Publication Ethics

The HPU2 Journal of Science: Natural Sciences and Technology applies the principles of publication ethics guided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to contribute to the growth of academic merit. The journal takes all possible measures against misconduct to maintain the integrity of the scientific record. All parties involved in the publication, including editors, authors, reviewers, and assistants, are guided to recognize the standard of proper ethical behaviors seriously. Unbiased considerations and decisions are given to all manuscripts submitted to the journal regardless of race, gender, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, political philosophy, sexual orientation, age, or reputation of the authors. To increase the quality of the HPU2 Journal of Science: Natural Sciences and Technology, the journal is guided by the following principles. 

Duties of Editors

  • Editor – in – charge is solely and independently responsible for deciding which manuscripts should be published in the HPU2 Journal of Science: Natural Sciences and Technology. The editor’s decisions are based on discussions with other board editors or reviewers. Editors are also guided by the journal's policies and follow the rules of COPE core practices for journal editors. The editors should evaluate manuscripts based on their importance, originality, clarity, validity of study, and relevance to the journal’s scope without regard to gender, sexual orientation, race, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
  • The editors will ensure the peer review process is fair, unbiased, and timely. Only experts with suitable expertise in the relevant field should be selected and invited to review a manuscript. The editors need to check all declarations of potential conflicts of interest and suggestions by reviewers to determine any potentially biased evaluations.
  • The editors and any journal’s staff must not disclose information about manuscripts to anyone other than the manuscript's authors, potential reviewers, reviewers, and other advisers.
  • Unpublished materials in submitted manuscripts must not be used in editors’ research without the express written permission of the original authors. Confidential information and ideas attained through the peer review must be kept unpublished and not used for individual advantages.
  • Editors are not involved in decisions about manuscripts that have been written by themselves or by family members or colleagues or that relate to products or services in which the editors are interested.
  • The editors should take measures to protect the integrity of the published record by reviewing and assessing reported or suspected misconduct. Suppose there are ethical complaints concerning a manuscript or a published article. In that case, the measures may include contacting the authors of the manuscript or article and giving due consideration to the complaint or claims made. Further communications to the relevant institutions and research bodies can also be used. The editors will further make appropriate methods for detecting misconduct, such as plagiarism. If evidence of misconduct is convincing, editors may select relevant responses, such as publication of a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other corrections to the article.

Duties of Reviewers

Peer review supports the editor-in-charge in making decisions on a manuscript and also assists the authors in improving their manuscript.  Peer review is essential to ensuring that published articles meet journal standards.

Any invited referee who feels unqualified to review a manuscript or has no time to review in time should notify the editor and decline to participate in the review process.

The manuscript received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers should not share the review result or information about the manuscript with anyone.

Unpublished materials in the manuscript must not be used in a reviewer’s publications without the express written permission of the original authors. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

Reviewers should provide the editor with any potential ethical issues in the manuscript, such as the substantial similarity between the manuscript and other published articles that the reviewers have personal knowledge of.

Reviewers should be aware of any personal bias when reviewing a paper. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate. Referees should express their evaluation and comments clearly with supporting arguments.

Duties of Authors

1) Reporting standards

Authors should present a correct research account and objectively discuss its significance. The manuscript should contain sufficient details and references to reproduce the work. Manuscripts containing fraudulent statements and unethical behavior are rejected for publication in the HPU2 Journal of Science: Natural Sciences and Technology.

2) Data access and retention

Authors may be asked to provide the research data supporting their manuscript for editorial review. Authors should be prepared to provide public access to such data and retain the data after publication.

3) Originality and acknowledgement of sources

The authors ensure that the manuscript has been written entirely by themselves. If the work or words of others are used, they have been cited, and permission has been obtained where necessary.

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Information obtained privately must not be used or expressed ambiguously; permission from the source must be included.

Plagiarism in all its forms comprises unethical behavior and is unacceptable.

4) Multiple, redundant, or concurrent publication

Authors should not publish more than one manuscript describing the same research. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals concurrently or submitting a manuscript published elsewhere to a journal is unacceptable.

5) Confidentiality

Information attained from confidential services must not be used without the explicit written permission of the original authors.

6) Authorship of the paper

Authorship should be limited to those who contribute significantly to the manuscript.  All people who have made substantial contributions should be listed as co-authors.

Before submitting to the journal, the corresponding author(s) should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included; all co-authors have seen and approved the manuscript and have agreed to its submission. The journal encourages the inclusion of the Author's contribution section in the manuscript.

Authors take collective responsibility for the studies conducted. Each author ensures that scientific questions are appropriately investigated and resolved.

7) Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects

Chemicals, procedures, or equipment with any unusual hazards inherent in their use should be noted in the manuscript. Suppose the studies involve the use of animal or human subjects. In that case, the manuscript should state that all procedures complied with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that the appropriate institutional committee(s) has approved them.

8) Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

9) Fundamental Errors in Publication

When authors find a significant error or inaccuracy in their published articles, they must promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the articles.