Code of Ethics 

Ethical guidelines editorial code of conduct

Introduction

The ethical guidelines for the SINAPPSI Journal correspond and conform to the standards set in the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors del Committee on Publication Ethics  (COPE) and the general rules in the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity of the All European Academies (ALLEA), in the Guidelines for Research Integrity  and in the Charter of Principles for Research in Social and Human Sciences and the Code of Conduct   of the Commission for Ethics and Integrity in Research issued by the National Research Council of Italy (CNR).

In keeping with the rules and values in the documents cited above, SINAPPSI is committed to adopting all possible measures to prevent negligence and ensure good ethical practices, enforcing rigor and accuracy, and maintaining neutrality on the questions addressed in the Journal. All Journal staff who serve in various capacities and work to realize SINAPPSI (the Publisher, Management Team, the Editorial Staff and Reviewers, and the Authors) are apprised of the code of conduct outlined below and embrace the principles expressed therein of utmost fairness and objectivity, respect and confidentiality.

General Principles

SINAPPSI publishes articles that respect copyright and, as a rule, accepts only original works which are not being submitted at the same time for publication in other journals or editorial series.  In case of prior submissions of an article, the Authors in question must inform the editorial staff. If on occasion the Journal accepts previously-published articles, the original source will be explicitly stated on the front page. In any case, manuscripts submitted for publication must not be published in other journals as material protected by copyright.

Articles are selected for publication based on scientific value, relevance, and original content, as determined by an assessment by expert referees.

SINAPPSI adopts a double-blind peer review procedure to ensure that the material in question remains strictly confidential during the review process.

The Journal, released in open access mode, is open to and in favor of all means of promoting research. SINAPPSI supports independence in research and condemns any form of scientific fraud, such as fabrication or falsification of results, plagiarism, violation of copyright, as well as self-plagiarism or selective citations.

Obligations of the Publisher

The Publisher is responsible for all content published in the Journal. Obligations and responsibilities are as follows:

  • to guarantee freedom of expression, together with Management Team, without discrimination on the basis of sex, race, age, ethnicity, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious beliefs, or scientific, academic or political orientation of the authors;
  • to safeguard intellectual property and copyright of editorial products;
  • to respect the right to personal data protection of every stakeholder involved in realizing the Journal;
  • to ensure transparency and integrity in the review process for articles, along with Management Team and the Editorial Staff;
  • to prevent publishing requirements from compromising in any way respect for ethical and intellectual standards.

Obligations of Management Team (Editor-in-Chief, Editor in charge and Editorial Board) and the Editorial Staff

The Journal Management Team:

  • is responsible for deciding whether or not to publish articles submitted to the Journal;
  • is obliged to follow the editorial strategies and guidelines of the Journal;
  • makes the decision to publish each article following an anonymous review by at least two expert referees, selected from members of the Editorial Board and/or among experts nominated on the basis of their expertise and trustworthiness;
  • verifies the review process periodically to improve it and enhance efficiency;
  • has the option to waive this procedure, but only in the case of articles written by an Author who is a prominent authority on the relative topic, with the justification for this decision stated in a note included in the article in question;
  • must respect any request by Authors that their work not be assigned to a specific referee, if said request is substantiated by reasonable motivations;
  • must comply with current legislation regulating defamation, copyright violation and plagiarism;
  • pledges to consider for possible publication even that research which may challenge works previously published in the Journal;
  • undertakes to publish any necessary corrections, clarifications or retractions in a timely fashion;
  • must implement procedures during the editorial process that ensure content is accurate, complete, and clear. Specifically, the Management Team:
    • may ask the Authors for corrections or integrations deemed necessary, before or after anonymous review by referees;
    • may ask for support from the Editorial Staff, taking into account their opinions and informing them of any change impacting the project and the publishing policies;
    • must indicate to the Reviewers, in agreement with the Editorial Staff, the timetable and criteria for the review clearly and precisely, requesting that they provide detailed comments to substantiate their evaluation to the Authors.
  • pledges, together with the editorial staff, not to reveal information on articles submitted for publication to anyone other than the Authors, the Reviewers, the Publisher or Printer; and further commits not to use contents of unpublished articles for personal reasons, without the explicit written permission of the author;
  • may request the assistance of the Publisher to enable the Management Team to perform their role to the best of their ability and to improve the quality of the Journal.

If a manuscript is not accepted for publication but the Author objects to this decision, the Editor-in-Chief and the member of the Editorial Board responsible for the review process must decide whether or not to submit the article in question to a new review, delegating experts other than those who previously rejected the project.

