Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

Publication Ethics: For all parties involved in the process of publishing (authors, Editorial Board, and reviewers), it is necessary to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior. To guarantee high ethical standards, Optimum Science Journal (OPS Journal) has revealed international standards/responsibilities for all parties. OPS Journal expects all the parties to commit to these responsibilities.

Author’s responsibilities: All authors who submit to OPS Journal are expected to observe the international standards for authors voluntarily. OPS Journal adheres to International Standards for Authors developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics and encourages all authors to refer to these standards.

● Authors must certify that the manuscript has not previously been published and is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere.
● If the authors have used the work and/or words of others, the authors must ensure that the work and/or words of others are appropriately cited or quoted and identify all sources used in the creation of their manuscripts.
● When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the Journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.
● Authors must notify OPS Journal of any conflicts of interest.
● Authors must ensure the confidentiality and anonymity of the participants while collecting, analyzing, and reporting data.
● Authors must ensure that all participants in their study have given informed consent for publication.
● Research ethics policies for studies involving the participation of human subjects (e.g. consent, participant anonymity, etc.) and vulnerable populations (e.g. children - parental/guardian consent) are also expected to receive ethical approval in line with accepted standard practices in the field.

Editorial responsibilities:

● The Editorial Board must keep information pertaining to all submitted manuscripts confidential.
● The Editorial Board is responsible for making publication decisions for submitted manuscripts.
● The Editorial Board must strive to meet the needs of readers and authors.
● The Editorial Board must evaluate manuscripts only for their intellectual content.
● The Editorial Board must strive to constantly improve OPS Journal ’s quality.
● The Editorial Board must maintain the integrity of the academic record.
● The Editorial Board must disclose any conflicts of interest and preclude business needs from compromising intellectual and ethical standards.
● The Editorial Board must always be willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when needed.

Reviewers' responsibilities:

● Reviewers must keep information pertaining to the manuscript confidential.
● Reviewers must bring to the attention of the Editor Board any information that may be a reason to reject publication of a manuscript.
● Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts only for their intellectual content.
● Reviewers must objectively evaluate the manuscripts based only on their originality, significance, and relevance to the domains of the journal.
● Reviewers must notify OPS Journal about any conflicts of interest.