Publication Ethics and Malpractice
Academy Publishing holds itself to the highest possible standards. It does not condone copyright infringement and it takes all possible measures against any publication malpractices. Academy Publishing acts as managing editors of the journals it publishes and ensures that good practice is maintained to industry-accepted standards. As publisher and editor, it treats all submissions in the same objective and fair way and strives to ensure that submitted papers are considered and accepted on their academic merit.
Author’s Responsibilities
- Authors should warrant that the paper they are submitting for publication (a) is their work, it is original and has not been copied or plagiarised in whole or in part from other works, and (b) is not under consideration or accepted for publication elsewhere.
- If the paper incorporates third-party material, the author should have procured a written licence from the copyright owner to reproduce that third-party material, and clearly acknowledge and cite the source in the paper.
- Authors should inform the editors of any conflicts of interest, including instances where a submitted paper is a result of a research grant given to the author.
- Authors should clearly state in the paper the names of others who have reviewed their paper prior to its submission, so that the editors may effectively conduct a double-blind review of the paper.
- If a factual error is identified, Authors must notify the editor to issue a notice of such an error, where such notification is deemed necessary.
Referee’s/Reviewer’s Responsibilities
- All journals published by Academy Publishing are peer-reviewed. Each paper is reviewed objectively, without prejudice.
- In the case of the SAcLJ, the articles, comments and notes are taken through a double-blind refereeing process where the identities of both author and referee are kept confidential throughout the refereeing process. After the review, the identity of the Referee continues to remain anonymous; the only ones privy to the identity will be the journal’s Publications Committee and journal’s editors.
- Referees/Reviewers should disclose any conflict with our policy of maintaining anonymity, or if there is a conflict of interest resulting from, for eg, competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the paper. Any referee/reviewer who feels unqualified to review the paper will notify the editor promptly.
- Referees/Reviewers are to categorise their decisions into one of 3 outcomes: (i) publishable as is; (ii) not publishable; or (iii) conditional acceptance (ie, publishable if revisions are made). For categories (ii) and (iii), comments should be provided as to why the paper is not publishable, and how it might be improved especially for a category (iii) decision.
- As a guideline, the decision of the Referee should take into consideration: (A) the object of the paper and whether it achieves its aim; (B) coverage of literature in the field; (C) novelty of and any weaknesses in the argument; and (D) organisation and clarity of points.
- The editor should be alerted to any papers that are substantially similar in content to the paper under review.
- Any papers received for refereeing/review are treated as confidential documents. Referees/Reviewers will maintain the confidentiality of information disclosed to them by the editors or authors and will discard the paper responsibly post-review.
Publication malpractice procedures
- Discovery of malpractice
Anyone who discovers a publication malpractice may notify the editors via e-mail ([email protected]). Sufficient information on the malpractice must be provided in the e-mail.
- Investigation
- All allegations of malpractice are treated seriously by Academy Publishing and will be thoroughly investigated.
- Investigations will be conducted sensitively.
- Minor breaches
Minor breaches are dealt with by the editors. The Author will be informed of the complaint and nature of the allegation, and will be given the opportunity to respond, and where appropriate be allowed to rectify the issue.
- Major breaches
Major breaches will be raised to the Journals Advisory Committee. Depending on the severity, a formal warning may be issued to the Author or the paper could be withdrawn.