The Editorial Staff:

  • is responsible for renewing the Journal’s editorial guidelines, to be followed by Authors, on a regular basis, in keeping with the most current standards;
  • will work to ensure that timelines for reviews are respected;
  • shall indicate to reviewers, clearly and precisely, the timing and criteria for the review, requesting they make detailed comments to substantiate the outcome of their evaluation;
  • can modify the manuscript to meet the publication standards of the Journal after first proofreading.

Obligations of the Authors

Authors are required:

  • to submit for review only manuscripts containing original materials, results, data, ideas and/or interpretations that have not been previously published nor are in the process of being published in other journals or editorial series with ISBNs, except with the consent of the Management Team for multiple publications;
  • to notify the Journal in order to obtain authorization if the article appearing in SINAPPSI shall be subsequently printed in other periodicals or books, on the condition that these publications explicitly cite prior publication in SINAPPSI;
  • to cite the texts utilized appropriately, following the editorial guidelines of the Journal, making every effort to ensure that the work and/or words of other authors are properly paraphrased or cited verbatim, and sources are identified as appropriate;
  • to specify the research question clearly, as well as the reference literature, methodology, hypotheses, discussion and evaluation in case the manuscript refers to studies or research findings;
  • to indicate the authorship of the manuscript explicitly: co-authors who contributed in a significant manner to the inspiration, design, execution or interpretation of the study must be listed; if others have participated in essential aspects of the editorial project and/or the research, they must be recognized and listed as contributors in the acknowledgements; the corresponding author must guarantee that all co-Authors are included in the manuscript, that they have agreed to present the work for publication, and that they have seen and approved of the definitive version before going to press;
  • to sign an anti-plagiarism declaration confirming that any input from other contributors to their work is explicitly declared and the sources properly cited;
  • to inform the Journal promptly if they find an error or inaccuracy in their paper, and duly provide all necessary indications of the relevant modification in a footnote or in the appendix;
  • to edit/proofread the manuscript, actively collaborating with the Editorial Staff, also incorporating any indications that may come from the Management Team.

Authors can make observations or raise objections with regard to the evaluations of the referees. However, the final decision rests with the Management Team. No conflicts of interest will be tolerated that may have influenced the research results, hypotheses advanced or interpretations proposed in the article. Furthermore, Authors are obliged to indicate any sources of funding for research or for the project that made the article possible.

If the proposal is accepted for publication, the Authors agree that all (non-economic) rights of use and circulation, without any space limitations and with all methods and technologies now known and/or hereafter developed, will be transferred to the Inapp Journal SINAPPSI.

The Authors agree to make the data from their research available in open access mode.

Lastly, if they believe any reviewer is not neutral, the Authors can request that the manuscript not be submitted to that person, giving precise and valid reasons to substantiate their opinion.

Obligations of Referees

Peer review is a procedure which supports the Journal Management Team in evaluating the technical-scientific quality of the articles submitted to the Journal on one hand, and on the other, allows the Authors to improve their work. The identities of Reviewers, like those of the Authors, are protected. Every three years, SINAPPSI shall publish the names of those who have collaborated with the Journal during the period in question.

Referees are required:

  • to exempt themselves from the review process and promptly notify the Management Team if they believe they are not suited or sufficiently qualified to conduct the requested review of the research reported in the manuscript in question, or if they believe it would be impossible for them to complete the review in the timeframe requested;
  • to evaluate the quality of the research and the content described in the editorial proposal sent to them objectively, expressing their opinions clearly, with the support of substantiated arguments, requesting objective revisions motivated by the desire to offer constructive criticism;
  • to send their comments promptly, respecting the established deadline, to Management/Editorial Staff;
  • to respect the intellectual independence of the Authors, avoiding personal criticism at all times;
  • to indicate the existence of bibliographical material that is not cited by the Authors which is relevant to the article under review, while refraining from suggesting citations referring to their own work or that of their collaborators for the sole purpose of increasing the number of citations and enhancing their visibility;
  • to note any substantial similarities or overlap of the text under review with other articles published or manuscripts presented to other journals at the same time, carefully checking for possible instances of plagiarism with every possible means, including sources freely available on the web or made available by the reviewers’ institutions;
  • to treat the manuscripts received for review as reserved documents. Said manuscripts must not be shown to or discussed with anyone without the prior consent of the Management Team; reserved information or indications gleaned during the peer review process must be considered confidential, and cannot be used by referees, as per their fiduciary responsibility, for personal gain; referees may only utilize or divulge unpublished information, argumentation, or interpretations contained in the manuscripts they are reviewing with the prior consent of the Author;
  • to decline to consider any article if any conflict of interest emerges due to specific incidences of prior collaboration or competition with the Authors (of which they may be unaware, but which they may infer) and/or arising from connections with the Authors, or the bodies or institutions associated with the manuscript.