Ethics & disclosures

The journal is committed to maintaining the highest level of integrity in the content published.

This journal has a Conflict of Interest policy in place and complies with international, national and/or institutional standards on research involving Human Participants Informed Consent.

The journal reviewers use plagiarism detection software to screen the submissions. If plagiarism is identified, appropriate actions is followed.

Content published in this journal is blindly peer reviewed. 

Editorial Policies

All authors and publishers whose names appear on the submission:

• Made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; or the creation of new software used in the work,
• Drafted the work or revised it critically for important intellectual content,
• Approved the version to be published, and
• Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Data transparency

All authors and publishers are requested to make sure that all data and materials as well as a software application or custom code support their published claims and comply with field standards.

Role of the Corresponding Author

One author is assigned as the Corresponding Author and acts on behalf of all co-authors and ensures that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately addressed.

The Corresponding Author is responsible for the following requirements:

• Ensuring that all listed authors have approved the manuscript before submission, including the names and order of authors,
• Managing all communication between the Journal and all co-authors, before and after publication, and
• Providing transparency on re-use of material and mentioning any unpublished material (for example manuscripts in press) included in the manuscript in a cover letter to the Editor.

Affiliation

The primary affiliation for each author should be the institution where the majority of their work was done. If an author has subsequently moved, the current address may additionally be stated. Addresses will not be updated or changed after publication of the article. 

Changes to authorship

Authors are strongly advised to ensure the correct author group, the corresponding author, and the order of authors at submission. Changes of authorship by adding or deleting authors, and/or changes in Corresponding Authors, and/or changes in the sequence of authors are not accepted after acceptance of a manuscript.

Note: Please note that author names will be published exactly as they appear on the accepted submission!

Please make sure that the names of all authors are present and correctly spelled, and that addresses and affiliations are current.

Adding and/or deleting authors at the revision stage is generally not permitted, but in some cases it may be warranted. Reasons for these changes in authorship should be explained. Approval of the change during revision is at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. Please note that journals may have individual policies on adding and/or deleting authors during the revision stage. 

Confidentiality

Authors should treat all communication with the Journal as confidential which includes correspondence with direct representatives from the Journal such as editors-in-chief and/or handling editors and reviewers’ reports unless explicit consent has been received to share information.

Authorship issues or disputes

In the case of an authorship dispute during peer review or after acceptance and publication, the Journal will not be in a position to investigate or adjudicate. Authors will be asked to resolve the dispute themselves. If they are unable, the Journal reserves the right to withdraw a manuscript from the editorial process.