The Journal of Applied Science and Community Empowerment is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics to ensure the integrity, transparency, and quality of the published content. This statement is based on the guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publication process (authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers) are expected to adhere to the following ethical standards:

1. Duties of Authors

• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is original and free from plagiarism. Proper citations must be provided for any referenced material.
• Acknowledgment of Sources: All sources of data, funding, and other contributions should be appropriately acknowledged.
• Authorship Criteria: Only those who have made significant contributions to the study should be listed as authors.
• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research or interpretation of results.
• Data Accuracy: Authors are required to provide accurate and detailed descriptions of the methodology, data, and findings to ensure reproducibility.
• Corrections: If errors are discovered after publication, authors should promptly notify the journal and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions as necessary.

2. Duties of Editors

• Fair and Impartial Decision-Making: Editors should evaluate submissions solely based on their academic merit, originality, and relevance, without discrimination.
• Confidentiality: Editors must maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and not disclose any information to unauthorized parties.
• Conflict of Interest Management: Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists.
• Ethical Oversight: Editors should take reasonable measures to identify and prevent publication of research that involves misconduct.

3. Duties of Reviewers

• Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and not share or discuss their contents with others.
• Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively, with constructive feedback provided to improve the manuscript.
• Promptness: Reviewers should promptly respond to review invitations and complete their reviews within the agreed timeframe.
• Disclosure: Reviewers should disclose any conflicts of interest and decline to review manuscripts where such conflicts exist.

4. Duties of the Publisher

• Publication Integrity: The publisher is committed to ensuring the ethical publication of high-quality research and will take necessary steps to address any ethical issues.
• Support for Ethical Practices: The publisher will support editors, authors, and reviewers in adhering to publication ethics guidelines.
• Retraction and Correction: If ethical breaches occur, the publisher will collaborate with editors to issue retractions, corrections, or other necessary actions.

5. Ethical Concerns and Misconduct

The journal will actively investigate any allegations of ethical misconduct and take appropriate actions, including retraction or correction of published content. Complaints can be reported to the editorial office for further review.

By adhering to these guidelines, the Journal of Applied Science and Community Empowerment aims to maintain the trust of the research community and ensure the dissemination of high-quality, ethically sound research.