Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policies

Basic Education Research Journal (BERJ)

Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policies

Version 2.0

Publisher: University of Mosul – College of Basic Education
Journal: Basic Education Research Journal (BERJ)

BERJ is committed to high standards of research integrity, publication ethics, transparency, fairness, confidentiality, and responsible scholarly communication.

The journal follows internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, including relevant practices and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), together with applicable institutional, legal, and academic requirements.

These policies apply to authors, editors, editorial-board members, reviewers, and other participants in the publication process.

1. Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

BERJ expects all participants in the publication process to act honestly, objectively, transparently, and responsibly.

Research and publication misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;

  • self-plagiarism or misleading reuse of previously published work;

  • fabrication;

  • falsification;

  • inappropriate manipulation of images or figures;

  • redundant or duplicate publication;

  • simultaneous submission;

  • inappropriate authorship or contributorship;

  • peer-review manipulation;

  • citation manipulation;

  • undisclosed competing interests;

  • misuse of confidential information; and

  • other practices that compromise the integrity of the scholarly record.

BERJ takes credible allegations seriously before and after publication.

The journal may request explanations, supporting documentation, original data, or institutional clarification where appropriate.

Where institutional investigation is required, the journal may communicate with the relevant institution or competent authority.

Editorial responses should be proportionate to the seriousness and evidence associated with the alleged misconduct.

2. Authorship and Contributorship Policy

Authorship must reflect genuine scholarly contribution.

Eligible contributions may include:

  • conception or design;

  • methodology;

  • acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;

  • development of models, algorithms, or analytical methods;

  • drafting of the manuscript; and

  • substantial intellectual revision.

All authors should approve the final version and accept responsibility for their respective contributions.

Honorary or Gift Authorship

Authorship must not be granted solely because of:

  • academic rank;

  • administrative position;

  • institutional influence;

  • personal relationships; or

  • honorary status.

Ghost Authorship

Individuals who made substantial scholarly contributions must not be intentionally omitted from authorship.

Changes in Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission must be justified and handled according to the journal's procedures.

The journal may request confirmation from all affected authors.

Authorship Disputes

Institutional authorship disputes should normally be resolved by the authors' institution or another appropriate authority rather than by the journal.

3. Peer Review Policy

BERJ uses peer review appropriate to the journal's scope and disciplines.

Reviewers are selected based on expertise, independence, relevance, availability, and absence of significant competing interests.

Reviewers must:

  • preserve confidentiality;

  • provide objective and professional assessments;

  • support comments with appropriate scientific reasoning;

  • disclose competing interests;

  • decline reviews when independence or expertise is insufficient;

  • avoid using unpublished information for personal or professional benefit; and

  • avoid sharing manuscripts with unauthorized persons.

Reviewer reports must remain professional and must not contain personal attacks or inappropriate language.

Peer-Review Manipulation

The journal may investigate suspected:

  • reviewer identity fraud;

  • fabricated review reports;

  • fake reviewer accounts;

  • coordinated or manipulated peer review; or

  • other interference with the review process.

4. Conflict of Interest Policy

BERJ requires disclosure of actual, potential, or perceived competing interests that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, scholarly judgment.

Competing interests may be:

  • financial;

  • professional;

  • academic;

  • personal;

  • institutional;

  • related to intellectual property or patents; or

  • related to direct academic competition.

Authors

Authors should disclose relevant relationships and funding that may affect the research or its interpretation.

Reviewers

Reviewers should decline assignments where a significant competing interest could compromise impartiality.

Editors

Editors should not make final decisions on manuscripts in which they have a significant competing interest.

Where appropriate, the manuscript should be reassigned to an independent editor.

If a significant competing interest is discovered after publication, the journal will assess whether a correction, clarification, or other action is needed.

5. Research Misconduct Policy

BERJ uses a proportionate process when credible concerns are raised.

Initial Assessment

The journal evaluates whether the concern has a sufficient basis for further action.

Request for Explanation

The journal may request:

  • explanations;

  • source files;

  • original data;

  • documentation; or

  • other relevant information.

Investigation

When necessary, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution or competent authority.

Editorial Action

Depending on the evidence and seriousness of the matter, the journal may:

  • continue peer review;

  • request revisions;

  • reject the manuscript;

  • publish a correction;

  • issue an Expression of Concern;

  • retract a published article; or

  • take another appropriate editorial action.

A numerical similarity percentage alone is not treated as conclusive proof of plagiarism. The nature, source, context, and legitimacy of the overlap must be assessed.

6. Complaints and Appeals Policy

BERJ handles complaints and appeals fairly, transparently, and, where appropriate, independently.

