Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

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Our journal is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in all published works. As a proud member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), we adhere to COPE’s core practices to promote transparency, fairness, and ethical conduct at each stage of the publication process. The following guidelines outline our policies regarding publication ethics, authorship, peer review, and ethical standards for all participants. 

Publication Ethics Statement

All submissions undergo a rigorous peer-review process, and our editorial decisions are based on the scientific validity and integrity of the work. The journal aims to foster transparency, ethical behavior, and accountability in publishing, requiring all participants to adhere to COPE’s Publication Ethics and Core Practices.

 Authorship and Contribution Guidelines

• Authorship Criteria: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. All contributors who meet these criteria should be listed as co-authors, and those who do not meet authorship criteria may be acknowledged separately.
• Authorship Disputes: The journal follows COPE’s guidelines on authorship disputes. Disputes will be mediated in a fair and transparent manner, prioritizing documented contributions and consensus among all authors.
• Change in Authorship: Any requests for addition, removal, or reordering of authorship must be approved by all authors and include justification for the change. For more on best practices, refer to COPE’s guidelines on changes in authorship.
• Use of AI in Authorship: Authors must disclose the use of AI in the creation or analysis of the manuscript. The use of AI tools should comply with ethical guidelines, and authors are responsible for verifying all AI-generated content for accuracy and originality.

Data Integrity and Research Ethics

• Plagiarism, Fabrication, and Manipulation: The journal strictly prohibits any form of plagiarism, data fabrication, or manipulation. All submitted manuscripts are screened for originality using plagiarism detection software. For more information, refer to COPE’s guidelines on handling plagiarism.
• Informed Consent and Privacy: Authors must ensure that all necessary informed consents are obtained and that participant confidentiality is preserved. In cases where consent is not possible, the study must meet ethical justification criteria.
• Clinical Trial Registration: All clinical trials must be registered with an internationally recognized registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov) and the registration number included in the manuscript.
• Ethics in Human and Animal Research: Research involving human or animal subjects must comply with ethical standards and have prior approval from relevant ethics committees. Authors are advised to follow COPE’s ethical guidance on human and animal research.

Conflicts of Interest and Financial Disclosures

• Types of Conflicts: Authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including financial, personal, or institutional relationships that might influence the research.
• Disclosure Requirements: Full transparency of any funding sources, personal interests, or affiliations is mandatory to ensure impartiality and reader trust. Additional guidance on conflicts of interest is available through COPE’s guidelines.

Copyright, Licensing, and Intellectual Property

• Copyright and Licensing As an open-access journal, we adhere to the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license allows authors to retain copyright while granting others permission to share and adapt the work, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author. This open-access model promotes knowledge sharing and broadens the reach and impact of research published in our journal.
• Patent and Intellectual Property Rights: Authors should ensure that the publication does not infringe on any third-party intellectual property rights and complies with relevant patent regulations. Misrepresentation of intellectual property ownership may lead to retraction.

Citation and Data Policies

• Citation Policy: Accurate citations are required to credit original sources, avoid plagiarism, and provide an accurate record of academic contributions.
• Research Data and Repositories: Authors are encouraged to submit their datasets to reliable data repositories to support data accessibility, transparency, and reproducibility.
• Data Sharing and Reproducibility: Authors should consider making their research data available upon request to facilitate reproducibility. More information is available in COPE’s Research Data Policy.

Guidelines for Reviewers and Editors

• Reviewer Responsibilities: Reviewers are expected to provide constructive, unbiased feedback, respect confidentiality, and avoid conflicts of interest. Their primary role is to assess the manuscript’s academic validity.
• Editor Responsibilities: Editors have full authority over the editorial process and are expected to make decisions independently, based solely on scientific merit and relevance. Detailed expectations are outlined in COPE’s editorial guidelines.

Publication Corrections and Retractions

• Corrections: Authors must notify the journal promptly if they discover significant errors in their published work. Corrections are published as required for minor errors that do not affect the study’s results.
• Retractions and Author Name Changes: Retractions are issued for serious ethical breaches or significant errors. Author name changes are supported upon request following COPE’s retraction guidelines.

Misconduct and Complaints

• Allegations of Misconduct: Misconduct is taken seriously, and all allegations are thoroughly investigated in line with COPE’s guidelines on handling allegations of misconduct.
• Complaints and Appeals: Authors, reviewers, and readers may file complaints or appeals by contacting the editorial office. Appeals will be reviewed by independent editors if necessary. 

Ethical Oversight

Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science is dedicated to upholding strict ethical standards across all research it publishes. The journal’s ethical oversight practices include the following:

1. Approval Documentation
   Authors are required to submit documentation from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB) for studies involving human participants or animals. This includes informed consent for human subjects and assurances of humane treatment in animal research.
2. Post-Publication Ethical Review
   The journal has protocols to address ethical concerns that may arise after publication. This includes collaborating with authors and institutions to investigate claims, with outcomes that may lead to corrections, retractions, or clarifications as needed.
3. Conflict of Interest Management
   To maintain transparency and impartiality, all authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose potential conflicts of interest related to the manuscript. This helps ensure an unbiased editorial process.

Through these oversight practices, Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science upholds the ethical integrity of the research it publishes, maintaining trust within the scientific community. 

Peer Review Process

• Peer Review Standards: Manuscripts are evaluated for scientific rigor and ethical integrity through a transparent, double-blind peer-review process.
• Reviewer Selection and Confidentiality: Reviewers are chosen based on their expertise in the relevant subject area and are required to handle all submissions with confidentiality.