Editorial and Publication Policy

1. Journal Purpose, Scope and Editorial Principles

The Alupe University Multidisciplinary Research Journal (AUMRJ) is committed to publishing original, high-quality and rigorous multidisciplinary research that contributes to the advancement of knowledge, policy, professional practice and sustainable societal development. The journal welcomes scholarly contributions that fall within its approved aims and scope and that demonstrate clear academic, professional or societal significance.

AUMRJ shall uphold the principles of academic integrity, editorial independence, fairness, transparency, confidentiality, accountability and scholarly excellence. All manuscripts shall be evaluated objectively and consistently, with editorial decisions based primarily on originality, contribution to knowledge, scholarly significance, methodological rigor, theoretical or conceptual soundness, relevance to the journal's scope, clarity of presentation, ethical compliance and overall scholarly merit.

Editorial decisions shall not be influenced by an author's nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, religion, political views, ethnicity or other personal or institutional characteristics unrelated to the scholarly quality and integrity of the manuscript. The journal shall promote an inclusive and academically rigorous publishing environment in which all appropriately submitted scholarly work is considered fairly.

2. Manuscript Submission and Originality

Manuscripts submitted to AUMRJ shall be original, appropriately prepared and consistent with the approved aims and scope of the journal. A manuscript shall not have been previously published in substantially the same form or simultaneously submitted to another journal while it is under consideration by AUMRJ.

Authors shall comply with the Journal's submission and formatting requirements and shall ensure that the manuscript represents original scholarly work. All sources used in the preparation of the manuscript shall be appropriately acknowledged and cited. All listed authors shall approve the final version of the manuscript before submission and shall agree to its submission to AUMRJ.

Authors shall disclose all relevant financial, institutional or other forms of support associated with the research and shall declare any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest. Where applicable, authors shall provide evidence of ethical approval, research permits, informed consent and other required regulatory or institutional approvals.

Submission of a manuscript to AUMRJ shall constitute confirmation by the authors that the manuscript has not been simultaneously submitted elsewhere and that the information provided concerning originality, authorship, funding, ethical approval and conflicts of interest is accurate.

Where a manuscript has previously appeared in another form, including a conference proceeding, thesis, dissertation, institutional repository or other scholarly outlet, the authors shall disclose this information at submission and explain the relationship between the earlier version and the manuscript submitted to AUMRJ. The Editor-in-Chief shall determine whether the manuscript contains sufficient original material to warrant consideration.

3. Editorial Assessment and Decision-Making

All manuscripts submitted to AUMRJ shall undergo an initial editorial assessment before being considered for external peer review. The assessment shall determine whether the manuscript conforms to the journal's aims and scope, demonstrates sufficient originality and scholarly contribution, meets acceptable methodological and ethical standards, complies with the journal's author requirements and presents any concerns relating to plagiarism, similarity, artificial intelligence use or other forms of publication misconduct.

A manuscript may be rejected at the editorial assessment stage where it falls substantially outside the journal's scope, lacks sufficient scholarly quality, contains serious ethical or research-integrity concerns, exceeds the journal's acceptable similarity threshold without a satisfactory explanation, fails to meet essential submission requirements or contains substantial methodological, conceptual or scholarly deficiencies.

The Editor-in-Chief shall have overall responsibility for editorial decisions. Final decisions shall take into consideration the initial editorial assessment, peer-review reports, authors' responses to reviewer comments and other relevant information available to the Journal. Peer-review recommendations shall inform the editorial decision but shall not automatically determine acceptance or rejection.

The Editor-in-Chief may assign editorial responsibilities to appropriately designated editors while retaining overall responsibility for the integrity and consistency of the journal's editorial process.

4. Peer Review Policy

AUMRJ shall employ an independent peer-review process to ensure that manuscripts are evaluated by appropriately qualified scholars with relevant subject expertise. Normally, each manuscript shall be reviewed by at least two qualified reviewers. Where practicable, the journal shall use a double-blind peer-review process in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another.

