This journal is dedicated to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record. As a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the journal adheres to COPE guidelines for addressing potential misconduct.

Authors must avoid misrepresenting research outcomes, as this could undermine trust in the journal, the credibility of scholarly authorship, and the broader scientific enterprise. Upholding the integrity of research and its reporting is supported by following principles of sound scientific practice, which include*:

• The manuscript must not be submitted to multiple journals concurrently.
• The submitted work must be original and not previously published in any form or language (in whole or in part), unless it represents an expansion of prior work. (Provide clarity on reused material to address concerns about text-recycling, or "self-plagiarism.")
• A single study should not be divided into multiple parts to boost submission counts and sent to different journals or to the same journal over time (i.e., "salami-slicing/publishing").
• Simultaneous or secondary publication may be acceptable under specific conditions, such as translations or manuscripts intended for a distinct readership.
• Results must be presented clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification, or improper data manipulation (including image manipulation). Authors should follow discipline-specific standards for acquiring, selecting, and processing data.
• Others' data, text, or theories must not be presented as the author's own ("plagiarism"). Proper credit to other works is required (including closely copied, summarized, or paraphrased material); quotation marks should be used for verbatim text, and permissions obtained for copyrighted content.
  
  Important note: The journal may employ plagiarism detection software.
• Authors must ensure they have obtained permissions for any software, questionnaires, (web) surveys, or scales used in their studies (where applicable).
• Research articles and non-research pieces (e.g., Opinion, Review, and Commentary articles) must cite relevant and appropriate literature to substantiate claims. Excessive or inappropriate self-citation and coordinated efforts among authors to self-cite collectively are strongly discouraged.
• Authors should refrain from making false statements about any entity (individual or company) or describing behaviors or actions that could be interpreted as personal attacks or allegations against that person.
• Research with potential for misuse that threatens public health or national security should be clearly identified in the manuscript (e.g., dual-use research). This includes creating harmful biological agents or toxins, disrupting vaccine immunity, posing unusual chemical hazards, or weaponizing research/technology (among others).
• Authors are strongly encouraged to confirm the author group, Corresponding Author, and author order at the time of submission. Adding or removing authors during revisions is generally not permitted, though exceptions may occur. Any changes in authorship must be thoroughly justified. Note that authorship changes cannot be made after manuscript acceptance.

*All points above are guidelines, and authors must respect third-party rights, including copyright and moral rights.

Upon request, authors should be ready to provide relevant documentation or data to verify the validity of their results, such as raw data, samples, or records. Confidential or proprietary information is excluded from this requirement.

If misconduct or suspected fraud arises, the Journal and/or Publisher will conduct an investigation per COPE guidelines. If concerns are validated after inquiry, the author(s) will be contacted via their provided email and given an opportunity to respond. Depending on the situation, the Journal and/or Publisher may implement measures including, but not limited to:

• If the manuscript is under review, it may be rejected and returned to the author.
• If the article has already been published online, based on the severity and nature of the violation:
  • an erratum/correction may be appended to the article;
  • an expression of concern may be issued;
  • or in serious cases, the article may be retracted.
• The reason will be detailed in the published erratum/correction, expression of concern, or retraction notice. Retraction means the article remains on the platform with a "retracted" watermark and an explanatory note linked to it.
• The author's institution may be notified.
• A notice of suspected ethical violations in the peer review process may be added to the author's and article's bibliographic record.

Fundamental Errors

Authors are obligated to correct any significant errors or inaccuracies discovered in their published work. The author(s) should contact the journal and clarify how the error affects the article. The decision to correct the record will depend on the error's nature, possibly resulting in a correction or retraction. The retraction note should clearly indicate which parts of the article are affected.

Suggesting/Excluding Reviewers

Authors may suggest suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals during submission. Suggested reviewers must be entirely independent and unconnected to the work. It is advisable to recommend reviewers from diverse countries and institutions. The Corresponding Author must provide an institutional email address for each suggested reviewer; if unavailable, other identity verification methods, such as a personal homepage link, publication record link, or researcher/author ID, should be included in the submission letter. Note that the Journal is not obligated to use the suggestions, though they are appreciated and may assist in the peer review process.