The Unicaf Online Journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

 

Author Responsibilities

Authors must present their research accurately, objectively, and transparently. Data must not be fabricated, falsified, or inappropriately manipulated. Methods should be described clearly and in sufficient detail to allow replication.

Manuscripts submitted must be original, must not have been published previously, and must not be under consideration elsewhere.

Authorship should reflect significant contributions to the research. All individuals who have made substantial contributions should be listed as authors, while others should be acknowledged appropriately.

Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest, including financial or personal relationships that could influence the research. All sources of funding must be clearly stated.

Authors are expected to participate fully in the peer-review process and respond to reviewers’ comments in a timely and professional manner.

 

Editor Responsibilities

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding which manuscripts are accepted for publication, based on academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

All manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review process, involving at least two independent reviewers.

Editorial decisions must be fair, unbiased, and based solely on the scholarly value of the work.

Editors and editorial staff must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Information about a manuscript must not be disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and authorised individuals involved in the publication process.

Editors must not evaluate manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest. In such cases, responsibility will be assigned to another editor.

 

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and provide constructive feedback to improve the quality of the work.

Reviewers should maintain confidentiality and must not use unpublished materials for personal advantage.

Any conflicts of interest must be declared, and reviewers should withdraw if necessary.

 

Ethical Oversight and Misconduct

The journal takes all allegations of misconduct seriously, including plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, and unethical research practices.

All submissions may be checked using plagiarism detection tools.

In cases of suspected misconduct, the journal will follow COPE guidelines, which may include investigation, rejection, retraction, or notification of relevant institutions.

 

Corrections and Retractions

If significant errors or ethical issues are identified after publication, the journal will take appropriate action, including issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.