Publication Ethics

The Journal of the Private National University (JWPU) is committed to applying the highest standards of academic conduct and scientific integrity, addressing errors, and taking appropriate actions against research that does not comply with ethical standards. JWPU adheres to the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The responsibility to uphold these values and standards lies with the authors, editors, reviewers, and publisher. Any violation of these principles will not be accepted.

Below are some of the core policies of the JWPU community:

Authors

  • By submitting manuscripts to JWPU, authors confirm that the work is original, has not been previously published in whole or in part in any language, and is not under review elsewhere.
  • Authors are required to present their research objectively and clearly, with sufficient detail to allow replication of experiments.
  • Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and ensure that all participants in the research meet authorship criteria, with proper acknowledgments and credits given.
  • The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors approve the final version before submission for publication.
  • If an error is discovered after publication, authors must promptly notify the JWPU editorial board.

Editors

  • The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision to accept or reject manuscripts based on the recommendations of associate editors, ensuring a fair evaluation based solely on scientific merit.
  • Editors must avoid any conflicts of interest in the evaluation process and safeguard the integrity of the academic record.
  • In cases of ethical complaints, editors are required to handle them seriously and take appropriate action.
  • Manuscripts must be treated with strict confidentiality, and the information or ideas within them must not be exploited for personal benefit.

Policy on Editorial Board Members Publishing in the Journal

  • The Editor-in-Chief and members of the Editorial Board are allowed to submit manuscripts to the journal without any preferential treatment.
  • Any manuscript authored or co-authored by an Editorial Board member is assigned to an independent handling editor (who is not involved in the authorship) to manage the entire peer-review process and make the editorial decision.
  • The author who holds an editorial role (Editor-in-Chief/Editor/Editorial Board member) must not take part in selecting reviewers, accessing reviewer reports, managing the editorial file, or making the acceptance/rejection decision.
  • Such manuscripts are subject to the journal’s standard peer-review policy, with a minimum of two independent reviewers, and decisions are based on reviewers’ reports.
  • The handling of these submissions is fully documented within the journal system to ensure integrity and confidentiality.
  • If the manuscript is accepted, a transparency statement is added to the published version indicating that the submission was handled by an independent editor and that the author/editor did not participate in the editorial decision.

Reviewers

  • Reviewers are expected to provide objective and constructive evaluations, with clear, well-argued feedback to help authors improve their work.
  • Reviewers should point out relevant sources or works not cited by the authors and ensure proper referencing.
  • Reviewers should not suggest citations to their own work unless it is necessary and scientifically justified.
  • If a reviewer feels unqualified or lacks sufficient time to complete a review, they must notify the editor immediately and decline the task.
  • Reviewers must avoid evaluating manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest due to personal or professional relationships with the authors or affiliated institutions.