Publication Ethics

Standards and Malpractice Statement

The Journal of Politics, Governance, and Administration (JPGA) follows the best practices and ethical standards established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). It is essential that all parties involved in the act of publishing (authors, editors, and reviewers) agree upon standards of ethical behavior.

Duties of Authors

  • Originality & Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original works. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
  • Data Access: Authors may be asked to provide raw data for editorial review and should be prepared to provide public access to such data.
  • Multiple Publication: Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently is considered unethical and unacceptable.
  • Authorship: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, or execution of the study.

Duties of Reviewers

  • Confidentiality: Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents.
  • Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.
  • Promptness: Any selected referee who feels unqualified or unable to provide a timely review should notify the editor and excuse themselves.
  • Conflict of Interest: Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive or collaborative relationships.

Duties of Editors

  • Fair Play: Editors evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, or political philosophy.
  • Editorial Independence: Decisions to accept or reject a manuscript are based on the paper’s importance, originality, and clarity.
  • Disclosure: Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author.

Handling Ethical Breaches

In cases of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication, or plagiarism, the publisher, in close collaboration with the editors, will take all appropriate measures to clarify the situation and to amend the article in question. This includes the prompt publication of an erratum, clarification or, in the most severe case, the retraction of the affected work.

For more detailed information, please refer to the COPE Guidelines.