Publication Ethics

Auna Press is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. All authors, editors, reviewers, and other parties involved in the publication process are expected to uphold ethical principles and contribute to a responsible and trustworthy scholarly publishing environment.

This Publication Ethics Policy is intended to prevent academic misconduct and ensure that all publications meet accepted standards of integrity, transparency, accountability, and fairness.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted manuscripts are original, accurate, and ethically conducted. Authors must:

  • present research findings accurately and transparently;
  • ensure that the manuscript is original and has not been published elsewhere;
  • properly acknowledge and cite the work of others;
  • avoid plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and manipulation of research data;
  • disclose relevant conflicts of interest;
  • ensure that all listed authors have made meaningful contributions to the work;
  • obtain appropriate ethical approval or informed consent when required by the nature of the research; and
  • promptly notify the editor if a significant error is identified in a submitted or published manuscript.

Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts are handled fairly, confidentially, and objectively. Editorial decisions should be based on the manuscript's academic quality, originality, relevance, methodological rigor, and contribution to knowledge.

Editors must not discriminate against authors based on personal characteristics, institutional affiliation, nationality, religion, gender, or other irrelevant factors.

Editors should avoid handling manuscripts where they have a conflict of interest and must take appropriate action when ethical concerns arise.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers contribute to maintaining the academic quality of published works. Reviewers are expected to:

  • provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based assessments;
  • maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts;
  • identify relevant published work that has not been appropriately cited;
  • disclose any potential conflict of interest;
  • avoid using information obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage; and
  • complete reviews within the agreed timeframe whenever possible.

Reviewers should not accept manuscripts for review when they lack sufficient expertise or are unable to provide an impartial assessment.

4. Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct

Auna Press does not tolerate plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct. Plagiarism includes presenting another person's ideas, words, data, results, or intellectual contributions as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment.

Other forms of academic misconduct may include:

  • fabrication of research data;
  • falsification or manipulation of data;
  • duplicate or redundant publication;
  • inappropriate authorship;
  • citation manipulation;
  • undisclosed conflicts of interest; and
  • other practices that compromise the integrity of scholarly communication.

Suspected cases of misconduct may be investigated and may result in appropriate editorial action.

5. Research Ethics

Authors are responsible for ensuring that research involving human participants, animals, personal data, or other ethically sensitive subjects complies with applicable ethical standards and institutional requirements.

Where required, authors should provide information regarding ethical approval, informed consent, or other relevant ethical safeguards.

6. Conflicts of Interest

All authors, editors, and reviewers should disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationships that could influence or be perceived to influence the publication process.

Auna Press will take appropriate measures to manage disclosed conflicts and preserve the objectivity of editorial and peer-review decisions.

7. Corrections and Retractions

Auna Press is committed to maintaining the integrity of the published scholarly record. When significant errors or ethical issues are identified after publication, appropriate corrective action may be taken.

Depending on the circumstances, actions may include publication of a correction, expression of concern, or retraction of the affected article.

8. Ethical Complaints and Allegations

Complaints concerning publication ethics or allegations of misconduct may be submitted to the relevant journal's editorial office.

Auna Press will assess such complaints objectively and confidentially. Where appropriate, the publisher and editorial team may request supporting information from authors, reviewers, institutions, or other relevant parties.

9. Editorial Independence

Publication decisions must not be influenced by commercial interests, advertising relationships, sponsorship, personal relationships, or other external pressures.

Editorial decisions should remain independent and based on scholarly and ethical considerations.

10. Commitment to Research Integrity

Auna Press is committed to promoting responsible research and trustworthy scholarly communication. All participants in the publication process share responsibility for maintaining academic integrity and protecting the reliability of the scholarly record.

This policy may be periodically reviewed and updated to reflect developments in publication ethics and recognized standards of scholarly publishing.