Publication Ethics and Malpractice Policy

IJDCR is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing. The journal applies clear policies to prevent and address unethical practices in research and publication.

Ethical framework

IJDCR’s ethics policies are informed by internationally recognised guidance, including:

These frameworks guide editorial decisions, reviewer conduct, and author responsibilities.

Author responsibilities

Authors submitting to IJDCR must:

  • Submit only original work that has not been published or submitted elsewhere
  • Properly acknowledge all sources and contributions
  • Accurately report data, methods, and findings
  • Declare conflicts of interest and funding sources
  • Confirm ethical approval and informed consent where research involves human participants

Authorship must reflect substantial intellectual contribution, consistent with:
https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html

Reviewer responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Treat manuscripts as confidential documents
  • Provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based assessments
  • Avoid personal criticism or discriminatory language
  • Declare conflicts of interest promptly
  • Refrain from using unpublished material for personal advantage

Editorial responsibilities

Editors must:

  • Evaluate manuscripts solely on academic merit and relevance
  • Ensure a fair and unbiased peer review process
  • Avoid conflicts of interest in editorial decision-making
  • Maintain confidentiality throughout the review process
  • Act promptly on allegations of misconduct

Research misconduct

IJDCR treats the following as serious misconduct:

  • Plagiarism
  • Duplicate or redundant publication
  • Fabrication or falsification of data
  • Citation manipulation
  • Misrepresentation of authorship
  • Unethical research practices

Allegations of misconduct are investigated following COPE guidance:
https://publicationethics.org/guidance

Where misconduct is confirmed, appropriate actions may include rejection, correction, retraction, or notification of relevant institutions.