Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

HEXAGRO is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all necessary measures to prevent publication malpractice.

All parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, are expected to adhere to ethical principles and professional standards. This publication ethics statement is based on the principles and Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). 

All parties involved in the publication process, including editors, reviewers, authors, and the publisher, are expected to adhere to the ethical standards outlined below. 

Editorial Responsibilities

The Editors of HEXAGRO are responsible for ensuring a fair, transparent, and objective editorial process.

Editors shall:

  1. Evaluate submitted manuscripts solely on their academic merit, originality, scientific quality, significance, and relevance to the journal's focus and scope.
  2. Treat all submitted manuscripts fairly and without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, religious belief, political philosophy, institutional affiliation, or other personal characteristics.
  3. Maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and all communications related to the editorial process.
  4. Ensure a fair, objective, and timely peer-review process.
  5. Avoid and manage conflicts of interest in editorial decision-making.
  6. Take appropriate action when ethical concerns or allegations of misconduct arise.
  7. Publish corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, or retractions when necessary to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record. 

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers contribute to maintaining the quality and credibility of scholarly publications through objective and constructive evaluation.

Reviewers shall:

  1. Review manuscripts objectively, fairly, and professionally.
  2. Provide constructive feedback supported by clear academic arguments.
  3. Maintain the confidentiality of all information related to the manuscript.
  4. Notify the editors of any substantial similarity between the manuscript under review and other published or submitted works.
  5. Identify potential ethical concerns, including plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, citation manipulation, or other forms of misconduct.
  6. Disclose any conflicts of interest and decline review assignments when such conflicts exist.
  7. Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for the integrity, accuracy, and originality of their work.

Authors shall:

  1. Submit only original manuscripts that have not been previously published or simultaneously submitted to another journal.
  2. Ensure that all data, results, and analyses are accurate, valid, and honestly presented.
  3. Properly acknowledge the contributions and work of others through appropriate citation and referencing.
  4. Avoid plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, and citation manipulation.
  5. Disclose any financial, institutional, professional, or personal conflicts of interest that may influence the interpretation of the research.
  6. Ensure that all listed authors have made substantial contributions to the research and approve the final version of the manuscript before submission.
  7. Comply with applicable ethical standards and regulations governing research involving human participants, animals, personal data, or other sensitive subjects.
  8. Comply with the journal's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy when using AI-assisted technologies during manuscript preparation. 

Authorship requirements are described in the Authorship Criteria, and the use of AI tools in the AI Policy.

Research Integrity and Misconduct

HEXAGRO does not tolerate research or publication misconduct, including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, and citation or peer-review manipulation. Allegations are investigated according to COPE guidance; see Allegations of Research Misconduct for how to report and how cases are handled.

Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must declare any competing interests. Requirements, including the rules for manuscripts from editorial board members, are set out in the Conflict of Interest Policy.

Correction, Retraction, and Expression of Concern

Errors and ethical concerns in published articles are handled through corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions, following COPE guidance. See Retraction, Correction, Complaints and Appeals.