Journal Policies

Publication Ethics and Integrity

Ax Publications (AxP) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. The journal adheres to the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics.

All participants in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher, are expected to act in accordance with internationally accepted ethical standards. Manuscripts must represent original work and must not be under consideration elsewhere. Any form of plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate submission, or unethical research practice will result in rejection or retraction in accordance with COPE procedures.

Peer Review Process

All submissions undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure objectivity, fairness, and academic quality. Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with expertise relevant to the subject area. Reviewers are selected by the editorial team and must be free from conflicts of interest.

Authors may suggest potential reviewers; however, the journal retains full discretion in reviewer selection and is not obligated to use author-suggested reviewers. Suggested reviewers must not be from the same institution as the authors and must have no recent collaboration or conflict of interest.

Editorial decisions are based on originality, methodological rigor, theoretical contribution, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope. The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

Authorship and Contribution

Authorship is limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. The journal encourages transparency through the use of recognized contribution frameworks such as the CRediT taxonomy.

Guest, honorary, or ghost authorship is not permitted.

Conflict of Interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that may influence the research or its interpretation. A formal conflict of interest statement must be included in all submissions.

Data Availability and Transparency

To promote transparency and reproducibility, all manuscripts must include a Data Availability Statement. Where possible, datasets should be deposited in recognized repositories that provide persistent identifiers (e.g., DOIs). If data cannot be shared due to ethical, legal, or confidentiality constraints, authors must provide a clear and justified explanation.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

The use of AI tools is permitted only for limited purposes such as language editing, formatting, or technical assistance. AI tools must not be listed as authors and may not be used to generate substantive scholarly content, including interpretation, analysis, or conclusions.

Authors are required to disclose any use of AI tools in the manuscript. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all submitted work.

Plagiarism and Originality

All submissions are screened using recognized plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate). Manuscripts must be original and must not have been published or submitted elsewhere. All sources must be appropriately cited. Plagiarism in all its forms, including verbatim copying, inappropriate paraphrasing, self-plagiarism, and redundant publication, is considered unethical and unacceptable. Similarity reports are evaluated qualitatively by the editorial team, and submissions with unacceptable overlap will be rejected. If plagiarism or unethical overlap is identified after publication, the journal will take appropriate action in accordance with ethical guidelines, including correction or retraction of the article.

Open Access Policy

AxP journals operate under a full open access model, ensuring immediate and unrestricted access to all published content. All articles are freely available to read, download, copy, distribute, and reuse, provided appropriate attribution is given to the original authors and source.

All content is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, in accordance with internationally recognized open access standards, including those outlined by the Directory of Open Access Journals.

Open Citations

The journal supports the Initiative for Open Citations (I4OC) and promotes the unrestricted availability of citation data to enhance transparency, discoverability, and scholarly communication.

Preprint Policy

The journal allows submission of manuscripts previously shared as preprints. Upon publication, authors are required to update the preprint with a link to the final published version, including its DOI.

Corrections and Retractions

The journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy of the scholarly record. Errors identified after publication will be addressed through formal corrections. Retractions will be issued in cases of serious ethical violations and will follow COPE guidelines.

Complaints and Appeals

AxP maintains a transparent and fair process for handling complaints and appeals. Appeals against editorial decisions must be supported by clear justification and will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or independent reviewers where appropriate. Complaints regarding editorial processes or ethical concerns are handled confidentially and resolved in a timely manner.

Archiving and Preservation

AxP ensures long-term digital preservation of its content through recognized archiving systems. All articles are assigned persistent identifiers (DOIs) to guarantee permanent accessibility.

Article Availability

All published articles are made available as full-text PDF files and are assigned permanent URLs and DOIs to facilitate accessibility, citation, and long-term availability.

Accessibility and Inclusion

AxP is committed to ensuring that its website and published content are accessible in accordance with internationally recognized standards (e.g., WCAG guidelines). Efforts are made to provide content in formats that support diverse user needs and assistive technologies. The journal promotes inclusivity and evaluates submissions solely on academic merit, without discrimination based on geography, gender, ethnicity, institutional affiliation, or other personal characteristics.

Diversity Policy

The journals actively promote diversity among authors, reviewers, and editorial board members, encouraging representation from a wide range of geographical, cultural, and academic backgrounds.

Advertising Policy

Editorial independence is strictly maintained. Advertising does not influence editorial decisions and is clearly distinguished from scholarly content.

Special Issues

Special issues are subject to the same rigorous peer-review and editorial standards as regular issues. Guest editors are carefully selected based on expertise, and all submissions undergo independent review processes overseen by the Editor-in-Chief.

Publication Fees

AxP journals do not charge any submission or publication fees.