Ethics & Integrity

Xpertia Publishing

Document Ref: NP-ETH-2025-V1

Version: 1.0

Applies to: All journals, conferences, editorial boards, reviewers, and authors.

1. Introduction

At Xpertia Publishing, ethical publishing is the foundation of our scholarly mission. We follow internationally recognized standards to ensure that research published across our journals is reliable, transparent, and responsibly produced.

2. Ethical Foundation

Our policies draw upon the following international standards:

COPE Core Practices
ICMJE Authorship and Reporting Principles
World Conference on Research Integrity Guidelines
Discipline-specific norms for economics, finance, and business research

Where disciplinary frameworks conflict, the stricter standard applies.

3. Forms of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

Fabrication – inventing data or results
Falsification – manipulating data, models, analysis, or visualizations
Plagiarism – using others' words, data, or ideas without attribution
Redundant/duplicate publication
Salami slicing
Unethical research (lack of consent, lack of approval, deceptive methods)
Image manipulation
Undisclosed conflicts of interest

4. Responsibilities of Authors

All work is original and properly attributed.
Ethics approvals were secured where required.
Data are accurate, complete, and available on request.
All authors meet authorship criteria.
Conflicts of interest are fully disclosed.
Errors discovered post-publication are corrected promptly.

5. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Provide fair, constructive, unbiased evaluations.
Maintain strict confidentiality.
Declare all conflicts of interest.
Report any suspected misconduct immediately.

6. Responsibilities of Editors

Make decisions based solely on merit and relevance.
Maintain independence from commercial influence.
Ensure transparent peer review management.
Identify and avoid conflicts of interest.

7. Data Integrity

Authors must submit accurate datasets, transparent methods, and a Data Availability Statement.

8. Governance & Contact

This policy is overseen by the Publisher Ethics & Integrity Office.

Contact Integrity Office:

integrity@xpertia.org