Publication Ethics

Our ethic statements are based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

The Research in Education, Technology, and Multiculture is a peer-reviewed journal. This statement outlines the ethical responsibilities of all parties involved in the publishing process of an article in this journal, including authors, editors-in-chief, editorial board members, peer reviewers, and the publisher (CV. IMRECS). This ethical statement is based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal serves as a fundamental contribution to the development of a coherent and respected body of knowledge. It represents a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles uphold and embody the scientific method. Therefore, it is essential to establish clear ethical standards of expected behavior for all stakeholders engaged in the act of publishing: authors, journal editors, peer reviewers, publishers, and the broader scholarly community.

CV. IMRECS, as the publisher of Research in Education, Technology, and Multiculture, takes its role in overseeing all stages of publishing with the utmost seriousness and recognizes its ethical and professional responsibilities. The publisher is committed to ensuring that editorial decisions are made independently and are not influenced by advertising, reprint, or any other commercial revenue.

Allegations of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, and plagiarism in the process of conducting, reviewing, or reporting research and writing articles. When authors are found to have been involved in misconduct or serious irregularities related to published works, the editors have a duty to uphold the accuracy, credibility, and integrity of the scholarly record.

In cases of suspected misconduct, the editors and the editorial board will follow the procedures recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure that the issue is handled with fairness and transparency. This process includes conducting an investigation into the allegation. Any submitted manuscript that is proven to contain misconduct will be rejected. For cases where misconduct is identified in a published article, the journal will issue a formal retraction that will remain permanently linked to the original work.

The initial step in addressing misconduct is to determine whether the allegation is valid and consistent with the definition of research misconduct. This stage also involves reviewing whether the complainants have any relevant conflicts of interest.

If there is a possibility of scientific misconduct or other significant research irregularities, the allegations will be communicated to the corresponding author, who is expected to provide a detailed written explanation on behalf of all co-authors. Following the response, additional expert review, including statistical assessment if necessary, may be conducted.

In situations where misconduct is unlikely, clarifications or corrections may be published, such as letters to the editor or correction notices, to address the concern without further punitive action.

Institutions supporting the research are expected to conduct appropriate, transparent, and thorough investigations into any allegations of misconduct. Authors, institutions, and journals share a collective obligation to ensure the reliability of the academic record. By addressing allegations responsibly and taking necessary actions—such as publishing corrections, issuing retractions with or without replacement, or publishing formal notices—the Research in Education, Technology, and Multiculture demonstrates its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and preserving the trust of the scholarly community.

 

Publication decisions
The editor is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published.
The editor may be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The editor may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

Fair play
An editor at any time evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

Confidentiality
The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the paper.

Promptness
Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse himself from the review process.

Confidentiality
Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

Standards of Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Acknowledgement of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

Duties of Authors

Reporting standards
Authors of reports of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Originality and Plagiarism
The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited or quoted.

Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication
An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

Acknowledgement of Sources
Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Authorship of the Paper
Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors.

The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

Fundamental errors in published works
When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.