Publication Ethics

PUBLICATION ETHICS & MALPRACTICE STATEMENT
JPLL is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic submissions we receive and publish. We adhere to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for authors. Prospective authors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these standards and the journal's ethics policies below.

EDITORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES
Publication decisions
The editors are responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The editors must evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors. The decision will be based on the paper’s contribution, originality and clarity, and the study’s methodological rigor and its relevance to the scope of the journal.

Response to ethical issues
Editors will take reasonably responsive measures when ethical complaints have been presented concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper, in conjunction with the publisher.

Confidentiality
The editors and the members of the editorial board will ensure that all material submitted to the journal remains confidential while under review. The editors and the editorial board must not disclose any information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, or other editorial advisers.

Disclosure and 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Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential. Editors will maintain impartiality and will recuse themselves from considering 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.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF AUTHORS
Authorship of a paper
Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Others who have participated in certain aspects of the research project should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to submit it for publication.

Reporting standards
Authors of reports of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper, without fabrication, falsification or inappropriate data manipulation. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. Review articles or position papers should also be accurate and objective.

Data access and retention
As part of open science practices, authors may be asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review, and should in any event be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication. In any event, authors should ensure accessibility of such data to other competent professionals after publication (preferably via an institutional or subject-based data repository), provided that the confidentiality of the participants can be protected and legal rights concerning proprietary data do not preclude their release.

Originality, plagiarism and acknowledgement of sources
Authors must submit only work that is their own and that is original. Authors must also appropriately cite or quote the work and/or the words of others. Source publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work should also be cited.

Plagiarism screening policy
Manuscripts accepted for publication in the JPLL are subjected to plagiarism check through iThenticate plagiarism check software. Authors are expected to conform to the originality expectations of the journal. Derivative or plagiarized submissions will be rejected. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarized other work or included third-party copyright material without permission, or where the authorship of the article is contested, the JPLL reserves the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing a correction; retracting the article; or taking up the matter with superiors at the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies as necessary.

Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication
Prior to submission authors must confirm that any submitted manuscripts are not currently under consideration or submitted at another journal. JPLL will not consider publication of a manuscript that has been published in whole or in part by another journal or that has been submitted to another publication. Submission of multi-authored manuscripts implies the consent of each of the authors. If data from a project is reported in other published work, or if the data reported represent only part of a larger research project described in multiple publications, these must be clearly disclosed at the time of submission.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest
Authors must disclose at the time of submission (in their manuscript) any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be perceived to influence the results or interpretation of their work. All sources of financial support for the project must be disclosed.

Fundamental errors in published works
When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editors or editorial board and cooperate with them to retract or correct the paper.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF REVIEWERS
Contribution to editorial decisions
The peer review process assists the editors and editorial board in making editorial decisions and may also assist the author in improving the paper. Invited reviewers who may feel unqualified to review a manuscript, who are unable to complete a review in a timely manner, or who have a conflict of interest must notify the editors and withdraw from the review process.

Confidentiality
Any manuscripts received for review are confidential documents and must be treated as such. They must not be shared or discussed with others except as authorized by the editors or editorial board.

Standards of objectivity
Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Acknowledgement of sources
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Reviewers should also report to the editors or editorial board any similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and conflict of interest
Reviewers and editors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest. Reviewers must not consider or review manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or any other connection with the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the research.