Publication Ethics and Governance
AJER Publishing is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity. Browse our complete policy directory below.
Ownership, Governance and Academic Collaboration
Defines the publisher's scope, the consortium-based academic collaboration model, and the division of responsibilities.
Read PolicyPublication Ethics and Responsibilities
Outlines the principles of integrity and the specific responsibilities of authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher.
Read PolicyAllegations of Research and Publication Misconduct
Details the procedures for reporting, investigating, and resolving allegations of research and publication misconduct.
Read PolicyRetraction Policy
Specifies the grounds for retraction, the assessment process, and the standards for issuing retraction notices.
Read PolicyAuthorship and Contributorship
Establishes the criteria for authorship, the roles of contributors, and the handling of authorship disputes.
Read PolicyConflicts of Interest
Sets the disclosure standards for financial and non-financial relationships for authors, reviewers, and editors.
Read PolicyPost-Publication Corrections and Scholarly Discussion
Explains the process for reporting post-publication concerns and the types of correction notices issued.
Read PolicyComplaints and Appeals
Provides the framework for submitting complaints, the handling procedure, and the appeals process.
Read PolicyPeer Review Standards
Outlines editorial screening, independent review requirements, quality expectations, and integrity safeguards.
Read PolicyReviewer Guidelines
Details the expectations for reviewers regarding confidentiality, assessment standards, and prohibited practices.
Read PolicyCopyright Policy
Clarifies rights and ownership, author warranties, consistency of notices, and the response to infringement.
Read PolicyOpen Access and Licensing
Explains the open access model, licence disclosure requirements, and rules for reuse and third-party material.
Read PolicyArticle Processing Charges and Fees
Details fee transparency, editorial separation from billing, invoicing procedures, and waiver/refund policies.
Read PolicyLong-Term Digital Preservation and Archiving
Outlines the commitment to preservation, use of independent networks, and local continuity controls.
Read PolicyAdvertising and Sponsorship
States the no-paid-advertising policy, defines academic communications, and ensures editorial independence.
Read PolicyResearch Ethics and Ethical Oversight
Covers requirements for human and animal research, participant privacy, and editorial verification of ethics approvals.
Read PolicyData Availability and Reproducibility
Promotes transparent reporting, data availability statements, repository deposition, and privacy safeguards.
Read PolicyArtificial Intelligence Use and Disclosure
Addresses human responsibility, permitted AI use, mandatory disclosure, and peer-review confidentiality.
Read PolicyEditorial Independence
Reinforces editorial authority, separation of interests, dispute protection, and public accountability.
Read PolicyPublication Ethics and Governance
The complete approved policy text for AJER Publishing.
Ownership, Governance and Academic Collaboration
Publisher identity and scope
AJER Publishing is a scholarly publishing organisation established in 2018 and responsible for the publishing infrastructure, administrative coordination, production, dissemination and publisher-level ethical oversight of the journals under its management. This policy applies across its publishing platforms and is supplemented, where necessary, by journal-specific instructions.
Academic collaboration model
AJER Publishing works through a consortium-based scholarly collaboration model involving academics and researchers affiliated with universities, research organisations and partner institutions. Such affiliations provide academic expertise and collaboration; they do not, by themselves, establish institutional ownership, formal endorsement or financial sponsorship.
Division of responsibilities
AJER Publishing administers publishing systems and common standards. Each journal’s Editor-in-Chief and editorial board exercise independent authority over scholarly evaluation, peer review and editorial decisions. The publisher supports, but does not override, academically justified decisions.
Transparency and accountability
AJER Publishing identifies its responsible publishing organisation, official contact channels and governance arrangements publicly. Formal partnership claims are made only where supported by actual agreements. Any concern about publisher conduct is referred to a person independent of the matter under review.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Publication Ethics and Responsibilities
Commitment
AJER Publishing applies the principles of integrity, transparency, fairness, accountability and editorial independence across its journals. Its standards are informed by COPE Core Practices, the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, and relevant disciplinary ethical standards.
