Ethical Principles

Contemporary Issues in Law, Culture, and Globalization is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct throughout the publication process. Our ethical framework is grounded in international guidelines such as the COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, and is designed to ensure integrity, transparency, fairness, and accountability at every stage of the editorial and peer-review process.

This page outlines the responsibilities and expectations for all parties involved in the journal’s publication cycle—authors, editors, peer reviewers, and the publisher. All stakeholders are expected to adhere strictly to the ethical principles outlined below.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must ensure that their work is original, accurate, and conducted in accordance with academic and ethical standards. The submission of a manuscript implies that it represents original research that has not been published elsewhere or is not under review in another journal.

1.1. Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must submit only entirely original works. Any content that is derived from other sources must be appropriately cited and referenced. All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using iThenticate software. Submissions with significant plagiarism, duplicate publication, or self-plagiarism will be rejected or retracted.

1.2. Authorship Criteria

Only individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the research, writing, or revision of the manuscript should be listed as authors. All listed authors must approve the final version of the paper and agree to its submission for publication. Guest, honorary, or ghost authorship is unethical and not permitted.

1.3. Data Integrity and Research Misconduct

Authors must present their data truthfully and accurately. Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data, images, or results is considered research misconduct and will result in immediate rejection or retraction.

1.4. Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that may inappropriately influence their work. Any potential conflict of interest must be clearly stated in the manuscript.

1.5. Ethical Compliance and Approvals

Research involving human participants, personal data, or sensitive cultural content must comply with ethical standards and include a statement of approval from an institutional ethics committee or review board. Informed consent must be obtained and documented.

1.6. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Submissions

Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is strictly prohibited. Authors must inform the editor if any part of their submitted work has been previously published or is under review elsewhere.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

The editorial board of Contemporary Issues in Law, Culture, and Globalization is responsible for ensuring that all submitted manuscripts are evaluated objectively, fairly, and promptly, based on scholarly merit alone.

2.1. Editorial Independence and Fairness

Editors operate independently and base their decisions on the manuscript’s scholarly quality, originality, relevance to the journal’s scope, and compliance with ethical standards. Editorial decisions are not influenced by the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, citizenship, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs.

2.2. Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff are required to maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and must not disclose any information about a submission to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and other editorial advisors, as appropriate.

2.3. Conflict of Interest

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors or affiliated institutions.

2.4. Ethical Oversight

Editors must take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers involving research misconduct. When ethical concerns are raised, the editorial team will follow COPE’s guidelines for investigating and resolving the issue, which may include contacting authors’ institutions or retracting the paper.

3. Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers play a vital role in upholding the integrity and quality of the scholarly publishing process. Reviewers are expected to provide fair, objective, and constructive assessments of submitted manuscripts in a timely manner.

3.1. Confidentiality

All materials submitted for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share or discuss the manuscript with others outside the editorial process.

3.2. Objectivity and Constructive Feedback

Reviewers should evaluate the manuscript based on its academic merit and provide feedback that is objective, respectful, and aimed at improving the quality of the work. Personal criticism or biased remarks are unacceptable.

3.3. Competence and Timeliness

Reviewers should accept assignments only if they have the necessary expertise to evaluate the manuscript. If they cannot meet the deadline or feel unqualified, they should notify the editor promptly.

3.4. Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest—financial, institutional, or personal—that may affect their impartiality. If such conflicts exist, reviewers should recuse themselves from the review process.

3.5. Detection of Ethical Issues

Reviewers are encouraged to alert editors to any potential ethical concerns in the manuscript, such as plagiarism, redundant publication, data manipulation, or ethical violations in human subjects research.

4. Publisher’s Responsibilities

The journal’s publisher is committed to ensuring that the publication process is managed ethically, transparently, and efficiently. The publisher upholds editorial independence and supports the editorial team in managing suspected ethical breaches in accordance with industry best practices.

4.1. Publication Integrity

The publisher ensures the secure management of submitted manuscripts, rigorous application of the peer-review process, and digital archiving to preserve academic records.

4.2. Retractions and Corrections

The journal will issue retractions, corrections, or expressions of concern when significant ethical breaches or substantive errors are identified post-publication. These actions will be clearly noted and indexed in the journal’s records.

4.3. Archiving and Digital Preservation

All published content is archived and preserved via the journal’s website and secure backup systems. Plans to join long-term preservation initiatives such as LOCKSS and CLOCKSS are underway.

5. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

The journal takes allegations of misconduct seriously and follows a structured process for investigation and resolution. This includes:

  • A preliminary assessment by the editorial team

  • Contacting the corresponding author for clarification

  • If needed, contacting co-authors and relevant institutions

  • Temporary withdrawal of the article during investigation

  • Issuing retractions or corrections as necessary

  • Informing readers transparently about the outcome

All investigations are guided by COPE’s Flowcharts for Managing Allegations of Misconduct and aim to be confidential, fair, and thorough.

6. Appeals and Complaints

Authors and reviewers have the right to appeal editorial decisions or raise complaints about the peer-review process or ethical breaches. Appeals and complaints must be submitted in writing to the editorial office and will be reviewed by a senior editorial committee not involved in the original decision.

7. Ethical Standards and COPE Compliance

Contemporary Issues in Law, Culture, and Globalization follows the ethical guidance set forth by:

  • The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)

  • The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)

  • The World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)

All authors, editors, and reviewers are encouraged to consult these resources for a deeper understanding of their ethical obligations.

Transparency Statement on the Use of Artificial Intelligence

In light of the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in academic writing, translation, data analysis, and editorial processes, our journal is committed to ensuring full transparency and ethical responsibility in the use of such technologies throughout the submission, peer review, and publication processes.

To uphold the highest standards of academic integrity and align with the recommendations of the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), our journal has adopted the following principles regarding the use of AI:

  1. Transparent and Responsible Use: Authors are required to clearly disclose any use of AI tools—such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, DeepL, or others—at any stage of manuscript preparation (e.g., literature review, results description, discussion writing, language editing, or translation). This disclosure should appear in the acknowledgments section or a footnote on the title page.

  2. AI Tools Cannot Be Authors: According to the WAME guidelines, AI tools cannot be credited as authors of scientific manuscripts. These tools do not meet authorship criteria because they lack legal responsibility and the ability to consent to publication or accountability for the content.

  3. Human Oversight and Validation: All AI-generated content must be critically reviewed, edited, and validated by human authors. The final responsibility for the accuracy, coherence, and integrity of the manuscript lies solely with the human contributors.

  4. Use in Peer Review: Peer reviewers using AI tools to assist with manuscript evaluation must ensure they do not share confidential information with such tools. Any AI use during review must comply with confidentiality and data protection standards.

  5. Misuse and Ethical Violations: The inappropriate use of AI—such as generating fabricated content, falsifying data, or committing plagiarism—will be treated as a serious ethical violation and subject to disciplinary action in accordance with publication ethics.

  6. Policy Review and Updates: This policy will be reviewed regularly in response to evolving AI technologies and ethical considerations. Any updates will be published on the journal’s official website.

Our journal is committed to transparency, integrity, and accountability in scientific publishing. We fully adhere to the WAME statement entitled “Recommendations on Chatbots and Generative Artificial Intelligence in Relation to Scholarly Publications.”

For the complete text of WAME’s recommendations, please visit:
https://wame.org/page3.php?id=106