The "Journal of Global Political Transformations" is committed to maintaining the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of the scholarly record. Concerns relating to submitted or published material are assessed in accordance with the journal’s publication-ethics policies and relevant guidance issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Where an error, misconduct, or other serious concern is identified, the journal may take appropriate editorial action, including publication of a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction. The action taken will depend on the nature, seriousness, and effect of the issue on the reliability and integrity of the work.

 

Simultaneous and redundant publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.

Authors must also disclose closely related manuscripts that have been published, submitted, or accepted elsewhere where these materials substantially overlap with the submission.

Publication of more than one article arising from the same research project is not in itself considered misconduct, provided that each publication makes a distinct scholarly contribution and that related publications are appropriately disclosed and cited. Undisclosed substantial overlap or redundant publication may constitute a breach of publication ethics.

Where suspected simultaneous or redundant submission is identified, the journal will investigate the circumstances before taking editorial action. Depending on the outcome, the manuscript may be rejected or, where the material has already been published, a correction or retraction may be considered.

 

Plagiarism and inappropriate text reuse

The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, including the unattributed use of another person’s text, ideas, data, images, or other intellectual contribution.

Substantial inappropriate reuse of an author’s own previously published material without adequate citation or disclosure may also require editorial action.

Cases are assessed according to the extent, nature, and significance of the overlap. Editorial action may include requesting clarification, correction of the manuscript, rejection before publication, publication of a correction, or retraction where the integrity or originality of a published article has been seriously compromised.

 

Citation manipulation

Authors, reviewers, and editors must not attempt to manipulate citations for the primary purpose of artificially increasing citation counts or benefiting particular authors, journals, organisations, or other entities.

Requests to add citations must be based on genuine scholarly relevance.

Suspected citation manipulation will be investigated. Editorial action will be proportionate to the nature and extent of the conduct and may include removal of inappropriate citations, rejection of a submitted manuscript, correction of a published article, or, in serious cases affecting the integrity of the publication, retraction.

 

Fabrication, falsification and manipulation of research data

Fabrication or falsification of research data, results, images, figures, statistical analyses, or other research materials constitutes a serious breach of research integrity.

Where concerns arise, authors may be asked to provide original data, research records, images, analytical outputs, ethics documentation, or other information reasonably required to assess the reliability of the work.

Where there is clear evidence that the findings of a published article are unreliable as a result of fabrication, falsification, inappropriate manipulation, or another serious breach of research integrity, the journal may retract the article.

Where concerns cannot be resolved by the journal alone, the matter may be referred to the relevant research institution, funding body, ethics committee, or another competent organisation for investigation.

 

Corrections

A correction may be issued where an error or omission affects the accuracy, interpretation, discoverability, or scholarly record of an article but does not invalidate its principal findings or conclusions.

Corrections may relate, for example, to:

• errors in data, calculations, figures, tables, or text;
• incorrect or incomplete author or affiliation information;
• omitted acknowledgements or funding information;
• errors in references;
• other material inaccuracies requiring amendment of the published record.

Minor typographical or stylistic errors that do not affect the meaning, interpretation, or integrity of the article do not normally require a formal correction notice.

A correction may be initiated by authors, editors, readers, or other parties. The journal will assess the proposed correction and may consult the authors, reviewers, or independent experts where appropriate.

Formal corrections will be published as separate, clearly identified notices and linked to the original article. The original article will also contain a clear link to the correction where technically possible.

The journal may use the general designation “Correction” rather than relying on the terms Erratum and Corrigendum, unless a distinction between publisher and author errors is considered necessary.

 

Retraction

Retraction is used to alert readers that a published article contains findings or content that are seriously unreliable, unethical, or otherwise compromise the integrity of the scholarly record.

Retraction may be considered where there is clear evidence of one or more of the following:

• unreliable findings resulting from major error, fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation;
• plagiarism that materially affects the integrity or originality of the publication;
• substantial redundant or duplicate publication without appropriate disclosure or justification;
• research conducted or published in serious breach of applicable ethical requirements;
• use of data or materials without appropriate authorisation where this materially affects the legitimacy of the publication;
• compromised, fabricated, or manipulated peer review;
• fraudulent authorship or identity practices where they materially undermine the integrity of the publication;
• serious undisclosed competing interests that materially affect the interpretation or credibility of the work;
• substantial evidence that the article or publication process was affected by systematic manipulation, including paper-mill activity;
• copyright infringement or another serious legal issue requiring retraction;
• another serious breach of research or publication ethics that renders the published work unreliable or invalid.

Retraction will not normally be used solely to resolve an authorship dispute where the validity and reliability of the article are not otherwise affected. Where appropriate, an authorship correction may instead be issued.

 

Retraction procedure

Concerns that may warrant retraction will be investigated fairly and confidentially.

Authors will normally be informed of the concerns and given a reasonable opportunity to respond and provide relevant evidence. Where necessary, the journal may seek advice from independent experts or request an investigation by the authors’ institution or another competent authority.

