ETHICS POLICY

General Principles

Genius-Pro Science and Society (e-ISSN: 3103-1358) is firmly committed to the highest standards of scientific integrity, editorial transparency, academic responsibility, and best publishing practices.

The journal adopts the principles, recommendations, and international standards promoted by:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)
  • World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)
  • Council of Science Editors (CSE)

All individuals involved in the editorial process—including authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and editorial support staff—must act in accordance with these principles throughout the stages of submission, evaluation, publication, and post-publication follow-up.

The journal promotes a culture of responsible research based on scientific honesty, transparency, reproducibility, accountability, impartiality, and respect for research participants and the integrity of the scientific record.

1. Authorship, Contributions, and ORCID

Authorship of manuscripts must reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the scientific work.

Authors must have significantly participated in one or more of the following activities:

  • Conception and design of the study.
  • Data collection, analysis, or interpretation.
  • Methodological or technical development.
  • Manuscript drafting.
  • Critical revision of intellectual content.
  • Approval of the final version.
  • Responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

All authors must meet international authorship criteria and assume public responsibility for the published scientific content.

The journal requires the declaration of individual contributions using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy).

Additionally, all authors must provide a valid ORCID identifier to promote transparency, proper author identification, academic interoperability, and appropriate attribution of scientific contributions.

Any request to add, remove, or modify the order of authorship after manuscript submission must be properly justified and supported by written approval from all authors involved.

2. Research Ethics

Research submitted for evaluation must comply with all applicable national and international ethical regulations.

Research Involving Human Participants

Studies involving human participants must adhere to the principles established in the Declaration of Helsinki, as well as relevant institutional and legal regulations.

Authors must indicate:

  • The name of the ethics committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB).
  • Ethical approval number or reference code when applicable.
  • Confirmation that informed consent was obtained from participants whenever applicable.

Research Involving Animals

Studies involving animals must comply with national and international standards regarding animal welfare and responsible experimentation.

Authors must report the corresponding ethical approval and describe measures adopted to minimize animal suffering.

Research Involving Vulnerable Populations

When research involves:

  • Children and adolescents.
  • Older adults.
  • Persons with disabilities.
  • Indigenous communities.
  • Socially or economically vulnerable groups.
  • Other populations requiring special protection.

Authors must describe the additional ethical safeguards implemented.

The journal may request supplementary documentation to verify compliance with ethical requirements at any stage of the editorial process.

3. Scientific Integrity and Research Misconduct

The journal does not tolerate any form of scientific misconduct.

Examples of misconduct include, but are not limited to:

  • Data fabrication.
  • Falsification or manipulation of results.
  • Selective reporting of findings.
  • Plagiarism.
  • Self-plagiarism.
  • Duplicate or redundant publication.
  • Simultaneous submission to multiple journals.
  • Citation manipulation.
  • Improper manipulation of images or figures.
  • Undisclosed use of external writing services.
  • Misrepresentation of authorship.
  • Failure to disclose conflicts of interest.
  • Deliberate concealment of ethical non-compliance.

Allegations or suspicions of misconduct will be investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines and may result in editorial actions before or after publication.

4. Plagiarism and Similarity Verification

All submitted manuscripts undergo similarity-detection procedures using specialized software.

Similarity reports are evaluated within their academic and scientific context.

A high similarity percentage does not automatically constitute plagiarism; however, evidence of plagiarism, duplicate publication, excessive text reuse, or any other inappropriate editorial practice may result in:

  • Requests for clarification.
  • Requests for correction.
  • Rejection of the manuscript.
  • Retraction of published articles.
  • Notification to academic institutions when appropriate.

5. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, academic, personal, or political conflict of interest that may influence—or be perceived as influencing—the editorial process or the interpretation of results.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily imply exclusion of a manuscript.

However, omission of relevant information may lead to corrective editorial measures.

6. Funding Statement

Authors must transparently disclose all sources of funding related to the submitted research.

When applicable, the following should be specified:

  • Funding institutions.
  • Research projects.
  • Grants or financial support received.
  • Funding identification numbers.
  • The role of funders in the design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or publication of the study.

When no external funding exists, this circumstance must be explicitly stated.

7. Data Availability, Transparency, and Reproducibility

Genius-Pro Science and Society supports the principles of Open Science and promotes transparency and reproducibility in scientific research.

Authors are encouraged to share, whenever ethically, legally, and technically possible:

  • Datasets.
  • Research protocols.
  • Analysis codes.
  • Instruments used.
  • Supplementary materials.

Authors must include a Data Availability Statement indicating:

  • Whether the data are available.
  • Where the data can be accessed.
  • Access conditions when restrictions apply.
  • Reasons for unavailability when applicable.

When data availability is restricted due to ethical, legal, privacy, confidentiality, or intellectual property concerns, an appropriate justification must be provided.

The journal may request access to underlying data during the editorial process when necessary to verify the integrity of the reported results.

8. Confidentiality

All manuscripts submitted for evaluation and all related communications will be treated as strictly confidential documents.

Editors, reviewers, editorial board members, and support staff may not:

  • Disclose confidential information.
  • Use unpublished information for personal or third-party benefit.
  • Share content with unauthorized individuals.

The obligation of confidentiality remains in force before, during, and after the editorial process.

9. Ethical Responsibilities

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must:

  • Ensure the originality and integrity of their research.
  • Present accurate, verifiable, and complete information.
  • Comply with applicable ethical standards.
  • Disclose conflicts of interest and funding sources.
  • Obtain necessary permissions for copyrighted materials.
  • Cooperate in correction or investigation processes after publication.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must:

  • Conduct objective, impartial, and constructive evaluations.
  • Maintain manuscript confidentiality.
  • Declare conflicts of interest.
  • Report potential ethical concerns.
  • Comply with established review deadlines.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must:

  • Ensure fair, transparent, and impartial editorial decisions.
  • Preserve editorial independence.
  • Maintain confidentiality.
  • Properly manage conflicts of interest.
  • Protect the integrity of the scientific record.
  • Apply internationally recognized ethical standards.

10. Complaints and Appeals

The journal provides mechanisms for submitting complaints, appeals, and communications related to editorial decisions, publishing practices, or potential scientific irregularities.

All cases will be handled confidentially, objectively, and impartially in accordance with COPE recommendations.

Appeals must be based on sound scientific or procedural arguments and will be reviewed independently by the editorial team.

11. Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

When significant errors, ethical issues, methodological deficiencies, or evidence of scientific misconduct are identified, the journal may adopt corrective measures in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Editorial actions may include:

  • Corrections.
  • Errata.
  • Expressions of concern.
  • Retractions.
  • Withdrawal of articles in exceptional circumstances.

All post-publication modifications will remain clearly identified and linked to the original article record to preserve transparency and the integrity of the scientific record.

12. Post-Publication Responsibilities

Authors have an ongoing obligation to inform the journal of significant errors, omissions, or inaccuracies identified after publication.

The journal may initiate investigations when substantiated concerns are raised by readers, reviewers, institutions, funding agencies, or other stakeholders.

When necessary, academic institutions, ethics committees, or funding agencies may be notified as part of ethical investigation procedures.

Final Statement

Genius-Pro Science and Society reaffirms its commitment to scientific integrity, editorial independence, transparency, research reproducibility, and international best practices in scholarly publishing.

The journal promotes a culture of responsible, ethical, and verifiable research aimed at strengthening scientific knowledge and preserving a reliable academic record with international reach.

All editorial decisions are based exclusively on academic merit, scientific quality, methodological rigor, compliance with ethical principles, and the relevance of the manuscript to the objectives and scope of the journal.