Publication Ethics and Integrity

This is a permanent policy of Revista Ciência Plural (RCP). It describes the principles of publication ethics and integrity that guide the conduct of authors, editors, and reviewers, as well as the procedures adopted by the journal in cases of suspected or confirmed misconduct.

For operational submission guidance (template, mandatory documents, and checklist), please consult the Submission menu.

Publication Ethics and Integrity Policy — Revista Ciência Plural (RCP)

Statement of principles

Revista Ciência Plural declares that it will:

  • Maintain high standards of publication ethics and good editorial practices.

  • Commit to the international principles recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and guide authors, editors, and Editorial Board members to act in accordance with these principles.

  • Recognize that all ethical matters related to research involving human participants are the sole responsibility of the authors.

  • Require that, if an author identifies errors or inaccuracies in their own published work, the author must promptly notify the journal and cooperate fully to correct the record.

  • Ensure that, in the evaluation of manuscripts, the Editorial Board and reviewers comply with the principles of impartiality and transparency. Any discrimination based on race, gender, social class, nationality, religious belief, or ideological position that interferes with the evaluation process is strictly prohibited.

  • Require that any deviation from the principles above be reported to the Editorial Board for prompt resolution.

Authors

During submission, authors must declare compliance with ethical publication standards, including that:

  • the contribution is original and previously unpublished;

  • the manuscript is not under consideration by another journal; otherwise, this must be justified in “Comments to the Editor”;

  • the text does not fall under the situations described in the journal’s Plagiarism Policy.

In addition, authors commit to:

  • For work involving human participants, provide a signed Informed Consent Form (ICF) when applicable, authorizing publication while ensuring anonymity of the participant(s) mentioned.

  • Restrict authorship to those who made significant contributions to the work; listing co-authors who did not directly participate in the research and manuscript preparation is inconsistent with ethical publication principles.

  • Disclose all sources of financial support for the research.

  • Address reviewers’ comments carefully and incorporate them whenever appropriate; when a comment is not adopted, provide a clear justification to the editor.

Reviewers

Members of the Editorial Board and/or invited PhD-level experts serving as ad hoc reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively, clearly, and based on reasoned arguments. Inappropriate, ironic, or offensive comments are not acceptable.

When contacted, reviewers must promptly inform the editors whether they are available to review and whether they feel qualified to evaluate the manuscript, particularly when the submission may fall outside their expertise.

By accepting a review invitation, reviewers commit to:

  • Maintain confidentiality regarding the manuscript and the peer review process.

  • Decline the review if there is a conflict of interest, i.e., if personal, professional, institutional, or financial relationships could affect impartial judgment.

  • Notify the editors immediately if they become aware of substantial similarity between the manuscript under review and other published works.

Editors

Editors are responsible for the final decision on the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts. This decision is not arbitrary; it is based on peer review reports, the journal’s focus and scope, the Instructions for Authors, and the manuscript’s originality. Manuscripts involving ethical issues—such as defamation, copyright infringement, or plagiarism (including self-plagiarism)—will be rejected.

Throughout the editorial process, editors do not consider authors’ race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, nationality, or ideological position. Editors follow strict confidentiality principles: authorship information is restricted to the editorial team, and any disclosure of information about authors or submitted manuscripts to third parties is prohibited.

In line with the ethical principles above, editors commit to:

  • Conduct an initial screening of submissions to check for plagiarism using similarity detection tools and to ensure that manuscripts sent for peer review do not include author-identifying information.

  • Select reviewers who have no conflicts of interest with the authors.

  • Protect the identity of reviewers, in accordance with the journal’s peer review model.

When ethical concerns are raised regarding any submitted or published manuscript, editors must take appropriate actions, consistent with journal policies and recognized standards of publication ethics.