Reviewers shall evaluate manuscripts objectively and provide informed assessments of their originality, significance, contribution to knowledge, theoretical or conceptual foundation, methodological soundness, data analysis, interpretation of findings, quality of presentation, adequacy of references, ethical compliance and overall suitability for publication.

Following peer review, a manuscript may be accepted, accepted subject to minor revision, returned for major revision, invited for resubmission and further review, or rejected. Where reviewer recommendations substantially conflict or where additional expertise is considered necessary, the Editor-in-Chief may obtain an additional independent review before reaching a final decision.

The peer-review process shall be conducted in a manner that promotes fairness, confidentiality, scholarly rigor and timely decision-making. Authors shall be given reasonable opportunity to respond to substantive reviewer comments and shall make appropriate revisions where required.

5. Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Board

The editors and Editorial Board of AUMRJ shall be responsible for safeguarding the academic quality, credibility and integrity of the journal. They shall ensure that editorial processes are conducted fairly, impartially, consistently and within a reasonable period. Editors shall maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and shall appoint qualified and independent reviewers appropriate to the subject matter of each manuscript.

Editors shall manage actual, potential and perceived conflicts of interest and shall protect the independence of editorial decisions from commercial, financial, personal or institutional influence. Manuscripts shall be evaluated according to scholarly and ethical criteria rather than the personal characteristics, institutional affiliation or status of authors.

Editors shall address allegations of research and publication misconduct appropriately and shall facilitate corrections, expressions of concern or retractions where necessary to protect the integrity of the published scholarly record. They shall maintain accurate publication records and continuously promote the academic quality and reputation of AUMRJ.

Editors shall not use unpublished information obtained through manuscript handling for personal, professional or commercial advantage. Any editor who has a conflict of interest involving a manuscript shall withdraw from the relevant decision-making process and, where appropriate, the manuscript shall be assigned to another qualified editor.

6. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers shall provide objective, constructive, confidential and timely assessments of manuscripts assigned to them. Their evaluations shall be based on scholarly merit and shall address the quality, originality, significance, methodological rigor, ethical compliance and contribution of the manuscript.

Reviewers shall disclose any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest that may affect their impartiality. A reviewer who believes that a conflict may compromise the fairness of the review shall inform the editor and, where necessary, decline the assignment.

Reviewers shall maintain strict confidentiality concerning manuscripts and shall not disclose, reproduce, distribute or otherwise use manuscript contents or review materials without appropriate authorization. Unpublished information obtained during peer review shall not be used for personal, professional or commercial advantage.

Reviewers shall avoid personal criticism of authors and shall provide clear, respectful and evidence-based comments. They shall identify significant methodological, ethical or scholarly concerns and may recommend relevant literature where appropriate. Where a reviewer suspects plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication or other forms of publication misconduct, the concern shall be communicated confidentially to the appropriate editor.

7. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship in AUMRJ shall be based on substantial intellectual or scholarly contribution to the conception, design, conduct, analysis, interpretation or preparation of the research and manuscript. Individuals listed as authors shall have made meaningful contributions to the scholarly work, participated appropriately in the preparation or critical revision of the manuscript, approved the final version, agreed to its submission and publication, and accepted responsibility for their respective contributions.

Gift, honorary, guest and ghost authorship are prohibited. Individuals who contribute to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship may be appropriately acknowledged in the manuscript.

The corresponding author shall ensure that all legitimate authors are included, that inappropriate authors are not included, that all authors have approved the submitted manuscript and that the order of authorship has been agreed upon by all authors before submission.

Any proposed change in authorship after submission shall require written justification and the agreement of all affected authors. Such changes shall be subject to approval by the Editor-in-Chief. The journal reserves the right to investigate authorship disputes and, where necessary, refer such matters to the relevant institution or authority.

