Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Quick Reference Guide

Area	Your Obligations	Prohibited	Consequences
Authorship	Meet all 4 ICMJE criteria; corresponding author ensures compliance	Guest, gift, or ghost authorship	Minor: Manuscript revision Serious: Rejection, retraction, submission ban
Misconduct	Preserve data; ensure originality; verify all content	Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, image manipulation, citation manipulation	Minor: Revision request Moderate: Rejection Serious: Retraction, institutional notification, submission ban
Conflicts of Interest	Disclose all financial and non-financial interests at submission	Undisclosed conflicts that influence work	Minor: Disclosure correction Serious: Rejection or retraction
Data & Ethics	Include data availability statement; obtain ethical approval for human/animal research	Fabricated data; research without required approvals	Rejection, retraction, institutional notification, reporting to regulatory authorities
AI Use	Disclose substantive AI use; verify all AI-generated content	Undisclosed AI content generation; AI-fabricated data or references	Minor: Disclosure correction Moderate: Rejection Serious: Retraction; see AI Policy
Post-Publication	Respond to editorial queries within 2-4 weeks; cooperate with investigations	Ignoring substantiated concerns after repeated contact	Expression of concern or retraction

1. Introduction

This statement explains what WAJOFEL expects from authors, reviewers, and editors, and how ethical concerns are handled. It aligns with the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME, 2022) and COPE guidelines.

2. Authorship and Contributorship

2.1 Who Qualifies as an Author

All authors must meet all four criteria:

Substantial contributions to conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation
Drafting or critically revising the manuscript
Final approval of the published version
Accountability for all aspects of the work

Contributors who don’t meet all criteria should be acknowledged, not listed as authors.

2.2 Corresponding Author Responsibilities

Ensure all authors approved submission and meet authorship criteria
Manage communication with the journal
Disclose all conflicts of interest
Confirm ethical compliance

2.3 Prohibited Practices

Guest authorship: Listing people without substantial contributions
Gift authorship: Adding authors as favours
Ghost authorship: Omitting people who made substantial contributions
Artificial intelligence authorship: AI lacks agency

Consequences: Manuscript revision, rejection, retraction, institutional notification, submission prohibition.

3. Research Misconduct and Safeguarding the Record

3.1 What Constitutes Misconduct

Type	Definition	Detection
Plagiarism	Using others’ ideas, words, or results without credit (including self-plagiarism)	Turnitin screening during editorial review
Data fabrication	Inventing data or results	Editorial review, statistical analysis, raw data requests
Data falsification	Manipulating data to misrepresent research	Image forensics, peer review, institutional investigation
Image manipulation	Altering images to obscure or misrepresent data	Automated detection, expert review
Citation manipulation	Excessive self-citation or citation cartels	Editorial monitoring of citation patterns
Duplicate publication	Submitting same work to multiple journals or republishing without disclosure	CrossCheck, editorial screening

3.2 Investigation Process

When misconduct is suspected:

Preliminary assessment (1 week): Managing editor evaluates evidence
Author notification (2-4 weeks to respond): Explain allegation, request response
Investigation: Examine evidence, consult reviewers/institutions as needed
Decision: Based on evidence and COPE flowcharts
Action: Proportionate to severity

All investigations are confidential until concluded.

3.3 Outcomes

Minor issues: Manuscript revision
Moderate violations: Rejection, publication delay
Serious misconduct: Rejection/retraction, institutional notification, submission ban, and reporting to professional bodies

As copyright holder, WAJOFEL can retract articles when misconduct is confirmed, even without author consent.

3.4 Prevention Measures

Turnitin plagiarism screening on all manuscripts
Double-blind peer review by independent experts
Editorial screening for quality and ethical compliance
Regular editor/reviewer ethics training
Periodic process audits

4. Conflicts of Interest

4.1 What Must Be Disclosed

Authors: Employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, grants, patents, personal relationships, academic competition
Reviewers: Any relationship with authors, recent collaboration, financial interests, strong biases
Editors: Must recuse themselves from manuscripts involving colleagues, collaborators, or conflicts
Fee waivers: Editorial decisions are independent of authors’ ability to pay. Fee waiver status is not disclosed to reviewers.

4.2 How Conflicts Are Managed

Disclosed in manuscript or confidential comments
Significant conflicts disclosed in published article
Conflicted reviewers/editors removed from handling

Failure to disclose: Correction, rejection, or retraction depending on severity.

