Ethics and Malpractices Statement
The editorial board of GPR Journals is devoted to prevent publication malpractices, and any kind of unethical behavior is not acceptable. GPR Journals is a keen observer of the COPE toolkit guide on the expected ethical practices in scholarly publishing. More information on COPE guidelines can be found on http://publicationethics.org/resources/code-conduct
Transparency Policy
Contact details
The editorial team’s information is fully disclosed in GPR Journal’s home page. The information includes editors’ full names, editors’ affiliations and GPR Journal’s office contacts.
Peer review process
Peer review is defined as subjecting an author’s scholarly work or research articles to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field but are not part of the journal’s editorial team. Peer review functions to encourage authors to meet the accepted high standards of their discipline and to ensure that unwarranted claims, unacceptable interpretations or personal views are not published without prior expert review. GPR Journals strives to provide the fairest system of double-blind peer review and the best possible service to authors. This process and related procedures are clearly described in the peer review process tab. Click here for more information.
Publication process
GPR Journals offers a smooth and simple publication process which entails different stages. These stages and related procedures are clearly described in the publication process tab. Click here for more information.
Publication charges
GPR Journals requires Article Processing Charges of USD 100 that will be billed to the submitting author following the acceptance of an article for publication. Apart from these Article Process Charges, there are no extra charges. The APC covers editorial costs, electronic production, journal information system, electronic archiving and administrative costs. Upon request by the author, GPR Journals can provide a hardcopy print of the issue in which the author’s manuscript appears at a cost of USD 60 + transit fees which varies with author’s residence.
Copyright and access
Authors retain the copyright of their work after publishing in GPR Journals. The copyright is released under a “Creative Commons Attribution License,” enabling the unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction of an article in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited. More information on “Creative Commons Attribution License” can be found on: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/
Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to include or to adapt any information such as images, tables, artwork etc. in their articles that is copyrighted by others. The copyright holder must be made explicitly aware that the image(s), tables, or artwork will be made freely available online as part of the article under a “Creative Commons Attribution License”.
GPR Journals supports the need for authors to share, disseminate and maximize the impact of their research and these rights are summarized as follows;
Copyright on any open access article in a journal published by GPR Journals is retained by the author(s).
Authors grant a license to GPR Journals to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher.
Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are identified.
Authors retain patent and trademark rights.
Authors can re-use their own material in new works without permission or payment (with full acknowledgement of the original article)
Disclosure and conflicts of interest
When authors submit their articles to GPR Journals, editors are not allowed to use information contained in the unpublished articles for their own research. If an editors would wish to use such information, the editor must receive express written consent of the author.
Responsibilities Policy
Authors’ Responsibilities
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. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
Originality and Plagiarism
The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited or quoted.
Multiple or Concurrent Publication
An author should not submit content that has been accepted or published in another Journal.
Acknowledgement of Sources
Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.
Authorship of the 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. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors.
The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication
Copyright and Access
The author(s) of a manuscript agree that if the manuscript is accepted for publication by GPR Journals, the copyright of published manuscript is released under a “Creative Commons Attribution License.” Creative Commons Attribution License enable the unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction of an article in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited. More information on “Creative Commons Attribution License can be found on: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/
Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to include any information such as images, tables, artwork etc. for which they do not hold copyright in their articles, or to adapt any such information for inclusion in their articles. The copyright holder must be made explicitly aware that the image(s), tables, or artwork will be made freely available online as part of the article under a “Creative Commons Attribution License”.
Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects
GPR Journals follows the National Research Council guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK54050/). If the research involves chemicals, procedures or equipment that have any unusual hazards inherent in their use, the authors must clearly mention these in the manuscript. If the work involves the use of animals or human participants, the author should ensure that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that the appropriate institutional committee(s) has approved them; the manuscript should contain a statement to this effect. Each research study involving human subjects must conform to the ethical norms and standards in the Declaration of Helsinki.https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.
Fundamental Errors in Published Works
When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate with them to either retract the paper or to publish an appropriate correction statement. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.
