Editorial and Ethics Policies
For the quality standards, Asian Research Association (ARA) follows the CORE practices that are formulated by Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), (https://publicationethics.org/core-practices). Moreover, ARA also follows the guidelines provided by ICMJE (https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/).
- Authorship and Contributorship
- Peer Review
- Confidentiality
- Ethics and Malpractices Policies
- Data Sharing Policy
- Plagiarism and Manipulation of Data
- Corrections, Retractions and Research Misconduct
- Conflict of interest
- Acknowledgments
- Fees
- AI Policies
- Copyright and Open Access Policy
- Digital Archiving / Sharing Policy
- Advertising & Marketing Policy
- Complaints Policy
- Journal Ownership and Revenue Sources
Authorship and Contributorship
According to ICMJE authorship can be applicable if it meets the following four benchmarks (https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html)
- Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work
- Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content
- Final approval of the version to be published
- Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Authors who did not meet any of the four criteria cannot be considered for authorship and they can only be added in the acknowledgment section. Authors should not acknowledge their co-authors /corresponding authors (Usually supervisor) in a acknowledge section.
- The above guidelines are to facilitate flawless reviewing process and to remind the authors on the crucial factors for acceptance of the manuscript.
- With no restriction in number of authors, the journal expects each author to substantially contributeto the conceptualisation, writing, review, editing, data analysis and its interpretation with utmost transparency. For more details regarding autor contribution statement we encourage the authors to read the following article (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/leap.1210)
- All the authors of the manuscript are entitled the accountability towards plagiarism, piracy and Genuity of the concept.
- In case of collaborative research work of authors admits various agencies, institutions or countries, the collaboration should seem justifiable. Mere inclusion of members may impact the authenticity of the work.
- As the scope of journal focuses on researches involving human samples, details on informed consent or ethical approval of participants appropriate disclosure are to be mentioned in the manuscript or a certificate may also be enclosed with the manuscript.
For more details regarding the authorship and contributorship we encourage the authors to read COPE policies (https://publicationethics.org/authorship).
Peer Review
All submitted articles are reviewed by the editorial team (at least two editors) to verify they match our editorial standards. Only those likely to satisfy our requirements are forwarded for formal evaluation, saving authors and peer-reviewers time. Articles judged uninteresting or improper are immediately discarded, with no external assessment. Articles deemed potentially interesting by our readers are forwarded for formal evaluation, normally to two or three reviewers (double blind review process) who is familiar with the relevant title, but occasionally to more if particular guidance is required. The editors then make a choice based on the suggestions of the reviewers. Outlining the benefits and drawbacks of publication might be more beneficial than a simple advice. Which provide editors the information they need to make an informed choice. When reviewers agree to analyse a paper, they promise to keep an eye out for subsequent updates. Editors will not return resubmitted work to reviewers if authors do not appear to have addressed comments. Further, ARA follows the ethical guidelines formulated by the COPE (https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines/cope-ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers) (https://publicationethics.org/peerreview).
If the article is published by Editor-in-Chief or any of the editors then the publisher forms a committee where the publisher, one of the editors and one anonymous subject expert appointed by the publisher will lead the review process and will intimate the decision of the article to the EIC/Editor/Board member. Anonymity will be maintained throughout the process.
Confidentiality
- The editors of the journal are advised to maintain the anonymity during the pre and post publication process.
- Since the journal follows double blind peer review system the details of the reviewers will be kept secret. Moreover, the articles will be sent to the reviewers without the information of authors and affiliations.
- If the article is not accepted/published in our journal then the details will not be made public and will be deleted after a year from our system.
- ARA maintains the right to notify funders, regulatory organizations, journals, and the authors' institutions in situations of suspected research or publishing misconduct.
Ethics and Malpractices Policies
Data Sharing Policy
ARA instigate the authors to freely and openly share their contents, data, code, and related methods with readers. Any restrictions on the availability of resources or information must be communicated to the editors both during the submission process and in the article itself.
If authors refuse to follow these principles after publication, readers may contact the chief editor of the journal. If the problem cannot be resolved, the authors' funding institution may be contacted, and a formal statement of correction may be issued online, saying that readers were unable to access the required materials.
Plagiarism and Manipulation of Data
Plagiarism and misleading data are not permitted in any journal publication. ARA has a stringent anti-plagiarism policy, which is enforced by two methods: reviewer checks and plagiarism prevention technology (iThenticate). Before sending the articles to the reviewers, all submissions will be checked and validated through our editorial staff. Further the authors are suggested to read the COPE policy on Plagiarism for submitted and post published articles. For more details the authors are suggested to read COPE guidelines (https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts/plagiarism-submitted-manuscript).
It is strictly forbidden to publish the same research paper in several journals. If an article contains incorrect information, the authors will be held accountable for producing retractions or corrections. Currently, ARA follows COPE and ICMJE guidelines and the authors are suggested to read for the guidelines. (https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines) (https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/corrections-and-version-control.html). Further ARA follows the COPE policies on manipulation of Data and images and the authors can find the more details on the COPE platform (https://publicationethics.org/data)
Corrections, Retractions and Research Misconduct
The ARA Journal takes up responsibility for the Corrections, retraction notifications, and other post-publication alterations to published content. An Author Correction may be published to rectify substantial mistakes made by the author(s) that might imperial the scientific integrity of the published work, the publishing record, or the authors' or the journal's reputation.
A Publisher Correction may be issued to remedy substantial errors made by the journal that might jeopardise the scientific integrity of the published work, the publishing record, or the authors' or journal's reputation.
