Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

For International Journal of Geographical and Spatial Studies (JGSS)

1. Introduction

International Journal of Geographical and Spatial Studies (JGSS) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all forms of malpractice seriously. This statement is based on the guidelines and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). All parties involved in the publication process—authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher—are expected to adhere to these principles.

2. Duties of Authors

2.1. Originality and Plagiarism:

• Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original.      Words, ideas, or data from other sources must be appropriately cited.

• Plagiarism in all its forms—from verbatim copying to      paraphrasing without attribution—constitutes unethical behavior and is      unacceptable.

• Manuscripts found to be plagiarized will be immediately      rejected and may lead to future submissions being banned.

2.2. Data Access and Retention:

• Authors may be asked to provide the raw data of their study for      editorial review and must be prepared to make such data publicly available      if practicable. They should ensure accessibility of such data for a      reasonable time after publication.

2.3. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication:

• Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal      concurrently is unethical and unacceptable.

• Authors must not publish manuscripts describing essentially the      same research in more than one journal.

2.4. Acknowledgement of Sources:

• Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be      provided. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in      determining the nature of the reported work.

2.5. Authorship of the Manuscript:

• Authorship should be limited to those who have made a      significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or      interpretation of the reported study.

• All contributing authors must be listed. The corresponding      author ensures that all co-authors have seen and approved the final      version of the paper and have agreed to its submission.

2.6. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest:

• All authors must disclose any financial, personal, or      professional conflicts of interest that could be construed to influence      the results or their interpretation.

2.7. Fundamental Errors in Published Works:

• If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in      their own published work, it is their obligation to promptly notify the      journal's editor and cooperate to retract or correct the paper.

3. Duties of Reviewers

3.1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions:

• Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions      and, through editorial communications with the author, may also assist the      author in improving the paper.

3.2. Promptness:

• Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the      research reported in a manuscript or knows that timely review will be      impossible should notify the editor and excuse themselves.

3.3. Confidentiality:

• Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential      documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as      authorized by the editor.

3.4. Standards of Objectivity:

• Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of      the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly      with supporting arguments.

3.5. Acknowledgement of Sources:

• Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not      been cited by the authors. They should also alert the editor to any      substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under      consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal      knowledge.

3.6. Conflicts of Interest:

• Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have      conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other      relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions      connected to the papers.

4. Duties of Editors

4.1. Fair Play & Editorial Independence:

• Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on their intellectual merit      (importance, originality, study validity, clarity) without regard to the      authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship,      religious belief, political philosophy, or institutional affiliation.

4.2. Confidentiality:

• Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information      about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding      author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the      publisher, as appropriate.

4.3. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest:

• Editors will not use unpublished information disclosed in a      submitted manuscript for their own research purposes without the author's      explicit written consent.

4.4. Publication Decisions:

• The editor is responsible for deciding which manuscripts      submitted to the journal should be published. The editor will be guided by      the policies of the journal and constrained by legal requirements      regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

4.5. Investigation of Ethical Concerns:

• The editor will take responsive measures when ethical concerns      are raised regarding a submitted or published paper. This may include      contacting the authors' institutions and relevant bodies, following COPE      flowcharts where applicable. Every reported act of unethical publishing      behavior will be looked into, even if it is discovered years after      publication.

5. Duties of the Publisher

5.1. Editorial Autonomy:

• The publisher is committed to ensuring the autonomy of      editorial decisions without influence from commercial or political      interests.

5.2. Intellectual Property and Copyright:

• The publisher will protect the intellectual property and      copyright of the journal's content and will be vigilant against plagiarism      and academic misconduct.

5.3. Archiving:

• The publisher is committed to the long-term digital      preservation and accessibility of the journal's content, typically through      archiving in trusted digital repositories (e.g., CLOCKSS, Portico).

6. Procedures for Dealing with Unethical Behavior

• Identification of Misconduct: Misconduct      may be brought to the editor's attention by anyone.

• Investigation: The editor will      confidentially investigate any allegation, seeking response from the      accused party.

• Outcomes: If misconduct is      confirmed, possible actions include:

• Informing the author's or reviewer's institution.

• Rejection of the manuscript and a ban on future submissions.

• Retraction of a published article with a clear retraction       statement.

• Publishing a formal notice of the ethical violation.

7. Retraction and Correction Policy
The journal will follow the COPE guidelines for retractions. If significant errors or ethical concerns are confirmed in a published article, a retraction notice will be published, clearly linked to the original article, stating the reason for retraction. Minor errors may be corrected with a formal correction (erratum).

8. Contact Information
For any questions or concerns regarding this policy or to report a potential ethical issue, please contact the Editorial Office at:  jgss2026@163.com.

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