Publication Ethics
Ethical Publishing at DLHD
Integrity, accountability, and transparency in scholarly publishing.
Decision, Learning, and Human Development (DLHD) is committed to protecting the integrity of the scholarly record through responsible authorship, independent editorial judgment, confidential and fair peer review, transparent research reporting, and appropriate responses to suspected research or publication misconduct.
Ethics Framework
Responsible scholarship from submission to publication.
DLHD's publication-ethics framework is informed by guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.
01
Integrity
Research and reporting must be honest, accurate, and verifiable.
02
Independence
Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit and journal fit.
03
Transparency
Relevant methods, interests, contributions, and limitations must be disclosed.
04
Accountability
Authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher share responsibility for ethical publishing.
Shared Responsibility
Responsibilities in the publication process
AU
Authors
Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, ethical conduct, appropriate attribution, transparent reporting, and integrity of the work they submit. Authorship must reflect genuine scholarly contribution, and all authors must accept appropriate responsibility for the manuscript.
ED
Editors
Editors must evaluate manuscripts fairly and independently, protect confidentiality, manage competing interests, select appropriate reviewers, and respond responsibly to credible concerns about research or publication integrity.
RV
Reviewers
Reviewers must provide objective and constructive assessment, preserve manuscript confidentiality, disclose relevant competing interests, and refrain from using unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal advantage.
PB
Publisher
The publisher supports editorial independence, transparent journal governance, preservation of the scholarly record, and appropriate editorial action when publication-ethics concerns are raised.
Research & Publication Misconduct
Practices incompatible with publication in DLHD
01
Plagiarism
Using another person's words, ideas, data, images, or intellectual output without appropriate attribution.
02
Fabrication & Falsification
Inventing, altering, suppressing, or misrepresenting data, observations, analyses, records, or research procedures.
03
Duplicate or Multiple Submission
Simultaneously submitting the same manuscript elsewhere or publishing substantially overlapping work without transparent justification and disclosure.
04
Authorship Misconduct
Guest, gift, honorary, ghost, purchased, or otherwise misleading attribution of authorship or contribution.
05
Citation Manipulation
Irrelevant, coercive, reciprocal, or strategically added citations intended primarily to distort citation metrics.
06
Fraudulent Practices
False identities, fabricated reviewer information, paper-mill involvement, manipulated files or images, and other deceptive publication practices.
Detailed procedures for similarity screening and plagiarism are provided in the journal's Similarity & Plagiarism Policy .
Ethical Oversight
Research involving people, personal data, or vulnerable populations
Research involving human participants must comply with applicable institutional, national, and disciplinary ethical requirements. Where ethical review is required, authors must identify the approving ethics committee or review body and provide the relevant approval or protocol information. Informed consent for participation and, where applicable, consent for publication must be obtained and reported appropriately.
Privacy & protection Authors must protect confidentiality and apply appropriate safeguards when research involves identifiable information, children, vulnerable participants, or communities at heightened risk.
Editorial Response
How DLHD handles credible ethical concerns
01
Concern Received
A credible allegation or concern is documented for editorial assessment.
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02
Initial Assessment
The editor evaluates the evidence, relevance, and any conflicts of interest.
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03
Clarification & Evidence
Relevant parties may be asked to respond or provide supporting documentation.
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04
Editorial Action
The journal takes proportionate action and may refer serious matters to the appropriate institution or authority.
Depending on the stage and nature of the case, editorial action may include requesting clarification, rejecting a manuscript, publishing a correction or notice, retracting an article, or referring a matter to an institution or other appropriate authority. Detailed post-publication procedures are described in the Corrections & Retractions Policy .
Editorial Independence
Scholarly merit remains separate from commercial considerations
Editorial decisions are based on scholarly quality, relevance to DLHD's aims and scope, methodological integrity, contribution, and compliance with journal policies. Publication charges, waiver status, sponsorship, institutional affiliation, or publisher interests do not determine editorial decisions.
Ethics & Integrity
Concerned about the integrity of a submission or published article?
Contact the DLHD editorial office with enough information to identify the manuscript or article and explain the concern. Good-faith concerns will be considered fairly and confidentially to the extent reasonably possible.