required to notify immediately the journal editor or publisher and assist to recall or correct their paper. Responsibilities of the Publisher: • We are committed to guaranteeing that the marketing, reprint, or other commercial profits does not change or influence editorial decisions. • Our articles are peer reviewed to guarantee excellence in our publications. Method of Handling Unethical Conduct: Recognition of Unethical Conduct • When identified, misconduct and unethical actions must be reported to the editor and publisher. • Misconduct and unethical actions include, but are not limited to, examples outlined above, such as plagiarism or misrepresentation of the research. • The informer of unethical conduct must offer adequate information and proof in order to launch an investigation. All allegations must be seriously considered and treated in a similar fashion, until an appropriate outcome or agreement is achieved. Investigation • The editor is responsible to choose the appropriate manner of investigation and may seek advice from the editorial board, the academic committee, or the reviewer when making this choice. • Evidence must be collected in a way that avoiding inflaming the situations and proliferating allegations. Castigation (in increasing order of severity; may be administered separately or in conjunction) • • • • •
•
Notifying the author or reviewer of a misunderstanding or misapplication of the journal’s ethical standards in their article. Writing a strongly worded letter or statement to the author’s reviewer expressing the unethical behavior and issuing a warning. Publishing a formal remark with details of the inappropriate behavior. Publishing an editorial comment detailing the inappropriate behavior. Formally withdrawing and removing the work under question from the journal, in conjunction with notifying: the supervisor of the author or the reviewer’s department, the Abstracting and Indexing groups, and the audience of the publication. Enforcing a formal embargo on submissions from the author for a set period of time.
This statement is based on COPE's Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors (http://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines) and Elsevier recommendations.