Editor Policies

Editorial Policies — RAS Publisher

1. Publication Ethics

Authors’ Responsibilities

  • Authors must ensure that their submissions are original and have not been published or submitted elsewhere.
  • All listed authors must have made a significant contribution to the manuscript.
  • Authors are required to disclose all sources, data, and any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Any significant errors discovered after publication must be promptly reported for correction or retraction.
  • Authors must actively participate in the peer-review process and respond professionally to feedback.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

  • Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
  • Reviews should be conducted objectively, avoiding any personal bias or criticism.
  • Reviewers are encouraged to identify missing citations or relevant literature.
  • Reviewers should declare conflicts of interest and decline to review if such conflicts exist.

Editors’ Responsibilities

  • Editors have full authority to accept or reject manuscripts based on quality, originality, and relevance.
  • Editors must uphold academic integrity and ensure transparency in the editorial process.
  • Editors must take appropriate action in cases of suspected ethical misconduct.
  • Reviewers’ anonymity and fair peer-review practices must be preserved.

2. Plagiarism Policy

All submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection tools (such as Turnitin or iThenticate). The similarity threshold is set at 15% maximum.

Levels of Plagiarism:

  • Minor: Limited copying without data or ideas → revision with proper citation is requested.
  • Moderate: A significant portion copied → manuscript rejected, authors barred from submission for 1 year.
  • Severe: Major plagiarism including results/data → manuscript rejected, 5-year ban.

Repeat offenders may face permanent submission bans. All violations are reviewed by the Editorial Board.

3. Correction and Retraction Policy

Published articles may be retracted under the following conditions:

  • Evidence of unreliable findings due to misconduct or honest error.
  • Duplicate publication without proper cross-reference or approval.
  • Confirmed cases of plagiarism or unethical research practices.

Retractions follow the COPE Retraction Guidelines.

4. Manuscript Withdrawal Policy

Authors are not permitted to withdraw manuscripts under review without valid reasons. Unjustified withdrawals will incur the following penalties:

  • US$200 during the review stage.
  • US$400 after acceptance.

Failure to comply may result in blacklisting of the author and their institution. Previously published articles may also be removed from the system.

 

5. Article Sharing and Posting Policy

  • Before Submission: Authors may share their preprints freely, including on preprint servers (e.g., arXiv).
  • After Submission: Preprints may be shared with the following disclaimer on the first page:
    “This work has been submitted to RAS Publisher for possible publication.”
  • After Acceptance: Preprints must be updated with the accepted version (no changes allowed).

•After Publication: Authors may post the final version with full citation and DOI, including RAS Publisher copyright notice.