Authors
Authors must submit original research, report findings accurately, disclose funding, competing interests, ethical approvals and relevant AI assistance, verify citations and supporting evidence, obtain required permissions and consent, and respond promptly to legitimate editorial inquiries.
Editors and reviewers
Editors manage editorial decisions without improper influence, protect confidentiality, address conflicts of interest and investigate concerns proportionately. Reviewers assess submissions impartially, maintain confidentiality and disclose conflicts of interest or limitations in their expertise.
Publisher responsibilities
AJER Publishing maintains transparent policies, supports documented corrections and retractions, protects the integrity of the published record, and provides fair procedures for complaints and appeals. Publication fees and institutional relationships do not determine editorial outcomes.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Allegations of Research and Publication Misconduct
Conduct covered
AJER Publishing investigates credible allegations of plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, manipulated images, fabricated references, duplicate publication, authorship abuse, citation manipulation, compromised peer review, undisclosed conflicts of interest, unethical research and systematic manipulation of publishing processes.
Reporting and triage
Concerns may be raised by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions or whistleblowers through the publisher’s or relevant journal’s official editorial contact channels. Reports should identify the work and provide supporting evidence where available. Anonymous reports are assessed on their merits.
Fair investigation
A non-conflicted editor or designated ethics representative documents the allegation, assesses its seriousness, preserves relevant records, seeks responses from affected parties and requests source data or ethics documentation where justified. Research institutions may be contacted when investigating researcher conduct falls within their remit.
Outcomes and confidentiality
Actions may include rejection, additional review, correction, an expression of concern, retraction or notification of an institution, depending on the evidence and seriousness of the case. Restrictions on future submissions may be considered only where justified by documented findings and applied proportionately. Confidentiality and protection of good-faith reporters are respected to the extent possible. No outcome is predetermined.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Retraction Policy
Grounds for retraction
AJER Publishing journals retract articles when findings are unreliable because of major error or misconduct, when unethical research or plagiarism substantially compromises the work, or when duplicate publication, fraudulent authorship or compromised peer review invalidates the article’s scholarly status.
Assessment
The responsible, non-conflicted editor examines the evidence, invites responses from the authors and consults institutions or specialists where needed. A retraction may proceed without unanimous author agreement when the evidence supports it.
Notice and record
A retraction notice is freely accessible, clearly identifies the article and the reason for retraction, names the party issuing the notice and is linked to the article, with the article also linking back to the notice, where technically possible. The original article ordinarily remains accessible and is clearly marked as retracted. DOI and indexing metadata are updated where supported.
Other notices
An expression of concern may be issued when serious, unresolved concerns warrant alerting readers. Minor errors that can be corrected are handled through corrections rather than retraction. These measures protect the scholarly record and are not intended as punishment.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Authorship and Contributorship
Eligibility
Authors must make substantial intellectual contributions, approve the final manuscript and accept accountability for their work. Journals may apply discipline-appropriate authorship criteria, including ICMJE criteria where relevant. Honorary, guest and ghost authorship are prohibited.
Contributor roles
The corresponding author ensures that all authors consent to submission and publication, that the author order and affiliations are accurate, and that funding and contributions are disclosed. Non-author contributors are acknowledged with their permission. CRediT contributor roles may be used where appropriate.
Changes and disputes
Requests to add, remove or reorder authors require an explanation and written agreement from all affected authors. Editorial processing may be paused while disputes are resolved; institutions may be asked to adjudicate factual contribution disputes.
AI and accountability
Generative AI tools cannot be authors. Human authors are accountable for all submitted text, images, data, analysis and references. AI assistance must comply with the publisher’s AI policy and applicable journal instructions.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Conflicts of Interest
Disclosure standard
Authors, reviewers, editors, board members and publisher personnel must disclose financial and non-financial relationships that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, professional judgement. Relevant interests include funding, employment, consulting, institutional ties, close collaborations and personal relationships.
