Publication Ethics and Malpractice statement

The publication ethics and malpractice statement for the Chemistry and Materials journal encourage individuals involved in the publication of science research to follow best practices to avoid ethical matters, errors, and retractions.

I. Editors

  • The editorial board decides which articles submitted to the journal will be published. In making this decision, the editorial board also considers the reviewers’ recommendations.
  • The editor initially evaluates each article by considering the journal’s editorial criteria. The editor may refuse to publish an article if it does not meet the criteria. If the editor accepts the article for publication, it will be forwarded to at least two reviewers who have expertise in the subject area for a single-blind peer review. Each reviewer will recommend whether to accept, reject, or ask the author to revise the article. The review period may last up to 30 days.
  • Editors, members of the editorial board, and reviewers must evaluate articles without regard to the author’s race, gender, political affiliation, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.
  • Editors must maintain the confidentiality of the submitted articles and can not disseminate any information under consideration to other parties.
  • Editors, reviewers, and other readers may not use unpublished material attached to the submitted articles for research purposes without the author’s written approval.

II. Reviewers

  • Reviewers work with the editorial board to decide which articles the journal should publish. Reviewers may also have discussions with authors during the peer review process to improve the quality of the articles.
  • Authors will be notified of receipt of their papers for the peer review process within one week. The reviewers’ initial feedback will be provided within one month. An article that requires revision may undergo several rounds of review until it is suitable for publication.
  • Reviewers must objectively review the article and clearly express their views. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.
  • Reviewers should notify the editor if a manuscript under consideration is substantively similar or overlaps with other articles.
  • Information or ideas obtained through peer review should only be used after obtaining the author’s explicit approval. Reviewers must not use manuscripts if they have a conflict of interest resulting from a competitive, collaborative, or other type of relationship with the author, company, or any other entity connected to the paper.

III. Authors

  • Authors must present accurate research data and objectively discuss its significance in detail. Authors must clearly cite information from the other works so that readers can assess the validity of the information. Using deceptive or intentionally inaccurate statements constitutes unethical and unacceptable behavior.
  • Authors must submit original work and cite information used from other sources in the appropriate manner. Authors must not engage in any action that can lead to plagiarism. All forms of plagiarism constitute unethical and unacceptable behavior.
  • Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time. In addition, authors must not submit copyrighted manuscripts. Furthermore, manuscripts under review by the journal may not be resubmitted to copyrighted publications. However, the author retains the rights to the published material when submitting a manuscript.
  • Generally, an author should not publish manuscripts that describe the same research in more than one major journal or publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time is unethical and unacceptable behavior.
  • The names of the authors listed in the article should include only those individuals who significantly contributed to the concept, design, process, or interpretation of the reported study. Corresponding authors must ensure that all co-authors have complied with, reviewed, and approved the final version of the paper and have approved its submission for publication.
  • Authors must disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that may be perceived as influencing the results or interpretation of their manuscripts. Authors must identify all funding sources that have supported their research.
  • Authors or readers who discover significant errors or inaccuracies in a published article should contact the journal editor immediately and work with them to retract or correct the paper.

IV. Publisher

  • Publisher will take the necessary action to clarify or modify a published article if it is suspected or proven that it contains scientific error, fraud, or plagiarism. Publisher will also take appropriate steps to discourage, identify, and prevent the publication of articles that contain research errors.
  • Publishers will not discriminate based on age, disability, religion, creed, genetic predisposition, race, color, marital status, national origin, veteran status, gender, career status, or participation in any publishing program, service, or activity.

V. Conflict of Interest Policy

In order to comply with COPE practices, reviewers, authors, and editors are expected to follow the guidelines listed below.

  1. When receiving a manuscript for evaluation, reviewers should be aware of any appearance of a conflict of interest and must promptly return the manuscript to the editor, advising him of the conflict of interest.
  2. Authors should clearly indicate their source of financial support (institutional, private, and/or corporate) for their research.
  3. If the author and editor of CMA have a relationship that could lead to an unfair review, another editor will be chosen instead.

VI. Ethical Oversight

All submitted articles and information exchanged by authors and editors in CMA will be treated as confidential. Communications regarding the publication process should not be disclosed on any website without the editors' prior consent.

The personal information you provide on this journal site, including your name and email address, will be kept strictly confidential and used exclusively for the purposes of the journal's editorial and publication processes. This information will not be shared with any third parties or used for any other purposes.

Authors conducting animal experiments must adhere to strict ethical guidelines. All procedures involving animals must be designed to minimize suffering and comply with relevant institutional and national regulations. The manuscript should provide a detailed description of the experimental methods, including the number and type of animals used, and the steps taken to ensure animal welfare.

VII. Intelectual Properties

Disclaimer: The writers' perspectives on articles published in CMA are purely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher's editorial board.

Copyright: Authors are responsible for obtaining necessary permissions to reproduce any copyrighted material, including figures, tables, data, or text excerpts exceeding 250 words. Written permission from the copyright holder must be submitted with the manuscript.

Publishing: This journal uses the OJS system which is open source software used to manage and publish journals online.

VIII. Research Misconduct Policy 

This policy aims to prevent research misconduct and ensure the integrity of research published in the journal. Research misconduct, as defined herein, includes fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and improper authorship. Fabrication refers to the creation of false data or findings. Falsification involves manipulating research materials, processes, or data to distort results. Plagiarism entails appropriating the ideas or work of others without proper attribution. Improper authorship occurs when individuals are included as authors without significant contributions or excluded despite their contributions. Additionally, intentional obstruction of investigations or unfair evaluation of others' research constitutes misconduct.

To uphold research integrity, the journal's editors and publishers are committed to:

  • Preventing Misconduct: Implementing rigorous peer-review processes to identify and address potential misconduct before publication.
  • Correcting Errors: Promptly addressing and correcting errors or inaccuracies in published articles.
  • Investigating Allegations: Conducting thorough investigations into allegations of misconduct and taking appropriate action.
  • Educating Researchers: Promoting ethical research practices through guidelines, training, and outreach programs.

If research misconduct is confirmed, the journal may take appropriate actions, including:

  • Pre-publication: Withdrawing the manuscript from the review process.
  • Post-publication: Issuing a retraction notice, note of editorial concern, or erratum to correct the record.
  • Sanctions: Imposing sanctions on the author(s), such as banning future submissions to the journal.
  • Informing the Community: Publishing an editorial to raise awareness about the issue and deter future misconduct.

IX. Discussion and Correction After Publication

Chemistry and Materials adhere to COPE's guidelines for ethical concerns in published publications. If writers have an objection or dispute with the publication process in CMA, they can contact the Editor in Chief via email at editor@piscience.org. Every complaint will be received and addressed in order to resolve the issue appropriately. In addition, articles may be retracted for scientific and/or ethical reasons, as requested by the author(s) or the Editor. Articles judged to be seriously faulty or to have broken COPE's ethical guidelines will be retracted in order to repair the scientific record. The retracted paper will be displayed on the journal's website, along with information on the cause for the retraction.