The Asian Journal of Life and Social Sciences (AJLaSS) is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in academic publishing. Our ethical framework is based on the guidelines and principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This policy aims to ensure transparency, integrity, and accountability in all areas of publishing involving authors, reviewers, editors, and the journal management team. It applies across all disciplines including life sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

1. Authorship and Contributorship

• Authorship must reflect significant intellectual contributions to the research, including the study's conception, methodology, data collection, analysis, or manuscript preparation.
• All listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and consent to submission.
• Individuals who made minor contributions (e.g., language editing, general supervision) should be acknowledged, not listed as authors.
• The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors meet authorship criteria and that there is no “gift” or “ghost” authorship.
• A statement describing each author’s contribution is required in all submitted manuscripts.

2. Originality, Plagiarism, and Redundancy

• Submissions must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere.
• Plagiarism in any form including verbatim copying, paraphrasing without attribution, and self-plagiarism is strictly prohibited.
• AJLaSS uses plagiarism detection tools (e.g., Turnitin) and accepts only manuscripts with less than 15% similarity.
• Duplicate or redundant publications are not acceptable. Authors must notify the editorial office if any part of their manuscript has been published or submitted elsewhere.

3. Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

• Research involving humans, animals, or sensitive data must comply with relevant ethical standards.
• For studies in psychology, education, linguistics, sports science, sociology, or other disciplines involving human participants, ethical approval must be obtained from an appropriate review board.
• Informed consent must be clearly stated for all research involving human subjects.
• For archival research in history or literature, ethical use of sources must be demonstrated, including permissions for unpublished or personal materials where required.

4. Conflict of Interest Disclosure

• All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose financial or personal relationships that could influence the work.
• Examples include funding sources, advisory roles, paid consultancies, or personal relationships with any party involved in the research.
• Authors must declare conflicts at the time of submission in a dedicated section.

5. Data Transparency and Reproducibility

• Authors must provide accurate and transparent reporting of data, methodology, and findings.
• Datasets should be made available in a repository or as supplementary material when feasible.
• AJLaSS encourages adherence to data management best practices to facilitate reproducibility, particularly in fields like psychology, economics, and social sciences.

6. Review Process and Peer Responsibilities

• AJLaSS follows a single-blind peer review process to ensure fairness.
• Reviewers must assess manuscripts objectively and provide constructive feedback without personal bias.
• Confidentiality must be maintained at all stages of the peer review process.
• Reviewers must declare any conflict of interest and recuse themselves from reviewing when appropriate.

7. Editorial Responsibilities

• Editors must act with impartiality and confidentiality, ensuring decisions are made solely on academic merit.
• Editors must not use unpublished data or ideas from submitted manuscripts for personal gain.
• In cases of suspected misconduct, editors must follow COPE guidelines to conduct fair investigations.

8. Misconduct and Investigations

• Allegations of research misconduct, data fabrication, citation manipulation, or unethical research practices will be thoroughly investigated.
• AJLaSS reserves the right to retract published articles if substantial ethical violations are confirmed.
• Misconduct complaints can be submitted to the editorial office and will be handled confidentially and in accordance with COPE protocols.

9. Appeals and Complaints

• Authors may appeal editorial decisions by providing written justifications.
• Complaints about the editorial process, peer review, or publication ethics will be evaluated by the editorial board.
• All appeals and complaints will be addressed promptly and transparently.

10. Use of Generative AI

• Authors must disclose if generative AI tools were used during manuscript preparation.
• AI-generated content must be reviewed and edited by the authors, who retain full responsibility for the final content.
• AI tools must not be listed as authors.

11. Gender and Inclusive Language

• AJLaSS encourages the use of inclusive, non-discriminatory language in all manuscripts.
• Terms should be sensitive to gender, ethnicity, disability, and other identity markers in accordance with ethical norms in social and life sciences.

12. Correction and Retraction Policy

• Authors must notify the editorial office if errors are identified post-publication.
• Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern will be issued when necessary and clearly linked to the original article.

13. Post-Publication Dialogue

• AJLaSS encourages scholarly dialogue through “Letters to the Editor” and formal responses.
• Any reader can challenge or comment on published findings constructively and respectfully.

14. Archiving and Preservation

• All articles are archived digitally and preserved for long-term access in institutional repositories and systems such as PKP PN, LOCKSS, or CLOCKSS.

15. Special Considerations for Social Science and Humanities Research

• Studies involving oral histories, indigenous knowledge, or cultural heritage must follow ethical best practices for permissions and citations.
• Research in history, anthropology, and literature should observe integrity in interpretation, proper sourcing, and fair representation of sources.
• Qualitative research must address issues of consent, confidentiality, and researcher positionality clearly.

16. Ethics for Business, Finance, and Education Studies

• Survey-based studies must ensure participant confidentiality.
• Educational research must secure permissions from relevant educational authorities and include informed consent of students or parents as needed.
• Case studies in business administration must maintain anonymity and respect intellectual property where appropriate.