Authors and funding
Authors must provide funding information, sponsor roles and competing-interest declarations at submission, and update disclosures when circumstances change. Relevant statements are published with accepted work.
Reviewers and editors
Reviewers must decline assignments where their independence is compromised. Editors must recuse themselves from manuscripts involving personal, financial or professional conflicts. Manuscripts submitted by editors or board members must be managed by an independent, qualified editor.
Independence from revenue
Publisher income, article processing charges (APCs), waivers, institutional partnerships and other commercial considerations must not influence manuscript assessment, reviewer selection or editorial outcomes. Undisclosed interests discovered later are investigated and corrected where necessary.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Post-Publication Corrections and Scholarly Discussion
Reporting concerns
AJER Publishing journals accept substantiated reports of errors and concerns after publication from authors and readers. Submissions should identify the article and explain the issue, with supporting evidence where available.
Types of notices
Corrections address errors that do not invalidate central findings; expressions of concern alert readers to serious, unresolved issues; retractions address fundamentally unreliable or unethical publications. Editorial notes may clarify the record where appropriate.
Transparency
Material changes must not be made silently to the version of record. Correction notices describe the change, identify the affected article and are linked to it. Where feasible, article versions and metadata reflect the update while preserving the publication history.
Scholarly exchange
Evidence-based critiques, replies and relevant correspondence may be considered through moderated channels. Decisions are based on relevance, civility, evidentiary support and confidentiality, not agreement with published conclusions.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Complaints and Appeals
Scope and submission
AJER Publishing accepts written complaints about peer review, editorial decisions, publication ethics, policy implementation and publisher conduct through official contact channels. Complaints should identify the case, the concern and provide supporting documentation where available.
Handling
Receipt is acknowledged, and a non-conflicted person assesses the complaint, reviews relevant records, obtains responses where appropriate and communicates a reasoned decision. Sensitive information is shared only on a need-to-know basis.
Escalation
Complaints about an Editor-in-Chief are assigned to an independent editor or governance representative. Complaints concerning the publisher are referred to a genuinely independent individual or panel with no involvement in the disputed matter.
Appeals and protection
An appeal must identify a material factual, procedural or ethical issue, or present relevant new evidence that could affect the decision under review. An appeal is not a guarantee of acceptance or a substitute for the original peer-review process. Good-faith complainants are protected from retaliation, and repeated abusive complaints may be managed proportionately.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Peer Review Standards
Editorial screening
AJER Publishing journals screen submissions for scope, originality, research ethics, methodological adequacy, reporting quality and compliance with author guidelines. Desk rejection or return for technical correction may occur before external review.
Independent review
Eligible research is evaluated by appropriately qualified independent reviewers; journals ordinarily seek at least two substantive reviews. Reviewers with relevant conflicts of interest are excluded. The review model, including double-blind arrangements where used, is disclosed on each journal’s website.
Quality and decisions
Reviewers examine significance, literature, design, sampling, data integrity, analysis, interpretation and limitations. Editors weigh the evidence and make acceptance, revision or rejection decisions; additional review may be requested for conflicting or insufficient reports.
Integrity safeguards
Confidentiality, reviewer identity protection, appropriate handling of editor submissions and safeguards against manipulated reviews are enforced. Article processing charge (APC) payment, affiliation and consortium relationships cannot guarantee publication. Journals describe any exceptions to ordinary review arrangements transparently.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Reviewer Guidelines
Acceptance of invitations
Reviewers accept assignments only where they have suitable expertise, sufficient time and no disqualifying conflict of interest. Any competing interest, close relationship or limitation of competence must be disclosed promptly.
Conduct and confidentiality
Manuscripts, data and reviewer correspondence are confidential. Reviewers must not use unpublished information, contact authors without authorisation or upload manuscript material to external AI systems without explicit journal permission and appropriate protections.
