Publication Ethics

International Journal of Ayurveda360

The International Journal of Ayurveda360 (IJoA360) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and actively preventing publication malpractice. These policies are based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines, and all stakeholders—authors, reviewers, editors, publisher, and readers—are expected to follow them.

Core Ethical Principles

Integrity – Accuracy, reliability, and honesty in reporting and publishing research.
Transparency – Open and clear communication among all parties.
Fairness – Equal and unbiased treatment of submissions.
Accountability – Shared responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.

Responsibilities of the Publisher

Safeguards the integrity of the scholarly record.
Ensures editorial independence, free from commercial or financial influence.
Provides legal, procedural, and technical support for ethical publishing.
Publishes corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern in line with COPE policies.
Does not tolerate any form of publication malpractice.

Responsibilities of Editors

Publication Decisions – Based on peer review reports, editorial policies, and ethical/legal considerations.
Peer Review Oversight – Maintains a fair, timely, and double-blind peer review process.
Fair Play – Submissions are judged solely on merit, without discrimination.
Confidentiality – Manuscripts and reviewer identities are strictly confidential.
Conflict of Interest – Editors disclose conflicts and recuse themselves where bias may occur.
Handling Misconduct – Cases of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or duplicate submission are investigated using COPE procedures.
Appeals & Complaints – Authors may appeal editorial decisions; complaints are handled transparently and in line with COPE recommendations.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Provide constructive, objective, and timely feedback.
Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts.
Disclose conflicts of interest and decline reviews where bias may exist.
Identify missing citations, plagiarism, or overlap with other works.
Avoid use of AI or automated tools to generate reviews.

Responsibilities of Authors

Originality – Submit only original work with proper citations.
Authorship – Only those with significant contributions qualify as authors.
Conflict of Interest & Funding – All financial and non-financial conflicts must be declared.
Use of AI – AI may be used for language refinement only, with disclosure; AI-generated content, analysis, or data without disclosure is prohibited.
Ethical Compliance – Research involving humans or animals must have prior ethical approval and informed consent.
Data Sharing – Authors must be prepared to provide raw data, and are encouraged to deposit datasets in repositories.
Corrections & Retractions – Authors must promptly report errors so that corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern can be issued.

Responsibilities of Readers

Report suspected misconduct or errors to the editorial office.
Respect copyright and licensing (CC BY 4.0).
Avoid misuse of published content or data.

Plagiarism Screening

All manuscripts undergo plagiarism screening using iThenticate (Crossref Similarity Check).

Significant overlap, redundant publication, or unattributed content leads to rejection.
Minor similarity (e.g., standard methods, references) is acceptable if cited properly.
Repeated or serious plagiarism results in rejection, retraction, and institutional notification.

Research Misconduct Policy

The journal does not tolerate:

Plagiarism
Data fabrication/falsification
Image manipulation
Duplicate submission
Unethical research practices

All suspected cases are handled according to COPE flowcharts and may result in rejection, retraction, or institutional notification.

Open Access and Peer Review Policy

Open Access: Gold model – all articles are freely available immediately.
Peer Review: Double-blind, impartial, conducted by subject experts.

Timelines (average):

- Manuscript Acknowledgment & Reviewer Assignment: within 24–48 hours.
- First Review Report: 7–12 days.
- Revise & Resubmit (if required): 7–12 days.
- Second Review Report: 7–12 days.
- Final Revisions (if required): 7–12 days.
- Acceptance & Draft Preparation: 3–4 days.
- Proofreading & Publication: 8–10 days.

Retraction and Correction Policy

The journal issues corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern in accordance with COPE best practices to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

Advertising & Commercial Policy

The journal does not accept advertising that may compromise editorial independence.
Sponsored content or promotional material is clearly identified and kept separate from peer-reviewed content.