Reviewers’ Responsibilities
Reviewers of GPR Journals work for the journal on a volunteer basis. Given that most of these individuals are in full-time employment, reviewers are free to decline invitations to review particular manuscripts at their discretion. For instance, if reviewer’ current employment workload and/or other commitments make it prohibitive for them to complete a review in a timely fashion and to do justice to the task in the available time frame, they can decline invitations to review. They should also not accept manuscript review assignments for which they feel unqualified.
Reviewers who have accepted manuscript assignments are normally expected to submit their reviews within 7 – 10 days. They should recuse themselves from the assignment if it becomes apparent to them at any stage that they do not possess the required expertise to perform the review, or that they may have a potential conflict of interest in performing the review (e.g., one resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, institutions, or companies associated with the manuscript).
Privileged information or ideas obtained by reviewers through the peer review process must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents, and must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by GPR Journal Editor.
When conducting their reviews, reviewers are asked to do so as objectively as possible, refraining from engaging in personal criticism of the author(s). They are encouraged to express their views clearly, explaining and justifying all recommendations made. They should always attempt to provide detailed and constructive feedback to assist the author(s) in improving their work, even if the manuscript is, in their opinion, not publishable.
Reviewers should identify in their reviews relevant published work that has not been cited by the author(s), together with any instances in which proper attribution of sources has not been provided. They should call to the responsible editor’s attention any major resemblances between a manuscript under consideration and other published articles or papers of which they are aware, as well as any concerns they might have in relation to the ethical acceptability of the research reported in the manuscript.
Editors’ Responsibilities
Editors evaluate manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their scientific merit (novelty, technical merits, quality of the data, conclusions based on data, importance for the scientific community, presentation) regardless of the authors’ citizenship, race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, religious belief, or political philosophy. The Editor-in-Chiefs have full authority over the entire editorial content of the journal and the timing of publication of that content.
Editors and editorial staff should not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the authors (all authors need to be informed), reviewers, potential reviewers, members of Editorial Board, as appropriate.
Editors should not use unpublished information for their own purposes. This information will be kept confidential. Editors will evaluate manuscripts in which they have NO substantial conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships/connections with any of the authors, companies or institutions connected to the papers.
The editors should ensure that accepted manuscripts have undergone peer-review by an expert in the field. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for decisions based on the reviewer’s and editor’s comments, and will not accept papers, which reveal defamation, copyright infringement, falsification, fabrication and plagiarism.
Every unethical publishing behavior will be investigated, even if it is discovered years after publication and Editors/Publishers will follow the COPE recommendations. If simple error or misconduct are confirmed, a correction, retraction, or other note will be published in the journal.
Responsibilities of Publisher
The publisher is involved in handling of unethical publishing behavior. In cases of scientific misconduct, plagiarism, or fraudulent publication, the publisher (with the editors), will clarify the situation and take action including publication of an erratum, correction or even the retraction. The publisher with the editors, will prevent the publication of fraudulent papers and will not allow misconduct to take place.
Disclaimer
No responsibility is assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. The respective individual author(s) are responsible for the facts and views expressed in their articles. Authors are solely responsible for their manuscripts and data published in the journals and any mistakes in the published articles. The publisher does not take any such responsibilities. Copying and reproducing any parts of the published articles should be duly acknowledged, otherwise, it will be considered as an offence as per international law.
Licensing Policy
In submitting an article to the GPR Journals, the corresponding implicitly certify that;
1. I am authorized on behalf of my co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
2. I warrant, on behalf of myself and my co-authors, that:
The article is original, has not been formally submitted/published in any other peer-reviewed journal, is not under consideration by any other journal and does not infringe any existing copyright or any other third party rights;
I/we are the sole author(s) of the article and have full authority to enter into this agreement and in granting permission to GPR Journals for publication;
The article contains nothing that is unlawful, defamatory, or which would, if published, constitute a breach of contract or of confidence or of commitment given to secrecy;
I/we have taken due care to ensure the integrity of the article. To my/our – and currently accepted scientific – knowledge all statements contained in it purporting to be facts are true and any formula or instruction contained in the article will not, if followed accurately, cause any injury, illness or damage to the user.
3. I, and all co-authors, agree that the article, if editorially accepted for publication, shall be licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0.
The articles published in GPR Journals are entirely under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY) license. This license permits user to freely share (copy, distribute and transmit) and adapt the contribution including for commercial purposes, as long as the author is properly cited.