5. Data Sharing and Ethical Oversight

5.1 Data Availability

Required: Data availability statement in all manuscripts
Encouraged: Deposit data in public repositories with DOIs
Exceptions: Ethical restrictions, legal constraints, confidentiality agreements (must be explained)

5.2 Ethical Approval

Human participants: Ethics committee/IRB approval required before research starts. Manuscript must state:

Approving body name
Reference number
Approval date
Informed consent obtained (or waiver justification)

Animal research: Institutional/national ethical approval. Compliance with ARRIVE guidelines.

No approval obtained: Must explain why not required and confirm regulatory compliance.

6. Copyright and Intellectual Property

6.1 Copyright Transfer

Upon acceptance, authors transfer copyright to WAJOFEL. Articles are published under CC BY-SA 4.0, which means:

Anyone (including original authors) can use, share, and adapt with attribution
Derivative works must use the same license
Authors can reuse their work in future publications with attribution
Authors can deposit in repositories

6.2 Third-Party Content

Authors must obtain written permission to reproduce:

Figures, tables, images from other sources
Substantial text excerpts (>200 words)
Any copyrighted material

Missing permissions: Content removal or publication delay.

6.3 Artificial Intelligence

Required: Disclose substantive AI use in an AI declaration or in the Methods section
Specify: Tool name, version, purpose, date, extent of use
Verify: Authors accountable for accuracy of all AI-generated content
Prohibited: AI-generated data presented as real (disclosed synthetic data used as a research method is governed by the AI Policy), undisclosed AI content, fabricated references

Consequences range from disclosure correction to rejection or retraction, depending on severity.

See the dedicated Artificial Intelligence Policy for full guidance.

7. Post-Publication: Corrections and Retractions

7.1 When Each Is Used

Correction (minor errors not affecting conclusions):

Typos, affiliation errors, minor data presentation errors
Published promptly, linked to original article

Expression of Concern (investigation ongoing):

Alert readers while investigation continues
Updated when investigation concludes

Retraction (fundamental problems):

Research misconduct (fabrication, falsification, plagiarism)
Serious errors invalidating findings
Duplicate publication without disclosure
Unethical research practices
Undisclosed conflicts undermining credibility

7.2 How Readers Raise Concerns

Contact: wajofel@noun.edu.ng

All concerns are reviewed promptly. Substantiated issues result in author response request, correction, expression of concern, retraction, or formal investigation.

7.3 Retraction Process

Retraction notice published prominently
States reasons clearly
Identifies who is retracting (editor/publisher/author)
Freely accessible regardless of original article access
Original article remains in archive with retraction watermark
Indexing services notified

8. Complaints and Appeals

8.1 How to Complain

Submit to Editor-in-Chief (wajofel@noun.edu.ng):

Your name, affiliation, contact
Clear description with evidence
Desired outcome

Response: Acknowledged within 5 working days, outcome within 4 weeks (or update if delayed).

8.2 How to Appeal Editorial Decisions

Authors may appeal within 4 weeks (extensions for exceptional circumstances) if the decision involved:

Factual error
Procedural irregularity
Bias

The appeal process:

Submit: Detailed grounds, evidence, and a point-by-point response to reviewers
Review: Independent senior editor (not involved in original decision)
Outcome: Communicated within 4 weeks; the decision is final

8.3 Escalation

Unresolved complaints or those concerning the Editor-in-Chief: escalate to publisher or advisory board.

9. Continuous Improvement

This statement is reviewed biennially and updated for:

COPE guidance changes
Legal/regulatory changes
Emerging issues (AI, data transparency, open science)
Stakeholder feedback
Changes to the AI Policy, which is reviewed annually and takes precedence on AI-related matters

Feedback welcome: wajofel@noun.edu.ng

10. Summary

WAJOFEL is committed to research integrity, transparent processes, and fair treatment of all stakeholders. This statement:

Defines clear expectations for authors, reviewers, and editors
Explains how misconduct is detected and addressed
Provides accessible complaint and appeal procedures
Aligns with international best practices (COPE, ICMJE, WAME)

Key principle: Human accountability, transparency, and rigorous ethical standards underpin everything we publish.

Contact: wajofel@noun.edu.ng | https://wajofel.org