Editorial Policy of MAJ

MAJ’s editorial policy follows best practices from leading organizations in scholarly publishing, ensuring fairness, transparency, and the integrity of the scholarly record.

1. Editorial and Peer Review Process

• Initial Assessment: Editors conduct a preliminary evaluation of each manuscript to determine its suitability for the journal.
• Assignment: Manuscripts deemed appropriate are assigned to a managing editor or editorial board member to oversee the review process.
• Review Process: A minimum of two independent reviewers assess the manuscript, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation.
• Decision: Based on reviewer feedback, the managing editor recommends acceptance, revision, or rejection. The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

2. Transparency and Ethics

• Declaration of Interests:Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest to maintain transparency.
• Ethical Standards:All submissions must adhere to ethical guidelines, including proper citation practices and avoidance of plagiarism.
• Corrections and Retractions: Procedures are in place for issuing corrections or retractions in accordance with COPE guidelines when necessary.

3. Open Access and Data Sharing

• Open Access: The journal supports open-access publishing, ensuring that research is freely accessible to the global community.
• Data Availability: Authors are encouraged to make their data publicly available, following FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles.
• Preprint Policy:Authors may deposit preprints in suitable repositories, provided they disclose this during submission and include a link to the preprint.

4. Authorship and Contributions

• Authorship Criteria: All listed authors must meet established criteria for authorship, ensuring that each has made a significant contribution to the work.
• Acknowledgments: Contributions from individuals or organizations that do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

5. Editorial Independence and Integrity

• Editorial Independence: The editorial team operates independently from commercial interests to maintain the integrity of the publication process.
• Handling of Misconduct: Allegations of misconduct are taken seriously and addressed promptly, following established procedures.

6. Reviewer Responsibilities

• Selection of Reviewers: Reviewers are selected based on their expertise and must declare any conflicts of interest.
• Review Process: Reviewers are expected to provide constructive feedback within a reasonable timeframe, typically four weeks.
• Confidentiality: Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and not use information from the review for personal gain.

7. Publication Ethics

• Plagiarism Detection: Manuscripts are screened for plagiarism to uphold the originality of published work.
• Duplicate Publication: Authors must ensure that their work is not under consideration elsewhere and has not been previously published.
• Ethical Approval: Research involving human or animal subjects must have appropriate ethical approval, with details provided in the manuscript.

8. Continuous Improvement

• Feedback Mechanism: The journal welcomes feedback from authors, reviewers, and readers to continually improve its processes and policies.
• Training and Development:Editors and reviewers are encouraged to participate in training programs to stay updated on best practices in scholarly publishing.

9. Advertising Policy

• MAJ being a non profit organisation does not publish advertisements of any third party content in its website or journal.

10. Direct Marketing Practices

Marketing Approach:

• Targeted and ethical promotion of journal content.
• Email campaigns only to consenting recipients.
• Manuscript solicitation based on relevant expertise and prior research.

By adhering to these guidelines, the MAJ aims to maintain high standards of scholarly publishing, ensuring the integrity and quality of the research it disseminates.