Publication Ethics

The publication ethics and publication malpractice statement of the Women's Forum is guided by principles and standards set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We are committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in all facets of our publication process. The responsibilities of authors, reviewers, and editors are articulated below:

RESPONSIBILITIES OF AUTHORS

1. Originality and Attribution : Authors who submit manuscripts to the Women's Forum warrant that their submissions constitute their own original work, have not been previously published, and are not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. Proper attribution through citations and quotes is essential for ideas and content not originating from the authors.
2. Redundant Publication : Authors should refrain from submitting manuscripts describing essentially the same research to multiple journals or publication outlets. Such redundancy is considered unethical publishing behaviour and may lead to the rejection of a manuscript under consideration or the retraction of a published article.
3. Accuracy and Data Presentation : Authors reporting original research must provide an accurate account of their work, accompanied by an objective discussion of its significance. Data should be accurately presented within the manuscript, with sufficient detail and references to enable others to replicate the work. Fabrication of results or making fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements is considered unethical and may result in manuscript rejection or article retraction.
4. Conflict of Interest : When manuscripts report on commercial software, hardware, or other products, authors must declare any potential conflict of interest at the beginning of the manuscript. Authors should either state that no conflict of interest exists or describe the nature of any potential conflicts. Additionally, all sources of financial support for the research should be disclosed in the manuscript.
5. Copyright and Licensing : Authors submitting manuscripts to Women's Forum agree that if their manuscript is accepted for publication, the published article will be copyrighted under a Creative Commons “Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike” license. This license allows authors to retain copyright while permitting others to freely copy, distribute, and display the work under specific conditions.
6. Permissions for Third-Party Content : Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to include any images or artwork for which they do not hold copyright in their articles. The copyright holder must be informed that the image(s) or artwork will be made freely available online as part of the article under a Creative Commons “Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike” license.
7. Authorship and Acknowledgments : Authors’ names should be listed on the article based on their contributions, with all authors taking responsibility for their individual contributions. Only those individuals who have made substantive contributions should be listed as authors. Individuals with indirect or marginal contributions should be acknowledged in an “Acknowledgments” section at the end of the article.
8. Correction of Errors : Authors should promptly notify Women's Forum’s editors if they discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their published articles. The authors should cooperate with the editors to correct or retract the article as appropriate.

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