Publication Ethics

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship credit should be based on the following criteria:

  1. Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the study, data acquisition, or data analysis and interpretation;
  2. Drafting the article or critically revising it 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. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors have reviewed, discussed, and approved their contributions prior to submission. Author contributions will be published alongside the final article. This policy follows the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Contributor Roles

The journal adopts standard contributor roles, including:

  • Conceptualization: Formulation of research goals and aims
  • Data Curation: Data management, annotation, and maintenance
  • Formal Analysis: Application of analytical and statistical techniques
  • Funding Acquisition: Securing financial support
  • Investigation: Conducting experiments or data collection
  • Methodology: Research design and model development
  • Project Administration: Coordination of research activities
  • Supervision: Oversight and leadership responsibilities
  • Validation: Verification and reproducibility of results
  • Visualization: Preparation of figures and data presentation
  • Writing – Original Draft: Initial manuscript preparation
  • Writing – Review & Editing: Critical revision and editing

Complaints and Appeals

World of Immersive Learning (WIRL) follows COPE guidelines in handling complaints and appeals.

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

  • A clear explanation of disagreement with the decision
  • Responses to reviewers’ and editors’ comments
  • Any additional supporting data or evidence
  • Evidence of potential reviewer errors or conflicts of interest

All complaints and appeals are handled fairly, transparently, and in accordance with COPE principles.

Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when professional judgment may be influenced by secondary interests (e.g., financial gain or personal relationships).

Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest. Disclosure ensures transparency and helps editors make informed decisions. If published, such information will also be made available to readers.

Data Sharing and Reproducibility

WIRL encourages authors to:

  • Share datasets, codes, and supporting materials related to their research
  • Provide proper citations for all datasets used
  • Include a data availability statement in their manuscript

Data sharing should not violate ethical standards, including privacy and confidentiality. Authors may request exemptions when necessary.

Ethical Oversight

The journal is committed to maintaining high ethical standards, including honesty, transparency, and integrity in research.

Authors must ensure:

  • Authorship integrity: Only qualified contributors are listed
  • Conflict of interest disclosure
  • Funding transparency: All funding sources must be declared
  • Human and animal research ethics: Proper approvals and informed consent must be obtained
  • Safety considerations: Any hazardous procedures must be clearly described
  • Data transparency: Data must be accessible where possible

Advertising Policy

The journal permits limited and relevant advertising only to promote scholarly content published by the journal.

Corrections and Retractions

  • Corrections (Erratum/Corrigendum): Issued for minor errors
  • Retractions: Issued for serious issues affecting validity (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication)

The journal reserves the right to retract articles and notify relevant institutions in cases of serious misconduct.

Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Licensing

Copyright

Authors retain copyright of their work. By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

  • The work is original and free from plagiarism
  • Proper permissions have been obtained for copyrighted materials
  • The manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere

All submitted and unpublished materials remain confidential.

License

All published articles are licensed under:
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 4.0)

This allows users to share and adapt the work with proper attribution.

Confidentiality

Authors, reviewers, and editors must maintain the confidentiality of all manuscripts, reviews, and communications throughout the publication process.

Post-Publication Discussion and Corrections

WIRL supports post-publication discussion to maintain scientific integrity.

Handling Post-Publication Issues

The journal may take the following actions:

  • Publish a corrigendum
  • Issue an Editor’s Note or Expression of Concern
  • Retract the article if necessary

Investigations are conducted transparently and may involve reviewers and external experts. Authors are given the opportunity to respond.

In cases of serious misconduct, the author’s institution may be notified.

Editorial Notes and Expressions of Concern

  • Editor’s Note: Informational notice regarding ongoing investigation (not indexed)
  • Expression of Concern (EEoC): Formal notice linked to the article and indexed in databases

Final decisions will replace these notices once the investigation is complete.