Ethics Statements

A General Approach To Ethics

Ethics is an integral part of research from start to finish, and ethical compliance is key to research excellence. From the conceptual stage of the publication, a thorough ethical evaluation is needed to ensure compliance with the legal framework and to improve research quality. Ethical research involves applying ethical principles and laws to all scientific research across all possible domains.

Correction, Clarifications, Retractions, and Apologies

The journal follows COPE's recommendations and core practices (publicationethics.org/core-practices) regarding ethical policies and misconduct. Falsifying data, plagiarising, and breaching confidentiality are misconduct. The publisher and editors-in-chief will consider each case and contact the author (or reviewer). The publisher may contact the author's or reviewer's institution if severe misconduct is suspected. It should be noted that if misconduct is suspected during the review process, the manuscript will be held until any issues are resolved. The manuscript will be rejected immediately if it is discovered during the review process, and if discovered after publication, it will be retracted.

Publication Ethics Statement

As a double-blind, peer-reviewed journal, the publication of a manuscript is a significant task for the journal. Similarly, ensuring the submitted research work is original and scientific is also crucial. Therefore, ethical behavior is expected from authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers to be involved in the peer-review process. IJSSER takes publication ethics extremely seriously, and our editors are trained to follow a zero-tolerance approach in such circumstances. We use Turnitin to compare submitted content with past publications to ensure its originality. This statement is based on COPE's Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Dealing with Unethical Behavior

To safeguard the integrity of the academic record of the IJSSER and its contributors, any violation of these guidelines shall be dealt with in the manner described below:

• Identification of the problem and communication to the editorial board as soon as possible (including information on where and how the code of ethical behavior has been violated).
• Evidence collection and thorough evaluation are carried out under the supervision of the editorial board (full documentation of the evidence must be provided and its credibility investigated).
• The party accused of wrongdoing is given a fair chance to react to the allegations and fix the wrongdoing, along with a warning to follow ethical norms in the future.

Human Subjects Protection Statement

This statement's purpose is to explain the survey methods and the human participant protection review process. This protects survey participants while also preserving the research's integrity. This information helps researchers understand how these processes are used in survey research. It covers survey participation, risk, anonymity and confidentiality, survey benefits, and informed consent. This statement helps authors determine whether human research participants will be adequately protected when a survey or questionnaire study is proposed. It covers a variety of scenarios. The key points are listed below.

Because of their participation in surveys, respondents are rarely exposed to any greater dangers than those inherent in everyday life. The majority of surveys advance knowledge and, more broadly, society. The survey is the only method that can provide generalizable information on various aspects of the human condition. Collecting survey data is critical for improving our understanding of social, psychological, and political processes and evaluating and improving public policy. Documenting participants' consent in a survey is typically impossible and can reduce the number of respondents. However, the most important aspects of consent can be conveyed to respondents in a condensed form at the very beginning of every survey in all survey-based studies. This can be done in brief introductory statements during a telephone interview, in a cover letter for a self-administered survey, or in the introductory screen of a web survey. This is because each survey type presents the key elements of consent in a unique format. This is true regardless of risk level and is consistent with the modern view of consent as a continuous process rather than a document.

Anonymity

IJSSER does not reveal reviewers' identities to authors or other reviewers unless requested. We prefer that reviewers remain anonymous throughout the review process. Before revealing their identities, reviewers should consider being asked to comment on other reviewers' criticisms and further manuscript revisions. Identified reviewers may struggle to remain objective.

Reviewers are not permitted to reveal their identities to authors unless the editor gives them express permission. They should go through the editor if they want to reveal their identities while the manuscript is still being considered, because it is their responsibility. If this is not possible, authors should inform the editor as soon as the reviewer reveals their identity.

We oppose authors confronting or identifying reviewers. We don't confirm or deny rumors about reviewers' identities and encourage reviewers to do the same.

Confidentiality

The Editors in Chief/editors 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.

Transparency

The journal cooperates with the reviewer credit service by https://www.reviewercredits.com/, which allows verifying the provided reviews by reviewers.

Complaints Policy

To ensure the quality of service and long-term relationships with its stakeholders, IJSSER has a complaint policy that is handled in an accountable manner. The aim of this policy is to ensure that IJSSER responds to complaints promptly, politely, and confidentially. IJSSER learns from the complaints and uses them to improve our service. For any complaint, please email editor@ijsser.com

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal. They will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Responsibilities of Editors, Authors, and Reviewers

It aims to cover a wide range of topics in economics, the social sciences, and contemporary viewpoints. All of the IJSSER manuscripts that are sent in for consideration to be published in the journal must be written in English. We are of the opinion that establishing uniform guidelines for editors, reviewers, and authors will not only improve the overall quality of the articles that are published but will also guarantee that the entire process, from reviewing to publishing, is honest and accurate.