Assessment
Reports must be constructive, respectful, evidence-based and sufficiently specific to help editors and authors. Reviewers assess methods, ethics, reporting, data interpretation, originality and citation integrity, and report suspected misconduct confidentially to editors.
Prohibited practices
Coercive citation requests, discriminatory comments, misuse of confidential work and deliberate delay are prohibited. Reviewers must meet agreed deadlines or notify editors promptly of difficulties. Editors, not reviewers, make final decisions.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Copyright Policy
Rights and ownership
AJER Publishing respects authors’ intellectual property and third-party rights. The copyright holder and applicable publication terms are clearly identified on each article and in the author publishing agreement.
Author warranties
Authors confirm that their work is original, that they possess the necessary rights and permissions for reproduced figures, tables and other material, and that reuse does not infringe third-party copyright.
Consistency
Copyright notices, publication agreements, article PDFs and landing-page metadata must be consistent. Copyright ownership is distinct from the public reuse licence.
Infringement response
Credible copyright infringement complaints are reviewed fairly and may lead to correction, removal of infringing third-party content or other proportionate remedies without obscuring the scholarly record.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Open Access and Licensing
Access
AJER Publishing journals provide open access to published research without reader subscription fees. Users may read and access articles subject to the licence displayed on each publication.
Licence disclosure
Each published article identifies its copyright holder and specific reuse licence, including any Creative Commons licence and its conditions. Licence statements must appear consistently on article landing pages, PDF versions and metadata.
Reuse and attribution
Readers may share, reproduce or adapt material only to the extent permitted by the stated licence and applicable law, with required attribution and all other applicable conditions respected.
Third-party material
Material credited to third parties may carry separate restrictions. Authors must identify such exceptions, and readers must obtain permission when a proposed reuse is not covered by the article licence.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Article Processing Charges and Fees
Fee transparency
AJER Publishing journals disclose their applicable article processing charges, currencies, payment timing, additional charges (if any), waiver or discount criteria and refund conditions on official journal pages before authors commit to publication.
Editorial separation
Editorial evaluation and peer review are independent of an author's ability to pay. No fee, waiver, institutional relationship or payment guarantees acceptance or expedited favourable review.
Billing
Invoices and payment instructions are issued through authorised publisher or journal channels in accordance with the relevant journal’s acceptance and billing procedures. Authors should verify payment instructions before transferring funds.
Waivers and refunds
Approved waivers and discounts are applied consistently according to disclosed criteria. Refunds and exceptional circumstances are addressed under the published fee terms; allegations of misconduct are handled independently of financial disputes.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Long-Term Digital Preservation and Archiving
Preservation commitment
AJER Publishing preserves published articles, bibliographic metadata, supplementary files where applicable, corrections, expressions of concern, retractions and publication histories to support long-term scholarly access.
Independent preservation networks
AJER Publishing states that its journals use the Public Knowledge Project Preservation Network (PKP PN) and CLOCKSS (Controlled Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) for independent digital preservation. Public-facing journal pages should provide verifiable participation or deposit records for the respective services. Actual preservation coverage depends on each journal’s active arrangements and content deposits.
Local continuity controls
In addition to independent archiving, AJER Publishing maintains secure storage, scheduled backups, access controls, periodic integrity checks, recovery procedures and continuity planning. Article identifiers and metadata are maintained to support discoverability and version tracking.
Review and access
Preservation arrangements are periodically reviewed for continued participation, coverage, recoverability and long-term access. Website hosting, DOI registration and indexing supplement but do not replace independent preservation.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Advertising and Sponsorship
No paid advertising
AJER Publishing maintains a strict no-paid-advertising policy across its corporate website, journal websites and publishing platforms. It does not sell display advertising, paid promotional placements or sponsored editorial content.
Academic communications
Editorial notices, calls for papers, publishing updates and accurate information about academic collaborations may appear on the websites as part of normal scholarly communication; they are not paid commercial advertisements.
