JDE Ethics

The Journal of Developmental Education is committed to publishing and disseminating high-quality content. We recognize that scholarly publishing is complex and includes a variety of stakeholders that include editors, authors, reviewers, and publishers. As such, we align our ethical practices and standards with COPE’s (Committee on Publication Ethics) codes of conduct and guidelines. We also follow COPE’s Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and their ethical guidelines for peer reviewers. It is expected that all authors, reviewers, and editors follow the best-practice guidelines contained within COPE’s published guidelines.

Editor Responsibilities

Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their academic merit (importance, originality, study’s validity, clarity) and its relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religious belief, political philosophy or institutional affiliation. Decisions to edit and publish are not determined by the policies of governments or any other agencies outside of the journal itself. The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over the entire editorial content of the journal and the timing of publication of that content. 

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff will not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Editors and editorial board members will not use unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research purposes without the authors’ explicit written consent. Editors will recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships/connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers; instead, they will ask an associate editor to reassign the paper to another member of the editorial board or review team.

Publication Decisions

The editors ensure that all submitted manuscripts being considered for publication undergo peer-review by at least three reviewers. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding which of the manuscripts submitted to the journal will be published, based on the validation of the work in question, its importance to researchers and readers, the reviewers’ comments, and such legal requirements as are currently in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism.

Involvement and Cooperation in Investigations

Editors (in conjunction with the publisher and/or society) will take responsive measures when ethical concerns are raised with regard to a submitted manuscript or published paper. Every reported act of unethical publishing behavior will be looked into, even if it is discovered years after publication. Journal editors follow the COPE Flowcharts when dealing with cases of suspected misconduct. If, on investigation, the ethical concern is well-founded, a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other note as may be relevant, will be published in the journal.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Peer reviewers assist in the editorial process by reviewing manuscripts and providing recommendations for publishing. Peer review is an essential aspect of the publishing process and requires scholarly communication and commitment.

Acknowledgement of Competing Interests

Peer reviewers should take note of and notify the editors of any competing interests or conflicts to review. Competing interests may include those that are personal, financial, intellectual, professional, or political. Peer reviewers should not accept an invitation to review any manuscript they are familiar with or have engaged in professional development on.

Timeliness

Any peer reviewer who feels unqualified to review a manuscript or is unable to adhere to the posted review deadline should immediately notify editors and decline the invitation to review so that an alternate reviewer may be contacted.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts are confidential documents and peer reviewers are expected to treat them as such. Peer reviewers shall not discuss the manuscript with any persons other than the editors. This also applies to peer reviewers who have declined the invitation to review.

Objectivity

All reviews should be conducted objectively and in accordance with the review standards of the journal. Peer reviewers should provide constructive feedback so that authors can improve their manuscripts. Personal criticism is inappropriate.

Acknowledgement of Ethical Concerns

Peer reviewers should identify any relevant published work that has been included in the manuscript but not cited by the author(s). Any statement that is an observation, derivation, or argument that has been reported in previous publications should be accompanied by a relevant citation. A reviewer should notify editors of any similarities between the manuscript under consideration and a published manuscript.

Author Responsibilities

Reporting Standards

Authors of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed and the results and an objective discussion of its significance. The manuscript should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Data Access and Retention

Authors may be asked to provide the raw data of their study together with the manuscript for editorial review and should be prepared to make the data publicly available if practicable. Authors should ensure accessibility of such data to other competent professionals for at least 10 years after publication (preferably via an institutional or subject-based data repository or other data center), provided that the confidentiality of the participants can be protected and legal rights concerning proprietary data do not preclude their release.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors will only submit entirely original works and will appropriately cite any work or words of others. Publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the work reported in the manuscript should also be cited. . Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors may not submit a manuscript of the same research to be published in more than one journal. Submission of a manuscript concurrently to more than one journal is unethical publishing behavior and unacceptable.

Papers describing essentially the same research should not be published in more than one journal or primary publication. Hence, authors should not submit for consideration a manuscript that has already been published in or is under consideration by another journal.

Authorship of the Manuscript

Authorship should be limited only to those who have made substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution or analysis or a study. Those who contributed to other aspects of the study should be acknowledged in the acknowledgements of the manuscript. The corresponding author is responsible for included all appropriate co-authors to the manuscript and verifying that all co-authors have seen, approved, and agreed to the final submission and production of the manuscript.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors should disclose any conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of the manuscript. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include financial support or benefits such as honoraria, employment, grants, stock ownership, consultancies, patent applications/registrations, as well as non-financial benefits such as personal or professional memberships and affiliations. Any conflicts of interests should be disclosed as early as possible, ideally at submission of the manuscript.

Acknowledgment of Sources

Authors are responsible for properly acknowledging the work of others and cite publications that have been influential to their work. Information obtained privately must not be used or reported without explicit, written permission from the source. Information obtained in the course of providing confidential services, such as refereeing manuscripts or grant applications, without the explicit written permission of the author(s) of the work involved in these services.

Fundamental Errors in Published Work

When authors discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their own published work, it is their obligation to promptly notify the journal’s editors or publisher and cooperate to either correct or retract the paper. If the editors or publisher learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error or inaccuracy, then it is the authors’ obligation to promptly correct or retract the paper or provide evidence to the journal editors of the correctness of the paper.