Ethics Policy

Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

International Journal of Behavioral Social and Movement Sciences (IJBSMS)

1. Publication Ethics Policy

IJBSMS strictly follows the ethical standards set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We are committed to ensuring the integrity and quality of every article published in the journal.

2. Plagiarism Policy

  • All manuscripts submitted to IJBSMS are screened using standard plagiarism detection tools (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate).

  • The acceptable similarity index is below 15% (excluding references and common phrases).

  • Manuscripts with plagiarism will be rejected without review and authors may be permanently banned.

3. Author Responsibilities

  • Authors must submit original work only.

  • Data must be presented accurately without manipulation.

  • Any conflict of interest must be clearly disclosed.

  • All contributors must be listed as co-authors; ghostwriting is unethical.

4. Reviewer Responsibilities

  • Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and objectivity.

  • They should declare conflicts of interest immediately.

  • Reviews should be constructive, evidence-based, and free of bias.

5. Editorial Responsibilities

  • Editors make decisions based solely on academic merit.

  • They ensure a fair and impartial review process.

  • The editorial team handles all ethical concerns in accordance with COPE guidelines.

6. Retraction Policy

Articles may be retracted if:

  • Plagiarism or data fabrication is confirmed

  • Significant errors are found that invalidate findings

  • Ethical violations such as authorship fraud are identified

Retraction notices will be published online and linked to the original article.

7. Conflict of Interest (COI)

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose:

  • Financial relationships

  • Institutional affiliations

  • Personal or professional conflicts

COI declarations are required during submission.

8. COPE Compliance

IJBSMS adheres to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, jointly developed by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME. For more details: https://publicationethics.org