PublicationEthics

1. Publication Ethics Statement

Al Khalifah: Journal of Socio-Political and Legal Studies is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. This statement is based on the guidelines and best practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

All parties involved in the publication process—Editors, Reviewers, Authors, and the Publisher—are expected to adhere to the ethical standards outlined below.

2. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for:

Making publication decisions based on the manuscript’s scholarly merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
Evaluating manuscripts objectively without discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs.
Ensuring a fair and unbiased double-blind peer review process.
Maintaining confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and not disclosing any information to unauthorized parties.
Avoiding conflicts of interest and recusing themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts exist.
Taking appropriate action when ethical concerns arise, including plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or duplicate publication.

3. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to:

Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations of submitted manuscripts.
Maintain confidentiality and not share or use unpublished material for personal research.
Identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors.
Inform the editor of any substantial similarity between the manuscript and other published works.
Declare any potential conflicts of interest and decline the review if necessary.
Uphold the integrity of the peer review process.

4. Author Responsibilities

Authors must:

4.1 Originality and Plagiarism

Ensure that their work is entirely original and properly cite or quote the work of others. Plagiarism in any form is unethical and unacceptable.

4.2 Multiple or Concurrent Submission

Not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. Duplicate or redundant publication is prohibited.

4.3 Data Integrity

Present accurate data and objective discussion of research findings. Fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation is strictly prohibited.

4.4 Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to:

The conception or design of the study,
Data collection, analysis, or interpretation,
Drafting or critically revising the manuscript.

All contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

4.5 Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that may influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.

4.6 Fundamental Errors

If authors discover significant errors in their published work, they must promptly notify the editor and cooperate in correcting or retracting the article.

5. Research Ethics

Research involving human participants, sensitive data, or vulnerable communities must:

Comply with applicable ethical standards and regulations.
Obtain ethical clearance when required.
Ensure confidentiality and informed consent.
Protect participants' rights and privacy.

6. Plagiarism Policy

All submitted manuscripts will undergo similarity checking using plagiarism detection software.

Manuscripts found to contain significant plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or improper citation will be rejected or returned for revision.

7. Corrections, Retractions, and Withdrawals

Correction

Minor errors that do not affect the validity of the research may be corrected through a formal correction notice.

Retraction

Articles may be retracted in cases of serious ethical violations, including plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or unethical research practices.

Withdrawal

Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript before publication with valid justification.

8. Peer Review Process

Al Khalifah: Journal of Socio-Political and Legal Studies applies a double-blind peer review system. Both author and reviewer identities are concealed to ensure an impartial and fair evaluation process.

Any attempt to manipulate the peer review process, including submitting false reviewer identities, is strictly prohibited.