Research and Publishing Ethics

Impact Journal is committed to publishing research that is ethically sound, transparent, and trustworthy. To support responsible publishing practices, the journal aligns its editorial handling with widely recognised publication-ethics guidance (e.g., COPE-aligned good practice). Authors are strongly encouraged to read and follow this policy to avoid common ethics issues.

Key points

1) Originality and prior publication

• Submissions must be original and should not have been published previously in the same or substantially similar form.
• If any substantial part of the work has appeared elsewhere (e.g., preprints, conference papers, working papers, institutional reports), authors must declare this at submission and clearly explain what is new in the current manuscript.
• The journal may conduct similarity screening to assess overlap and originality. Manuscripts with excessive overlap may be returned for clarification or declined.

2) Exclusive submission

• Manuscripts must not be submitted to, or under consideration by, another journal or publisher at the same time.
• Non-compliance may result in desk rejection.

3) Conflicts of interest

• Authors must disclose any conflict of interest (financial, professional, or personal relationships) that could influence the study, interpretation, or reporting.
• Disclosure allows the editor to manage review and decision-making fairly.

4) Copyright and third-party permissions

• By submitting, authors confirm that the manuscript does not infringe any existing copyright.
• Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use any third-party material (e.g., figures, tables, images, instruments, extensive quotations) where required, and for providing appropriate credit lines.

5) Research involving organisations and non-public information

• If the manuscript describes a company/organisation/individual using non-public information, involves time spent within an organisation, or includes named/interviewed employees, authors must ensure that:
• relevant permissions have been obtained (where applicable), and
• confidentiality, privacy, and any institutional requirements are respected.
• The journal may request evidence of permission/consent to publish when needed, while maintaining appropriate anonymity.

6) Human participants, informed consent, and ethics approval

Authors have an ethical responsibility to conduct research in line with applicable national/international standards and to report methods transparently. For studies involving human participants (including personal data), authors must:

• confirm that informed consent was obtained (or provide a clear justification when consent is not applicable), including how participants were informed about the purpose of the study, anonymity/confidentiality, data storage and use, and potential risks; and
• provide an Ethics Statement where required, including:
• the name and location of the ethics committee/IRB,
• approval number/ID (if applicable),
• date of approval, and
• the key guidelines/regulations followed.

Submissions that require ethics and consent statements but do not include them may be returned for completion before peer review. The journal reserves the right to reject manuscripts where ethical approval and/or informed consent is required but cannot be adequately evidenced.