8. Research Ethics and Integrity

Research published in AUMRJ shall comply with applicable institutional, national and regulatory ethical requirements. Authors shall ensure that research involving human participants, animals, biological materials or other regulated research activities has received the necessary ethical and regulatory approvals before the research is conducted or published, as applicable.

Where relevant, manuscripts shall provide appropriate information concerning ethical approval, informed consent, protection of research participants, confidentiality, privacy, data protection, animal welfare, research permits and other regulatory requirements. Research involving human participants shall be conducted in accordance with approved ethical procedures and shall respect the rights, dignity, safety and welfare of participants.

Research involving animals shall comply with applicable animal-welfare requirements and relevant institutional procedures. Authors shall accurately report research methods, data, results and conclusions and shall not fabricate, falsify, manipulate, misrepresent or selectively report research findings.

Authors shall retain appropriate research records and shall cooperate with legitimate investigations concerning the integrity of their research. Where concerns arise regarding ethical approval, research conduct or the reliability of published findings, AUMRJ may seek clarification from the authors or their institution and may take appropriate editorial action.

9. Plagiarism and Publication Misconduct

AUMRJ shall maintain high standards of academic integrity and shall adopt a zero-tolerance approach to plagiarism and serious publication misconduct. All submitted manuscripts shall undergo appropriate similarity and plagiarism screening before publication.

The maximum acceptable overall similarity index for a manuscript shall be 20%. A manuscript with a similarity index of 20% or below may proceed to editorial assessment, subject to other quality, originality and integrity requirements. Where the similarity index exceeds 20%, the manuscript may be returned to the authors for correction and re-submission or rejected, depending on the extent, source and nature of the identified similarity.

The 20% similarity threshold shall be regarded as a screening and editorial-management threshold and shall not, by itself, constitute proof of plagiarism. Similarity reports shall be critically evaluated to distinguish legitimate similarity from inappropriate copying. Legitimate similarity may arise from properly cited quotations, references, standard terminology, commonly used expressions, article titles and unavoidable descriptions of established methods.

Publication misconduct includes plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, redundant publication, fabrication of data, falsification of data, manipulation or selective reporting of findings, fraudulent or inappropriate authorship, citation manipulation, simultaneous submission, misrepresentation of sources or findings and manipulation of the peer-review process.

Where serious misconduct is established, AUMRJ may reject a manuscript, require substantial revision, withdraw a manuscript from publication, issue a correction, retract a published article or refer the matter to the appropriate institutional or regulatory authority.

10. Conflicts of Interest and Funding Disclosure

Authors, editors, reviewers and Editorial Board members shall disclose any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest that could influence the research, peer-review process or editorial decision. Conflicts of interest may arise from financial interests, employment, consultancy, research funding, personal relationships, institutional relationships, professional collaborations, academic competition or other circumstances that may affect impartiality.

Individuals with significant conflicts of interest shall recuse themselves from the relevant editorial or peer-review process. Editors shall ensure that manuscripts are assigned to reviewers and handled by editors who are sufficiently independent of the authors and the research.

Authors shall disclose all relevant sources of financial, material or institutional support associated with the research. Where applicable, authors shall also state the role of the funder in the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation of findings and decision to publish.

Failure to disclose a material conflict of interest or relevant funding information may constitute a publication-integrity concern and may result in appropriate editorial action.

11. Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies

Generative artificial intelligence and related technologies may be used responsibly for appropriate purposes, including language improvement, editing, formatting, translation and technical assistance. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity and accountability of all content submitted to AUMRJ.

Artificial intelligence tools shall not be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the content, integrity or accountability of a scholarly publication.

Submitted manuscripts may be subjected to appropriate AI-content screening. An AI-generated content score of up to 25% shall be considered acceptable for editorial purposes. Where an AI-generated content score exceeds 25%, the manuscript may be returned to the authors for clarification, revision, appropriate disclosure or further editorial assessment. The manuscript may be rejected where the extent or nature of AI-generated content raises significant concerns regarding originality, authorship or research integrity.

