ACDM is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and scholarly integrity. The journal follows the principles and best practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to uphold transparency, fairness, confidentiality, and accountability throughout the publication process.

Authors submitting to ACDM must certify that:

• The work is original and has not been published elsewhere, either in whole or in part.
• All authors have made significant intellectual contributions and have approved the final version of the manuscript.
• Data, images, media materials, and results are reported honestly without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation.
• Proper citation and permission are obtained for any reused text, figures, tables, media, images, or other third-party materials.
• No concurrent submission to another journal or publication venue is taking place.
• All sources of funding, institutional support, and potential conflicts of interest are fully disclosed.
• Research involving human participants, interviews, surveys, or personal data has received appropriate ethical approval or exemption where required.

Reviewers contribute to the quality, fairness, and integrity of the publication process. They are expected to:

• Treat manuscripts as confidential documents and not share, discuss, or use any content before publication.
• Declare any conflicts of interest and decline the review if they cannot provide an unbiased evaluation.
• Provide constructive, objective, respectful, and timely feedback.
• Alert the editor to any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, data manipulation, image manipulation, or ethical concerns.
• Avoid personal criticism and evaluate the manuscript based on scholarly merit, originality, methodology, clarity, and relevance.
• Not use unpublished information from the manuscript for personal advantage or for their own research without permission.

Editors make fair and unbiased decisions based solely on scholarly merit and journal scope. They shall:

• Maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and related correspondence.
• Not use unpublished content for their own research or personal benefit without explicit written consent.
• Recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.
• Select appropriate reviewers based on expertise, independence, and absence of conflicts of interest.
• Investigate suspected misconduct in accordance with COPE guidelines and relevant journal policies.
• Promote transparency and issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary.

Allegations of research or publication misconduct will be taken seriously and handled in accordance with COPE flowcharts. Misconduct may include plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated data, falsified results, image manipulation, authorship abuse, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or unethical research practices.

Possible consequences include:

• Immediate rejection of the manuscript in question.
• Request for clarification, correction, or supporting documentation from the authors.
• Temporary or permanent restriction on future submissions from the offending authors.
• Correction, expression of concern, or retraction of published articles.
• Notification to authors’ institutions, employers, ethics committees, or funding bodies where appropriate.

When errors are identified that do not invalidate the overall conclusions, a correction notice will be published. Retraction will be considered for major errors or ethical violations, including duplicate publication, fabricated data, plagiarism, or serious methodological or ethical flaws. All corrections and retractions will be clearly marked, linked to the original article, and made freely available.

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the work. All listed authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to be accountable for their contributions. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged with their permission.

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, personal, professional, institutional, or other relationships that could influence, or be perceived to influence, the manuscript or editorial decision. Disclosures help readers and editors assess transparency and potential bias.

This policy is reviewed regularly and may be updated to reflect evolving standards in publication ethics, research integrity, and scholarly communication. The current version is always available on this page.

© StarNexus Science Press
Last updated: May 2026. ACDM follows COPE guidelines.

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Related Policies

• APC Policy
• Peer Review Process
• COPE Guidelines
• Conflict of Interest
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