Publishing Ethics

The International Journal of Unified Research & Development (IJURD) is committed to maintaining high ethical standards in scholarly publishing. The journal follows open, universal research ethics principles inspired by:

  • Singapore Statement on Research Integrity
  • OECD Principles for Research Integrity
  • UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science & Research Ethics
  • DOAJ Ethical Guidelines for Journals

These guidelines apply across all disciplines and ensure fair, transparent, and responsible publishing.

1. Ethical Guidelines for Authors

  • Ensure their work is original and produced by them.
  • Confirm that their work is not published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal.
  • Properly cite and acknowledge all sources, and obtain permission for copyrighted materials.
  • Disclose all conflicts of interest or funding sources.
  • Ensure accurate authorship, giving credit to all contributors.
  • Avoid unethical practices such as plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, image manipulation, or false information.

2. Ethical Guidelines for Editors

  • Ensure the peer review process is fair, unbiased, and timely.
  • Assign manuscripts only to qualified reviewers and base decisions solely on quality, originality, clarity, and relevance.
  • Maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
  • Require reviewers to disclose any conflicts of interest.
  • Avoid undue influence from publishers, sponsors, or third parties.

3. Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers

  • Accept reviews only if they have subject expertise and can complete them on time.
  • Maintain confidentiality of all review materials.
  • Provide objective, constructive, and respectful feedback.
  • Disclose any conflicts of interest before reviewing.
  • Avoid using review information for personal/professional gain.
  • Treat all manuscripts equally, without discrimination based on background, nationality, gender, or beliefs.

4. Allegations of Misconduct

  • Plagiarism: Using another’s intellectual property without attribution is prohibited. Similarity above 20% may be flagged. Duplicate or redundant publication is also prohibited.
  • Data Fabrication/Falsification: Present research data truthfully and transparently. Manipulation of results or images is strictly forbidden.
  • Allegations should be reported to the Editor-in-Chief via email. If it concerns the Editor-in-Chief, report to the Managing Editor. Investigations follow community ethics principles and aim to resolve within 4 weeks.

5. Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions if they believe rejection occurred due to:

  • Misunderstanding of technical content, or
  • Failure to recognize the manuscript’s scientific or scholarly contribution.

Appeals must be submitted with detailed justification via email to the Editorial Office. Appeals without strong evidence will not be considered.

6. Research Involving Humans or Animals

6.1 Human Subjects

  • Include a statement of informed consent.
  • Research must comply with international human research ethics principles (Declaration of Helsinki, UNESCO).
  • Provide Ethics Committee/IRB approval or waiver.
  • Do not publish personal identifying information without explicit consent.

6.2 Clinical Trials

  • Must be registered in an internationally recognized registry.
  • Include trial registration numbers in the abstract.

6.3 Animal Research

  • Follow recognized standards (e.g., ARRIVE, OECD, national legislation).
  • Provide ethical approval from an institutional or licensing committee.
  • Where no ethics committee exists, editors and reviewers will assess ethical justification.

7. References