United Scholars Publishing is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, research integrity, transparency, editorial independence, and responsible scholarly publishing.
Read the full policy ↓United Scholars Publishing is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, research integrity, transparency, editorial independence, and responsible scholarly publishing.
As a scholarly publisher, United Scholars Publishing recognizes its responsibility to protect the integrity of the academic and scholarly record and to support journals, editors, authors, reviewers, and other contributors in conducting their activities in accordance with recognized ethical and professional standards.
This policy establishes the principles and responsibilities that guide the Publisher's activities across all journals, books, conference proceedings, and other scholarly publications under its management.
The Publisher follows internationally recognized principles and best practices in scholarly publishing, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, as applicable to the Publisher's publications and activities.
The Publisher does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of research, manipulation of the peer-review process, fraudulent authorship, citation manipulation, paper-mill activity, unethical research practices, or other forms of publication or research misconduct.
This policy applies to:
Individual journals and publications may maintain additional policies appropriate to their subject area, publication model, or disciplinary requirements. Such policies must remain consistent with the principles established in this Publisher Policy.
The Publisher's activities are guided by the following principles:
The Publisher shall take reasonable measures to ensure that the content it publishes is accurate, reliable, original, and ethically produced.
The Publisher shall provide clear and accessible information about its journals and publications, including relevant editorial policies, peer-review processes, publication fees, licensing and copyright arrangements, conflicts of interest, and procedures for addressing ethical concerns.
The Publisher respects the editorial independence of its journals and editors. Editorial decisions must be based on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, relevance, and other legitimate editorial considerations. Commercial interests, advertising, sponsorship, publication fees, institutional relationships, personal interests, or other financial considerations must not improperly influence editorial decisions. The Publisher shall not require editors to accept or reject manuscripts for commercial reasons.
The Publisher supports fair and objective treatment of authors, reviewers, editors, and other contributors. The Publisher does not support discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, religion, political or ideological beliefs, institutional affiliation, geographic location, career stage, disability, or other characteristics unrelated to scholarly merit and professional responsibilities.
The Publisher accepts responsibility for maintaining appropriate publishing systems, policies, and procedures and for responding appropriately when concerns about publication ethics or research integrity arise.
The Publisher shall take reasonable measures to protect confidential information obtained during manuscript submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, production, and publication. Confidential manuscripts, reviewer information, editorial correspondence, unpublished research data, and other protected information shall not be used for unauthorized personal, commercial, or competitive purposes.
The Publisher shall provide editors with appropriate independence to make editorial decisions without inappropriate commercial, financial, political, or personal influence. Where an editor or editorial board member has a conflict of interest, the Publisher shall support appropriate arrangements to ensure that editorial decisions remain impartial.
The Publisher shall maintain appropriate systems and procedures for preserving the integrity, accessibility, and continuity of the published scholarly record. Where significant errors, misconduct, or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the Publisher shall work with the relevant editor to determine appropriate action, which may include:
Post-publication actions shall be appropriately documented and, where practicable, clearly linked to the affected publication.
The Publisher takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously, whether concerns are raised before or after publication. Potential misconduct may include, but is not limited to:
The Publisher may consult editors, authors, reviewers, institutions, research organizations, ethics committees, or other appropriate parties when investigating concerns. Investigations shall be conducted as fairly, confidentially, and proportionately as reasonably possible.
Where allegations concern research conduct or matters that fall primarily within the responsibility of an author's institution or research organization, the Publisher may refer the matter to the relevant institution or competent authority. The Publisher may cooperate with legitimate institutional investigations and may take appropriate publishing action based on reliable findings or evidence.
The Publisher shall maintain a mechanism through which authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and other stakeholders may raise concerns or complaints relating to the Publisher's publishing activities. Complaints may concern, among other matters:
Complaints shall be handled fairly, respectfully, and, where appropriate, confidentially. Where an appeal or complaint concerns an editorial decision, the Publisher shall respect the journal's established editorial procedures while ensuring that appropriate publishing and ethical standards have been followed.
The Publisher expects its employees, editorial personnel, editors, reviewers, and other individuals involved in the publication process to disclose relevant actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest. The Publisher shall take reasonable measures to ensure that conflicts do not improperly influence editorial, peer-review, production, or publishing decisions. Where necessary, an individual with a significant conflict may be removed from a particular decision or process.
The Publisher supports transparent, fair, and appropriately managed peer-review processes. The specific peer-review model may vary between publications, but each journal shall clearly describe its peer-review process to authors and readers. The Publisher shall support journals in implementing appropriate safeguards against:
Editors and reviewers remain responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of manuscripts entrusted to them.
The Publisher expects publications to maintain clear policies concerning authorship and contributorship. Individuals should not be listed as authors without making an appropriate scholarly contribution. Guest, honorary, gift, or ghost authorship is inconsistent with responsible scholarly publishing. Where authorship disputes arise, the Publisher may request clarification from the authors and, where appropriate, refer the matter to the relevant institution or research organization. The Publisher does not normally determine authorship disputes on behalf of institutions but may take appropriate publishing action where the integrity of the published record is affected.
