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For Authors and Reviewers

Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics Statement

Our journals are committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct in the publishing process.

Originality and Copyright: All submitted manuscripts must be original works of the authors, not previously published or under consideration for publication elsewhere. Authors should properly attribute all sources.

Peer Review: Journals operate peer review procedures as described in the Peer Review Policy. All manuscripts will be reviewed by at least two independent experts in the relevant field.

Academic Integrity: The journal maintains a strict policy against any form of academic misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, and duplicate publication.

Fairness and Impartiality: Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to act impartially and avoid any form of bias or discrimination in the publication process.

COPE Compliance Statement

The journals follow COPE's best practices for handling issues related to publication ethics, including but not limited to plagiarism, authorship disputes, conflicts of interest, and corrections of published content.

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism Detection Tools: We use plagiarism detection tools such as iThenticate to screen all submitted manuscripts before they undergo the peer review process. The originality of all submitted articles is checked to prevent any form of plagiarism or self-plagiarism.

Handling of Plagiarism: If plagiarism is detected, the manuscript will be rejected, and the authors will be informed of the decision. In case of a severe plagiarism issue, the author's institution may also be notified.

Retraction & Correction Policy

Retraction Policy: Articles may be retracted if serious issues are discovered, such as significant ethical violations, data manipulation, or plagiarism. In such cases, articles that have been retracted will be marked as "Retracted" with a retraction notice stating the reason for retraction.

Correction Policy: Minor post-publication errors may be corrected through corrigenda or errata. Pre-publication withdrawal requests may be considered with written justification.

Academic Misconduct Handling Process

Below is the process followed by our journal when academic misconduct is detected. We strictly adhere to relevant ethical standards and handle all misconduct cases following international protocols.

1. Identification and Reporting of Academic Misconduct

Types of Academic Misconduct

In our journal, academic misconduct includes but is not limited to the following:

Plagiarism: Using another's work without proper citation.

Data Fabrication: Falsifying, altering, or copying research data and results.

Duplicate Publication: Submitting the same or highly similar manuscript to multiple journals.

Improper Authorship: Including individuals who did not contribute to the research or excluding those who should be authors.

Peer Review Fraud: Inappropriate actions during the peer review process, such as providing false evaluations, bias, or undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Reporting Channels for Misconduct

Detection during Submission or Review: Manuscripts suspected of plagiarism will be checked using tools like iThenticate.

During Peer Review: Reviewers should report any signs of academic misconduct they observe.

Third-Party Reports: Anyone (such as other researchers, readers, or whistleblowers) who notices academic misconduct can report it directly to the journal via the official contact points.

2. Preliminary Investigation and Communication

Preliminary Inquiry

Upon receiving a report of academic misconduct or detecting suspicious behavior via plagiarism checks, the editorial team will conduct a preliminary inquiry:

Verification of Evidence: The editorial team will review plagiarism reports, data inconsistencies, or duplicate submissions.

Contacting the Author(s): Authors will be contacted to provide clarification regarding the allegations and may be asked to provide evidence to explain the situation.

Pausing Peer Review: The manuscript will be temporarily suspended from the peer review process until the issue is resolved.

Author Response

The author will be given a reasonable period to respond to the allegations. The editorial team will assess the severity and nature of the issue based on the author's explanation.

3. Formal Review and Further Actions

Editorial Board Review

If the preliminary investigation does not resolve the issue or the author's response is insufficient, a formal review process will be initiated, involving the editorial board and relevant experts in the field.

Contacting the Author's Institution: In severe cases, the author's institution may be contacted to investigate their internal policies and actions regarding academic misconduct.

Appropriate Actions

Based on the findings, the journal will take one of the following actions:

Retraction: If academic misconduct is confirmed and is serious, the article will be marked as "retracted" and a retraction notice will be published detailing the reasons for the retraction.

Amendments: In cases of minor misconduct (e.g., data errors or citation mistakes), authors may be asked to make corrections and resubmit the article.

Correction Notice: If the issue is related to minor errors or misunderstandings, a correction notice will be published.

Expression of Concern: In some cases, where the issue is not severe, the journal may issue an "Expression of Concern" to alert the academic community.

4. Adherence to International Standards and Guidelines

Our journal follows the following international standards and guidelines in handling academic misconduct:

COPE Guidelines: The journal adheres to the "Handling Academic Misconduct Procedures" outlined by COPE.

International Standards: The journal updates and formulates its internal processes based on international academic ethical standards (e.g., ICMJE guidelines).

Correction Policy: For minor errors such as typographical or factual mistakes that do not affect the integrity of the research, a correction notice will be issued. Authors will be required to submit a correction request and a revised version of the article.

