Publication Ethics and Policy

Publication Ethics and Policy

The Evaluation Studies in Social Sciences (ESSS) journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and transparency. Below are the detailed policies regarding publication ethics, copyright, digital preservation, self-archiving, and the copyright transfer agreement.

Copyright Policy
This journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Authors retain the copyright to their articles but grant ESSS a non-exclusive license to publish the article, including any abstract, visual abstract, tables, figures, data, and supplemental material (together, the "Article"), subject to the Terms and Conditions set out below.

Digital Preservation Policy
Authors retain the copyright to their articles. However, they will grant ESSS a non-exclusive license to publish the article, including any abstract, visual abstract, tables, figures, data, and supplemental material (together, the "Article"), in the Journal, subject to the Terms and Conditions set out below.

Self-Archiving Policy
If the Article is accepted for publication by the Editors of the Journal, ESSS will publish the Article under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY NC SA 4.0) License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).

Copyright Transfer Agreement
The author(s) grant anyone (and retain for themselves) the right to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) or adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) the Article as published in the Journal provided appropriate credit is given, a link to the license is provided, and details of changes made are indicated.

Code of Conduct in Publishing

At the Evaluation Studies in Social Sciences (ESSS) journal, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics. Our guidelines, which align with the best practices outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), ensure integrity, transparency, and quality throughout the publication process. Below are the essential ethical guidelines for authors, reviewers, and editors:

For Authors

  • Originality and Plagiarism: Manuscripts must be original and free from plagiarism. Any content found to be plagiarized will be rejected and may lead to sanctions. Published articles may also be subject to corrections or retractions if plagiarism is discovered.
  • Manuscript Submission: Authors should use the provided templates in English or Malay to structure their manuscripts, ensuring clarity and effective presentation of their research.
  • Copyright and Licensing: Authors retain copyright but grant ESSS a non-exclusive license to publish their work under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
  • Ethical Approval: Research involving human participants must have received approval from an appropriate ethics committee, or provide substantial evidence of ethical considerations if approval was not obtained.
  • Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Multiple Revisions: Authors should positively engage with the review process and make necessary revisions as suggested by editors and reviewers.
  • Peer Review: Manuscripts undergo a thorough peer review by anonymous reviewers to ensure academic excellence and impartiality.
  • Proper Citation: All sources must be cited appropriately. Authors should avoid excessive reuse of wording and ensure proper attribution or quotation.
  • Similarity Index: The ESSS journal uses Turnitin to detect similarity. Manuscripts should have a similarity index below 25%; higher levels of similarity will not be tolerated.
  • Multiple Submissions: Manuscripts should not be under consideration elsewhere. Authors must withdraw submissions from other publications before submitting to ESSS. Simultaneous submissions may lead to sanctions.
  • Fabrication of Results: Any fabrication or falsification of results, including image manipulation, will result in sanctions and possible retraction of published articles.
  • Funding Declaration: Authors must declare any current or recent funding and disclose any other payments or services that might influence their work. This should be included in the 'Funding Statement.'
  • Acknowledgment of Funding: All funding sources must be declared in the acknowledgment statement, regardless of their nature.

For Reviewers

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and not disclose any information regarding manuscripts to anyone except the editors.
  • Objectivity and Constructiveness: Reviews should be conducted objectively and constructively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.
  • Promptness: Reviewers should complete their reviews within the agreed timeframe to avoid delays in the publication process.
  • Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from the review process if a conflict exists.
  • Link to Code of Conduct from COPE guideline : Reviewers

For Editors

  • Publication Decisions: Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based on the validity of the work and its importance to researchers and readers.
  • Fair Play: Manuscripts should be evaluated for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
  • Confidentiality: Editors must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher.
  • Conflict of Interest: Editors should recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.
  • Link to Code of Conduct from COPE guideline : Editors

These guidelines are designed to uphold the integrity of the publication process and ensure that all contributions to the ESSS journal meet the highest ethical standards.

Note: It is advisable for authors to review the specific guidelines provided by the journal for complete and accurate instructions on manuscript submission and ethical considerations.