The 25% AI-content threshold shall not, by itself, constitute proof of misconduct because AI-detection technologies may produce false positives or inaccurate results. Editorial decisions shall therefore consider the screening result together with the manuscript, the authors' disclosures and the nature and extent of AI use.

Authors shall verify all AI-assisted content before submission and shall disclose significant use of generative AI in manuscript preparation where applicable. AI shall not be used to fabricate or falsify data, results, references, images or other scholarly content. Authors shall ensure that AI-assisted material does not infringe copyright and that the use of AI does not compromise confidentiality, participant protection or research ethics.

Editors and reviewers shall not upload confidential manuscripts, reviewer reports or unpublished research materials to external AI systems without appropriate authorization and safeguards.

12. Confidentiality, Privacy and Data Protection

Manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence and other information associated with the publication process shall be treated as confidential. Editors, reviewers, Editorial Board members and other individuals involved in the publication process shall not disclose manuscript contents or confidential editorial information to unauthorized persons.

Confidential materials shall not be reproduced, distributed or used for personal, professional or commercial advantage without appropriate authorization. Where a blinded peer-review process is used, the identities of authors and reviewers shall be protected in accordance with the journal's review procedures.

Authors shall appropriately protect the privacy and confidentiality of research participants and shall comply with applicable data-protection requirements. Personal or sensitive information shall not be published unless its publication is ethically and legally justified and appropriate consent, anonymization or other safeguards have been implemented.

AUMRJ shall take reasonable measures to protect confidential information received during the submission, peer-review and publication processes and shall promote responsible management of research and personal data.

13. Copyright, Licensing, Open Access and Publication Fees

Authors shall ensure that manuscripts submitted to AUMRJ do not infringe the intellectual property rights of others. All sources shall be appropriately acknowledged and cited, and authors shall obtain permission for the reproduction of copyrighted material where such permission is required. Authors shall ensure that third-party materials are lawfully used and shall disclose any material that has previously been published elsewhere.

AUMRJ shall provide clear information concerning copyright ownership, licensing and reuse rights. The journal shall promote broad and equitable access to scholarly knowledge through an appropriate open-access publishing model. The applicable licence and conditions governing the reading, downloading, sharing, reproduction, distribution and reuse of published articles shall be clearly stated by the journal.

Publication Fee

AUMRJ may charge a publication fee, also referred to as an Article Processing Charge (APC), for manuscripts accepted for publication. The applicable publication fee shall be clearly stated on the official AUMRJ website and communicated to authors before publication. The fee shall be applied transparently and consistently in accordance with the journal's approved publication-fee schedule.

The publication fee may cover legitimate costs associated with manuscript processing, peer-review administration, editorial processing, copyediting, production, typesetting, formatting, online publication, digital preservation, journal-platform maintenance, dissemination and accessibility of published articles.

Payment of a publication fee shall not influence editorial decisions, peer-review outcomes or the academic assessment of a manuscript. Manuscripts shall be accepted or rejected solely on the basis of scholarly quality, originality, relevance, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, contribution to knowledge and other applicable editorial criteria.

Authors shall not be required to pay a publication fee at the initial submission stage unless this is expressly provided for in the journal's approved fee schedule. Any applicable fee shall be communicated to authors at an appropriate stage of the publication process.

AUMRJ shall disclose all applicable publication charges before publication. No additional or undisclosed publication charges shall be imposed on authors without prior communication and appropriate authorization.

Authors shall be informed of their rights and obligations concerning copyright and licensing before publication. The applicable licence shall clearly specify the conditions under which published articles may be accessed, shared, reproduced, distributed and reused.

14. Corrections, Retractions, Complaints and Appeals

AUMRJ shall take appropriate measures to maintain the accuracy, reliability and integrity of the published scholarly record. Where an error in a published article materially affects its accuracy, interpretation or scholarly value, the journal may publish an appropriate correction.

