Publication Ethics
This policy has been developed in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the joint Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE–DOAJ–OASPA–WAME), and the ethical requirements of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). The journal also follows the Ethics of Publication for Scientific Journals and the Code of Ethics of a Scholar of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
The purpose of this policy is to ensure high scientific quality, transparency of editorial procedures, and trust between authors, reviewers, readers, and the publisher.
- General Principles
The journal publishes only original scientific works consistent with its scope and the standards of research integrity. All participants of the publication process (authors, editors, reviewers, publisher) must adhere to the principles of honesty, transparency, independence of judgment, respect, and confidentiality.
All forms of research or publication misconduct (plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, manipulative citation, unethical authorship practices, biased peer review, etc.) are strictly prohibited and handled according to COPE guidelines.
- Responsibilities of the Editorial Board and Editors
The Editorial Board is responsible for the development of the journal, improvement of article quality, and compliance with international ethical standards.
Editorial decisions are based exclusively on the scientific value, originality, clarity, and relevance of the manuscript, and are not influenced by personal, commercial, institutional, or political interests.
Editors ensure independent and confidential peer review, select qualified reviewers, and supervise quality and timelines of reviews. Editors must not use unpublished materials for personal research purposes.
If an editor has a conflict of interest (academic, financial, personal), the manuscript is reassigned to another editor.
- Responsibilities of Authors
Authors are fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of the results presented in the manuscript.
Authors confirm that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere and has not been previously published in substantial part. Duplicate or redundant publication is prohibited.
All sources of information (text, figures, data, code) must be appropriately cited.
Authors must promptly inform the editorial office about any significant errors discovered after submission or publication and cooperate in issuing corrections (errata, corrigenda) or retractions.
- Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship is limited to individuals who have made a substantial contribution to:
- the conception or design of the study;
- acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
- drafting or critical revision of the manuscript;
- final approval of the version to be submitted.
Individuals who contributed to funding, technical assistance, data collection, or administrative support must be acknowledged but not listed as authors.
Guest, gift, or ghost authorship is unacceptable. The order of authors is determined by mutual agreement of all contributors.
The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal, ensuring approval of the final version by all co-authors, and accuracy of affiliations.
- Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers must provide objective, independent, and timely evaluations within their field of expertise. Personal criticism of authors is not acceptable.
Manuscripts received for review are confidential documents and must not be shared with third parties. Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and decline review when such conflicts exist.
Reviewers should identify relevant published works not cited by the authors and report suspected plagiarism, falsification, or other unethical practices.
- Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest exists when personal, financial, academic, or professional relationships may influence an individual’s objectivity. Authors must disclose all funding sources and any potential conflicts of interest.
Reviewers and editors must declare their conflicts and withdraw from involvement when necessary. Conflict of interest information is published with the article when relevant.
- Complaints and Appeals
The journal provides a transparent procedure for handling complaints and appeals related to:
- editorial decisions;
- peer review quality;
- ethical conduct of authors, reviewers, or editors;
- integrity of published materials.
All complaints must be submitted in written form to the official journal email with supporting evidence.
Complaints are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or a delegated member of the Editorial Board. A reasoned response with implemented actions (re-review, correction, retraction, etc.) is provided to the complainant.
Secondary appeals are reviewed by an extended panel of the Editorial Board.
- Allegations of Misconduct and Investigations
All credible suspicions of misconduct (plagiarism, data falsification, authorship fraud, citation manipulation, etc.) are investigated.
The editorial office may request explanations from authors and reviewersб, consult the institutions where the research was conducted, follow the corresponding COPE flowcharts.
During investigation, the manuscript may be placed on hold or the published article may receive an Expression of Concern.
Confirmed misconduct may result in correction, retraction, notification of indexing databases, and informing the authors’ institutions.
- Data Sharing and Reproducibility
Authors should provide sufficient methodological detail and access to data to ensure reproducibility. Authors are encouraged to deposit raw data, code, and supplementary materials in institutional or discipline-specific repositories with persistent identifiers (e.g., DOI). For data with legal or ethical restrictions (personal data, proprietary materials), authors must describe the restrictions and compliance measures.
- Ethical Oversight
For studies involving humans, animals, or hazardous materials, authors must state:
- approval of an ethics committee/IRB;
- compliance with international and national standards;
- procedures for informed consent when applicable.
The editorial office may request documentation of ethical approval. Manuscripts lacking appropriate ethical oversight may be rejected.
- Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions
Minor errors are corrected through Errata or Corrigenda.
Major errors affecting the validity of results or confirmed misconduct lead to retraction.
Retracted articles remain accessible with a clear “Retracted” watermark and explanation.
Expressions of Concern may be issued while an investigation is ongoing.
- Use of AI Tools and Third-Party Services
Generative AI tools (e.g., large language models) cannot be listed as authors.
Use of paid editorial services or commercial intermediaries must be declared and does not exempt authors from ethical responsibilities.