Complaints may concern:

  • editorial decisions;

  • peer review;

  • authorship;

  • competing interests;

  • editorial conduct;

  • confidentiality;

  • intellectual property; or

  • publication ethics.

Appeals

Authors may request reconsideration of an editorial decision when they provide substantive grounds, such as:

  • a material misunderstanding of the manuscript;

  • a significant procedural error;

  • evidence that a published journal policy was not followed; or

  • a significant competing interest affecting the decision.

Disagreement with a reviewer's scientific judgment alone is not normally sufficient grounds for an appeal.

Complaints Against Editors

Where a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief or another editor directly involved in the matter, it should be referred to an appropriate independent editorial or institutional authority.

7. Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern

BERJ is committed to maintaining a reliable scholarly record.

Correction

A correction may be published when an error can be corrected without fundamentally invalidating the main findings or conclusions.

Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be published when serious questions have arisen regarding a published article but an investigation remains incomplete or available evidence is insufficient for a final decision.

Retraction

An article may be retracted when reliable evidence indicates that its findings or conclusions are substantially unreliable, or when a serious research or publication-integrity problem has occurred.

The scholarly record should remain traceable, and the status of the article must be clearly identified.

8. Data Availability and Reproducibility Policy

BERJ encourages authors to provide sufficient information to support understanding, evaluation, and, where feasible, reproduction of published research.

Where applicable, manuscripts should include a data-availability statement indicating whether:

  • data are publicly available;

  • data are available upon reasonable request;

  • data cannot be shared because of ethical or legal restrictions; or

  • no dataset was generated or analyzed.

Computational and Numerical Studies

Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to provide:

  • source code;

  • datasets;

  • model configurations;

  • algorithms;

  • parameters;

  • software versions;

  • computational environment; and

  • other reproducibility information.

Data must not be fabricated, falsified, or manipulated in a misleading manner.

9. Generative AI Policy

BERJ recognizes that generative-AI tools may be used for legitimate research-support activities, provided that such use does not compromise research integrity, confidentiality, or accountability.

Permitted uses may include:

  • language assistance;

  • proofreading;

  • coding assistance;

  • text organization; and

  • other appropriate support activities.

Authors remain fully responsible for the submitted work.

AI tools must not be used to fabricate:

  • data;

  • results;

  • references;

  • citations;

  • experimental evidence; or

  • other misleading scholarly content.

AI Authorship

Generative-AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

Disclosure

Substantive use of generative AI in producing or transforming scholarly content should be disclosed in accordance with the journal's requirements.

AI and Peer Review

Reviewers must protect manuscript confidentiality and must not upload confidential manuscripts or substantial portions of them into public or third-party AI systems where this may compromise confidentiality.

10. Ethical Oversight Policy

Research involving:

  • human participants;

  • animals;

  • personal or sensitive data;

  • vulnerable populations;

  • biological materials; or

  • other ethically regulated activities

must comply with applicable ethical and institutional requirements.

Where required, authors should report:

  • the approving ethics body;

  • approval or reference information;

  • informed-consent procedures; and

  • relevant privacy and participant protections.

Where ethical approval was not required, an appropriate statement may be provided when relevant.

11. Copyright and Licensing Policy

BERJ respects the intellectual-property rights of authors and third parties.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that third-party:

  • figures;

  • tables;

  • images;

  • text;

  • software; and

  • datasets

are used lawfully and appropriately attributed.

The journal's copyright and licensing terms must be stated consistently throughout the OJS platform, the publication agreement, and published articles.

No OJS page should contain copyright language that conflicts with the journal's official publication agreement.

12. Editorial Independence and Transparency Policy

Editorial decisions must be based on:

  • scientific quality;

  • originality;

  • methodological soundness;

  • significance; and

  • relevance to the journal.

Editorial decisions must not be improperly influenced by:

  • academic rank;

  • institutional affiliation;

  • nationality;

  • commercial interests;

  • financial relationships;

  • personal relationships;

  • administrative pressure; or

  • other non-scholarly considerations.

When an editor or editorial-board member submits a manuscript, the manuscript must be handled through an independent process that prevents the submitting editor from influencing peer review or the final decision.

Publication Fees

All publication fees and other author charges must be clearly disclosed before submission and must not determine editorial acceptance or rejection.

Policy Review

BERJ periodically reviews these policies to reflect developments in research integrity, peer review, artificial intelligence, open access, data protection, and responsible scholarly publishing.

Last updated: [Insert date]
Publication Ethics Contact: [Insert official email]
Official website: https://berj.uomosul.edu.iq/