Publication Misconduct Policy

DScholar Press International is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record by preventing, identifying, and addressing publication misconduct. This policy applies to all publications issued by the Press, including peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed books, scholarly monographs, edited volumes, conference proceedings, journals, working papers, research reports, and print and electronic publications. All authors, editors, reviewers, editorial board members, and publishing staff are expected to comply with the ethical standards established by the Press throughout the publication process.

Publication misconduct includes any action that compromises the integrity, reliability, transparency, or credibility of scholarly publishing. The Press regards plagiarism, self-plagiarism without disclosure, duplicate publication, redundant publication, simultaneous submission to multiple publishers without disclosure, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, citation manipulation, false authorship, gift authorship, ghost authorship, paper mill submissions, manipulation of the peer review process, undisclosed conflicts of interest, false statements regarding ethical approval or informed consent, and the submission of misleading or fraudulent information as forms of publication misconduct.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all submitted work is original, accurate, and supported by authentic research. Authors must obtain all necessary permissions for copyrighted materials, accurately acknowledge the contributions of others, disclose funding sources and conflicts of interest, and comply with all ethical and legal requirements applicable to their research. The use of artificial intelligence or other digital technologies during manuscript preparation does not transfer responsibility for the accuracy, originality, or integrity of the submitted work. Authors remain fully accountable for all published content.

Editors are responsible for identifying potential cases of publication misconduct during editorial assessment and after publication. Reviewers are expected to report suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated data, unethical research practices, or other concerns encountered during the review process. Allegations of misconduct may also be submitted by readers, institutions, funding agencies, or other third parties. Every allegation is assessed confidentially, impartially, and in accordance with the Press's editorial and publication ethics policies.

When publication misconduct is suspected, the Press may request explanations, original research data, ethical approval documents, permissions, authorship statements, or other supporting records from the authors. Editorial processing may be suspended while an investigation is conducted. Where necessary, the Press may communicate with authors' institutions, funding organizations, research ethics committees, or other relevant authorities to obtain additional information or to facilitate the investigation.

If publication misconduct is confirmed, the Press may reject the manuscript, request revisions or corrections, publish an erratum, corrigendum, or expression of concern, retract or withdraw the publication, remove misleading content where legally required, notify relevant institutions or funding agencies, restrict future submissions from the responsible individuals, or take other editorial actions necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record. The action taken will depend on the nature and seriousness of the misconduct.

The same standards of publication ethics apply to both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed publications. The absence of external peer review does not reduce the responsibility of authors to maintain research integrity or the responsibility of the Press to investigate allegations of publication misconduct. Every publication issued by DScholar Press International is expected to comply with the ethical standards established by the Press.

DScholar Press International reviews this policy periodically to ensure consistency with international standards of scholarly publishing and publication ethics. The Press is committed to maintaining honesty, transparency, accountability, fairness, and integrity throughout the publication process and to taking appropriate action whenever publication misconduct is identified.

Effective date: 25 June 2026
Last updated date: 25 June 2026