Ethical Guidelines.

COPE-aligned publication ethics — upholding integrity, transparency, and accountability in scholarly publishing.

The Public Policy Professionals Journal (PPPJ) upholds the highest standards of publication ethics, guided by the principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability in scholarly publishing. These guidelines are aligned with international best practices, including those of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to adhere to these standards.

1

Responsibilities of Authors

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that their submissions are original works and free from plagiarism. Proper attribution must be given to all sources, and the use of third-party content must have necessary permissions.

Multiple or Redundant Publication

Manuscripts should not be submitted to more than one journal at the same time, nor published in a substantially similar form elsewhere.

Authorship

Only individuals who have made significant contributions to the research and manuscript should be listed as authors, with all contributors appropriately acknowledged.

Data Integrity

Authors must present accurate data and be prepared to provide raw data upon request for verification. Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data is strictly prohibited.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could influence their work.

2

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Confidentiality

All manuscripts received for review are to be treated as confidential documents and must not be shared or discussed with others.

Objectivity

Reviews should be conducted objectively, with clear reasoning, and without personal criticism of the author(s).

Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts where they have competing interests or relationships with the authors or their institutions.

Timeliness

Reviewers should respond promptly and complete reviews within the agreed timelines.

3

Responsibilities of Editors

Fair Evaluation

Manuscripts will be evaluated solely on academic merit, without regard to race, gender, institutional affiliation, or political orientation of the authors.

Confidentiality

Editors will not disclose information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and the editorial team.

Conflict of Interest

Editors will recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have any competing interests.

Publication Decisions

Editors are responsible for making final decisions on the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts, based on the reviewers' reports and the journal's editorial policy.

4

Ethical Concerns and Misconduct

The PPPJ takes allegations of misconduct seriously. Suspected cases of plagiarism, falsification of data, authorship disputes, or ethical breaches will be investigated in line with COPE procedures.

Possible actions may include

Rejection of the manuscript

Retraction of a published article

Reporting to the author's institution or funding body

Banning the author(s) from future submissions

5

Research Ethics for Human and Animal Studies

For studies involving human participants or animals, authors must include a statement confirming:

Ethics Review Approval

Approval from a recognised ethics review committee, with the approval number stated in the manuscript.

Guidelines Compliance

Compliance with relevant national and international research ethics guidelines.

Informed Consent

Informed consent obtained from participants, with assurances of confidentiality and data protection.

Submission to PPPJ implies that the author(s) have read, understood, and agreed to comply with these ethical guidelines.