Publication Ethics Policy
Shodh Swaraaj Swanand is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal follows the principles and guidelines recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other international standards of ethical publishing. All parties involved in the publication process — authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher — are expected to adhere to the ethical standards outlined in this policy. The journal maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy towards any form of academic misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, and unethical authorship practices.
Author Responsibilities
Authors submitting manuscripts to Shodh Swaraaj Swanand must ensure that their work is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the data presented in their manuscripts. All sources of information and ideas must be properly acknowledged through appropriate citations and references. Authors must obtain necessary permissions for any copyrighted material used in their work.
Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript before submission and agree to its submission to the journal. Any change in authorship after submission must be communicated to the editorial office with written consent from all authors. Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation.
Authors are required to obtain ethical approval from relevant institutional review boards or ethics committees for research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data. Informed consent must be obtained from all human participants, and their privacy and confidentiality must be protected. Authors must retain raw data for a reasonable period and be prepared to provide it to the editorial team if requested for verification.
Reviewer Responsibilities
Reviewers play a crucial role in maintaining the quality and integrity of the journal. Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly, and in a timely manner based solely on the academic merit of the work, without regard to the authors’ identity, nationality, gender, or institutional affiliation. Reviewers must maintain strict confidentiality regarding the manuscripts they review and must not share, discuss, or use any information from the manuscript for personal advantage.
Reviewers should declare any conflicts of interest and decline to review manuscripts where such conflicts exist. They are expected to provide constructive, evidence-based, and respectful comments that help authors improve their work. Reviewers should alert the editors to any suspected ethical issues, including plagiarism, data manipulation, or significant overlap with previously published work. Reviewers must not use AI tools to generate review reports without explicit permission from the journal.
Editor Responsibilities
The editorial team of Shodh Swaraaj Swanand is responsible for ensuring the overall quality and integrity of the journal’s content. Editors evaluate manuscripts based on academic merit, relevance to the journal’s scope, and adherence to ethical standards, without discrimination. Editors must maintain confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and must not use unpublished information for personal research or advantage.
Editors are responsible for managing the peer review process fairly and efficiently. They must ensure that appropriate reviewers are selected and that the double-blind review process is followed rigorously. Editors must handle cases of suspected misconduct promptly, following COPE guidelines. In cases of proven misconduct, editors have the authority to reject manuscripts, issue corrections, or retract published papers as necessary. Editors must also ensure that the journal’s policies are regularly reviewed and updated in line with evolving ethical standards.
Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct
Shodh Swaraaj Swanand maintains a strict policy against plagiarism in all its forms, including self-plagiarism, text recycling, and inappropriate paraphrasing. All submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software. Manuscripts with significant similarity to previously published work will be rejected. Authors found guilty of plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct may be blacklisted from future submissions to the journal.
Data fabrication, falsification, image manipulation, and selective reporting of results are considered serious violations. The journal reserves the right to investigate any allegations of misconduct and to take appropriate action, including retraction of published articles and notification to the authors’ institutions.
Conflict of Interest
All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could influence their work or decisions. Conflicts of interest may include financial interests, personal relationships, academic competition, or any other factors that could bias judgment. Where conflicts exist, appropriate steps will be taken to manage them, including recusal from the review or editorial process.
Confidentiality
All information related to submitted manuscripts, including the identity of authors and reviewers, must be kept strictly confidential. Information from unpublished manuscripts must not be used or disclosed without proper authorization. The journal ensures that the double-blind peer review process protects the anonymity of both authors and reviewers.
Retraction and Correction Policy
Shodh Swaraaj Swanand is committed to correcting the scholarly record when necessary. Retractions will be issued in cases of proven scientific misconduct, major errors, or ethical violations that invalidate the findings. Corrections (errata or corrigenda) will be published for minor errors that do not affect the overall conclusions of the paper. All retractions and corrections will be clearly marked, linked to the original article, and accompanied by an explanation.
Complaints and Appeals
Authors who wish to appeal an editorial decision or raise concerns about the review process may submit a written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief. All appeals will be handled fairly and in accordance with COPE guidelines. Complaints regarding ethical issues or misconduct will be investigated thoroughly and confidentially.
Shodh Swaraaj Swanand is dedicated to upholding the highest ethical standards in academic publishing. By adhering to this policy, the journal aims to foster trust, transparency, and integrity in scholarly communication for the benefit of the academic community and society at large.