Responsibility

Responsibilities of Authors
Authors submitting to the International Academic Journal of Social Sciences (IAJSS) are responsible for ensuring the originality, integrity, and academic rigor of their work. Submissions must represent original research that has not been previously published or submitted elsewhere. Authors are expected to present accurate findings, apply appropriate methodologies, and include sufficient detail to enable the replication of their studies. Proper citation of all sources, including data, literature, and methodologies, is essential to uphold academic honesty and avoid plagiarism. Any potential conflicts of interest must be transparently disclosed.
All listed authors should have made meaningful contributions to the research and must approve the final version of the manuscript prior to submission. Research involving human participants or animals must be ethically approved, and documentation of such approval should be included within the manuscript. In the event of a significant error discovered post-publication, authors are expected to notify the editorial office and cooperate fully to correct or retract the article if necessary. Adherence to IAJSS’s editorial and ethical guidelines is essential to maintain the quality and integrity of the publication.

Responsibilities of Editors
Manuscript Evaluation: Editors are responsible for ensuring that all submissions align with the journal’s scope and meet scholarly standards. Manuscripts are assessed based on academic merit, originality, and contribution to the field of social sciences.
Fair and Unbiased Review: Editors must uphold a fair, double-blind peer-review process, free from personal, institutional, or financial bias.
Reviewer Selection: Editors are expected to assign qualified reviewers with expertise in the subject area of the manuscript and ensure that the peer review process is thorough and constructive.
Confidentiality: Editors must treat submitted manuscripts as confidential documents and must not disclose any information regarding the manuscripts to anyone other than those involved in the review process.
Decision-Making: Based on peer review reports, editors should make well-reasoned decisions regarding acceptance, rejection, or revision and communicate these decisions transparently and promptly.
Ethical Oversight: Editors must ensure that all research published complies with ethical standards, including issues related to human subjects, informed consent, and research misconduct.
Correcting the Record: If post-publication issues such as errors or ethical violations arise, editors must act swiftly to issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions as needed.
Maintaining Integrity: Editors are responsible for preserving the academic reputation of IAJSS by promoting transparency, enforcing policies, and managing conflicts of interest.
Encouraging Diversity: Editors should strive to promote diversity in authorship, editorial participation, and research topics, reflecting a wide range of global and disciplinary perspectives.
Efficiency and Timeliness: Editors must oversee a timely review and publication process, ensuring that decisions and revisions proceed without unnecessary delays.

Responsibilities of Reviewers
Timely Reviews: Reviewers must complete their evaluations within the deadlines provided by the journal to ensure timely processing and publication of manuscripts.
Confidentiality: Reviewers must respect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not share or discuss the content with others without permission from the editor.
Objectivity and Fairness: Reviewers are expected to evaluate submissions impartially, offering critiques based on academic merit, methodology, and relevance. Personal bias or unsubstantiated criticism must be avoided.
Constructive Feedback: Comments should be respectful, clear, and actionable, aimed at helping the authors improve their work.
Ethical Oversight: Reviewers must alert editors to any ethical issues, such as plagiarism, data manipulation, or lack of ethical approvals for research involving human or animal subjects.
Conflict of Interest: Any personal, professional, or financial conflict of interest must be declared to the editor, and reviewers should decline to review if such a conflict exists.
Clarity and Organization: Reviewers should assess whether the manuscript is well-structured and clearly communicates its objectives, methodology, results, and conclusions.
Citation Accuracy: Manuscripts should be checked for proper citation of existing literature. Reviewers should point out significant works that may have been omitted.
Recommendations: In addition to identifying weaknesses, reviewers are encouraged to suggest improvements that can enhance the clarity, impact, or scholarly value of the manuscript.
Maintaining Integrity: Reviewers must not use any unpublished material from manuscripts for their own research and must uphold the confidentiality and integrity of the peer-review process.

Responsibilities of the Publisher
Upholding Ethical Standards: The publisher of IAJSS is committed to maintaining high ethical and academic standards and aligns its policies with internationally recognized best practices, including COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.
Providing Publishing Infrastructure: The publisher ensures the availability of a secure, user-friendly, and efficient online system to facilitate submission, peer review, publication, and archiving.
Editorial Independence: The publisher respects the autonomy of the editorial board and does not interfere with editorial decisions, which must be based solely on academic value and merit.
Managing Misconduct: In collaboration with editors, the publisher is responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct and taking appropriate corrective action, including issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.
Ensuring Accessibility and Visibility: The publisher supports open access to all journal content and promotes global visibility by indexing publications in reputable databases and repositories.
Innovation and Advancement: The publisher continuously explores new tools and practices to enhance transparency, efficiency, and the academic impact of the journal, and works closely with researchers and editorial teams to evolve with the changing landscape of scholarly communication.