Publication Ethics and Research Integrity
The Polaris Global Journal of Scholarly Research and Trends (PGJSRT) is committed to maintaining the integrity, reliability, transparency, and ethical quality of the scholarly record.
The journal's publication-ethics policies are informed by internationally recognized principles of scholarly publishing and research integrity, including guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
1. Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must submit original work.
Plagiarism, unattributed copying, duplicate publication, inappropriate text recycling, fabrication, falsification, and misleading manipulation of data, images, quotations, or sources are prohibited.
PGJSRT may use similarity-detection and other research-integrity screening tools. Similarity percentages are evaluated contextually and are not used as an automatic definition of plagiarism.
2. Duplicate and Concurrent Submission
A manuscript must not be simultaneously submitted to another journal.
Previously published work will not normally be considered as an original submission unless the journal has explicitly agreed to an appropriate form of secondary publication.
3. Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship must reflect genuine scholarly contribution.
All listed authors must approve the submitted manuscript and the final Version of Record.
Individuals who contributed but do not qualify for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately.
Guest, gift, honorary, and ghost authorship are prohibited.
4. Conflicts of Interest
Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably influence, or appear to influence, their judgment.
Editors and reviewers must withdraw from handling manuscripts where an unresolved conflict exists.
5. Funding
Authors must disclose the source of financial, institutional, commercial, or other material support for the research.
The role of the funder in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions should be stated where relevant.
6. Data Integrity
Fabrication, falsification, selective manipulation, or misleading presentation of data is prohibited.
Authors must retain sufficient supporting documentation or research data to respond to legitimate questions about the integrity of their work, subject to ethical and legal restrictions.
7. Data Availability and Reproducibility
Authors should make supporting data, materials, code, instruments, or other relevant resources available when ethically, legally, and practically possible.
Research articles should contain a Data Availability Statement.
8. Human Participants
Research involving humans must comply with applicable ethical standards.
Where institutional ethics review is required, manuscripts must state the approving institution or committee and, where available, the approval/reference number.
Informed consent must be obtained where appropriate.
9. Vulnerable Populations
Studies involving children, prisoners, refugees, individuals with impaired decision-making capacity, marginalized communities, or other vulnerable populations require enhanced ethical safeguards.
Parental or guardian consent and participant assent must be obtained when appropriate.
Authors must demonstrate that participation was voluntary and that risks, privacy concerns, and potential coercion were appropriately addressed.
10. Animals
Research involving animals must comply with applicable institutional and national standards for animal welfare and must identify relevant ethical approval where required.
11. Confidentiality and Privacy
Personally identifiable or sensitive information must not be published without appropriate consent or another valid ethical and legal basis.
12. Image and Data Manipulation
Images or data may be adjusted only where such processing does not misrepresent the original information.
Fabricated images, undisclosed compositing, selective alteration, or manipulation intended to mislead readers is prohibited.
13. Citation Practices
References must be relevant and genuinely support the statements for which they are cited.
Citation manipulation, coercive citation, excessive self-citation for metric enhancement, fabricated citations, and citation cartels are prohibited.
14. Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions are made according to scholarly merit, relevance, quality, ethical compliance, and the interests of readers.
Article Processing Charges, sponsorship, publisher interests, personal relationships, nationality, institutional affiliation, political beliefs, religion, gender, or other irrelevant characteristics must not influence editorial decisions.
15. Allegations of Misconduct
PGJSRT takes reasonable steps to investigate credible allegations of research or publication misconduct.
Depending on the circumstances, action may include:
• requesting explanations or original data;
• suspending editorial consideration;
• rejecting the submission;
• issuing a correction;
• issuing an expression of concern;
• retracting an article; or
• communicating with relevant institutions or authorities where appropriate.
Allegations will be handled as confidentially and fairly as reasonably possible.
16. Corrections and Retractions
PGJSRT recognizes its responsibility to correct the scholarly record.
Material errors may be addressed through formal correction notices.
Articles may be retracted when findings are unreliable because of serious error or misconduct, when plagiarism or redundant publication is established, when research was conducted unethically, or in other circumstances requiring removal of the article's findings from the reliable scholarly record.
Retraction notices will remain publicly accessible and linked to the affected article.
17. Complaints and Appeals
Authors, readers, reviewers, or other parties may submit reasoned complaints concerning editorial procedure, ethics, or published content.
Authors may appeal editorial decisions when they believe a significant factual or procedural error affected the decision.
Appeals must address the scholarly or procedural basis of the decision rather than simply express disagreement.
Complaints and appeals are reviewed by an editor or responsible person who was not directly involved where reasonably possible.
18. Post-Publication Concerns
PGJSRT will consider substantiated concerns raised after publication.
The journal may seek clarification from authors, institutions, reviewers, or other qualified parties and may publish an appropriate correction, expression of concern, or retraction where warranted.
