining the review if they are not qualified or cannot complete the review within the required timeframe.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information from manuscripts for personal advantage or research purposes.

4. Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct

Praxisfera does not tolerate:

  • Plagiarism;
  • Self-plagiarism;
  • Duplicate publication;
  • Redundant publication;
  • Data fabrication;
  • Data falsification;
  • Manipulation of research results;
  • Fabrication of citations or references;
  • Improper authorship;
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest;
  • Other forms of academic misconduct.

All submitted manuscripts may be checked for similarity and potential plagiarism. Manuscripts found to contain serious academic misconduct may be rejected or retracted in accordance with the journal's policies.

5. Authorship and Contributorship

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

All authors should:

  • Make a significant contribution to the work;
  • Participate in drafting or critically revising the manuscript;
  • Approve the final version of the manuscript;
  • Agree to be accountable for the integrity of the work.

Individuals who have contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship may be acknowledged appropriately.

6. Conflict of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial, personal, professional, or institutional relationships that could influence or be perceived to influence the research, review, or publication process.

Any potential conflict of interest should be disclosed as early as possible.

7. Research Ethics

Research involving human participants, children, vulnerable groups, communities, or personal data must comply with applicable ethical standards.

Where required, authors should obtain appropriate ethical approval and informed consent before conducting the research.

Authors must ensure the protection of participants':

  • Privacy;
  • Confidentiality;
  • Dignity;
  • Rights;
  • Safety.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence tools may be used to support language editing, grammar correction, translation, formatting, or similar editorial tasks.

However:

  • AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors;
  • Authors remain fully responsible for the content of the manuscript;
  • AI-generated content must be carefully reviewed and verified;
  • AI must not be used to fabricate or manipulate research data, results, citations, references, or research evidence;
  • The use of AI tools must be disclosed in the manuscript where applicable.

9. Corrections, Retractions, and Editorial Action

If significant errors or ethical concerns are identified before or after publication, the journal may take appropriate action, including:

  • Requesting corrections;
  • Publishing a correction or clarification;
  • Retracting an article;
  • Issuing an editorial notice;
  • Suspending the publication process;
  • Investigating suspected misconduct.

The journal reserves the right to take appropriate action to protect the integrity of the academic record.

10. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

Allegations of academic or publication misconduct will be taken seriously and investigated fairly.

The journal may request clarification, supporting documents, research data, ethical approval, or other relevant information from the authors or affiliated institutions.

Appropriate action will be taken based on the nature and seriousness of the alleged misconduct.

Praxisfera: Journal of Education and Community Learning is committed to promoting transparency, fairness, academic integrity, and responsible scholarly communication throughout the publication process.