Ethics & Policies

Ethical Publishing Principles

The Journal of Scholarly Studies in Arts and Human Development (JSS-AHD) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and upholding the integrity of the academic record.
Our ethical framework aligns with the principles and best practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

All stakeholders — editors, authors, reviewers, and publishers — are expected to act with integrity, fairness, transparency, and accountability throughout the publication process.

Editorial Ethics

Responsibilities of the Editorial Team:

·       Ensure fair, unbiased, and timely evaluation of all submissions.

·       Make publication decisions based solely on academic merit, originality, and relevance.

·       Maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and reviewer identities.

·       Avoid conflicts of interest in handling manuscripts.

·       Address ethical misconduct (plagiarism, data falsification, duplicate submission, etc.) according to COPE guidelines.

Author Ethics

Authors must adhere to the following ethical standards:

·       Originality: Manuscripts must be original and not under review or published elsewhere.

·       Authorship: Only individuals who made significant scholarly contributions should be listed as authors.

·       Acknowledgment: All contributors, funding sources, and institutional support must be properly acknowledged.

·       Data Integrity: Authors must present accurate data and avoid fabrication, falsification, or manipulation.

·       Conflict of Interest: Any potential financial or personal conflict must be disclosed.

·       Human and Cultural Sensitivity: Research involving people, communities, or cultural artifacts must respect ethical, social, and cultural norms.

·       Permissions: Authors must obtain consent or permissions for copyrighted materials or sensitive data used in their work.

Reviewer Ethics

Reviewers play a critical role in maintaining the quality and credibility of the journal. They must:

·       Provide objective, constructive, and timely reviews.

·       Maintain confidentiality of all reviewed materials.

·       Decline reviews where a conflict of interest exists.

·       Report suspected ethical or research misconduct to the editors.

·       Avoid using unpublished material for personal or professional advantage.

Plagiarism and Similarity Check

All submitted manuscripts are screened using advanced plagiarism detection software.

·       Submissions with a similarity index above 15% (excluding references) are returned to authors for revision or rejection.

·       Any form of plagiarism, data manipulation, or duplicate publication leads to immediate rejection and may result in author blacklisting.

Data Sharing and Transparency

JSS-AHD encourages open and transparent research practices.
Authors are advised to:

·       Retain and share raw data upon reasonable request.

·       Clearly describe data collection and analysis methods.

·       Ensure compliance with data protection and privacy regulations.

Human and Cultural Research Ethics

For studies involving human participants, communities, or cultural materials:

·       Ethical approval from an institutional review board or relevant authority must be obtained.

·       Participants’ informed consent must be documented.

·       Researchers must avoid misrepresentation or cultural insensitivity, especially in arts, heritage, and social research contexts.

Conflict of Interest Policy

A conflict of interest (COI) exists when an author, reviewer, or editor has financial, personal, or institutional relationships that could influence the evaluation or publication of a manuscript.
All stakeholders must disclose any potential COI at the time of submission or review.

Handling of Ethical Misconduct

Suspected ethical violations (e.g., plagiarism, redundant publication, falsified data, authorship disputes) will be handled following COPE’s flowcharts and procedures.
Actions may include:

·       Written warning or request for correction.

·       Retraction or withdrawal of the article.

·       Notification to the author’s institution or funding body.

Retraction, Correction, and Withdrawal Policy

JSS-AHD maintains transparency and academic integrity through:

·       Correction Notices for minor post-publication errors.

·       Retraction Notices for serious breaches of ethics or data integrity.

·       Withdrawal only for manuscripts with valid author requests before peer review completion.

All corrections or retractions are clearly marked and remain permanently accessible online.

Open Access and Licensing Policy

JSS-AHD operates under the Open Access model to promote global knowledge sharing.
All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows:

·       Free reading, downloading, and distribution of published works.

·       Reuse and adaptation with proper author and source attribution.

Copyright Policy

Authors retain copyright of their work while granting the journal the right of first publication.
All published content must include a citation acknowledging JSS-AHD as the original publisher.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors or reviewers may appeal editorial decisions or report unethical behavior by submitting a formal written complaint to:
 editor@jssahd.com
All complaints are reviewed confidentially by the Editor-in-Chief and the Ethics Committee for resolution.