Publication Ethics

African Scientific Reports (ASR) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. The journal follows internationally recognized best practices and adheres to the principles and guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

These ethics guidelines apply to all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, and are intended to ensure the credibility of the scholarly record and public trust in scientific research.

Research Integrity and Data Accuracy

Authors are expected to present an accurate account of their research and an objective discussion of its significance. Fabrication (making up data or results) and falsification (manipulating research materials, processes, data, or images) constitute serious breaches of research integrity.

Where evidence of fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation is identified, the journal will take appropriate editorial action, which may include rejection, correction, or retraction of the article in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Plagiarism and Originality

All submitted manuscripts must be original work. Plagiarism in any form—including unattributed copying of text, ideas, data, or results—is unacceptable. Proper acknowledgment of the work of others through appropriate citation is required.

Manuscripts containing plagiarized content will be rejected. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, corrective action will be taken, which may include publication of a correction or retraction.

Duplicate, Redundant, and Concurrent Publication

Authors should not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal. Duplicate or redundant publication, where substantially similar work is published without appropriate justification or cross-referencing, is not acceptable.

Where overlapping publication is identified, the journal will assess the matter and take appropriate action consistent with publication ethics standards.

Authorship and Contributor Responsibility

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. All listed authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission.

Gift, guest, or honorary authorship is not permitted. Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

Citation Integrity

References should be included solely to acknowledge relevant prior work and to support statements made in the manuscript. Citation practices intended to artificially inflate citation metrics or to favor specific individuals or journals are inappropriate.

Editors and reviewers must not request citations for personal, institutional, or journal-based advantage.

Conflicts of Interest

All authors are required to disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation of their work. Editors and reviewers must also disclose conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where such conflicts exist.

Editorial and Peer Review Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based on the scholarly merit of manuscripts and ethical considerations. Peer review is conducted objectively, confidentially, and fairly.

Reviewers should provide constructive, unbiased evaluations and maintain confidentiality of all submitted materials.

Handling of Ethical Concerns and Investigations

Suspected breaches of publication ethics, whether identified before or after publication, are taken seriously. Concerns may be reported to the Editor-in-Chief at [email protected] or to the President of the Nigerian Society of Physical Sciences at [email protected].

Investigations are conducted in a fair, confidential, and transparent manner, with due regard for all parties involved.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

When errors that do not invalidate the findings of an article are identified, a correction or erratum may be issued. In cases where serious concerns arise regarding the reliability or integrity of the published work, the journal may issue an expression of concern or retract the article.

Retractions are issued to correct the scholarly record and are not intended as punitive measures. All retractions are handled in accordance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines . Retracted articles remain accessible online but are clearly identified as retracted, with permanent links to the corresponding retraction notice.