The final editorial decision will be made by the Editor-in-Chief or another authorised editor without a conflict of interest. Where the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, responsibility for the case will be transferred to the Deputy Editor-in-Chief or another independent and appropriately qualified editor.

A retraction notice will:

• clearly identify the retracted article;
• state that the article has been retracted;
• explain the reason for the retraction in an objective and factual manner;
• identify, where appropriate, who is retracting the article;
• distinguish, where reasonably possible, between honest error and misconduct;
• be linked electronically to the retracted article, and the article will be linked to the retraction notice;
• remain permanently and freely accessible.

The journal will avoid unnecessarily defamatory, speculative, or personal statements in retraction notices.

 

Status of retracted articles

Retracted articles will not normally be deleted from the journal’s website or archives.

The original published version will remain accessible as part of the scholarly record but will be clearly and prominently identified as “Retracted”. The article and its metadata will be linked to the corresponding retraction notice.

Where technically possible, each page of the electronic article will be clearly marked to indicate its retracted status without obscuring the original content.

Bibliographic metadata supplied by the journal will be updated, where appropriate, to reflect the retraction.

 

Expressions of concern

The journal may publish an Expression of Concern where serious concerns have arisen regarding a published article but a definitive conclusion cannot yet be reached.

An Expression of Concern may be appropriate where:

• evidence concerning possible misconduct or unreliable findings is inconclusive;
• an investigation by the authors’ institution or another competent organisation is pending;
• there are reasonable grounds for concern but the available evidence does not yet justify correction or retraction;
• an investigation is likely to require a substantial period of time; or
• other circumstances make it necessary to alert readers to potentially significant concerns.

An Expression of Concern will be clearly identified and linked to the original article. Where appropriate, it may subsequently be replaced or supplemented by a correction, retraction, or a notice explaining that the concerns have been resolved.

 

Paper mills and systematic publication manipulation

The journal treats evidence of paper-mill activity, fabricated manuscripts, manipulated peer review, fraudulent identities, purchased authorship, fabricated data, or other systematic manipulation of the publication process as serious threats to research integrity.

Where several publications appear to be connected to the same pattern of manipulation, the journal may conduct a coordinated investigation of the affected material and cooperate with relevant publishers, research institutions, or other competent organisations where appropriate.

Each affected publication will be assessed on the available evidence. Where the reliability or integrity of an article cannot be maintained, the journal may retract it and issue an appropriate notice explaining the basis for the editorial action.

 

Artificial Intelligence and generative AI tools

Artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because responsibility and accountability for a scholarly work must remain with human authors.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, appropriate attribution, and ethical compliance of all content included in their manuscripts, irrespective of whether AI-assisted tools were used during preparation.

The use of generative AI or other AI-assisted technologies must be disclosed where required by the journal’s AI policy. The disclosure should describe the tool used and its purpose where this information is relevant to the transparency or reproducibility of the work.

The undisclosed use of an AI tool will not, by itself, automatically result in retraction. Where undisclosed or inappropriate AI use is suspected, the journal will assess whether it has resulted in fabricated or unreliable content, false citations, inappropriate image or data manipulation, plagiarism, breaches of confidentiality, misrepresentation of authorship or methodology, or another material violation of research or publication ethics.

Depending on the seriousness and effect of the issue, editorial action may include requesting clarification, correction, rejection of a submitted manuscript, publication of a correction or, where the integrity or reliability of a published article has been fundamentally compromised, retraction.

Decisions concerning suspected AI use will not be based solely on the output of automated AI-detection software.

 

Authorship and identity fraud

The journal investigates suspected fraudulent or misleading authorship practices, including:

• use of another individual’s name, affiliation, or ORCID iD without authorisation;
• purchased, sold, guest, gift, or ghost authorship;
• unauthorised addition or removal of authors;
• falsification of author identities or affiliations;
• coercive or otherwise inappropriate authorship practices.

Where the problem can be resolved without affecting the reliability or integrity of the article, an authorship correction may be appropriate.

Retraction may be considered where authorship or identity fraud forms part of a broader pattern of deception or publication manipulation or otherwise materially undermines the integrity of the published article.

 

Article removal

Complete removal of a published article is reserved for exceptional circumstances.

Removal may be considered where continued publication is prohibited by a binding legal requirement or where leaving the content publicly accessible would create a serious and demonstrable risk that cannot adequately be addressed through retraction or redaction, including certain cases involving privacy, unlawful material, defamation, copyright, or serious safety concerns.

Where an article is removed, bibliographic information and an appropriate notice explaining the reason for removal will be retained wherever legally and technically possible.

 

Timeliness and transparency

The journal will take reasonable steps to investigate credible concerns and correct the scholarly record without unnecessary delay.

Corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, and removal notices will be clearly identified and linked to the affected publication. Such notices will remain accessible as part of the permanent scholarly record.

The purpose of these measures is to correct and protect the scholarly record rather than to punish authors. Where appropriate, evidence of serious research or publication misconduct may be referred to the authors’ institution, funding organisation, ethics committee, or another competent authority for further investigation.