Independence
Financial support, institutional collaborations and partnerships do not confer influence over reviewer appointments, acceptance decisions, confidential manuscripts, corrections, retractions or misconduct investigations.
Enforcement
AJER Publishing does not accept payment for promotional visibility and may remove material inconsistent with this policy. Any future change to the advertising model requires a publicly disclosed policy revision.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Research Ethics and Ethical Oversight
Human participants
Research involving human participants must comply with applicable law and recognised ethical standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki where relevant. Authors must provide evidence of ethics approval or a documented exemption and explain the informed consent arrangements.
Protection and privacy
Researchers must protect participant privacy, confidentiality and dignity, with particular safeguards for children, vulnerable groups and sensitive personal information. Identifiable information may be published only where lawful and supported by appropriate consent.
Animal research
Where applicable, authors must document relevant animal welfare approval and compliance with institutional and legal requirements, and report methods using recognised reporting standards such as ARRIVE.
Editorial verification
Editors may request approval letters, consent documentation or other supporting evidence and may consult ethics committees or institutions. The absence of required approval, consent or safeguards may result in rejection or post-publication action.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Data Availability and Reproducibility
Transparent reporting
AJER Publishing promotes complete and reproducible research reporting, including appropriate description of study design, sampling, analysis, materials, software and limitations. Authors must not fabricate or selectively misrepresent evidence.
Data availability statements
Authors must state whether and how supporting data, code or materials can be accessed, providing repository links or persistent identifiers where available. When data cannot be shared, the reason must be stated, including confidentiality, consent, legal or security restrictions.
Repository and privacy safeguards
Public deposition in suitable disciplinary or general repositories is encouraged where lawful and ethical. Sensitive data must be anonymised or access-controlled as appropriate; openness does not override privacy obligations.
Verification
Editors may request underlying data or analytic details for integrity checks, subject to ethical and legal constraints. An unjustified refusal to address material concerns may affect editorial decisions or prompt a post-publication investigation.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Artificial Intelligence Use and Disclosure
Human responsibility
Authors, reviewers and editors remain accountable for the accuracy, originality, confidentiality and integrity of all work. AI systems cannot be listed as authors and cannot assume scholarly accountability.
Permitted language assistance
AJER Publishing permits responsible use of language and grammar assistance, including proofreading tools, provided authors verify the output and retain control of their scholarship. Journal-specific instructions may impose stricter limits.
Disclosure and prohibitions
Substantive AI assistance that affects manuscript content, analysis or presentation must be disclosed in accordance with the relevant journal’s requirements. Fabricated citations, invented data, misleading AI-generated findings and undisclosed substitution of AI output for original scholarship are prohibited.
Peer-review confidentiality
Reviewers and editors must not upload confidential submissions, personal information or unpublished data to third-party AI tools without explicit authorisation and adequate safeguards. Suspected misuse is evaluated under the publication misconduct policy.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.
Editorial Independence
Editorial authority
Editors-in-Chief and authorised handling editors make decisions based on scholarly merit, research integrity, suitability and independent peer review. AJER Publishing provides administrative support without directing editorial outcomes for commercial or institutional advantage.
Separation of interests
Article processing charge (APC) revenue, sponsorship, consortium participation, academic affiliation and publisher relationships must not influence reviewer selection or manuscript acceptance. Editors with relevant conflicts of interest must recuse themselves, and independent editors must handle affected cases.
Disputes and protection
Editorial disagreements are handled through documented and fair procedures. Editors may raise concerns about attempted interference through the publisher’s governance and complaints arrangements. Such concerns should be considered independently of the person or interest alleged to have exerted the interference.
Public accountability
AJER Publishing publishes the responsibilities of its publisher, editors and editorial boards, and ensures that journal-specific procedures do not contradict these publisher-wide independence standards.
Implementation and review
This policy applies to all journals managed by AJER Publishing. Editors, reviewers, authors and publishing personnel are expected to comply with it. The publisher reviews the policy periodically and communicates material changes through its official publishing channels.