Ethics & Policies

At Reinforced Plastics Journal, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and professionalism in the publishing process. Our editorial and review processes are designed to ensure that all published content adheres to ethical guidelines, respects intellectual property rights, and promotes academic and scientific advancement.

This page outlines the ethical standards, publication policies, and guidelines we follow to ensure the integrity of our journal and maintain the trust of our authors, reviewers, readers, and the wider research community.

1. Editorial Ethics

The Reinforced Plastics Journal editorial team is responsible for making final decisions about the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts based on their scientific merit, originality, and adherence to the journal’s aims and scope. Editors and reviewers must adhere to ethical guidelines and ensure fair treatment of all submissions, regardless of the authors' race, gender, nationality, or institutional affiliation.

1.1 Editorial Independence

The editorial board operates independently of the journal’s publisher, and editorial decisions are made based solely on the quality of the manuscript, the relevance of the topic, and its contribution to the field of reinforced plastics and composites.
Editorial decisions are not influenced by external pressures, including commercial interests, funding bodies, or conflicts of interest.

1.2 Conflict of Interest

Editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest when making editorial decisions. If an editor has a conflict of interest, they will recuse themselves from the review and decision-making process for that manuscript.
Authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional conflicts of interest in their submitted manuscripts.

1.3 Accountability

The editorial board ensures that the research published in Reinforced Plastics Journal is accurate, reliable, and free from misconduct. Any errors, retractions, or corrections will be addressed in a transparent and timely manner.

2. Author Ethics

Authors submitting to Reinforced Plastics Journal are expected to adhere to the highest ethical standards during the preparation, submission, and revision of their manuscripts. Authors must ensure that their work is original, accurate, and properly referenced.

2.1 Originality and Plagiarism

All submitted manuscripts must be the original work of the authors. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited. Authors must properly cite all sources of data, ideas, and quotations used in the manuscript.
We use plagiarism detection software to screen all manuscripts before they are sent for review. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized material will be rejected.

2.2 Authorship and Acknowledgment

Authors should ensure that all individuals who have made a significant contribution to the research are credited as co-authors. Contributions of others (such as financial support or advisory input) should be acknowledged in the manuscript.
Corresponding authors must ensure that all co-authors are aware of and approve the content of the manuscript before submission.

2.3 Data Integrity and Transparency

Authors must ensure that all data presented in their manuscripts are accurate, transparent, and verifiable. Any falsification or manipulation of data will result in immediate rejection of the manuscript.
Authors must retain and provide raw data and supplementary materials upon request to verify the results.

2.4 Ethical Approval

For research involving human participants or animals, authors must provide proof of ethical approval from the relevant institutional review boards (IRB) or ethics committees. Manuscripts should include a statement confirming compliance with ethical guidelines.
Any research involving human subjects should ensure the informed consent of participants.

2.5 Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest that may have influenced their research or manuscript. This includes financial interests, institutional affiliations, or personal relationships that could affect the objectivity of the research.

3. Reviewer Ethics

Peer review is fundamental to ensuring the quality and integrity of the manuscripts published in Reinforced Plastics Journal. Reviewers play a key role in maintaining high academic standards by providing fair, objective, and constructive feedback to authors.

3.1 Fairness and Objectivity

Reviewers should evaluate manuscripts based on their scientific merit, relevance, and originality, without bias. Personal opinions or prejudices regarding the authors should not influence the review process.
Reviewers should treat all manuscripts as confidential, and the contents of a manuscript should not be discussed or shared with others without the explicit permission of the editor.

3.2 Confidentiality

Reviewers are expected to maintain the confidentiality of the review process. Manuscripts should not be disclosed to third parties or used for personal advantage.
If reviewers have a potential conflict of interest with a manuscript, they must recuse themselves from the review process.

3.3 Constructive Feedback

Reviewers are encouraged to provide constructive feedback that will help authors improve the quality of their manuscript. Reviews should be respectful and specific, focusing on the manuscript's scientific content rather than the authors themselves.

3.4 Timeliness

Reviewers must complete their reviews in a timely manner. If a reviewer is unable to meet the deadline, they should notify the editorial office and, if necessary, request to be excused from the review process.

4. Publication Ethics

Reinforced Plastics Journal follows the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to maintain the integrity of the publication process and ensure the ethical standards of scientific publishing.

4.1 Plagiarism and Fabrication

Plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, and other forms of scientific misconduct are strictly prohibited. If any form of misconduct is detected before or after publication, the manuscript or article will be retracted, and appropriate measures will be taken, which may include reporting the incident to the author’s institution or funding body.

4.2 Retractions and Corrections

In the event of a significant error or problem with a published article, such as data falsification or ethical breaches, Reinforced Plastics Journal will issue a retraction or correction. The retraction or correction notice will be published clearly, indicating the reason for the change.
Minor errors (e.g., typographical errors or minor inaccuracies) will be corrected through errata or corrigenda.

4.3 Duplicate Publication

Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals or publishing identical manuscripts in multiple venues without proper citation is considered duplicate publication and will result in immediate rejection.

4.4 Research Misconduct

Allegations of research misconduct will be thoroughly investigated. In cases where misconduct is confirmed, authors may be banned from submitting to the journal for a specified period.

5. Open Access and Licensing

Reinforced Plastics Journal supports open access publishing, ensuring that all research articles are freely available to the global scientific community. Authors may choose to publish their work under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which allows others to reuse, remix, and build upon the work with proper attribution.

6. Appeals Process

Authors who disagree with editorial decisions, including manuscript rejection, can appeal by submitting a formal request to the editorial board. Appeals should be based on scientific grounds, and authors should provide clear reasons and any supporting evidence to justify their request.

7. Compliance with Local Laws and Regulations

Authors and reviewers must ensure that their research complies with local laws and regulations, particularly regarding environmental safety, human rights, and intellectual property rights.