Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing

Unisia adheres to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing identified by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). The fourth version of the principles and best practices was published on September 15, 2022 and was available at https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.12. Sources for the principles could also be found on the websites of COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME. 

The journal applies principles and best practices to all published content. The journal also acknowledges that publishers and editors are responsible for promoting accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusivity in all aspects of the publication. Editorial decisions in the journal are based on scholarly merit; not be affected by the origins of the manuscript, including the nationality, ethnicity, political beliefs, race, or religion of the authors. The journal ensures no policies create an exclusionary environment for anyone wanting to engage with the journal and will regularly assess the policies for inclusivity.

Principles of Transparency

Journal Content

1. Name of Journal

The journal’s name should:

  • Be unique and not be one that is easily confused with another journal.
  • Not mislead potential authors and readers about the journal's origin, scope, or association with other journals and organisations.

Adoption and implementation of the above principle or practice in Unisia can be explained here.

2. Website
  • Websites should be properly supported and maintained, with particular attention given to security aspects that help protect users from viruses and malware. As a minimum, websites should use https and not http, and all traffic should be redirected through https.
  • Those responsible for the website should apply web standards and best ethical practices to the website's content, presentation, and application.
  • The website should not contain information that might mislead readers or authors.
  • The website should not copy another journal/publisher’s site, design, or logo.
  • If any text is copied from another website, an acknowledgement to the source website should be declared.

In addition to the requirements outlined above, the following items should be clearly displayed:

  • Aims and scope.
  • The target readership of the journal.
  • The types of manuscripts the journal will consider for publication (for example, that multiple or redundant publication is not allowed).
  • Authorship criteria.
  • ISSNs (separate for print and electronic versions).

Adoption and implementation of the above principle or practice in Unisia can be explained here.

3. Publishing Schedule

A journal’s publishing frequency should be clearly described, and the journal must keep to its publishing schedule unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Adoption and implementation of the above principle or practice in Unisia can be explained here.

4. Archiving

A journal's plan for electronic backup and long term digital preservation of the journal content, in the event that the journal and/or publisher stops operating, should be clearly indicated. Examples include PMC and those listed in the Keepers Registry.

Adoption and implementation of the above principle or practice in Unisia can be explained here:

5. Copyright
  • The copyright terms for published content should be clearly stated on the website and in the content.
  • The copyright terms should be separate and distinct from the copyright of the website.
  • The copyright holder should be named on the full text of all published articles (HTML and PDF).
  • If the copyright terms are described in a separate form, this should be easy to find on the website and available to all.

Adoption and implementation of the above principle or practice in Unisia can be explained here:

6. Licensing
  • Licensing information should be clearly described on the website.
  • Licensing terms should be indicated on the full text of all published articles (HTML and PDF).
  • Content designated as Open Access must use an open licence.
  • Licensing policies about the posting of author manuscripts and published articles in third party repositories should be clearly stated.

If Creative Commons licences are used, then the terms of that licence should also link to the correct licence on the Creative Commons website.

Adoption and implementation of the above principle or practice in Unisia can be explained here:

Journal practices

7. Publication Ethics and Related Editorial Policies

A journal should have policies on publication ethics (for example, COPE's Core Practice guidance).

These should be visible on its website, and should refer to:

Editors and publishers are responsible for ensuring the integrity of the scholarly literature in their journals and should ensure they outline their policies and procedures for handling such issues when they arise. These issues include plagiarism, citation manipulation, and data falsification/fabrication, among others. Neither the journal’s policies nor the statements of its editors should encourage such misconduct, or knowingly allow such misconduct to take place. In the event that a journal's editors or publisher are made aware of any allegation of research misconduct relating to a submitted or published article in their journal, the editor or publisher should follow COPE's guidance (or equivalent) in dealing with allegations.

Adoption and implementation of the above principle or practice in Unisia can be explained here:

8. Peer Review

Peer review is defined as obtaining advice on manuscripts from reviewers/experts in the manuscript’s subject area. Those individuals should not be part of the journal's editorial team. However, the specific elements of peer review may differ by journal and discipline, so the following should be clearly stated on the website:

    • Whether or not the content is peer reviewed.
    • Who conducts the peer review, for example, external experts or editorial board members.
    • The type of peer review process(es) used
    • Any policies related to the peer review procedures, for example:
      • Use of author recommended reviewers.
      • Any masking of identities, and if so who is masked and to whom.
      • Whether or not supplementary material is subjected to peer review.
      • Whether or not reviews are posted with articles.
      • Whether or not reviews are signed or anonymous.
    • How a decision about a manuscript is ultimately made and who is involved.
    • Any exceptions to the peer review process, such as specific article types that do not undergo peer review.

If an article's peer review is an exception to the usual policy, the article should state what review it received.

Journals should not guarantee acceptance of initial manuscript submissions. Statements of peer review times should be supported by published timeframes on accepted papers. In the event of delays, authors should be informed of the reason for the delay and given the opportunity to withdraw their manuscript if they wish.

The date of publication should be published with all published research. Dates of submission and acceptance are preferred as well.

Adoption and implementation of the above principle or practice in Unisia can be explained here:

9. Access

If any of the online content is not freely accessible to everyone, the method of gaining access (for example, registration, subscription, or pay-per-view fees) should be clearly described. If offline versions (for example, print) are available, this should be clearly described along with any associated charges.

Adoption and implementation of the above principle or practice in Unisia can be explained here:

Organisation

10. Ownership and Management
  • Information about the ownership and management of a journal should be clearly indicated on the journal's website.
  • Organisational names should not be used in a way that could mislead potential authors and editors about the nature of the journal's owner.
  • If a journal is affiliated with a society, institution, or sponsor, links to their website(s) should be provided where available.

Adoption and implementation of the above principle or practice in Unisia can be explained here: