Publication Ethics

ASTACITA: Journal of Bureaucracy and Public Policy is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. The journal follows internationally accepted ethical guidelines for scholarly publishing to ensure integrity, transparency, and academic quality.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to ASTACITA are expected to:

Submit only original work that has not been published previously and is not under consideration elsewhere.
Properly acknowledge and cite all sources, data, and references used in the manuscript.
Ensure that all listed authors have made significant contributions to the research and approve the final version of the manuscript.
Disclose any financial, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest that may influence the research or its interpretation.
Ensure that research involving human subjects complies with ethical standards and relevant regulations.
Promptly notify the editor if a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered after publication and cooperate in correcting or retracting the article if necessary.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for:

Making publication decisions based solely on the scholarly merit, originality, relevance, and clarity of submissions.
Ensuring a fair, unbiased, and timely double-blind peer review process.
Maintaining confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and reviewer identities.
Preventing conflicts of interest and recusing themselves from handling manuscripts where such conflicts exist.
Taking appropriate action in cases of suspected ethical misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, or duplicate publication.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

Conduct reviews objectively, constructively, and within the agreed timeframe.
Treat all manuscripts as confidential documents.
Identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors.
Alert the editor to any suspected ethical issues, plagiarism, or substantial similarity with other works.
Decline review invitations where conflicts of interest exist.

Plagiarism and Misconduct

ASTACITA has a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, and other forms of academic misconduct. All submissions may be screened using plagiarism detection tools. Manuscripts found to violate ethical standards will be rejected, and published articles may be retracted if misconduct is discovered post-publication.

Corrections and Retractions

The journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy of the scholarly record. Corrections, clarifications, or retractions will be issued when errors, ethical concerns, or misconduct are identified, following established publishing best practices.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors may submit complaints or appeals regarding editorial decisions or ethical concerns. All complaints will be handled fairly, transparently, and confidentially by the editorial board.