In addition to the published article if significant additional data has to be added, a post script is frequently published that is critical to the reader's understanding.
The publication may be withdrawn if the integrity of the published work is considerably undermined owing to flaws in the study's design, analysis, and/or reporting, or violations of publishing or research ethics. The original article will be withdrawn, but readers will still be able to access a PDF version, and the retraction statement will be linked in both ways to the original published work. The authors agreement or disagreement may be included in retraction notices. ARA further encourages the authors to read COPE policies on retractions (https://publicationethics.org/sites/default/files/retraction-guidelines-cope.pdf)
On the HTML webpage of an published article as well as in the PDF of the published article, the readers can find out the Crossmark button and just by clicking them it enables the readers to identify the current version of the record they are reading including corrections/modifications.
The ARA Journal maintains certain regulations in extreme circumstances, to withdraw an article, chapter, book, or other content from varied online platforms. If ARA Journal is notified that the content is calumnious, violate a third party's intellectual property right, or right to privacy, or is otherwise unlawful, or if a court or government order requiring the removal of such content has been issued or is likely to be issued, or if the content would pose an immediate and serious risk to health, this action may be taken. Depending on the degree of defamation the removal may be temporary or permanent, and also noting why the item was deleted, will be maintained. The following COPE Guidelines will be followed for Retracting Articles (https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines) and allegations on Research Misconduct (https://publicationethics.org/misconduct).
Conflict of interest
Contributors must declare any genuine or potential conflict of interest, including any financial, personal, or other connections with other people or institutions that could unfairly influence, or be perceived to influence, their work within three years of starting it. For more details the authors are directed to read ICMJE and COPE guidelines (https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/author-responsibilities--conflicts-of-interest.html) (https://publicationethics.org/competinginterests).
Acknowledgements
The acknowledgement part is designed to express gratitude to anyone who assisted for the research work but did not fulfil the authorship criteria and to provide details about the grant and technical/instrumental support.
Fees
All accepted papers will be published for free, and authors will not be charged any submission or publishing costs.
AI Policies
The Asian Research Association (ARA) embraces the growing use of AI tools in research, acknowledging their potential to enhance scholarship. However, to safeguard the integrity of academic publications and adhere to COPE guidelines, the ARA establishes this policy on responsible AI use.
1. AI in Authorship and Content Generation
AI tools cannot be credited as sole authors on research papers. Authorship requires significant human involvement in the research process. When AI substantially contributes content, researchers must disclose the specific type of tool used and its role in the methodology. It's crucial to emphasize that a human author always oversees the AI-generated content, ensuring its accuracy, relevance to the research, and adherence to ethical research practices.
2. Generative AI Images
Researchers using generative AI images must ensure they hold the copyright or have proper permissions. Transparency is key: all figure legends should clearly state whether the image is AI-generated or not. For images central to the research, a detailed explanation of the AI generation process should be included in the methods section. It's vital that AI images accurately represent the data and don't mislead readers. To achieve this, researchers should clearly label them and, whenever possible, present them alongside the original data they depict.
3. AI-Assisted Peer Review
Peer reviewers are encouraged to utilize AI tools for tasks that can enhance the review process, such as detecting plagiarism or suggesting relevant citations (https://publicationethics.org/resources/forum-discussions/artificial-intelligence-fake-paper). However, it's important to remember that the ultimate decision on the manuscript's quality and suitability for publication remains with the human reviewers. To ensure transparency, reviewers who leverage AI tools during the review process should disclose this practice to the editor.
The Asian Research Association encourages responsible AI use in research and publishing. This policy promotes transparency, scientific integrity, and ethical conduct.
Copyright and Open Access Policy
The author(s) retain total ownership of the publication rights. The ARA work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License granting permission for anyone to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the content for any lawful purpose, with the condition that the original work and source are appropriately cited.
Digital Archiving / Sharing Policy
Being a Portico member, all the journal contents will be preserved permanently and remain accessible to scientific community (https://www.portico.org/publishers/ara/?keyword=&filter_by%5B%5D=e-journal). Apart from PORTICO the contents are also preserved in J-Gate database (https://jgateplus.com/admin/footer-html/PublisherPartners.jsp) and indexed in the Keepers Registry (https://keepers.issn.org/).
ARA follows the green archiving policy formulated by Sherpa/Reomeo’s and since all the articles are published under CC BY 4.0 license which allows the authors to deposit their pre an post publications in institutional and other repositories.
Advertising & Marketing Policy
ARA does not publish any commercial and non-commercial advertisement on the any of our journal website
All the information regarding new issues, published issues and indexing related alerts are delivered only to the registered user of our website who have agreed to receive the update through email. And the journal promotion is also done through the social networks.
Complaints Policy
The authors and readers may directly send their complaints to the Editorial office via support@asianresassoc.org and it will be solved in the maximum of 3 weeks. All the complaints received by the ARA will be addressed based on the guidelines proposed by the COPE (https://publicationethics.org/).
Journal Management and Revenue Sources
Publisher
Asian Research Association
(A Non-Profit Educational Trust), 5/342, Angalamman Street, Naickenpalayam, Coimbatore-641020, Tamil Nadu, India.
Ph: +91 422 299 5626
Regd.No : R/PN/BK-4/71/2021 (Indian Trust Act 1982)
PAN Card No: AAITA6320M
Organization Website: https://asianresassoc.org/
Email: contact@asianresassoc.org
Currently the journal generates its revenue through membership and hardcopy subscription to the Individuals and Institutional libraries.