Publication Ethics

Alkimi is dedicated to maintaining the most stringent standards of integrity and publication ethics. Our commitment ensures the accuracy and transparency of the scientific record. We are fully committed to the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and expect all parties involved in the publishing process—authors, editors, and reviewers—to comply with these ethical standards.

Allegations of publication misconduct will be thoroughly investigated and addressed in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting to Alkimi must ensure their work is original, accurate, and ethically sound. Key responsibilities include:

  1. Originality and Plagiarism
    • Submitted manuscripts must represent the original work of the authors and must not have been previously published in any other journal or periodical. This policy does not encompass academic theses or conference abstracts, which are permitted forms of prior dissemination. Should any portion of the results, whether partial or complete, have been previously published in any form, authors must disclose this in the cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief.
    • Authors are also required to confirm that the submitted manuscript is not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere and will not be submitted to any other journal while being evaluated by Subline Journal.
    • Plagiarism in all its forms is strictly prohibited. This includes verbatim copying, extensive paraphrasing, or incorporating another’s work without proper attribution. Any text or ideas from other works must be appropriately cited. Self-plagiarism (reusing one’s own previously published material without proper citation) is also unethical and unacceptable.
  2. Duplicate and Concurrent Submission:
    • Manuscripts submitted to Alkimi must not have been previously published elsewhere, nor should they be under consideration for publication by any other journal simultaneously.
    • If portions of the content overlap with previous publications (e.g., conference proceedings), authors must declare this at submission and ensure proper citation.
  3. Data Accuracy and Fabrication:
    • Authors must present their results honestly and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of data.
    • Sufficient detail regarding methods and procedures should be provided to allow for replication by other researchers.
  4. Authorship Contributions
    • Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant intellectual contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All individuals who have made substantial contributions should be listed as co-authors. Those who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, but do not meet authorship criteria, should be appropriately acknowledged.
    • It is crucial to delineate the specific contributions of all authors in a dedicated paragraph preceding the reference list. This statement should clearly detail each author’s role and involvement, including, but not limited to:
  • Work supervision
  • Experimental/laboratory performance
  • Data acquisition, processing, and discussion
  • Manuscript writing (original draft preparation)
  • Manuscript review and editing (critical revision for intellectual content)
  1. The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included and that all co-authors have thoroughly reviewed the submitted manuscript for publication in Alkimi, have explicitly expressed their approval for its submission and publication, and agree with its content. “Ghost authorship” (unacknowledged significant contributions) and “gift authorship” (inclusion of authors who made no significant contribution) are unacceptable and contrary to Alkimi’s ethical guidelines. Furthermore, the corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors understand and agree that the author list will remain fixed upon acceptance of the manuscript, and no additions, deletions, or changes in author order will be permitted thereafter.
  2. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest:
  3. Authors are obligatory to unwrap any financial or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing the work reported in the manuscript.
  1. All sources of financial support for the project should be clearly stated in the Acknowledgements section.
  2. Ethical Approval:
    • For research involving human subjects or animals, authors must state that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that the appropriate institutional review board(s) or ethics committee(s) have approved the experiments. Authors should provide the ethics committee approval number and date.
    • Informed consent should be obtained for any research involving human participants.
  3. Promptness in Correcting Errors:
    • When authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is their obligation to promptly notify the journal’s editors and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play a vital role in maintaining the quality and integrity of Alkimi. They are expected to:

  1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions:
    • Assist the editor in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communications with the author, may also assist the author in improving the paper.
  2. Confidentiality:
    • Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.
  3. Standards of Objectivity:
    • Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
  4. Acknowledgement of Sources:
    • Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors.
    • They should also call to the editor’s attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.
  5. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest:
    • Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.
  6. Promptness:
    • Reviewers should submit their reviews within the agreed timeframe. If they cannot meet the deadline, they should notify the editor promptly.

Responsibilities of Editors

The editors of Alkimi are accountable for the integrity of the entire publication process and decision-making. Their responsibilities include:

  1. Fair Play and Impartiality:
    • Editors assess manuscripts based solely on their intellectual merit, disregarding the authors’ race, religious beliefs, ethnic origins, nationalities, or political philosophies.
  2. Confidentiality:
    • Editors and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher.
  3. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest:
    • Editors will recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.
    • Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author.
  4. Publication Decisions:
    • Editors are responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published.
    • Decisions are based on the manuscript’s importance, originality, clarity, validity, and its relevance to the journal’s scope.
    • Editors are guided by the policies of the journal’s editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
  5. Investigation of Misconduct:
    • When ethical concerns are raised regarding a submitted manuscript or published article, editors will take appropriate action. They will follow COPE guidelines (e.g., COPE flowcharts) in cases of suspected plagiarism, data fabrication, authorship disputes, or other forms of misconduct. This may involve contacting the authors’ institution(s).

Addressing Publication Misconduct, Retractions, and Corrections

Alkimi takes all allegations of publication misconduct seriously.

  • Investigation: In cases of suspected misconduct, the editors will conduct an investigation following COPE guidelines. This may involve contacting the authors, reviewers, and/or their institutions.
  • Actions: Depending on the severity and nature of the misconduct, actions may include:
    • Issuing a clarification, erratum, or corrigendum.
    • Publishing an editor’s note.
    • Retracting the article.
    • Informing the authors’ institution(s).
    • Reporting the case to relevant professional organizations.
  • Retractions: Articles may be retracted if there is clear evidence of scientific misconduct (e.g., data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism), major errors that invalidate the findings, or redundant publication. Retraction notices will be clearly linked to the original article.
  • Corrections: Minor errors that do not affect the scientific integrity or interpretation of the article will be corrected through a published erratum or corrigendum.