Publication Ethics

Journal of Asian Geography

The Journal of Asian Geography is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and adheres to the COPE Core Practices. This statement outlines the roles and responsibilities of editors, authors, reviewers, and the publisher to ensure the integrity and ethical conduct of the scholarly publishing process.

1. General Principles

The following ethical guidelines are established to promote trust in academic publishing and to enhance the quality and credibility of the journal. All parties involved in the publication process—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to act with integrity and transparency.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

  • Manuscripts submitted must present original research not previously published or under simultaneous review elsewhere.

  • The corresponding author bears full responsibility for the manuscript and must ensure all listed authors meet authorship criteria.

  • All authors must have made significant contributions to the work and approve the final version submitted.

  • Any funding sources, institutional support, or significant contributions from individuals or organizations must be properly acknowledged.

  • Authors must provide a signed statement of originality and authorship, declaring that the work is free of fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.

  • Authors are required to disclose any conflicts of interest.

  • Authors must report errors or significant inaccuracies discovered after publication and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions.

  • Manuscripts must be written clearly and contain sufficient detail and referencing to allow verification and replication of the findings.

  • Manuscripts cannot be withdrawn after submission unless formally requested by the corresponding author in writing and approved by the editor-in-chief.

3. Responsibilities of the Editorial Board and Editor-in-Chief

  • The editor-in-chief has the final responsibility for accepting or rejecting manuscripts, guided by editorial board input and peer reviewer reports.

  • Editors shall ensure a fair, unbiased, and timely peer review process based on academic merit and relevance, irrespective of authors’ gender, race, institutional affiliation, or nationality.

  • Editors must maintain confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts and shall not use unpublished information in their own research.

  • Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.

  • Manuscripts submitted by editors or editorial board members must undergo independent review and shall not be handled by those with editorial authority over the publication.

  • Editors should not assign manuscripts to reviewers known to have personal, professional, or financial conflicts with the author(s).

  • Editors are responsible for identifying and managing ethical concerns such as plagiarism, duplicate publication, data falsification, or image manipulation.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

  • Peer review is conducted using a single-blind process. Reviewers' identities are kept confidential, while authors’ identities may be known to reviewers.

  • Reviewers must conduct objective and constructive evaluations, free of personal bias.

  • Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest and decline to review manuscripts when a conflict exists.

  • Any suspicion of plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unethical behavior must be reported to the editor-in-chief.

  • Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of manuscript content and shall not use any part of the manuscript for personal gain.

  • Reviewers are expected to respond promptly and provide thorough, evidence-based feedback that assists both authors and editors in improving the manuscript.

5. Responsibilities of the Publisher

  • The publisher works with the editorial board to ensure that publishing policies and ethical guidelines are followed consistently.

  • The publisher supports editorial independence and is committed to handling ethical violations (e.g., plagiarism, falsified data) according to international best practices and COPE flowcharts.

  • The publisher ensures that all accepted articles are archived, accessible, and preserved in accordance with scholarly communication standards.

6. Handling of Misconduct

  • The Journal of Asian Geography does not tolerate any form of publication misconduct including plagiarism, data fabrication, and falsification.

  • Submissions found to contain such misconduct—at any stage of the process—will be rejected or retracted, and authors may be blacklisted.

  • The journal will not accept manuscripts from authors with known records of proven publication misconduct (e.g., via court verdicts or institutional findings).

  • Suspected cases will be handled in accordance with COPE guidelines and, if necessary, legal actions will be pursued.

7. Reader Engagement

The journal welcomes constructive feedback, comments, and critiques from readers. Open academic dialogue and post-publication engagement are encouraged to support continual improvement and the robustness of scholarly communication.