Journal of Political Issues (JPI) is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and accountability of the scholarly record. The journal publishes original research that adheres to ethical research and publication standards. All parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, are expected to comply with the ethical principles outlined in this policy.

 

Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher is responsible for ensuring the integrity, independence, and long-term credibility of the journal’s editorial process. The publisher guarantees that all editorial decisions are made free from commercial, institutional, or personal influence.

The publisher provides full oversight of the journal’s ethical standards and publication practices. In cases involving serious ethical concerns, including allegations of misconduct, disputes in authorship, conflicts of interest, or issues requiring correction or retraction, the publisher works in close coordination with the editorial team to ensure that appropriate actions are taken.

The publisher holds final responsibility for safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record. This includes ensuring that all corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, and other editorial notices are implemented consistently, clearly communicated, and permanently linked to the original publication. The publisher also ensures that ethical policies are applied consistently across all published content.

 

Responsibilities of the Editors

Editors hold full responsibility for making editorial decisions regarding submitted manuscripts. They evaluate submissions based solely on academic merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope, without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnicity, citizenship, or political perspective of the authors. Editorial decisions must be guided by the validity and significance of the work for the scholarly community and must comply with applicable legal requirements, including those related to defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. Editors may consult with other editors or reviewers in making decisions, but they retain full accountability for all final decisions.

Editors must ensure that all submitted manuscripts undergo a fair, objective, and timely peer review process. They are responsible for conducting an initial evaluation of each manuscript, including assessing originality and relevance before proceeding to peer review. Editors must organize the review process carefully, select reviewers with appropriate expertise, and avoid assigning reviewers who have conflicts of interest. They must ensure that the peer review process is applied consistently and transparently across all submissions.

Editors must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents throughout the editorial process. They must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate. Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the author’s explicit written consent.

Editors must disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect their editorial judgment and must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where such conflicts exist. They are also responsible for maintaining the integrity of the editorial process by addressing ethical concerns, including suspected misconduct, in a fair and transparent manner. Editors must ensure that all editorial actions, including acceptance, revision, or rejection, are based on sound academic judgment and supported by clear justification.

 

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play a critical role in supporting the editorial decision-making process by providing objective, constructive, and well-reasoned evaluations of submitted manuscripts. Their assessments assist editors in determining the quality, originality, and relevance of the work, while also helping authors improve their manuscripts through clear and evidence-based feedback. Reviewers must conduct their evaluations professionally, avoid personal criticism, and present their comments in a structured and reasoned manner. If a reviewer feels unqualified to assess a manuscript or is unable to complete the review within the required timeframe, they must promptly inform the editor and withdraw from the review process.

Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as strictly confidential documents. They must not share, discuss, or disclose any part of the manuscript to others without explicit authorization from the editor. Any information, data, or ideas obtained through the peer review process must be kept confidential and must not be used for personal advantage or for the benefit of others. This obligation continues even after the review process has been completed.

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that could influence their evaluation and must decline to review manuscripts in which such conflicts exist, including those arising from competitive, collaborative, or institutional relationships. Reviewers are also expected to identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and to recommend appropriate references where necessary. In addition, reviewers must inform the editor of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and other published works, as well as any suspected ethical issues, including plagiarism, redundant publication, or other forms of misconduct.

 

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must present their research in a clear, accurate, and honest manner. They are responsible for providing a truthful account of the work performed and an objective explanation of its significance. All data must be accurately represented, and the manuscript must contain sufficient detail and references to allow verification and replication where appropriate. Any form of fabrication, falsification, or knowingly inaccurate statement is unacceptable. Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original and properly cite or quote the work of others. Plagiarism in any form constitutes a serious ethical violation.

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time and must avoid redundant or duplicate publication of substantially similar work. All sources that have influenced the research must be properly acknowledged. Authors must also ensure that authorship reflects actual contributions, with only those who have made significant contributions listed as authors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission.

Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the research. All sources of funding must be clearly stated. Authors may be required to provide raw data or supporting materials for editorial review and must be prepared to do so within a reasonable timeframe, unless restricted by ethical or legal considerations.

If authors identify a significant error in their published work, they must promptly notify the journal and cooperate in correcting or retracting the article. Authors must also ensure that their research complies with applicable ethical standards, including those related to human participants, animals, or hazardous materials, and must clearly state any relevant ethical approvals in the manuscript.

