Publication Ethics Statement

The publication ethics of Damu Journal of Sport Sciences (DJSS) follow the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and international best practices in scholarly publishing.

All parties involved in the publishing process, including editors, reviewers, authors, and the publisher, are expected to adhere to high standards of publication ethics and academic integrity.

For more information about COPE guidelines, please visit: Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) .

Duties of the Publisher

The journal is committed to:

Ensuring that editorial decisions are independent and based solely on academic merit.
Maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.
Preventing plagiarism, data falsification, fabrication, and other unethical research practices.
Publishing corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary.
Ensuring transparency and ethical oversight of the publication process.

Duties of Editors

Editors are responsible for:

Making fair, unbiased, and timely decisions based on the academic quality and relevance of submitted manuscripts.
Maintaining the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and the peer-review process.
Avoiding conflicts of interest and managing them appropriately when they arise.
Ensuring academic integrity and ethical publishing standards.
Investigating allegations of research or publication misconduct in accordance with applicable ethical procedures.
Issuing corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when required.
Not using unpublished materials or information from submitted manuscripts for personal research without the author's written permission.

Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers must:

Assist editors in making informed publication decisions.
Maintain strict confidentiality of manuscripts and all information obtained during the review process.
Provide objective, constructive, and timely reviews.
Declare any potential conflicts of interest before accepting an assignment.
Decline to review manuscripts when they have a conflict of interest or lack the necessary expertise.
Not use unpublished information obtained during peer review for personal advantage.
Identify relevant published work that has not been cited where appropriate.

Duties of Authors

Authors must:

Submit original work that has not been previously published and is not under consideration by another journal.
Ensure that all listed authors have made substantial contributions to the work and have approved the submitted version.
Ensure that all sources, data, and contributions are properly acknowledged and cited.
Disclose relevant funding sources and institutional approvals where applicable.
Follow applicable ethical standards for research and reporting.
Declare any potential conflicts of interest.
Ensure that their work is free from plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification.
Cooperate with the journal in investigating ethical concerns or allegations of misconduct.
Immediately notify the journal if significant errors are discovered in their published work and cooperate in issuing corrections where necessary.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial, personal, professional, or institutional relationships that could reasonably influence their judgment or create a potential conflict of interest.

Conflicts of interest must be disclosed to the Editor-in-Chief, who will determine appropriate measures to ensure an impartial editorial and peer-review process.

Research and Publication Misconduct

The journal takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously. Such misconduct may include plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and other violations of research or publication ethics.

Allegations of misconduct will be assessed and investigated in accordance with applicable ethical standards and relevant COPE guidance. Where appropriate, the journal may contact the authors' institutions or other relevant authorities.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

The journal will correct the scholarly record when errors or inaccuracies are identified. Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern may be published when necessary to maintain the integrity and reliability of the published literature.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors and other parties may submit complaints or appeals regarding editorial decisions, publication procedures, or ethical concerns to the Editor-in-Chief through the journal's official contact email.

Complaints and appeals will be handled fairly, confidentially, and in a timely manner. The journal will investigate concerns in accordance with its policies and applicable publication ethics standards.

Plagiarism Detection

All submitted manuscripts may be screened for plagiarism and substantial textual similarity using plagiarism detection software. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct may be rejected or subject to further investigation.

Copyright and Open Access

Under the journal's open access policy, authors retain copyright of their published work. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits reuse, distribution, and reproduction provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the journal.

Publication Ethics Statement