Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

 

The Asian Educational Therapist is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. We adhere to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the guidelines of the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

All parties involved in the publication process including authors, reviewers, editors and the publisher, are expected to comply with these standards. We take allegations of misconduct seriously and follow COPE flowcharts and guidelines when addressing them.

 

1. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship must be based on substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; drafting or critical revision of the manuscript; and final approval of the version to be published. All authors must agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

See
Authorship Policy

 

2. Conflicts of Interest / Competing Interests

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be perceived as influencing their work. This includes employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications, or other affiliations.
● Editors and reviewers must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict exists.
● Funding sources must be declared in the manuscript.

See
Conflict of Interest Policy
Funding Policy

 

3. Plagiarism, Research Misconduct, and Originality

Manuscripts must be original and not under consideration elsewhere. Plagiarism (including self-plagiarism), data fabrication, falsification, image manipulation, and other forms of research misconduct are strictly prohibited.
● All submissions are screened for similarity using appropriate tools.
● Submissions without rigorous evidential grounding (as defined in Author Guidelines) may be returned without review.

See
Academic Misconduct Policy
Citation Manipulation Policy
Image Integrity and Standards Policy
Plagiarism Policy

 

4. Peer Review Process

The journal operates a double-anonymized (double-blind) peer review process. Manuscripts are reviewed by at least two independent expert reviewers. Editorial decisions are independent of author characteristics such as nationality, gender, or institutional affiliation.
● Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and declare any conflicts of interest.
● Reviewers should provide constructive, unbiased and timely feedback.

Where a manuscript involves quantitative data analysis, a statistical reviewer may be appointed by the editor to assess the methodological and statistical rigour of the work.

See
Review and Publication Process
Reviewer Guidelines and Policy

 

5. Editorial Responsibilities and Independence

Editors are responsible for the final decision on manuscript acceptance, guided solely by the scientific merit, originality, and relevance of the work, without influence from commercial, personal, or external pressures. The journal maintains clear separation between editorial decisions and commercial/sponsorship considerations.

See
Editorial Independence Policy
Sponsorship Policy

 

6. Research Ethics (Human Subjects, Animals, etc.)

Research involving human participants must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and obtain appropriate ethical approval. Informed consent must be obtained where required. Animal studies must follow relevant ethical standards.

See
Research Ethics Policy

 

7. Data and Software Availability / Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged (and in some cases required) to share research data, code, and materials underlying their findings in publicly accessible repositories, in line with FAIR principles.

See
Data and Software Availability Policy

 

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Authors must disclose any use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, image generators) in the preparation of the manuscript. AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the content.

See
Artificial Intelligence Policy

 

9. Open Access, Copyright and Licensing

All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right to publish.

See
Open Access, Copyrights and Licensing Policy

 

10. Handling of Allegations of Misconduct

Any suspected breach of ethics will be investigated thoroughly and confidentially. The journal will follow COPE procedures and may involve institutions or funders as appropriate. Proven misconduct may result in rejection, retraction, notification of relevant parties, and bans on future submissions.

 

11. Complaints and Appeals

Authors and readers may submit formal complaints regarding editorial processes, ethical concerns, or publication decisions. All complaints will be acknowledged and investigated fairly and promptly according to COPE guidelines.

See
Complaints and Appeals Policy

 

12. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

The journal will issue corrections (errata), retractions, or expressions of concern when errors or misconduct significantly affect the published record, following COPE recommendations.
● Retractions are issued for serious issues such as fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or major errors invalidating findings
● Minor errors that do not affect conclusions will be corrected via erratum

See
Correction and Retraction Policy

 

13. Post Publication Review

The journal recognises that scholarly scrutiny does not end at publication. Post-publication review is an important mechanism for maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the published record.

Letters to the Editor serve as the journal's primary mechanism for post-publication peer review. Readers, researchers, and clinicians are invited to submit letters that:

● Offer critical commentary on a published article's methodology, data interpretation, or conclusions ● Provide corrections, clarifications, or additional data relevant to a published article ● Identify errors or inconsistencies not addressed in the original peer review process ● Raise ethical concerns regarding a published work

Letters must refer to an article published in this journal, ordinarily within the preceding 6 months. All letters are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and, where appropriate, by subject-matter experts before a decision is made. Authors of the original article are given the opportunity to respond. Both the letter and any author response are published together where possible.

Where a letter raises concerns of sufficient gravity — including potential data errors, methodological flaws, or ethical issues — the editorial team will initiate a formal investigation in accordance with COPE guidelines. This may result in a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, as appropriate.

See Correction and Retraction Policy · Complaints and Appeals Policy

 

14. Policy Compliance Summary

The following table provides a complete reference to all the publication policies relevant to authors, reviewers and editors. All policies are available under the Publication Policies menu. 

Policy	Author Obligation
Academic Misconduct Policy	Do not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent data or findings. Report any suspected misconduct to the editor.
Artificial Intelligence Policy	Disclose all AI tool use on the Title Page. AI tools may not be listed as authors under any circumstances.
Authorship Policy	All authors must meet ICMJE criteria. Include a CRediT Author Contributions statement and ORCID iD for every author.
Citation Manipulation Policy	Do not add citations for self-promotional purposes. All citations must be accurate, relevant, and verifiable.
Complaints and Appeals Policy	Appeals must be submitted within 30 days of rejection on specific grounds. The Editor-in-Chief's decision is final.
Conflict of Interest Policy	Declare all financial and non-financial competing interests on the Title Page. Editorial board members must declare their editorial role.
Correction and Retraction Policy	Notify the editor promptly of any errors in a published article. Understand the journal's correction and retraction procedures.
Data and Software Availability Policy	Include a Data Availability Statement on the Title Page for all submissions.
Editorial Independence Policy	Editorial decisions are independent of all commercial, institutional, and personal interests. Editorial board member submission procedures apply.
Funding Policy	Disclose all funding sources and any funder involvement in research design, conduct, or reporting.
Image Integrity and Standards Policy	Image manipulation beyond standard adjustments is prohibited. All modifications must be disclosed.
Open Access, Copyrights and Licensing Policy	All articles are published open access under CC BY 4.0. No copyright transfer is required.
Plagiarism Policy	All submissions screened using licensed detection software. Manuscripts above the threshold are returned without review.
Research Ethics Policy	Document ethics committee approval, consent procedure, and participant confidentiality in the manuscript and on the Title Page.
Sponsorship Policy	Declare all sponsorship arrangements and any sponsor involvement in design, analysis, or publication decisions.