Author policies

Overall similarity is expected to be below 10%, but percentage alone does not determine misconduct. Editors consider source, location, citation, and the nature of matching text.

Turnitin or an equivalent report is required at submission. The journal does not claim automated Turnitin API integration unless a licensed integration is configured.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their work. AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Material use of generative AI must be disclosed in the submission form (tool, purpose, sections affected, and author verification).

AI must not be used to fabricate data, participants, findings, citations, or references. A Turnitin report is requested; stated AI-detection thresholds are applied as one signal among others in editorial review.

All authors must disclose financial and non-financial conflicts that could influence the work. Undisclosed conflicts undermine trust. Editors and reviewers must decline or disclose conflicts that could bias their judgment.

Authors retain copyright under the journal’s open-access licence. Accepted articles are published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) unless otherwise stated. Authors may share accepted manuscripts in repositories in line with the licence and any funder requirements.

The journal follows COPE-aligned practices for maintaining the scholarly record. Honest errors may be corrected through errata or corrigenda. Retractions are used for serious misconduct or unreliability. Authors may request withdrawal before acceptance through the editorial office with written justification.

Authors may appeal editorial decisions or report concerns about the process. Send a concise appeal or complaint to the editorial email, including manuscript ID, title, and grounds for review. The managing editor will acknowledge receipt and respond according to journal policy.