Publication Ethics

Authorship and Acknowledgments

All authors included in the list must have made a substantive scientific contribution to the research presented in the manuscript, endorsed its assertions, and consented to their role as an author. The comprehensive enumeration of individuals who have made significant scientific contributions is of paramount importance. The delineation of author contributions can be delineated towards the conclusion of the manuscript. Authors submitting their work are required to furnish an ORCID, and it is strongly recommended for all authors to possess one. Alterations to the authorship of a manuscript necessitate notification to the journal, with unanimous consent from all authors being imperative. It is permissible for an author to modify their name on a published scholarly article.

Individuals who have provided assistance in the research or preparation of the manuscript, yet do not meet the criteria for authorship, should be duly recognized with their explicit consent.

Submissions made by individuals who are not listed as authors will not be taken into consideration.

Allegations, Appeals, and Complaints

Allegations, appeals, and complaints are taken seriously regardless of affiliation or timing; they must be reported promptly. Editorial challenges are handled by the editor-in-chief to assess grounds for appeal and reach a revised decision. Misconduct cases require notification to the relevant institution for independent investigation and correction of publication record as per policy. Formal complaints should be directed to the editor-in-chief initially; unresolved issues can be escalated to the publisher for further review. Complaints must be submitted via email for thorough audit and resolution within an anticipated timeline. Dissatisfied complainants can escalate their complaint to the head of the editorial team. Allegations against publishing team members are reported to senior management for oversight and investigation, with impartial parties leading conflict of interest cases. Individuals wanting to report misconduct should contact the editor-in-chief or publisher's Editorial Account Manager to voice their concerns. If the complainant is not satisfied, they can contact COPE or another external organization. COPE will only consider the complaint after the journal's internal procedure has been exhausted.

Conflicts of Interest

Conflict of Interest is anything that interferes or is reasonably considered to interfere with the full and objective presentation, commissioning, peer review, editorial decision making, or publication of research or non-research articles submitted to ALETHEIA. There is a conflict of interest if a person or institution has a personal or other relationship that may compromise or in any way disturb the objectivity or professional judgement of the relationship. Conflict of interest is real if a relationship exists, or apparent if the possibility of a relationship is to be concluded. In either case, it is the responsibility of the editor, the associate editor, the member of the editorial board, the author and the author to declare conflicts of interest, real or obvious, in order to take appropriate mitigation action. Conflicts of interest are common, and it raises the level of concern when observers may wonder whether the person's behavior or judgement was motivated by his or her competing interests. Competing interests do not imply misconduct but can undermine the credibility and reliability of the journal.

Editors

Procedures have been established by ALETHEIA to ensure that all editors and managing editors provide potential conflict-of-interest information on a regular basis, annually, or upon appointment or reappointment. Editorial services, institutional affiliations, paid consultancies, and other information are examples of this type of data. Conflicts of interest are managed by editors for themselves, their staff, authors, reviewers, and members of the Editorial Board. They uphold an overview, updated no less than once a year, of all editorial staff and editorial board members' pertinent interests, including financial, academic, and other pursuits. Submissions of articles by editors, members of the Editorial Board, and staff are handled in a way that keeps the editor or staff unaware of any specifics of the review process beyond the anonymous reviews and approval.

Authors

Any relationship or personal interest that the author believes could be impacted by the submitted manuscript's publication must be disclosed. Funding sources have to be mentioned in the manuscript. Any financial interest in businesses or corporations that deal with the manuscript's subject matter must be disclosed by each author. The corresponding author must notify the editor of any real or apparent conflicts of interest at the time the manuscript is submitted, on behalf of all the authors. The published article will acknowledge such conflicts. When submitting a manuscript to ALETHEIA, authors must include a Conflict of Interest Disclosure statement. If conflicts of interest are discovered after publication, authors are also required to submit corrections.

Reviewers

It is the responsibility of a reviewer to offer an objective evaluation of a manuscript's scientific merit. Reviewers are expected to consider any conflicts of interest declared by authors and to self-disclose any relationship or circumstance with the editor that might influence or be interpreted as influencing their evaluation of the submitted work. These include ties to the authors personally, ongoing competitive research on the same topic that is included in the manuscript, or financial or professional affiliations with a group that has interests in the topic being reviewed. The use of a review that is submitted or requested in such circumstances, in which a real or apparent conflict of interest is disclosed, is at the Editor's discretion.