The Publisher respects copyright, intellectual property rights, and applicable publishing licenses. Copyright and licensing arrangements shall be communicated clearly to authors and readers. The Publisher expects authors to obtain appropriate permission for the use of third-party copyrighted materials where required. The Publisher shall take reasonable action when credible claims of copyright infringement or unauthorized use of intellectual property are brought to its attention. Publication fees, processing charges, subscription arrangements, or other applicable costs shall be disclosed clearly and should not be presented in a misleading manner.
The Publisher expects research published through its publications to comply with applicable ethical, legal, and professional standards. Where appropriate, publications should require evidence of ethical approval for research involving:
The Publisher supports appropriate requirements for informed consent and responsible handling of confidential or personally identifiable information. Individual journals may establish more specific ethical requirements according to their disciplines.
The Publisher supports responsible data management, transparency, and reproducibility in scholarly research. Where appropriate to the discipline and publication, journals may require or encourage:
Any restrictions on access to research data should be appropriately explained where required.
The Publisher recognizes that artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies may be used in research, manuscript preparation, peer review, editorial work, production, and publishing. The use of such technologies must not compromise research integrity, confidentiality, authorship, intellectual property, privacy, or editorial independence. AI systems shall not be recognized as authors. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their submitted work, regardless of whether AI-assisted technologies were used. Editors and reviewers must not upload confidential manuscripts, reviewer reports, unpublished research data, or other protected information to AI systems where doing so would compromise confidentiality, privacy, or intellectual property. The Publisher may establish additional AI-related requirements for individual publications as technology and recognized publishing standards develop.
The Publisher shall maintain a clear separation between editorial decision-making and commercial activities. Advertising, sponsorship, partnerships, publication fees, subscriptions, or other commercial arrangements must not improperly influence editorial decisions or the scholarly content of publications. Commercial relationships should be disclosed where necessary to maintain transparency and reader confidence. The Publisher shall not knowingly permit commercial interests to determine the acceptance or rejection of scholarly content.
The Publisher is committed to correcting the scholarly record when necessary. Corrections may be issued when an error does not invalidate the overall integrity of a publication but requires amendment. Retraction may be considered where a publication contains serious errors, unreliable findings, significant misconduct, or other circumstances that substantially compromise the integrity of the scholarly record. An expression of concern may be issued where substantial concerns exist but an investigation has not yet reached a sufficient conclusion to justify correction or retraction. The Publisher and relevant editorial team shall seek to ensure that post-publication notices are clear, appropriately documented, and permanently associated with the affected publication.
Readers, researchers, authors, and other stakeholders may bring credible concerns about published content to the attention of the relevant journal or the Publisher. Concerns should provide sufficient information or evidence to allow an appropriate assessment. The Publisher may refer concerns to the relevant editor, authors' institutions, ethics committees, or other competent authorities where appropriate. The Publisher does not encourage public accusations of misconduct without supporting evidence and expects all parties to communicate concerns responsibly and professionally.
The Publisher encourages the responsible reporting of genuine concerns relating to publication ethics and research integrity. Individuals who raise concerns in good faith should not be subjected to retaliation by the Publisher for making such a report. Reports shall be handled as confidentially as reasonably possible, subject to the need to investigate the matter properly and comply with applicable legal obligations. Knowingly false, malicious, or abusive allegations may themselves be treated as inappropriate conduct.
Editors, editorial board members, employees, contractors, and other individuals acting on behalf of the Publisher are expected to:
The Publisher may take appropriate action where staff or representatives fail to meet these responsibilities.
The Publisher expects each journal or scholarly publication under its management to provide clear information about its:
The Publisher shall seek to ensure that such information is kept reasonably current and accessible.
The Publisher respects scholarly independence and does not permit legitimate editorial decisions to be improperly determined by political, institutional, ideological, or commercial pressure. Where publications address controversial, sensitive, or politically significant subjects, editorial decisions should continue to be based on established scholarly and ethical criteria. The Publisher may intervene where necessary to address legal, ethical, safety, or integrity concerns, but such intervention should be transparent and appropriately documented.
The Publisher and its publications shall seek to comply with applicable laws, regulations, contractual obligations, and professional standards relevant to scholarly publishing. Nothing in this policy prevents the Publisher from taking action necessary to comply with applicable legal requirements. Where legal obligations conflict with ordinary publishing procedures, the Publisher may seek appropriate legal or professional advice.
The Publisher recognizes that publication ethics and research integrity practices continue to evolve. This policy may therefore be reviewed periodically and updated to reflect developments in scholarly publishing, research ethics, technology, legal requirements, and internationally recognized best practices. The Publisher may consult editors, authors, reviewers, institutions, professional organizations, and other relevant stakeholders when developing or revising its publication ethics policies.
United Scholars Publishing is committed to working collaboratively with authors, editors, reviewers, institutions, and the wider scholarly community to maintain trustworthy and responsible scholarly communication. The Publisher considers publication ethics and research integrity to be a shared responsibility. Through appropriate policies, transparent procedures, editorial independence, responsible business practices, and effective responses to concerns, the Publisher seeks to protect the integrity and credibility of the scholarly record.