Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement

Online ISSN: 2277-7547
Publication Ethics & Research Integrity

The International Journal of Behavioral Social and Movement Sciences (IJOBSMS) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics, research integrity, academic quality, transparency, accountability, and responsible scholarly communication.

The journal operates a double-blind peer-review process to ensure fair, independent, and confidential evaluation based solely on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, and relevance to the journal's scope.

IJOBSMS aligns with internationally recognized principles of publication ethics and COPE guidelines, working closely with authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

Authors' Responsibilities

Must submit original work, avoid simultaneous submissions, accurately report data/methods, properly cite sources, declare conflicts of interest, obtain ethical approvals/consent, and promptly report error identifications to IJOBSMS.

Reviewers' Responsibilities

Expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, maintain strict confidentiality, disclose conflicts of interest, avoid personal criticism or coercive citation requests, and report suspected misconduct to the editor.

Editors' Responsibilities

Responsible for unbiased evaluation, preserving peer-review confidentiality, recusing themselves during conflicts of interest, guarding editorial independence, and investigating allegations of misconduct.

Editorial Independence & Publisher Governance

Editorial decisions at IJOBSMS are made completely independently. Ownership, administrative management, commercial interests, or sponsorship do not influence manuscript acceptance or rejection.

The publisher supports infrastructure, publication workflows, and policy execution without interfering in independent scholarly assessments.

Double-Blind Peer Review & Review Integrity

IJOBSMS enforces double-blind peer review where author and reviewer identities are concealed. Final editorial authority rests with the Editor-in-Chief or designated editors.

Strictly Prohibited Peer-Review Manipulations:

Fabricated/fraudulent reviewer accounts or identities
False contact info or reviewer impersonation
Unauthorized access or collusive reviewing rings
Inappropriate attempts to influence reviewers
Plagiarism & Misconduct Screening

Submissions are screened using similarity detection software. IJOBSMS evaluates contextual overlap rather than similarity percentages alone.

Misconduct including fabrication, falsification, image manipulation, duplicate publication, authorship fraud, or citation manipulation is subject to immediate rejection or post-publication action.

Misconduct Investigation Procedure

Credible allegations prompt an initial assessment, document/data review, and an opportunity for authors to respond.

Where formal investigations exceed the journal's jurisdiction, IJOBSMS may refer concerns to universities, research institutions, ethics committees, or regulatory bodies.

Data & Image Integrity

Data must be authentic and reproducible. Visual modifications are permissible only to enhance clarity, while manipulation intended to obscure or falsify findings constitutes misconduct.

Ethics, Approvals & Informed Consent

Human/animal research requires formal ethical oversight and participant consent. Authors must protect participant privacy and maintain verifiable documentation.

Generative AI Usage

AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors using AI must disclose usage transparently per the Generative AI Policy and remain fully responsible for content accuracy.

Citation Ethics & Conflicts

Unethical citation practices (cartels, excessive self-citation, coercive requests) are prohibited. All financial/non-financial conflicts must be disclosed transparently.

Post-Publication Actions & Scholarly Record
Corrections Issued for honest errors that do not invalidate central research conclusions. Formally linked to the original article.
Expressions of Concern Published when serious unresolved integrity concerns exist or external institutional investigations remain ongoing.
Retractions Executed when findings are severely unreliable due to major error, misconduct, severe plagiarism, or compromised peer review per Retraction Policy.
Open Access & Copyright

IJOBSMS operates an Open Access model. Content is freely accessible without subscription barriers under applicable licensing terms.

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal rights to publish, index, archive, and distribute the scholarly record.

Protection & Appeals

IJOBSMS protects good-faith reporting against retaliation. Complaints/appeals regarding editorial decisions are evaluated objectively under the Complaints & Appeals Policy.

Allegations against editors or reviewers are evaluated under identical standards of fairness and impartiality.

Relationship With Other Journal Policies

This statement forms part of the broader governance framework of IJOBSMS and should be read alongside:

Peer Review & Authorship Policies
Conflict of Interest & Plagiarism Policies
Research Misconduct & AI Policies
Data Availability Policy
Corrections, Retractions & Withdrawal
Open Access, Copyright & Archiving
Editorial Disclaimer Notice: Views, findings, and opinions expressed in published articles belong solely to the respective authors and do not necessarily represent those of IJOBSMS, its editors, or management.
Last Updated: August 2026