Ethical Policy

The Arghand Journal of Social Sciences (AJSS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethics in scholarly publishing. Our ethical policy ensures fairness, integrity, and transparency throughout the publishing process and applies to authors, editors, reviewers, and the journal staff.

This policy draws inspiration from international guidelines (COPE, ICMJE) while upholding Islamic values and Afghan cultural norms.

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Phase 1: Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

1.1 Originality and Plagiarism

• Authors must submit original, unpublished manuscripts and properly cite or quote others’ work.
• Plagiarism in any form—including self-plagiarism—is strictly prohibited.
• AJSS screens all submissions using plagiarism detection tools. Manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 15% may be rejected.

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1.2 Authorship and Contributions

• Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to:
  ✅ Conception and design
  ✅ Data collection and analysis
  ✅ Drafting and revising the manuscript
• All contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

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1.3 Conflicts of Interest

• Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence their work.
• Funding sources and institutional affiliations should be clearly stated.

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1.4 Data Integrity and Availability

• Authors must ensure data accuracy and be prepared to provide raw data for editorial review if requested.
• Fabrication or falsification of data is considered serious misconduct.

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Phase 2: Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

2.1 Confidentiality

• Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents and must not share or discuss them with others.

2.2 Objectivity and Constructive Feedback

• Reviews should be conducted impartially and provide clear, evidence-based evaluations.

2.3 Disclosure of Conflicts

• Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and decline assignments where such conflicts exist.

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Phase 3: Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

3.1 Fairness in Decision-Making

• Editorial decisions are made based on the manuscript’s merit, originality, and relevance to AJSS’s scope.
• Editors will not discriminate based on race, gender, religious belief, or political ideology.

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3.2 Confidentiality

• Editors and staff must not disclose information about a manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, or publisher as appropriate.

3.3 Handling Misconduct

• Suspected ethical breaches (e.g., plagiarism, duplicate publication) are investigated following COPE guidelines.

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Phase 4: Handling Ethical Breaches

4.1 Types of Misconduct

• Plagiarism
• Data fabrication/falsification
• Improper authorship
• Redundant publication
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest

4.2 Investigation Process

• Complaints are acknowledged within 5 working days.
• A committee investigates within 2–4 weeks.
• Depending on findings, actions may include:
  ✅ Corrections
  ✅ Retractions
  ✅ Notification of author’s institution

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Phase 5: Alignment with Islamic and Cultural Ethics

AJSS adheres to ethical practices that respect Afghan cultural values and Islamic principles. Content that violates these norms will not be considered for review or publication.

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Periodic Review

This Ethical Policy is reviewed annually and updated as needed to reflect best practices in scholarly publishing.

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Contact for Ethical Queries

alimr.212@gmail.com
CC: rpashtoon@hotmail.com
Editorial Office – AJSS, Kandahar University