The Global Journal of Multidisciplinary and Applied Sciences (GJMAS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity, publication ethics, transparency, and accountability. The journal follows internationally recognized principles of ethical scholarly publishing, including the guidelines and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authors, reviewers, editors, and other participants in the publication process are expected to uphold these standards throughout the submission, peer-review, and publication process.

1. Authorship & Contribution Policy

• Authorship is limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research, manuscript preparation, analysis, interpretation, or revision.
• All listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript before submission and publication.
• Individuals who have provided administrative, financial, supervisory, or general support but have not made a substantial intellectual contribution should not be listed as authors solely on that basis.
• The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors meet the journal's authorship requirements and that all co-authors have approved the submitted manuscript.
• Any changes to authorship after submission must be justified and approved by all affected authors and the editorial office.

2. Initial Screening & Peer Review Policy

• All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening for journal scope, originality, formatting, ethical compliance, and suitability for peer review.
• Manuscripts may undergo plagiarism and similarity screening using Turnitin or an equivalent plagiarism-detection system.
• Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are normally evaluated through double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers with appropriate subject expertise.
• Authors may suggest potential reviewers where permitted; however, the final selection of reviewers remains the responsibility of the editorial team.
• Reviewers must maintain confidentiality, disclose relevant conflicts of interest, and provide objective, fair, constructive, and timely evaluations.
• Editorial decisions are based on the manuscript's academic quality, originality, methodological soundness, significance, and ethical compliance.

3. Research Integrity & Misconduct Policy

GJMAS strictly prohibits research and publication misconduct, including:

• Plagiarism and self-plagiarism: Presenting another person's work or substantial portions of one's own previously published work without appropriate acknowledgment.
• Fabrication: Inventing data, results, participants, experiments, or other research information.
• Falsification: Manipulating, altering, omitting, or misrepresenting research data, methods, results, or other scholarly information.
• Redundant or duplicate publication: Publishing substantially the same research in more than one publication without appropriate disclosure or justification.
• Gift or honorary authorship: Listing individuals as authors who have not made a qualifying contribution.
• Ghost authorship: Excluding individuals who have made substantial contributions to the work.
• Citation manipulation: Excessive, irrelevant, or inappropriate citation practices intended to artificially increase citations or influence scholarly metrics.
• Unethical research practices: Conducting research involving human or animal participants without appropriate ethical oversight, approval, consent, or safeguards where required.

Depending on the nature and severity of the misconduct, violations may result in manuscript rejection, withdrawal, correction, restriction on future submissions, institutional notification, or retraction of a published article.

4. Retraction, Corrections & Erratum Policy

GJMAS is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the published scholarly record.

Corrections

Minor errors that do not affect the validity, interpretation, or main conclusions of a published article may be corrected through an appropriate correction, erratum, or corrigendum.

Retractions

A published article may be retracted when serious problems are identified, including but not limited to:

• substantial plagiarism;
• fabricated or falsified data;
• serious research misconduct;
• major ethical violations;
• duplicate or redundant publication;
• unreliable or fundamentally invalid findings.

Retraction notices will identify the reason for the retraction and will be linked to the original publication wherever technically possible.

Expressions of Concern

If a serious concern has been raised but an investigation has not yet been completed, GJMAS may publish an Expression of Concern to alert readers while the matter is investigated.

Corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern will be handled in accordance with recognized publication-ethics principles and applicable COPE recommendations.

5. Conflicts of Interest (COI) Policy

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other interests that could reasonably influence or be perceived to influence the research or editorial decision.

Authors

Authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest during submission and, where applicable, provide a conflict-of-interest statement in the manuscript.

Reviewers

Reviewers must inform the editorial office of any actual or potential conflict of interest, including close collaboration, personal relationships, professional competition, or financial interests involving the authors or research.

A reviewer may be asked to decline the assignment where a conflict could compromise impartiality.

Editors

Editors must not handle manuscripts where they have a conflict of interest. Such manuscripts should be assigned to an appropriate independent editor whenever possible.

6. Ethical Oversight & Human/Animal Research Policy

Research involving human participants, personal data, identifiable information, or animals must comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional requirements.

Human Research

Where applicable, authors must provide information regarding:

• approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board;
• informed consent from participants;
• protection of participant privacy and confidentiality;
• appropriate handling of personal and identifiable information.

Research involving human participants should follow internationally recognized ethical principles, including the Declaration of Helsinki, where applicable.

Animal Research

Research involving animals should comply with applicable institutional and national regulations and recognized standards for the ethical treatment and welfare of animals.

Authors may be required to provide details of ethical approval and relevant animal welfare procedures.

7. Responsibilities of Authors, Reviewers & Editors

Authors

Authors are expected to:

• ensure the originality and integrity of their work;
• provide accurate and complete research information;
• properly cite all sources;
• disclose relevant conflicts of interest;
• obtain appropriate permissions for copyrighted figures, tables, photographs, or other third-party material;
• ensure that all listed authors meet the journal's authorship requirements;
• disclose related manuscripts or previous publications where appropriate;
• Cooperate with the editorial office during investigations of potential misconduct.

Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

• maintain strict confidentiality;
• provide objective and constructive assessments;
• evaluate manuscripts based on academic and scientific merit;
• identify significant errors or relevant overlooked literature;
• disclose conflicts of interest;
• decline assignments where they cannot provide an impartial review;
• Avoid using unpublished information for personal or professional advantage.

Editors

Editors are expected to:

• ensure a fair, transparent, and appropriate peer-review process;
• evaluate manuscripts objectively and independently;
• protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts;
• manage conflicts of interest appropriately;
• investigate credible allegations of publication misconduct;
• Follow recognized publication-ethics procedures when handling ethical complaints;
• Issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when appropriate.

8. Reporting Misconduct & Appeals Process

Concerns regarding potential publication or research misconduct, including plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, authorship disputes, duplicate publication, unethical research, or conflicts of interest, may be reported to the editorial office or editor-in-chief.

Upon receiving a credible allegation, GJMAS may conduct a preliminary assessment and, where necessary, initiate a formal investigation.

Depending on the nature of the allegation, the journal may:

1. request an explanation or supporting documentation from the authors;
2. Seek information from reviewers, editors, or other relevant parties;
3. refer the matter to an appropriate institutional or fact-finding body;
4. Contact the author's affiliated institution or organization
5. Issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction where appropriate.

Appeals

Authors may appeal an editorial decision by submitting a written and reasoned appeal to the editorial office. The appeal should explain the specific grounds for reconsideration and address any relevant factual or procedural concerns.

Appeals will be considered by the editor-in-chief or an appropriate independent editorial member. An appeal does not guarantee reversal of the original decision, and editorial decisions based on scientific judgment may be upheld where appropriate.

9. Commitment to Publication Ethics

GJMAS is committed to protecting the integrity of the scholarly record and promoting responsible research and publication practices. The journal expects all participants in the publication process to act with honesty, transparency, fairness, confidentiality, and professional integrity.

For detailed ethical guidance, authors, reviewers, and editors are encouraged to consult internationally recognized resources, including

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
• World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki, where applicable to research involving human participants.