Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

"Research Focus" International Scientific Journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics. Our policies are based on the principles and guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

All parties involved in the act of publishing — the editors, the reviewers, the authors, and the publisher — are expected to observe these standards.

Duties of Editors

Publication decisions. The Editor is responsible for deciding which of the submitted manuscripts are published. This decision is based solely on the scientific merit of the work and its relevance to the scope of the journal, and is guided by the reports of the reviewers.

Fair play. Manuscripts are evaluated without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, institutional affiliation, or political views.

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

Disclosure and conflict of interest. Unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used by the Editor in their own research without the express written consent of the author. Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to editorial decisions. Peer review assists the Editor in making editorial decisions and may also assist the author in improving the manuscript.

Promptness. Any reviewer who feels unqualified to review a manuscript, or who knows that they cannot complete the review within the agreed time, must notify the Editor and withdraw from the review process.

Confidentiality. Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to, or discussed with, any third party except as authorised by the Editor.

Standards of objectivity. Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers must express their views clearly and support them with arguments.

Acknowledgement of sources. Reviewers must identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Reviewers must also alert the Editor to any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published work of which they have personal knowledge.

Conflict of interest. Reviewers must not consider manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the manuscript.

Duties of Authors

Reporting standards. Authors must present an accurate account of the work performed, together with an objective discussion of its significance. The underlying data must be represented accurately. A manuscript must contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

Originality and plagiarism. Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original work. Where the work or words of others have been used, this must be appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

Multiple or concurrent publication. Authors must not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

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

Authorship of the manuscript. Authorship must 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 must be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission for publication.

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

Fundamental errors in published works. When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the journal Editor and to cooperate with the Editor to retract or correct the paper.

Plagiarism Policy

Every manuscript submitted to the journal is screened for plagiarism before it is sent for peer review.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to: presenting another author's work as one's own; copying substantial parts of another work without attribution; paraphrasing another author's work without acknowledgement; and self-plagiarism, that is, reusing one's own previously published work without appropriate citation.

Manuscripts found to contain plagiarised content are rejected immediately. If plagiarism is detected after publication, the article is retracted and a retraction notice is published.

Handling of Misconduct

Allegations of research or publication misconduct are investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines. The editorial office contacts the corresponding author and gives the authors an opportunity to respond. Where misconduct is confirmed, the journal may issue a correction, publish an expression of concern, or retract the article, and may inform the authors' institutions.

Corrections and Retractions

Corrections. If a published article contains a significant error that does not affect the overall validity of the work, a correction notice is published and linked to the original article.

Retractions. Articles found to contain fabricated or falsified data, plagiarism, or other serious misconduct are retracted. Retraction notices remain permanently linked to the original article, which is retained on the website and clearly marked as retracted.

Conflict of Interest

All parties involved in the publication process — authors, reviewers, and editors — must declare any conflict of interest that could be perceived to influence their judgement. Undisclosed conflicts of interest discovered after publication may lead to the publication of a correction.

Open Access and Copyright

All articles published in the journal are freely available to all readers immediately upon publication. Readers may read, download, copy, distribute, and cite the full texts of articles, provided the authors and the journal are properly credited. Authors retain the copyright of their work.

Archiving

Published content is preserved to ensure its long-term availability. Each article receives a DOI registered through Crossref, ensuring permanent identification and access.

Contact

Any concerns regarding publication ethics may be sent to: ReFocusJournal@gmail.com