Policies

Publication Ethics

The Journal of Social Science Perspectives (JSSP) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, and transparency. The journal's editorial policies are guided by the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), internationally recognized best practices, and Elsevier's Publishing Ethics guidelines to ensure the credibility, reliability, and scholarly value of all published research.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are expected to submit original, unpublished work that has not been simultaneously submitted to another journal. All sources must be appropriately acknowledged, and authors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest as well as all sources of research funding.

Research involving human participants or sensitive information must comply with recognized ethical standards and receive approval from an appropriate ethics review committee where applicable. Authors are responsible for obtaining informed consent, protecting participant confidentiality, and complying with relevant ethical regulations.

Authors are expected to cooperate throughout the editorial and peer review process by responding promptly to editorial requests, addressing reviewer comments thoroughly, and notifying the journal immediately if significant errors are identified after publication so that appropriate corrections or retractions can be issued.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on their scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, and relevance to the journal's scope, without discrimination based on nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, religion, political beliefs, or personal characteristics. Editorial decisions are made independently and objectively.

The editorial team maintains strict confidentiality throughout the submission and review process, investigates allegations of ethical misconduct, and issues corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions whenever necessary to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, confidential, and timely evaluations that assist editors in making informed decisions and help authors improve the quality of their manuscripts. Reviewers should disclose any conflicts of interest and decline review assignments whenever impartiality cannot be maintained.

Reviewers should report suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, data manipulation, unethical research practices, or any other concerns regarding research integrity to the editorial office.

Research Integrity and Misconduct

JSSP maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, image manipulation, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, and other forms of research misconduct. All submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection software before entering peer review.

Confirmed cases of misconduct may result in manuscript rejection, publication retraction, notification of authors' institutions or funding agencies, publication of correction notices, and temporary or permanent restrictions on future submissions to the journal.

Data Integrity and Transparency

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and reproducibility of their research data. Research methods should be described clearly and transparently to allow verification and replication where appropriate. Selective reporting, misleading presentation of findings, or intentional manipulation of data is considered unethical and unacceptable.

Conflicts of Interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence—or appear to influence—the editorial or publication process. Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may result in corrective editorial action.

Ethical Approval for Human Research

Research involving human participants must receive approval from a recognized ethics committee or institutional review board where required. Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained and that participant privacy and confidentiality were protected in accordance with internationally accepted ethical standards, including the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Complaints and Appeals

JSSP maintains a transparent process for handling complaints, appeals, and allegations of publication misconduct. All concerns are investigated fairly, confidentially, and objectively. Where appropriate, the journal may seek advice from independent experts or follow COPE recommendations before reaching a final decision.

By adhering to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Elsevier's Publishing Ethics, and the Declaration of Helsinki, the Journal of Social Science Perspectives (JSSP) ensures that every published article meets the highest standards of ethical conduct, scientific integrity, transparency, and academic excellence in social science research.