Conflict of Interest Policy

All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the review or publication process. This includes financial relationships, personal relationships, or any other factors that may introduce bias. If a conflict of interest is identified, the individual will be recused from the process.

Data Availability Statement

To ensure transparency and reproducibility, authors are encouraged to make the data supporting the results of their research publicly available.

Authors are encouraged to retain original data and make supporting data available where appropriate.

Data availability statements may be required by individual journals.

Research Involving Human Subjects

For studies involving human participants (including but not limited to sensory evaluation, nutritional intervention trials, surveys, use of human tissue samples), authors must explicitly state in the "Methods" section:

1. That the study received approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee;

2. The name of the approving committee and the approval number (or explicitly state that "ethical approval was not required" with justification);

3. If personal data is involved, a statement confirming that informed consent (including written consent) was obtained from participants.

Research Involving Animals

For studies involving vertebrate animals or certain invertebrates subject to welfare considerations, authors must declare:

1. That all experimental procedures complied with institutional, national, or international animal welfare regulations and guidelines;

2. The ethics approval number or a statement that the study was approved by the institutional animal care and use committee;

3. For farm animal studies, details of husbandry conditions, anesthesia, and euthanasia methods consistent with veterinary standards should be provided.

Editorial Verification and Action

1. During initial manuscript screening, the handling editor will verify the presence of necessary ethical statements. If missing, authors will be asked to provide them.

2. If potential ethical concerns arise (e.g., research involving vulnerable populations, procedures that may cause distress), the editorial office reserves the right to request copies of ethics approval documents (with sensitive information redacted) for verification.

3. Failure to provide adequate ethical proof may lead to rejection. For published articles, subsequent discovery of ethical violations will prompt a retraction procedure in accordance with guidelines.

Research Integrity

Hill Publishing Group is committed to safeguarding the integrity, reliability, and transparency of the scholarly record. All journals published by HPG apply research integrity standards throughout submission, peer review, publication, and post-publication stages.

Principles of Research Integrity

Authors, reviewers, editors, and publisher staff are expected to uphold the following principles:

• Honesty in the reporting of methods, data, results, and conclusions

• Accuracy in citation, authorship, and attribution of contributions

• Transparency in conflicts of interest, funding, and use of AI-assisted tools

• Accountability for the integrity of submitted and published work

• Fairness, confidentiality, and impartiality during peer review

• Compliance with applicable ethical, legal, and institutional requirements

Pre-Publication Integrity Checks

Submitted manuscripts may be screened for research integrity concerns, including but not limited to:

• Plagiarism, text recycling, or duplicate submission

• Fabricated, falsified, or manipulated data

• Inappropriate image alteration or figure duplication

• Undisclosed conflicts of interest

• False authorship claims or authorship disputes

• Citation manipulation or coercive citation practices

• Peer review manipulation, including false reviewer identities

• Use of paper mills or third-party agencies producing fraudulent manuscripts

• AI-generated content that contains fabricated references, data, images, or unsupported claims

The editorial office may request raw data, ethics approvals, contributor statements, funding clarification, or additional documentation where necessary.

Image and Data Integrity

Figures, tables, and datasets must accurately reflect the original findings of the study. Image enhancement is permitted only when applied appropriately and without misleading interpretation. Selective removal, insertion, duplication, or undisclosed modification of images is unacceptable.

Authors should retain original data and source files and provide them upon reasonable editorial request.

Use of Generative AI Tools

Generative AI tools may be used only in a transparent and responsible manner where permitted by the journal. AI tools may assist language editing, formatting, coding support, or literature discovery, but may not generate fabricated citations, data, images, or scientific conclusions. AI tools must not replace human scientific judgment, data interpretation, or original scholarly contributions.

Authors remain fully responsible for all submitted content. AI tools:

• may not be listed as authors

• may not assume responsibility for the work

• may not be used to fabricate data, references, images, or results

• must not replace critical scientific judgment

Where material AI assistance has been used, authors should disclose this in the manuscript in accordance with journal policy. Authors remain fully responsible for all submitted content.

Investigations and Editorial Action

Where credible concerns arise, the journal may initiate an integrity review before or after publication. Actions may include:

• requests for clarification or supporting evidence

• suspension of peer review or publication processing

• rejection of the manuscript

• publication of a correction

• expression of concern

• retraction or removal where justified

• notification of institutions or funding bodies in serious cases

Investigations are handled as fairly and confidentially as possible and may follow relevant guidance.

Post-Publication Responsibilities

Authors are expected to promptly notify the journal if significant errors are discovered after publication. Readers, reviewers, and institutions may also report concerns regarding published content through the official editorial contact channels.