Publication Malpractice Statement Policy
Research Stars Journals is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, transparency, and responsible research publication. The journal follows ethical publishing practices adapted from internationally recognized scholarly publishing principles and ethical guidelines followed by organizations such as COPE – Committee on Publication Ethics.
The journal strictly opposes all forms of publication malpractice and unethical publishing behaviours.
- Responsibilities of Authors
Authors submitting manuscripts to Research Stars Journals must ensure that:
- The manuscript is original and unpublished.
- The work is not under consideration in another journal simultaneously.
- All data and results are accurate and genuine.
- Proper citations and acknowledgments are provided.
- Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and duplicate publication are avoided.
- AI-generated content is ethically used and properly disclosed.
- All listed authors have significantly contributed to the research.
- Co-authors approve the final submitted version.
- Conflicts of interest are properly disclosed.
- Ethical approval is obtained where required.
Authors must not:
- Fabricate or manipulate research data
- Falsify results or references
- Use ghost, guest, or gift authorship
- Submit misleading or fraudulent research
- Manipulate citations for artificial indexing benefits
Any violation may result in rejection, retraction, or reporting to affiliated institutions.
- Responsibilities of Editors
Editors are responsible for maintaining fair, transparent, and ethical editorial practices.
Editors must:
- Evaluate manuscripts based on academic merit only
- Maintain confidentiality of submissions
- Ensure unbiased editorial decisions
- Avoid conflicts of interest
- Prevent unethical publication practices
- Conduct plagiarism and ethical screening
- Take corrective action when misconduct is identified
Editors shall not:
- Disclose manuscript information to unauthorized persons
- Use unpublished materials for personal research
- Show favoritism or discrimination
- Manipulate the peer review process.
- Responsibilities of Reviewers
Peer reviewers play an important role in maintaining publication quality and integrity.
Reviewers are expected to:
- Review manuscripts objectively and confidentially
- Provide constructive and professional feedback
- Identify plagiarism or ethical concerns
- Maintain confidentiality during review
- Avoid conflicts of interest
- Submit review reports within the assigned timeline
Reviewers must not:
- Use unpublished manuscript information for personal benefit
- Share manuscripts with unauthorized individuals
- Provide biased or offensive comments
- Delay reviews intentionally
- Plagiarism and Similarity Misconduct
Research Stars Journals strictly prohibits:
- Direct plagiarism
- Mosaic plagiarism
- Self-plagiarism
- Duplicate publication
- Unethical paraphrasing
- Citation manipulation
- AI-generated copied content
All manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software and AI-content evaluation tools before peer review.
Manuscripts violating originality standards may be:
- Returned for correction
- Rejected immediately
- Retracted after publication if necessary
- Data Fabrication and Falsification
The journal strictly prohibits:
- Fabricated research data
- Manipulated images or figures
- False statistical analysis
- Invented references or citations
- Misrepresentation of findings
Authors may be asked to provide raw data, ethical approvals, or supporting documentation during review.
- Conflict of Interest Policy
Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial, institutional, academic, or personal conflicts of interest that could influence the publication process.
Undisclosed conflicts identified later may result in editorial action or article retraction.
- Ethical Research Compliance
Research involving:
- Human participants
- Surveys and interviews
- Animal studies
- Sensitive data collection
must comply with recognized ethical standards and institutional approval requirements.
Authors should provide ethical clearance information where applicable.
- Retraction and Correction Policy
The journal may issue:
- Corrections
- Expressions of concern
- Retractions
when serious ethical issues or publication malpractice are identified.
Reasons may include:
- Plagiarism
- Duplicate publication
- Fabricated data
- Authorship disputes
- Serious methodological errors
- Copyright violations
Retraction notices will remain permanently available as part of the scholarly record.
- Confidentiality Policy
All manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial communications, and author information are treated as confidential documents.
Reviewer identities are protected under the blind peer review system unless official disclosure is approved.
- Publication Integrity Commitment
Research Stars Journals is dedicated to:
- Ethical scholarly publishing
- Academic transparency
- Responsible AI usage
- Fair peer review
- Research integrity
- Global academic quality standards
The journal encourages authors, reviewers, and editors to uphold honesty, professionalism, and ethical responsibility throughout the publication process.