Editorial Policies

RKGP Journals uphold a robust framework of editorial and publishing policies designed to protect research integrity, promote transparency, and ensure the highest standards of academic quality. These policies guide all phases of manuscript handling—from submission and peer review to editorial decisions and final publication. All manuscripts must conform to internationally accepted ethical and methodological standards appropriate to the study design, including necessary approvals and oversight.

The journals align their practices with recognized global bodies and publishing guidelines, including:

Animal Research

Research involving regulated animals must comply with established international ethical norms. Authors are required to obtain approval from a competent ethics committee, secure any legally required permissions, and provide clear methodological and welfare information—particularly for studies involving non-human primates or other sensitive species.

Human Subjects Research

Studies involving human participants must adhere to widely recognized ethical requirements. This includes securing ethics committee approval, safeguarding participant confidentiality, obtaining informed consent, and supplying relevant documentation for clinical or interventional studies when applicable.

Authorship

Authorship is reserved for individuals who have made meaningful scholarly contributions to the work. Consistent with ICMJE recommendations, all authors must meet the following criteria:

  1. Made a substantial contribution to the study’s conception, design, data collection, analysis, or interpretation.

  2. Participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript.

  3. Provided final approval of the version to be published.

  4. Accepted responsibility for all aspects of the work, ensuring its accuracy and integrity.

Authorship Changes

Requests to revise authorship (additions, removals, or order changes) must be initiated by the corresponding author through the designated authorship change form. Such requests will be evaluated according to COPE guidance. Further details can be found in ICMJE documentation and COPE’s authorship-related flowcharts.

Conflict of Interest

Conflicts of interest arise when personal, financial, or professional factors could influence—or appear to influence—the research or its presentation. Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any such interests. Authors are required to declare all potential competing interests; reviewers must withdraw from evaluation when a conflict exists; and editors must reassign manuscripts where necessary. Guidance is derived from COPE, ICMJE, STM, and WAME ethical frameworks.

Funding Disclosure

All financial support received for the study must be fully declared. Authors should also specify the role of funders in study conception, execution, analysis, interpretation, or manuscript preparation.

Content Licensing

Published articles are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, permitting reuse and distribution with appropriate citation of the original work.

Data Availability

Authors should make underlying data accessible in a publicly available repository whenever possible. Any exceptions must be agreed upon with the Editor prior to publication.

Materials and Software Sharing

Researchers are encouraged to share materials, data, and software relevant to their published work to facilitate verification and further research.

Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts must comply with the journal’s Instructions for Authors and be submitted through the online system. All listed authors must satisfy authorship criteria and approve the final manuscript. Full contact details—including institutional affiliations, email addresses, and telephone numbers—must be provided. A declaration of all potential conflicts of interest is mandatory.

Confidentiality

Submitted manuscripts are treated as confidential documents. Access is limited to editorial board members, assigned reviewers, and designated editorial staff. In cases of suspected ethical or research misconduct, manuscripts may be shared confidentially with the journal’s ethics committee or relevant institutional authorities, following COPE protocols.

Peer Review

RKGP Journals utilize a double-blind peer review model. Reviewer identities remain anonymous to authors, and author identities are concealed from reviewers. Submissions are evaluated by qualified reviewers or editorial board members who provide one of the following recommendations:

  • Accept

  • Minor revision

  • Moderate revision

  • Major revision

  • Reject with justification

At least three independent reviews are obtained for each manuscript. Authors receive anonymous reviewer comments to guide revision. Final decisions rest solely with the Editor. Once accepted, manuscripts receive an Acceptance Certificate and proceed to the publication stage.

Research Misconduct

Any allegations of research or publication misconduct—including violations of ethical standards or editorial policy—will be investigated according to COPE procedures. Authors must adhere to established principles of integrity throughout the research and publication process.

Corrections and Retractions

Corrections to published articles may be issued following editorial evaluation. Minor corrections are incorporated into the original article, whereas substantial corrections are published separately with appropriate explanations. Retractions are issued in alignment with COPE retraction guidelines.

Additional Resources

Authors and reviewers may consult the following for further guidance:

  • ICMJE: Scientific Misconduct, Expressions of Concern, and Retraction

  • COPE: Guidelines and Flowcharts

  • WAME: Ethics Policies for Medical Journals

  • STM: Ethical Principles for Scholarly Publication

RKGP Journals regularly review and update their editorial policies to ensure continued alignment with evolving best practices in scholarly communication.