Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

The International Journal of Contemporary Legal Research (IJCLR) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and to supporting ethical research practices. The journal adheres to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publishing process — authors, editors, and reviewers — are expected to uphold these standards.

Duties of Authors

Originality and plagiarism: Authors must ensure that submitted work is original, has not been previously published, and is not under consideration elsewhere. Proper attribution must be given to all sources. Any form of plagiarism constitutes unethical behaviour and is unacceptable.

Authorship: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant intellectual contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. All authors must approve the final version and agree to submission. Changes to authorship after submission require justification and editorial approval.

Conflicts of interest: Authors must disclose all financial or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing their work. All funding sources must be acknowledged.

Errors in published work: An author who discovers a significant error in their published work has an obligation to promptly notify the journal and cooperate with the editors to correct or retract the paper.

Duties of Reviewers

Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents. They must not share or discuss them with others without editorial authorisation.

Conflicts of interest: Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves where such conflicts exist.

Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should clearly express their views with supporting arguments.

Promptness: If a reviewer cannot complete a review within the agreed timeframe, they should notify the editorial office so that alternative arrangements can be made.

Duties of Editors

Fair play: Editors evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to the race, gender, nationality, religious belief, or institutional affiliation of the authors.

Confidentiality: Editors must not disclose information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than reviewers and the editorial team.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest: Editors must recuse themselves from processing submissions where they have a conflict of interest.

Publication decisions: Editorial decisions are based on the merit of the work, the peer review reports, and the journal's scope. The editor-in-chief bears responsibility for all editorial decisions.

Misconduct and Corrections

IJCLR takes allegations of misconduct seriously. Where misconduct is suspected, the journal will follow COPE guidelines. Corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern will be published promptly as warranted. The journal reserves the right to retract articles that are found to contain fabricated data, plagiarism, or other serious ethical violations.