Publication Ethics Policy

Purpose

Verdant Legacy Publications is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. This Publication Ethics Policy establishes the ethical responsibilities of authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers involved in the publication process. All journals published by Verdant Legacy Publications adhere to internationally recognized ethical standards to ensure the reliability and credibility of the scholarly record.

Compliance with International Standards

Verdant Legacy Publications follows the principles and best practices of:

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)
• Committee on Best Practices in Scholarly Publishing
• Creative Commons Licensing Standards

All stakeholders are expected to comply with these ethical guidelines throughout the submission, review, and publication process.

Research Integrity

Authors must conduct and report research honestly, accurately, and transparently.

Research findings should be presented without fabrication, falsification, manipulation, or inappropriate data modification.

Authors are expected to maintain complete and accurate records of research data and provide supporting information when requested by editors.

Originality and Plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must represent original work and must not have been previously published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.

Authors must appropriately acknowledge and cite the work of others.

All submissions undergo plagiarism screening using similarity detection software.

As a general guideline, manuscripts should not exceed a similarity index of 15%, excluding references, quotations, and commonly used scientific terminology.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• Direct copying without attribution.
• Paraphrasing without citation.
• Self-plagiarism or duplicate publication.
• Unauthorized use of data, figures, or tables.

Manuscripts found to contain plagiarism may be rejected, corrected, retracted, or subject to further investigation.

Duplicate Submission and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously.

Publication of substantially similar work in more than one journal without appropriate disclosure is considered unethical.

Authors must disclose any closely related manuscripts currently under review or previously published.

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to:

• Study conception or design.
• Data collection.
• Data analysis or interpretation.
• Manuscript preparation.
• Critical revision of intellectual content.

All authors must:

• Approve the final version of the manuscript.
• Agree to its submission and publication.
• Accept responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

Contribution statements using the CRediT Taxonomy are encouraged and may be required.

Individuals who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

Changes to Authorship

Requests for addition, removal, or reordering of authors after submission must:

• Be submitted in writing.
• Include justification for the change.
• Receive written approval from all listed authors.

Editors reserve the right to request supporting documentation and evaluate requests in accordance with COPE recommendations.

Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, personal, or other relationships that could influence the publication process.

Potential conflicts include:

• Research funding.
• Employment relationships.
• Consultancy arrangements.
• Personal relationships.
• Intellectual property interests.

All disclosures will be evaluated to determine whether additional actions are necessary to maintain impartiality.

Funding Disclosure

Authors must identify all sources of financial support related to the research.

Funding statements should include:

• Funding organization.
• Grant number (where applicable).
• Role of the funder in study design, analysis, and publication decisions.

Transparency regarding research funding helps maintain trust in published findings.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Authors must disclose the use of generative artificial intelligence tools in manuscript preparation, data analysis, figure generation, language editing, or other research-related activities.

Examples of such tools include large language models and AI-assisted content generation systems.

Authors remain fully responsible for:

• Accuracy of content.
• Originality of work.
• Verification of all AI-assisted outputs.
• Compliance with ethical and scientific standards.

Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for published work.

Preprints

Verdant Legacy Publications supports responsible sharing of research through recognized preprint platforms.

Authors may deposit manuscripts on preprint servers before submission provided that:

• The preprint is disclosed during submission.
• The preprint version is appropriately cited where relevant.
• The final published version is linked when available.

Publication in a journal following preprint dissemination does not constitute duplicate publication.

Human Research Ethics

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional requirements.

Authors must provide:

• Name of the approving ethics committee.
• Approval reference number.
• Confirmation of informed consent where applicable.

Editors may request supporting documentation before publication.

Animal Research Ethics

Research involving animals must be conducted in accordance with recognized animal welfare regulations and institutional ethical standards.

Authors must provide details of ethical approval and demonstrate efforts to minimize animal suffering.

Failure to provide appropriate ethical documentation may result in rejection.

Inclusive and Respectful Language

Authors are expected to use language that is inclusive, respectful, and free from discrimination based on:

• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Nationality
• Religion
• Disability
• Age
• Sexual orientation

Scientific writing should avoid stereotypes and unnecessary bias.

Reporting Standards

Authors should present methods, results, and interpretations clearly and accurately.

Where relevant, studies should include sex- and gender-based analyses to improve reproducibility and applicability.

Authors should provide sufficient detail to enable replication of research findings.

Confidentiality

Editors and reviewers must maintain confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts and unpublished information obtained during the review process.

Confidential information must not be used for personal advantage or disclosed to unauthorized individuals.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on:

• Scientific merit.
• Originality.
• Relevance to journal scope.
• Ethical compliance.

Commercial interests, advertising, sponsorship, or financial considerations must not influence editorial decisions.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

When errors or ethical concerns are identified, Verdant Legacy Publications may issue:

• Corrections.
• Retractions.
• Expressions of concern.
• Editorial notices.

Such actions will follow COPE guidance and aim to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Misconduct Investigations

Allegations of misconduct may include:

• Plagiarism.
• Data fabrication.
• Data falsification.
• Authorship disputes.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
• Ethical approval violations.

All allegations will be investigated fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with COPE recommendations.

Appropriate actions may include manuscript rejection, publication correction, retraction, institutional notification, or other corrective measures.

Policy Review

This policy may be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect evolving ethical standards and publishing best practices.

Contact Information

Questions regarding publication ethics may be directed to:

Verdant Legacy Publications Email: editorial@verdantlegacy.org

Website: https://verdantlegacy.com