Publication Ethics

Al-Malwiya Journal of Sport and Movement Sciences (AMJSMS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics. The journal follows the guidelines and best practices set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publication process — authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher — are expected to uphold these ethical standards.

Duties of Authors

  • Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their submitted work is entirely original. Any use of the work or words of others must be appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in all its forms is not acceptable.
  • Multiple or Concurrent Submission: Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.
  • Authorship: Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All co-authors must approve the final version of the manuscript.
  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence the results or interpretation of the study.
  • Data Accuracy: Authors should present accurate data and provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be replicated. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour.
  • Ethical Approval: Research involving human participants or animals must have received approval from an appropriate ethics committee.
  • Reporting Errors: If an author discovers a significant error in their published work, they must promptly notify the editor and cooperate in correcting or retracting the article.

Duties of Editors

  • Fair and Impartial Decisions: Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on the basis of academic merit, without regard to the authors' race, gender, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.
  • Confidentiality: Editors must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and the publisher.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Editors must not use unpublished materials from a submitted manuscript for their own research. Editors should recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.
  • Publication Decisions: The editor is responsible for deciding which manuscripts will be published based on their quality, importance, and relevance.
  • Maintaining Integrity: Editors will take appropriate action in response to ethical complaints in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Duties of Reviewers

  • Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Reviewers assist editors in making editorial decisions and help authors improve their manuscripts through constructive feedback.
  • Promptness: Reviewers who feel unqualified or cannot complete the review within the agreed timeframe should notify the editor promptly.
  • Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents.
  • Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively with supporting arguments and references.
  • Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work not cited by the authors and alert the editor to any substantial similarity with previously published work.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must not review manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.

Plagiarism Policy

All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using plagiarism detection software before being sent for peer review. A total similarity index of up to 20% is generally considered acceptable, provided that no single source accounts for more than 5%. Manuscripts with significant plagiarism will be immediately rejected.

Misconduct

If misconduct is suspected or reported (including plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, or ethical violations), the journal will investigate following COPE guidelines. Actions may include rejection, retraction, notification of the author's institution, or a ban on future submissions.

Reference

For more information, visit: Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)