Therefore, it is essential to fulfill the following responsibilities in their entirety:

Editors' Responsibilities

Fair Policy

Editors are responsible for ensuring that all submitted articles are given a thorough and objective review. This review evaluates each article based solely on its academic merits, regardless of the author's race, religion, nationality, gender, level of seniority, or institutional connection.

Communication and Publication Process

Editors are responsible for facilitating communication among all parties involved in the publishing process and ensuring that manuscripts are handled and processed promptly and effectively.

Review Process

The acceptance or rejection of a manuscript is entirely at the discretion of its editor(s). Even though an editor may consult the initial review for guidance, a manuscript may be rejected without further examination if the editor determines that it is not suitable for publication. Editors establish clear guidelines and criteria throughout the double-blind peer-review procedure. All published research publications are subjected to a double-blind peer review procedure by expert reviewers. See the complete Review Process.

Confidentiality and Transparency

Editors are responsible for ensuring that the external double-blind peer review process remains confidential and that reviewers and authors maintain their anonymity. In addition, the reviewers and authors all admitted to a conflict of interest. Editors look into and document any complaints that may arise throughout the publishing process and offer all parties involved the opportunity to defend their perspectives.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

A situation that involves personal relationships (such as a friend, colleague, or family member), business relationships (such as working in a company that is in direct competition), or financial influences (such as funding) and that has the potential to influence the judgment of any person during the publication of the journal is known as a conflict of interest.

Editors are not allowed to participate in publishing decisions in which there is a potential conflict of interest (COI). For instance, if an article written by the Editor-in-Chief is submitted to the journal, another editor will manage the peer review process and make all necessary editorial decisions.

Authors' Responsibilities

Authors must follow the journal's guidelines for authors.

Originality and Plagiarism

The authors provide a manuscript that is both accurate and original, and an objective evaluation of the data's significance. Authors are obligated to adhere to the journal's policy regarding plagiarism. Because any instances of plagiarism in submitted content will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is a serious offence that violates the fundamental principles and foundations of research. It is unacceptable and must be avoided at all costs.

Data Access and Retention

The authors avoid using fictitious data and provide a statement stating that all data used in the study are true and legitimate. Authors may be asked to provide raw data for a paper during editorial review. If possible, authors should be willing to provide public access to such data, and in any case, they should be willing to retain it for a reasonable period after publication.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors disclose any conflicts of interest that may jeopardize their academic credibility at each stage of the research and publication process. Writers should include the sources of funding for their research, if applicable.

Multiple Publications

The same research should not be published in multiple journals or primary publications. It's unethical to submit the same manuscript to multiple journals. The authors confirm that the paper has not previously been submitted to or accepted for publication elsewhere. Authors also cite previously published sources.

Authorship of the Paper

Authors indicate co-authors who contributed significantly to the submitted work and who share responsibility and liability for the outcomes.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

If authors discover substantial errors in their work and/or sources before or after publication, they must immediately notify the editorial board and ensure full cooperation with the editorial board in order to correct such errors, publish an update, or withdraw the manuscript as needed.

Reviewers' Responsibilities

Prompt Response

If any reviewer believes that he or she will be unable to complete the review of the manuscript within the time frame specified, he or she must notify the editor so that the manuscript can be sent to another reviewer.

Review Guidelines

Reviewers must adhere to the journal's review guidelines in order to ensure a fair review process and maintain content quality. Reviewers assist editors in improving the quality of research articles by objectively and efficiently evaluating manuscripts. For more review Guidelines.

Standards of Objectivity

The reviewers explain why they rated the manuscripts so highly. Any reference to a previously published observation, derivation, or argument must be accompanied by a citation. Reviewers will point it out if relevant public or unpublished work is used in a manuscript but not cited. While a manuscript review may justify criticism, reviewers should refrain from making personal or malicious remarks about the author.

Confidentiality

All reviewed articles are kept confidential by reviewers, who do not copy or share them in any way.

Conflicts Of Interest

Reviewers confirm that they have no conflicts of interest regarding the study topic, the authors, or any other parties involved. They must declare any such conflicts of interest in advance and resign from the assignment immediately.

Publisher's Responsibilities

The publisher is responsible for ensuring that all parties involved in the publication process follow the journal's publishing ethics principles and for taking appropriate action to address unethical behavior if it is discovered. The publisher is responsible for ensuring that the academic record is accurate and up to date. The publisher promotes all aspects of the publishing process and ensures that intellectual standards are not lowered for financial reasons or interests. The publisher is constantly working with the editorial board, reviewers, and authors to improve existing models of good practice in close collaboration with all parties involved.