Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Introduction

Optimization(ISSN 0974-0988) - is a peer reviewed journal dedicated to following the best ethical practices. The prevention of publication malpractice is one of the important responsibilities of the editorial board and Optimization is committed to ensuring the highest standards in publication ethics. Any kind of unethical behaviour is not acceptable to the journal and all parties involved (editors, authors, reviewers and publishers) have to agree upon standards of ethical behaviour. Manuscripts submitted to the journal are to be edited exclusively on the basis of their merit, originality and relevance to the scope of the journal. No bias with respect to the author's race, gender, ethnic origin or religion can influence the decision. The ethics statements for Optimization are based on the guidelines available in our journal webpage which are following the guidelines prescribed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Research Integrity

Optimization upholds high integrity standards and responsibility towards abiding by the principles of Integrity Statement. The key principles for the journal are:

• Honesty in all aspects of Research
• Transparency in all Communication
• Accountability for quality research
• Professional Excellence in all Processes.

The Journal expects and appreciates the integrity standards to be observed and honoured by all concerned parties and in the absence of which, issues can be directed to the editor for redressal.

Editorial Process

Optimization is committed to editorial independence and our editorial process reflects this commitment. No discrimination against authors, editors and reviewers is made based on personal identity or characteristics. Editor's decision to publish or edit is the sole discretion of the editorial board and not determined by any outside agency. The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over the entire editorial content of the journal, timing of publication, and copyright and plagiarism issues in the content in the journal. Editors, Authors and Reviewers will also adhere to the Journal Submission Guidelines.

Publication Process

All members of the editorial staff of Optimization are responsible for following the policies of the journal regarding the publication process.

a. Manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo a desk review by our in -house editors and reviewers or subject experts. Each editor must ensure that each manuscript is initially evaluated by the editor for originality, making use of appropriate software to do so.

b. Following desk review, the manuscript is forwarded for blind peer review. Proposals, found suitable, are further sent to independent reviewers (Minimum Two) for their assessment and feedback that will make a recommendation to accept, reject, or modify the manuscript.

c. Proposals with minor or major improvements and revisions are communicated to the author by the journal.

d. Subsequent modifications are again sent to the reviewers for their final approval and merit for its publication.

Publication Decisions

Based on the review report of the Editorial Board , the editor has complete responsibility and authority to accept, reject or request modifications to the manuscript.

Peer Review

Peer review is critical to maintaining the standards of our publications. The journal ensures a fair, rigorous and effective review mechanism. We support the reviewers by:

a. Ensuring that appropriate reviewers are selected and guided through the review process.

b. Familiarising the reviewers with the ethical guidelines of the journal.

c. Exposure to fraudulent practices.

d. Supporting reviewers in investigation and acting upon fraudulent or unethical practices.

e. Protecting the confidentiality and identity of the reviewers.

f. Fair Review: The editor must ensure that each manuscript submitted to the journal is reviewed for its intellectual content without regard to sex, gender, race, religion, citizenship, etc. of the authors.

g. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: The editor of this journal shall not use unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript for his/her own research without the written consent of the author.

h. Proof of Misconduct: The editor should not reject papers based on suspicions; they should have proof of misconduct.

i. Editors must regularly advise on journal policy and scope, suggest ideas, new initiatives and programs if necessary to include in the journal. They may review submitted manuscripts, identify topics for special issues or attract new authors and submissions if necessary.

Authorship and Contributor Ship

The Journal acknowledges the intellectual contribution of author(s) and observes the following principles with respect to authorship. Authors must follow the submission guidelines of the journal on the journal webpage.

Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original work. Authors must confirm that the submitted manuscript represents their own contributions and that they have not been copied or plagiarized in whole or in part from other works without clearly citing the source.

a. Substantial contribution to the content.

b. Designing and redrafting the work with revisions for intellectual content.

c. Approval for final version of publication.

d. Authors must certify that the manuscript is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere.

e. Authors must participate in the peer review process. Revisions and suggestions need to be incorporated and timeline adherence is important.

f. Authorship of the Paper: All authors mentioned in the paper must have significantly contributed to the research. Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The order of the authors on the paper and the level of contribution that they have made to the paper must be informed by the author. All authors must complete the author submission checklist form. The corresponding author with the journal should ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included in the author list of the manuscript, and that there is a full consensus of all co-authors in approving the final version of the paper and its submission for publication.

Corresponding Author

Responsibilities of the corresponding author pertain to-

a. Proofreading and incorporating corrections into the manuscript

b. Handling revisions and submissions of the revised manuscript to the journal

c. Signing of Author Agreement on behalf of co-authors.

d. Responding to queries on behalf the co author(s)

We recommend the authors to list or mention anyone who does not meet the criteria for authorship in the acknowledgement section in their publication as recognition for any kind of assistance and support received by the author during the process of writing the paper.

