Publication Ethics Statement

At Castledown Publishers, we uphold the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing, reflecting our commitment to integrity, transparency, and rigorous peer review. Our ethics policies are inspired by best practices established by globally recognized organizations, such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and are uniquely tailored to our publishing operations.

1. Peer Review Process

Every submitted manuscript is required to go through a double-blind peer review process where manuscripts that are sent out for review (i.e., those that pass through the initial check for length, quality, and relevance by the journal editors) will be sent to at least two reviewers who will provide their feedback to the editors in a timely manner, preferably within three weeks. In the case of a split decision, additional reviewers will be assigned to the manuscript to ensure a fair review process. Please note that this may delay the final outcome of the review. For special issues, the guest editor(s) of the issue will assign reviewers and recommend an outcome to the editors, who make the final decision about whether to accept the manuscript.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is original and free from plagiarism. Proper citations and acknowledgments must be given for any work or words of others that are included. Plagiarism in all its forms is unacceptable. All manuscripts are checked for plagiarism prior to publication through iThenticate as a part of Crossref Similarity Check (see https://www.ithenticate.com/products/crossref-similarity-check).

Generative AI: Authors must disclose any use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the creation of their work. Text or data generated by AI should be used only to enhance content quality and never to substitute the authors’ original analysis or insights. Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy and appropriateness of AI-generated content. More information for authors is available from: https://www.castledown.com/journals/index/author-guidelines-on-the-use-of-generative-ai

Data Integrity: Authors must present accurate and complete data. Misrepresentation or fabrication of data constitutes a serious ethical breach. Complete data sets must be made available to the editor on request if there are concerns about data integrity.

Multiple or Concurrent Submissions: Authors should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in multiple journals. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously is unethical and wastes the time of reviewers.

Acknowledgment of Sources: Proper acknowledgment of others’ work must always be given. Authors must obtain permission to use copyrighted material and be prepared to present documentation upon request.

Authorship and Contributions: All contributors to the research should be listed as authors, and all authors must have significantly contributed to the manuscript. Individuals who made minor contributions should be acknowledged appropriately. Change of authorship is after submission must include a statement to the editors stating the reasons for this change.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest and Funding: Authors must disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.

Human and Animal Subjects: For research involving human or animal subjects, authors must confirm compliance with ethical standards. Documentation of ethical approval must be available if requested by editors.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Fair and Impartial Evaluation: Manuscripts will be evaluated for their intellectual content without discrimination or bias.

Confidentiality: Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, sharing information only with relevant parties (e.g., authors, reviewers, and editorial staff) as part of the publication process.

Editorial Decisions: Editors have full authority over the editorial content and the timing of publication. Decisions are based on the manuscript’s scholarly merit, relevance to the journal, and the quality of the research.

Correction and Retraction: Editors should act promptly to correct errors or retract publications if serious issues (e.g., ethical breaches or significant errors) are identified. All corrections or retractions will be published promptly.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and must not use information from the manuscript for personal advantage. Submitting authors’ manuscripts to generative AI is a breach of confidentiality.

Constructive Feedback: Reviews should be conducted objectively and provide constructive feedback to authors to improve their work. Personal criticism is inappropriate.

Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors ensure that this has been clearly and accurately cited by the authors. Reviewers should notify the editors if they suspect plagiarism or other ethical concerns.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that could bias their judgment and should decline to review manuscripts where such conflicts exist.

Use of Generative AI: Reviewers must not use generative AI tools to generate of reviews of manuscripts. Specific guidelines have been provided here for reviewers: https://www.castledown.com/journals/index/journal-reviewer-guidelines-on-the-use-of-generative-ai

5. Ethical Oversight and Compliance

Castledown Publishers adhere to ethical guidelines inspired by COPE and other international standards. However, we have developed our ethics policies to ensure they reflect our unique commitment to ethical publishing. If any ethical concerns arise, we commit to addressing them promptly and transparently, following COPE’s best practices and guidelines.

Note: For more information on our adherence to external ethical standards, please visit the COPE website at https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines/principles-transparency-and-best-practice-scholarly-publishing