 

Retraction, Correction, and Expression of Concern Policy

Journal of Political Issues safeguards the integrity and reliability of the scholarly record by implementing clear and enforceable procedures for retraction, correction, and expression of concern. These procedures ensure that all editorial actions are conducted transparently, consistently, and based on verifiable evidence.

The journal retracts an article when it identifies serious issues that render the research findings unreliable or constitute a violation of publication ethics. Such cases include, but are not limited to, significant methodological or analytical errors; data fabrication or falsification; duplicate or overlapping publication; plagiarism; misrepresentation of data; and other forms of unethical research conduct.

Allegations of misconduct may be raised by readers, reviewers, editors, or other parties. Upon receiving a report, the Editor-in-Chief conducts an initial assessment to determine whether further investigation is warranted. If necessary, the journal initiates a formal investigation involving the editorial board and may request clarification or supporting information from the authors. Authors are given a reasonable opportunity to respond before any final decision is made.

The Editor-in-Chief, in coordination with the editorial board and the publisher, makes the final decision based on the available evidence. All decisions are documented to ensure accountability and consistency in editorial practice.

In cases of retraction, the journal publishes a formal retraction notice that clearly states the reason for the retraction and identifies the party initiating it. The notice is permanently linked to the original article. The retracted article remains accessible on the journal website but is clearly marked as “Retracted” in all versions, including the PDF, to preserve the transparency of the scholarly record.

A retracted article remains part of the scholarly record and cannot be treated as unpublished or withdrawn for submission elsewhere. Retraction indicates that the findings are unreliable and should not be relied upon in scholarly work.

The journal removes the full content of a retracted article only when required by legal obligations, such as in cases involving defamation, infringement of legal rights, or compliance with a court order. In such situations, the journal retains the bibliographic record and provides a clear explanation for the removal.

The journal issues a correction when an article contains errors that affect clarity, accuracy, or completeness but do not invalidate the overall findings. Corrections may take the form of an erratum, when the error originates from the publisher, or a corrigendum, when the error originates from the author. All corrections are published as separate notices and are permanently linked to the original article.

The journal issues an expression of concern when there is credible evidence of a serious problem but the investigation is ongoing or inconclusive. This notice serves to inform readers of potential issues while a final determination is pending. The journal updates or replaces the expression of concern once the investigation has been completed.

All retraction notices, corrections, and expressions of concern are published openly and are permanently linked to the original article to ensure transparency, accountability, and the integrity of the scholarly record.

 

Handling of Publication Misconduct

Journal of Political Issues enforces a strict policy against publication misconduct and handles all cases in a structured, transparent, and accountable manner. Misconduct includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, duplicate submission, redundant publication, data fabrication, data falsification, citation manipulation, authorship manipulation, and undisclosed conflicts of interest.

When the journal identifies a suspected case of misconduct, the editorial team immediately conducts an initial assessment to determine the nature and severity of the issue. The journal requires authors to provide clarification, supporting data, or additional documentation when necessary. The journal involves the authors’ affiliated institutions or other relevant bodies when the case requires further investigation.

The Editor-in-Chief, in coordination with the editorial board and the publisher, holds full authority to determine the outcome based on the available evidence. The journal applies appropriate actions consistently, including rejection of the manuscript, termination of the review process, publication of a correction, issuance of an expression of concern, or retraction of the article.

The journal documents all misconduct cases and implements decisions in a transparent and consistent manner. The journal applies sanctions proportionally to the severity of the violation and ensures that all actions preserve the integrity of the scholarly record. The journal also maintains post-publication responsibility by actively monitoring published content and taking corrective action when necessary.

 

Withdrawal Policy

Authors may request the withdrawal of a manuscript before a final editorial decision is made. Such requests must be submitted in writing by the corresponding author and must include a clear and justified reason. The editor reserves the right to evaluate the request and determine whether the withdrawal is appropriate, particularly if the manuscript is already under active review.

Withdrawal of a manuscript after acceptance is not permitted, except in cases involving serious ethical concerns. In such cases, the journal will follow established editorial procedures, including investigation and, where necessary, correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

Once a manuscript has been formally published, it cannot be withdrawn. Any post-publication issues will be addressed through the journal’s correction and retraction policies in order to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.