Affiliations

Authors must share their current affiliation to the institution and the institution where, if, the article has been presented or approved.

Plagiarism

OJRM adheres strictly to the principles of maintaining highest integrity in submission of original work. Using ‘ideas’, ‘words’ or ‘data’ or any other material without due acknowledgement is considered a serious malpractice. Journal considers that plagiarism can occur in the following ways-

a. Text, illustrations, data etc

b. Website downloaded material or manuscripts drawn from other sources

c. Published or unpublished material from seminars, lectures and presentations

Journal reserves the right to review all submissions through appropriate plagiarism checking software and tools. Submissions found containing content, in part or whole, to be plagiarized are rejected. We expect our reviewers and readers to report issues of plagiarism even post publication at submission@indianjournals.com

Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Journal does not support ‘self -plagiarism’ which occurs when a work or a substantial part of it has been published more than once by the author without appropriate cross referencing or citation of the same. We expect our reviewers and readers to report issues of plagiarism even post publication at submission@indianjournals.com

At the same time, we expect authors to declare that at the time of submission, the manuscript has not been published, under consideration or accepted for publication by a different journal. Also, articles based on the thesis, authors must conform to the journal's style and guide and also include citations while including figures or text to avoid self- plagiarism. The editor needs to be informed of the same in a covering letter.

Competing Interests and Funding

Authors must notify the Editors of any conflicts of interest. Authors must also disclose any financial or other type of conflict of interest that can influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. Influence. Authors submitting to the journal are required to declare any potential competing interests that could interfere with the objectivity or integrity of a publication. Competing interests are situations that could be perceived to exert an undue influence on the presentation, review or publication of a piece of work.

Retractions, Corrections and Expressions of Concern

Journal editors will consider retractions, corrections or expressions of concern in line with COPE's Retraction Guidelines. If an author is found to have made an error, the journal will issue a corrigendum. If the journal is found to have made an error, they will issue an erratum. Retractions are usually reserved for articles that are so seriously flawed that their findings or conclusions should not be relied upon, or that contain substantial plagiarism or life-endangering content. Authors are obliged to provide retractions or corrections of mistakes at any point of time if the author(s) discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in the submitted manuscript. Journal reserves the right to remove an article from online publication if found necessary to comply with legal requirements. This action would be in case if the article is found defamatory, insensitive, violates personal privacy or pose a serious threat to health or security.

Ethical Business Practices

Integrity of Record:
We maintain the records of our publications and preserve the records as far as possible. The journal is committed to its subscribers and ensures its supply to its customers on time.

Publishing Ethics:

As publisher of Optimization, we will:

a. Support: Provide practical support to the editors and executive editorial board so that they can follow the COPE Code of Conduct for the Journal. Act professionally and efficiently.

b. Autonomy: Ensure the autonomy of editorial decisions and uphold the same. Be Fair and Objective.

c. Intellectual Property Integrity: Protect intellectual property Rights and Copyright issues. We protect the intellectual property and copyright of Optimization, its imprints, authors and publishing partners by promoting and maintaining each article's published version of record. The journal ensures the integrity and transparency of each published article with respect to: conflicts of interest, publication and research funding, publication and research ethics, cases of publication and research misconduct, confidentiality, authorship, article corrections, clarifications and retractions, and timely publication of content.

d. Information: Keep all parties informed of decisions, including the copyright owners, editors and authors.

e. Access to Journal Content: The publisher is committed to the permanent availability and preservation of scholarly research and ensures accessibility by partnering with organizations and maintaining our own digital archive.

f. Grievance Procedure: The following complaints procedure outlines the process for addressing grievances by authors whose articles are rejected for publication, or who have concerns about the way their paper has been handled:

• The grievance must be submitted in writing to the editor of the journal.
• The grievance will be considered by the journal editorial team
• The grievance will be acknowledged within 10 days of receipt, and aimed to be resolved within 30 days
• The decision will be in writing and will be final.

Author Fees

All articles in Optimization journal which are published and have undergone peer review and upon acceptance are immediately and permanently free for everyone to read. No fees or charges are required for manuscript processing and/or publishing materials.

Publication Fees: None.

Useful Contacts

For all enquiries relating to the integrity of the journal content, please contact glbimrjournal@glbimr.org (Editorial Office)

All queries will be handled sensitively and as confidentially as possible within the scope of any necessary subsequent investigation.

To report counterfeiting, copyright infringement or suspected piracy, contact submission@indianjournals.com or glbimrjournal@glbimr.org.