Publication Ethics and Misconduct

The Community Action and Social Transformation Journal (CAST Journal) is a peer-reviewed international journal, available online and published four times a year (March, June, September, December). This statement clarifies the ethical behavior of all parties involved in the act of publishing an article in this journal, including authors, the Editor-in-Chief, the Editorial Board, peer reviewers, and the publisher Sustainable Education Researchers Alliance (serral.org). This statement is based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal is a fundamental step in building a coherent and respected body of knowledge. It directly reflects the quality of the authors’ work and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method, and it is therefore important to establish standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in the publication process.

Sustainable Education Researchers Alliance (serral.org), as the publisher of CAST Journal, takes its guardianship responsibilities over all stages of publishing seriously. We are committed to ensuring that advertising, reprints, or commercial revenue have no impact or influence on editorial decisions.

Duties of Editors

Publication Decisions
The editor is responsible for deciding which submitted articles should be published. Decisions are guided by the validity, originality, and importance of the work to researchers and readers. Editors may confer with reviewers or other editors in making decisions and must ensure compliance with legal requirements such as plagiarism, copyright, and libel.
Fair Play
Editors must evaluate manuscripts based on intellectual content without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, or political beliefs of the authors.
Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Unpublished materials in submitted manuscripts must not be used by editors for their own research without the express written consent of the author.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer review assists editors in making decisions and helps authors improve their manuscripts through constructive feedback.
Promptness
Reviewers who feel unqualified to evaluate a manuscript or unable to complete the review in a timely manner should notify the editor and withdraw from the review process.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be shared with others without authorization from the editor.
Objectivity
Reviews must be conducted objectively, without personal criticism of the author. Referees should clearly express their views with supporting arguments.
Acknowledgement of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant published work not cited by the authors and report any substantial overlap or similarity between the manuscript and other published works.
Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers must not use privileged information for personal advantage and should decline to review manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.

Duties of Authors

Reporting Standards
Authors must present an accurate account of the work performed, with sufficient detail and references for replication. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior.
Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure their works are original. If the work or words of others are used, they must be appropriately cited.
Multiple or Concurrent Publication
Authors should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals concurrently is unethical.
Acknowledgement of Sources
Proper acknowledgment of others’ work must always be given.
Authorship of the Paper
Authorship should be limited to those who made significant contributions to the study. All co-authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that may influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.
Fundamental Errors in Published Works
If authors discover significant errors in their published work, they must promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate in retracting or correcting the article.