The GAERPSY Publishing is committed to applying the below procedure to appeals and complaints to editorial decisions, such as failure in the processes, long delays in handling papers, and complaints about publication ethics. First, the complaint should be governed by the Chief Editor (s) responsible for the journal and/or the Editor who reviewed the paper. If they are the subject of the complaint, we recommend you approach the in-house publishing contact (Please send your query to ethics@gaerpsy.com).
Scientific content complaint (e.g., an appeal against rejection)
The Editor-in-Chief or handling Editor considers the authors’ argument, and the reviewer reports and decides whether the decision to reject should stand, another independent opinion is required, and the appeal should be considered. The complainant is informed of the decision with an explanation if appropriate. Decisions on appeals are final, and new submissions take priority over requests.
Processes’ complaint (e.g., time taken to review)
The Chief editor, Handling Editor, and/or in-house contact will investigate the matter. The complainant will receive appropriate feedback, which will be provided to relevant stakeholders to improve processes and procedures.
Publication ethics’ complaint (e.g., authorship or reviewer’s conduct)
The Chief Editor or handling Editor follows guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics. The ethics will advise on cases. The Chief Editor or managing Editor will decide on a course of action and provide feedback to the complainant. If the complainant remains unhappy with the outcomes of the committee, they would be allowed to submit the complaint to the Committee on Publication Ethics to appeal.
Ethics for Editors
-Before peer review, manuscripts will be screened for readability, novelty, and relevance to the focus and scope of the journal.
-The editor shall maintain the fairness and impartiality of the review. At least two reviewers shall review each manuscript. Whether the journal accepts the manuscript will be decided by the Editor-in-Chief or the academic editor designated by the Editor-in-Chief in combination with the reviewer’s comments.
Editors, employees, and members of the editorial board as authors
The GAERPSY Publishing does not allow editors, employees, and editorial board members to participate in processing their articles.
Editors, employees, and editorial board members must disclose all potential conflicts of interest related to their articles.
Editors, employees, and editorial board members should follow a strict review process to ensure the quality and reliability of articles.
For articles submitted by our editors, employees, and editorial board members, GAERPSY Publishing will assign the manuscript to an expert reviewer in the field who does not have a conflict of interest with the author and to other editors for evaluation and processing.
Ethics for authors
Clear authorship
At the time of submission, whether the list of authors includes all the eligible authors of the article (in the correct order), and reach a consensus with all co-authors on the journal and the time of submission. (For Authorship, please see the detailed policy).
Avoid Plagiarism (including self-plagiarism)
Check if the article correctly quotes yourself or someone else’s work. Not only that, but the authors also need permission from the copyright owner to publish any previously published content (including quotations, numbers, or forms).
Avoid writing more than one draft
Submissions to multiple journals are not allowed. Original research work must be novel and not have been previously published. The above is not exhaustive; authors should be aware of local regulations and accepted norms in academic publishing.
Allegations of misconduct
The editors of GAERPSY Publishing are responsible for ensuring the academic integrity of the articles published in the journal, and for taking all necessary actions in cases of misconduct in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. The misconduct list is not limited. These include plagiarism or the use of artificial intelligence, falsification of research or fabrication of data, misrepresentation of affiliation, submission of manuscripts to multiple journals simultaneously, breaches of copyright/use of third-party material without appropriate permissions, undisclosed competing interests, unethical research, etc.
Data sharing
The GAERPSY Publishing encourages authors to share data. Data sharing facilitates scientific research and knowledge discovery, increases the reproducibility and reliability of research, fosters collaboration and innovation, improves research efficiency, and enhances the value and application of data. Sharing relevant data and materials when authors publish their articles can enhance the transparency and quality of scientific research. Authors can work with the editors of their journals to share raw data, codes, and other relevant materials used in their articles with other researchers for further scientific research.
The GAERPSY Publishing requests authors to provide raw data with their article submission and details of the article’s data sources and data processing methods. The authors should provide a suitable solution to ensure that other researchers can access the data under reasonable conditions, even if there are restrictions or limitations, such as privacy concerns.
Data shared by the GAERPSY includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Reproducibility of data
Other researchers can reproduce and validate the data and methods used in scientific research. Data reproducibility contributes to improving the credibility and reliability of scientific research, accelerating scientific progress, promoting academic communication and collaboration, and increasing the efficiency of research resources. In short, the reproducibility of journal data is of great importance to the development and progress of scientific research and is the foundation and guarantee of scientific research.
We strongly recommend that authors adopt open science practices, such as sharing data on public databases and complying with applicable ethical and legal requirements. We believe these practices help foster collaboration and innovation in the scientific community and enhance the credibility and reproducibility of scientific research.
We will strictly enforce the above policy and require reviewers and editors to critically review the data and methods of articles. We may reject articles or ask authors to make corrections and additions if incomplete data, inadequate methods, or analytical errors are found.
Ethical oversight
GAERPSY Publishing is committed to promoting the quality and reliability of scientific research, upholding ethical guidelines, and adhering to COPE’s ethical oversight policy. We require all authors to adhere to the following ethical guidelines and policies when submitting articles (including but not limited to):
*Policies on consent to publication
The GAERPSY Publishing requires all authors to ensure that all Co-authors have consented to publication when submitting an article. The data and information in the article are appropriately licensed.
*Publication on vulnerable populations
The GAERPSY Publishing requires all authors to adhere to ethical guidelines and moral standards when conducting academic research involving vulnerable populations. In research involving vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly, people with disabilities, the sick, and the underprivileged, the author must have obtained informed consent from the subjects or their guardians and safeguarded their rights, privacy, and confidentiality. GAERPSY Publishing follows strict academic standards and is committed to fostering understanding and support for disadvantaged groups to advance societal equality and progress.
*Ethical conduct of research using animals
GAERPSY Publishing strongly urges researchers to conduct animal experiments only when necessary, to comply with relevant ethical and moral standards, and to ensure that animal rights are protected. Authors should provide detailed plans and methods for animal experiments, appropriate ethical review, and authorisation materials. GAERPSY Publishing encourages authors to implement the principles of 3R (Reduce, Refine, Replace) to strictly control the number and use of laboratory animals and thereby reduce harm to animals in experiments.
*Ethical conduct of research using human subjects
GAERPSY Publishing requires authors to adhere to relevant ethical and moral standards when conducting human-subject experiments to ensure the rights and safety of subjects are safeguarded. Authors should provide detailed trial plans, methods, and the appropriate ethical review and authorisation materials. Informed consent should be signed before subjects participate in the study, and authors should ensure that the rights and privacy of trial participants are adequately protected.
*Handling confidential data and ethical business/marketing practices
The authors should clearly understand and comply with the policy on protecting confidential data when handling it, and ensure that data remains confidential and secure to avoid misuse or disclosure. The authors should adhere to honest, fair, and transparent business codes and comply with corresponding laws and regulations. The authors should not use false statements or misleading language in their manuscripts.
Ethics for reviewers
The peer reviews are conducted as a double-blind process via our Open Journal System (OJS). These editors’ and reviewers’ comments are considered in the peer-review process. Thus, their comments will determine whether the manuscript is accepted or rejected.
Reviewers are required to adhere to the following:
*Potential ethical concerns. These include research misconduct (e.g., Data fabrication/manipulation) and author misconduct (e.g., Plagiarism, redundant publication).
*Technical errors
*Logical errors concern fallacies, lapses in logic, etc.
*Language errors that mar the clarity of the text
*References involve the suitability of references used in the manuscripts and other relevant research that should be referenced in the articles.