Research Ethics and Integrity Statement

The Journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research ethics, academic integrity, and professional conduct. By submitting a manuscript, authors affirm that their work complies with the principles and requirements set forth in this Research Ethics and Integrity Statement.

1. Research Involving Human Participants

For studies involving human participants, authors must ensure that:

• Participation is voluntary and free from coercion.
• Participants are informed about the purpose, procedures, and expected outcomes of the research.
• Participants are informed about how the collected data will be used, stored, and protected.
• Informed consent is obtained prior to participation.
• Participants have the right to withdraw from the study at any stage without penalty or adverse consequences.
• Anonymity and/or confidentiality are protected whenever applicable.
• Personal data are collected, processed, stored, and reported in accordance with applicable legal and ethical requirements.
• Special care is taken when research involves vulnerable individuals or groups.

Where questionnaires, surveys, interviews, focus groups, or similar instruments are used, authors are expected to provide participants with clear information regarding the following:

• the purpose of the study;
• voluntary participation;
• the right to refuse participation or withdraw at any time;
• confidentiality and anonymity arrangements;
• contact information of the responsible researcher or research team.

2. Secondary and Publicly Available Data

Authors using publicly available, archived, anonymized, or secondary datasets must ensure that:

• the use of such data complies with applicable legal and ethical requirements;
• privacy and confidentiality protections are respected;
• data sources are properly acknowledged and cited.

3. Ethical Review and Approval

Where required by institutional, national, disciplinary, or legal regulations, authors must obtain approval from a competent research ethics committee or institutional review board prior to conducting the research.

Authors must be able to provide documentation of such approval upon request by the Journal.

4. Research Integrity

Authors must ensure that:

• research is conducted honestly, accurately, and transparently;
• data are not fabricated, falsified, manipulated, or selectively reported;
• findings are presented truthfully and without misleading interpretation;
• all sources are properly acknowledged;
• plagiarism in any form is strictly avoided.

5. Authorship and Contribution

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research and manuscript.

All listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission.

Guest, honorary, or fictitious authorship is unacceptable.

6. Artificial Intelligence Tools

Authors may use artificial intelligence tools only as supportive instruments.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and validity of all submitted content.

Any substantial use of artificial intelligence tools in the preparation of the manuscript must be disclosed in accordance with the Journal's policies.

Artificial intelligence systems may not be listed as authors.

7. Compliance with COPE Principles

The Journal follows the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Authors are expected to conduct and report their research in accordance with internationally recognized standards of publication ethics and professional integrity.

8. Author Declaration

By submitting a manuscript and by agreeing to publication, authors affirm that all ethical requirements applicable to their research have been satisfied and that the research has been conducted in accordance with this Research Ethics and Integrity Statement.