A published article may be retracted where there is compelling evidence of serious plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, major ethical violations, duplicate publication, substantial methodological or factual errors or other circumstances that materially compromise the reliability or integrity of the article.

Retraction notices shall clearly identify the affected article and provide an appropriate explanation for the retraction. Retraction shall be undertaken in a manner that maintains the integrity of the publication record and ensures that readers are appropriately informed of the status of the affected article.

Authors, reviewers, readers and other legitimate stakeholders may submit documented complaints concerning editorial decisions, peer review, publication procedures, ethical matters or research integrity. Complaints shall be handled fairly, objectively and confidentially, and individuals who raise legitimate concerns in good faith shall not be subjected to retaliation.

Authors may appeal an editorial decision by submitting a written and reasoned justification to the journal. Appeals shall be considered fairly, objectively and confidentially by the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriately designated editor who was not directly responsible for the original decision, where practicable. An appeal shall not automatically result in reversal of the original decision, and the decision following an appeal shall normally be considered final within the journal's editorial process.

15. Transparency, Governance and Policy Review

AUMRJ shall maintain transparent and accessible information concerning its aims and scope, editorial structure, editorial and peer-review procedures, authorship requirements, funding disclosure, conflicts of interest, ethical requirements, publication-integrity procedures, corrections and retractions, copyright and licensing arrangements, open-access provisions and publication fees.

Commercial or financial considerations shall not influence editorial decisions. The journal shall maintain a clear separation between editorial decision-making and financial or administrative matters associated with publication fees.

The Editorial Board shall oversee implementation of this policy and shall ensure that editorial procedures are consistently and fairly applied. The Editor-in-Chief shall provide academic leadership for the journal and shall be responsible for ensuring that the journal's editorial practices remain consistent with its approved mandate and institutional requirements.

This policy shall be reviewed periodically to ensure continued alignment with AUMRJ's multidisciplinary mandate, Alupe University's institutional requirements, developments in scholarly publishing, emerging technologies, research ethics and integrity requirements, and applicable national and international standards.

Any substantive amendment to this policy shall be considered and approved through the appropriate governance structures of Alupe University. The date of the most recent policy review or revision shall be clearly indicated in the official version of the policy.

FINAL POLICY STATEMENT

The Alupe University Multidisciplinary Research Journal (AUMRJ) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly excellence, research integrity, editorial independence, rigorous peer review, responsible authorship, ethical research, transparency, confidentiality and equitable access to knowledge. All authors, editors, reviewers, Editorial Board members and other participants in the publication process are expected to uphold this policy and contribute to maintaining the credibility, quality and integrity of the journal.

Key Editorial and Publication Standards

The maximum acceptable overall similarity index for manuscripts submitted to AUMRJ shall be 20%, while the maximum acceptable AI-generated content score shall be 25%, subject in both cases to contextual editorial assessment. Manuscripts shall normally be evaluated by at least two qualified peer reviewers, and double-blind peer review shall be used where practicable. AI tools shall not be recognized as authors, and duplicate or simultaneous submission shall not be permitted. Gift, honorary, guest and ghost authorship shall be prohibited, while fabrication, falsification and other serious forms of research misconduct shall not be tolerated. Conflicts of interest shall be disclosed by authors, editors, reviewers and Editorial Board members, and ethical approval, informed consent and relevant research permits shall be provided where applicable. AUMRJ may charge an approved Article Processing Charge (APC) for accepted manuscripts. Publication fees shall have no influence on editorial decisions or peer-review outcomes.

Editorial Caution on Screening Thresholds

The 20% similarity threshold and 25% AI-generated content threshold are intended as screening and editorial-management thresholds rather than automatic determinations of plagiarism or misconduct. Similarity and AI-detection reports shall always be interpreted critically, taking into account the source, nature, extent and context of the detected material. Final editorial decisions shall be based on scholarly judgment, evidence, research integrity, ethical requirements and the provisions of this policy.