Publishing Ethics

CogNexus is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in academic publishing. All parties involved in the publishing process—editors, authors, reviewers, and publishers—are expected to adhere to the ethical guidelines outlined below.

Editorial Responsibilities

• Editorial Independence: All editorial decisions are made independently, based solely on the manuscript’s scholarly merit, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
• Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff will treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential and will not disclose any details except to those involved in the review and publication process.
• Conflict of Interest: Editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a personal, financial, or professional interest.

Author Responsibilities

• Originality: Authors must ensure their manuscripts are original, properly cited, and do not contain plagiarized content.
• Accuracy and Reliability: Authors are responsible for ensuring that the data and findings presented in their work are accurate, verifiable, and reproducible.
• Authorship: Only individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research should be listed as authors. All authors must approve the final manuscript.
• Disclosure of Conflicts: Authors must disclose all financial or personal conflicts of interest that could influence the research or interpretation of results.
• Redundant Publication: Authors must not submit the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously or submit previously published work.

Reviewer Responsibilities

• Confidentiality: Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not discuss or share the content with others.
• Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively, without personal bias or hostility. Feedback should be constructive and aimed at improving the manuscript.
• Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest and decline to review manuscripts where such conflicts exist.

Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication

• Plagiarism Detection: CogNexus uses plagiarism detection software to screen all submissions. Any form of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited.
• Duplicate Submission: Manuscripts that have been published elsewhere or are under consideration by another journal will be rejected immediately.

Retractions and Corrections

• Retraction: Manuscripts may be retracted if they are found to contain fraudulent data, serious errors, or ethical breaches. A retraction notice will be published and linked to the original article.
• Corrections: Minor errors that do not affect the overall findings may be corrected post-publication. Corrections will be clearly labeled and appended to the original article.

Complaints and Appeals

• Complaints: Any complaints about editorial conduct, reviewer behavior, or ethical concerns should be submitted in writing to the editorial office. Complaints will be investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines.
• Appeals: Authors may appeal editorial decisions. Appeals must include a detailed justification and will be reviewed by the editorial board or external advisors, as necessary.

Sanctions

• Plagiarism: Authors found guilty of plagiarism will be banned from submitting to CogNexus for five (5) years.
• Duplicate Publication: Authors found to have engaged in duplicate publication will be banned from submitting to CogNexus for three (3) years.

Disclaimer

CogNexus assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in published articles and disclaims any liability arising from the use or interpretation of published content.