Publication Ethics

Authorship credit should be based on the following criteria:

  1. Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
  2. Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
  3. Final approval of the version to be published.

All individuals designated as authors must meet these criteria, and all who meet the criteria must be listed as authors.

Each author’s contribution must be clearly described. The submitting (corresponding) author is responsible for providing accurate details of all authors’ contributions at the time of submission. All authors are expected to review, discuss, and agree on their contributions prior to submission.

This policy follows the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Contributor Roles

  • Conceptualization: Formulation of research goals and aims
  • Data Curation: Data management, annotation, and maintenance
  • Formal Analysis: Application of analytical or statistical techniques
  • Funding Acquisition: Securing financial support
  • Investigation: Conducting research and data collection
  • Methodology: Development of methods or models
  • Project Administration: Coordination and management of research activities
  • Supervision: Oversight and leadership, including mentoring
  • Validation: Verification of results and reproducibility
  • Visualization: Data presentation and visual representation
  • Writing – Original Draft: Preparation of the initial manuscript
  • Writing – Review & Editing: Critical revision and improvement of the manuscript

Complaints and Appeals

Community Engagement Chronicle follows COPE guidelines in handling complaints and appeals.

Authors who wish to appeal an editorial decision must submit a formal appeal letter to the editorial office, including:

  • Clear reasons for disagreement with the decision
  • Responses to reviewers’ and editors’ comments
  • Any additional supporting data or information
  • Evidence of possible reviewer errors or conflicts of interest

Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when professional judgment may be influenced by secondary interests such as financial gain or personal relationships.

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may affect the integrity or objectivity of their work. Transparency is essential so that editors and readers can properly evaluate the research.

Data Sharing and Reproducibility

The journal strongly encourages authors to:

  • Share datasets, codes, and supporting materials
  • Provide proper citations for all datasets used
  • Include a data availability statement

Data sharing should not violate confidentiality, privacy, or ethical restrictions. Authors may request exemptions when necessary.

Ethical Oversight Policy

The journal is committed to maintaining high ethical standards, including honesty, transparency, and accountability, in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Key Principles:

  • Authorship: Only qualified contributors should be listed as authors
  • Conflict of Interest: All conflicts must be disclosed
  • Funding: Sources of funding must be clearly stated
  • Human and Animal Studies: Must comply with ethical standards and include approvals and consent
  • Risk and Safety: Hazardous procedures must be clearly described
  • Data Transparency: Data should be accessible and reproducible
  • Advertising: Limited and relevant to journal content only

Corrections and Retractions

  • Corrigendum/Erratum: Issued for minor errors
  • Retraction: Issed for major errors or ethical violations such as plagiarism
  • The journal reserves the right to notify relevant institutions in cases of misconduct

Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Licensing

Copyright

  • Authors retain copyright of their work
  • Manuscripts must be original and free from plagiarism or manipulation
  • Permission must be obtained for any third-party material
  • Review reports remain the property of reviewers/editors
  • All communications during the review process are confidential

License

All published articles are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 4.0) license.

Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections

The journal supports post-publication discussion to maintain scientific integrity.

Possible actions include:

  • Publication of a Corrigendum
  • Issuance of an Editor’s Note
  • Publication of an Editorial Expression of Concern (EEoC)
  • Retraction of the article

Investigations may involve reviewers, experts, and institutions when necessary. Authors are given the opportunity to respond to all concerns raised.

The journal prioritizes transparency and does not target individuals but focuses on maintaining research integrity.