Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Journal of Central Asian Studies adheres to the recommendations and ethical standards set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and Elsevier’s Publishing Ethics Resource Kit (PERK). We are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and take all necessary measures to ensure the integrity of the academic record is preserved.  

 

Responsibilities of Authors

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that their work is original, has not been previously published in whole or in part, is not currently under consideration by other publications, and does not plagiarize or replicate existing materials.

Before the double-blind peer review process, the journal’s editorial team check manuscripts for compliance with formal requirements, including the presence of borrowed text, using a plagiarism detection system that is available through a subscription.

Only original manuscripts or those with more than 75% originality, as determined by the plagiarism detection system (StrikePlagiarism), will be submitted for further review. Proper citation is mandatory. If authors have used works, articles, provisions, or quotes from other researchers in their manuscripts, they must accurately cite these sources and correctly present the cited text.

Authorship and Contributorship

All authors listed on a manuscript must have made substantial contributions to the research, including the conception, data collection, design, analysis, execution, or interpretation of the manuscript. When submitting a manuscript, authors are required to identify all co-authors and any other contributors. All authors must also approve the final version of the manuscript prior to publication. After the manuscript has been submitted, changes to authorship cannot be made unless there is a valid reason to add, remove, or rearrange authors.  

Funding

In the manuscript, all authors are required to disclose any financial contributions or other support from non-authors as well as any conflicts of interest that may directly or indirectly affect the assessment and interpretation of the manuscript.

The use of AI

Authors are responsible for the content of their work. The AI tools cannot be listed as an author or co-author of a manuscript since they cannot meet the requirements for authorship and take responsibility for the manuscript. The manuscripts generated by AI tools are not accepted for consideration.

Data Fabrication and Falsification

Authors must not engage in data fabrication or falsification. All data, facts, citations, names, initials and other details presented must be accurate and verifiable. Authors are liable for the accuracy of the information provided in the manuscript.  

Conflicts of Interest

Authors submitting to the journal shall inform the editorial team of any potential conflicts of interest that could compromise the objectivity or integrity of the publication. A conflict of interest is any situation that may be perceived as influencing the review process or publication of a manuscript. Both authors and reviewers should notify the editorial office if they suspect there is an undisclosed conflict of interest whether it is financial, professional, contractual, personal, or otherwise.

Ethical Approval

Research involving human subjects or animals must obtain ethical approval, and authors should provide evidence of this during submission.

Protection of Intellectual Rights

Each author guarantees exclusive rights to use the materials submitted to the journal. Authors must obtain the necessary consent and permissions from individuals or entities involved in the research to use materials to ensure compliance with relevant laws and legislations.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Confidentiality

A reviewer must keep any information from authors or editors confidential, not discuss unpublished material with third parties, and not use the information for personal gain.

Impartiality and Feedback

A reviewer agrees to voluntarily review only those manuscripts that fall within their field of scientific and professional interests within the timeframe set by the editor.

The reviewer plays a crucial role in the decision-making process and helps improve the quality of the manuscript by providing an objective and timely review of the manuscript. They should refrain from making hostile, inflammatory, defamatory, or derogatory comments. Reviews should be expressed clearly and constructively, supported by well-reasoned arguments and, if necessary, appropriate references. A reviewer must disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

If a reviewer identifies any errors in the manuscript, instances of plagiarism, or any unethical behavior by the author, they must promptly inform the editorial team.

Responsibilities of Editors

Confidentiality and Impartiality

Editors must ensure that manuscripts are evaluated fairly and without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, or nationality. They must maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts throughout the editorial process and protect the anonymity of both authors and reviewers. Additionally, editors are responsible for effectively selecting reviewers to assess the manuscripts.

Decision-making

Editors make decisions about accepting or rejecting manuscripts solely based on their quality, originality, clarity, significance, adherence to editorial policy, and alignment with the journal’s aims and scope. Editors will also ensure that commercial interests or policies do not influence their publishing decisions. Additionally, editors are responsible for maintaining the timeliness and frequency of the journal’s publications.

Editors should disclose potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from decision-making when needed.  

Complaints and Appeals

Any complaints or appeals regarding the journal, its staff, editorial board, or publisher should be directed to ca_journal@kisi.kz, including details of the issue and supporting documents. The matter will be investigated by the publisher’s ethical committee after notifying all concerned parties.  

Allegations of Misconduct

Editors will make reasonable efforts to identify and prevent the publication of manuscripts that contain evidence of illegal behavior by the author.

In cases of suspected misconduct concerning improper behavior or violations of professional ethics by the author, the editorial team may initiate an investigation in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines.

 

Procedure for Retraction or Correction

The editorial team values the integrity and completeness of research data, recognizing its importance to the scientific community. We adhere to high standards to ensure the credibility of the journal’s electronic archive.

If any errors or inaccuracies are detected, the author or any other individual should promptly notify the editorial team to retract or amend the publication. The amendments will be published on the journal webpage, replacing the electronic version of the manuscript and indicating the corrections made.

The editorial team may consider retracting an article in the following cases:

There is evidence of the unreliability of published information, either due to deliberate actions (such as data falsification) or errors in calculations or experiments.

The conclusions were previously published elsewhere without proper reference, permission, or justification for re-publication (i.e., cases of duplicate publication).

There are violations of copyright or instances of plagiarism.

The manuscript contains classified materials without permission for their use.

The manuscript was published through a compromised or altered review process.

The author failed to disclose a conflict of interest that could influence the interpretation of the paper or the reviewers’ recommendations.

A «retracted» watermark will be added to the electronic version of any retracted manuscript, along with an explanation of the reasons for retraction. A manuscript may be removed from the journal’s webpage in exceptional cases where the retraction is due to a violation of intellectual property rights, privacy rights, disclosure of classified materials, or a court or governmental decision. The details of the retraction will be forwarded to the databases in which the journal is indexed.