Editorial policies and ethics statement
KS Studies is a journal which publishes original scientific studies that have undergone the academic standard of anonymous peer review.
The standards outlined below describe the required ethical behaviour of all who are involved in publishing the journal KS Studies, being the author, the editors and editorial board, peer reviewers, and the publisher. The standards are based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.
Duties of authors
Reporting standards
Authors reporting and describing original research should present an accurate account of research undertaken along with an objective analysis regarding its significance. Data must be communicated accurately in an understandable way. Each article should provide enough information, detail, and references that the work is replicable. Deliberate presentation of inaccurate information or claims is both unethical and unacceptable.
Original works and plagiarism
Authors should make certain to produce entirely original articles, and any use of any works needs to be cited and words clearly shown to be quoted. Plagiarism includes trying to claim another’s article or part of this as one’s own, including copying or closely paraphrasing content produced by another with attributing the text openly, as well as claiming or using research results of another without proper reference. Any form of plagiarism in publishing is both unethical and unacceptable.
Multiple submissions and repeat publishing
Submitting the same paper to more than one journal at a time is both unethical and unacceptable. Authors should avoid presenting what is essentially the same content and/or research in more than one journal or other publication without unique significant content being the difference.
Acknowledging sources
Appropriate references that clearly acknowledge sources from the work of others must be provided. It is also necessary to acknowledge the work of others that have made a significant contribution or been influential in developing the paper.
Authorship of an article
Authorship is for those who have significantly contributed to the ideas and design or the execution or interpretation of the article; these should be listed as co-authors. Any other minor contributors should be named separately in an acknowledgement. The author who is submitting the paper has the responsibility to name all co-authors as well as ensuring they have approved the final version and agree with publication of the article.
Disclosure and conflicts of interest
Authors should state in their submitted paper any and all financial or other conflict of interest that might be interpreted as influencing the research, findings, or interpretation of the work. This includes any source of project funding or other financial support, payment or other benefit connected to the article.
Fundamental errors in published works
Should an author realise that an error of any significance exists in one’s own published article, the author is required to inform the journal editor promptly so as to correct or retract the paper.
Duties of the editor and editorial board
Publication decisions
The responsibility of deciding which submitted articles will be published lies with the editor of KS Studies. This decision is dependent upon the outcomes of two blind peer reviews. Also guiding the editor are the policies and standards of the editorial board of KS Studies, as well as legal factors including but not limited to plagiarism, copyright protection, and libel. Decisions made by the editor may be made in consultation with the editorial board.
Fair play
Evaluations and decisions regarding submissions are made entirely regarding the quality of intellectual content and appropriateness in relation to the journal’s aims and without any consideration of the race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
Confidentiality
Information about submitted texts will be kept confidential except for appropriate communication between editorial members of the journal, authors, (potential) reviewers, editorial advisors, and the publisher.
Duties of reviewers
Contributing to editorial decisions
Peer reviewers assist in making editorial decisions regarding suitability of papers for publication in the journal, including the possibility of making suggestions as to how the author may improve the text to make it suitable and ready for publication. This is carried out using the pro forma provided to reviewers.
Promptness and suitability
A reviewer who has been asked to review a text but considers that a prompt or suitable review is not possible due to time restraints or insufficient specialist understanding of the topic should inform the editor of this so that alternative arrangements may be made.
Confidentiality
Reviewers must treat papers sent for review as confidential, and may only share or discuss such with others with the agreement of the editor.
Objectivity
It is important that reviews are carried out objectively. Criticism of the author is unprofessional and opinions on the text need to be fair and supported with sufficient explanation.
Disclosure and conflict of interest
Information, data, or ideas gained through reviews are confidential and privileged, and cannot be used for personal benefit. Reviewers should inform the editor in any situation where there is a conflict of interest due to any connection or relationship with the author(s), such as collaboration or competition, or where any connection exists to institutions or companies, etc., that are connected to the article.