6.1 Purpose
Rupkatha Books is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, accountability, and fairness in scholarly publishing. Ethical publishing is a shared responsibility of authors, editors, reviewers, translators, contributors, institutional partners, and the publisher. Together, they uphold the credibility of the scholarly record and foster a culture of responsible research, academic freedom, and public trust.
This policy is informed by internationally recognised principles, including the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity, the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, and other internationally accepted standards of responsible scholarly publishing. It should be read alongside all other relevant Rupkatha Books policies.
6.2 Core Principles
All participants in the publishing process are expected to uphold the following principles:
- academic integrity;
- honesty and transparency;
- editorial independence;
- accountability;
- fairness and impartiality;
- respect for intellectual property;
- responsible research;
- inclusivity and diversity;
- openness; and
- respect for human dignity and cultural heritage.
Scholarly merit shall remain the sole basis for editorial decisions.
6.3 Responsibilities of Authors
Authors are responsible for ensuring that:
- submitted work is original and accurately represents their research;
- all contributors are appropriately acknowledged;
- authorship complies with the Authorship Policy;
- all sources are properly cited;
- permissions have been obtained for third-party materials;
- research has been conducted in accordance with applicable ethical and legal requirements;
- conflicts of interest and funding sources are fully disclosed; and
- any significant use of Artificial Intelligence is disclosed in accordance with the Generative AI Policy.
Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, legality, and ethical acceptability of everything published under their names.
6.4 Responsibilities of Editors
Editors shall:
- evaluate submissions objectively and fairly;
- preserve editorial independence;
- maintain confidentiality throughout the editorial process;
- appoint appropriately qualified reviewers;
- manage conflicts of interest;
- communicate editorial decisions transparently and promptly;
- uphold all publisher policies consistently; and
- promote diversity, inclusion, and scholarly excellence.
Editors shall not permit commercial, institutional, political, ideological, or personal interests to influence editorial judgement.
6.5 Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers are expected to:
- provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations;
- maintain strict confidentiality;
- disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest;
- identify ethical concerns where appropriate;
- assess originality, scholarly quality, and methodological soundness;
- complete reviews within agreed timeframes; and
- respect authors regardless of discipline, institution, nationality, language, or theoretical perspective.
Peer review should improve scholarship while maintaining professionalism and mutual respect.
6.6 Responsibilities of the Publisher
Rupkatha Books undertakes to:
- safeguard editorial independence;
- maintain transparent editorial procedures;
- investigate allegations of misconduct fairly and confidentially;
- preserve the integrity of the scholarly record;
- support Universal Open Access;
- ensure long-term preservation of published works;
- protect confidential information;
- maintain internationally recognised publishing standards; and
- continuously improve publishing practices in response to technological and scholarly developments.
Financial considerations shall never influence editorial decisions.
6.7 Responsible Scholarship
All submissions must represent responsible scholarly practice.
Authors are expected to distinguish clearly between:
- original research;
- previously published material;
- translations;
- reproduced or adapted content;
- AI-assisted material; and
- supplementary digital resources.
Appropriate acknowledgement and attribution are required in every case.
6.8 Ethical Research
Research involving human participants, Indigenous knowledge, traditional cultural expressions, vulnerable communities, personal data, sensitive archives, cultural heritage, or other ethically sensitive materials must comply with applicable legal, institutional, and disciplinary requirements.
Where appropriate, authors may be required to provide evidence of ethics approval, informed consent, research permits, or other relevant documentation.
6.9 Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics
Rupkatha Books supports the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence and other digital technologies where they enhance scholarly research without compromising integrity, originality, transparency, or human accountability.
AI systems cannot qualify as authors, assume legal responsibility, or replace independent scholarly judgement.
The use of AI shall remain transparent, ethical, and consistent with the publisher’s Generative AI Policy.
6.10 Publication Misconduct
Publication misconduct includes, but is not limited to:
- plagiarism;
- fabrication or falsification of research;
- image or data manipulation;
- duplicate publication;
- copyright infringement;
- inappropriate authorship practices;
- citation manipulation;
- undisclosed conflicts of interest;
- unethical research practices; and
- deliberate misrepresentation of scholarly findings.
Allegations of misconduct will be investigated promptly, impartially, confidentially, and in accordance with internationally recognised procedures.
Authors shall be given an opportunity to respond before any editorial action is taken.
6.11 Corrections and the Scholarly Record
Where errors or misconduct are identified after publication, Rupkatha Books may publish:
- corrections;
- errata;
- corrigenda;
- addenda;
- revised editions;
- expressions of concern; or
- retractions.
Such actions are intended to preserve the integrity, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record rather than to impose punitive measures.
Detailed procedures are set out in the Corrections, Versioning and Retractions Policy.
6.12 Reporting Ethical Concerns
Authors, reviewers, editors, readers, institutions, libraries, and other stakeholders are encouraged to report suspected breaches of publication ethics.
Reports shall be handled confidentially, impartially, and in accordance with due process. The publisher will protect complainants and respondents from unfair treatment while ensuring that legitimate concerns are investigated thoroughly.
6.13 Institutional Cooperation
Where appropriate, Rupkatha Books may cooperate with universities, research institutions, funding organisations, libraries, scholarly societies, publishers, or regulatory bodies in investigating serious cases of research or publication misconduct.
Such cooperation shall respect confidentiality, due process, and applicable legal requirements.
