Semi-annual Journal of Family Counseling and Psychotherapy strives to uphold the highest standards of publication ethics based on https://www.apa.org/science/programs/research and takes all possible measures against any publication malpractices. Semi-annual Journal of Family Counseling and Psychotherapy also believes that ethical publishing requires the active participation of all parties involved in the act of publishing to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior: authors, reviewers, editors, and publisher. Semi-annual Journal of Family Counseling and Psychotherapy expects compliance with the Standards for Publication Ethics.
Authors
All authors must certify that the submitted manuscript is their original research. Plagiarism, falsity, fabrication, duplicate, redundant publications, or other inappropriate manipulation is strictly forbidden.
All authors must certify that the submitted manuscript has not previously been published elsewhere.
All authors must certify that the submitted manuscript is not simultaneously being considered for publication in any journal.
All authors must notify the Publisher (University of Kurdistan) for Research and Development of all actual or perceived conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.
All authors must conduct the research responsibly and ethically that complies with relevant legislation and applicable industry rules and guidelines.
Upon discovery or notification of inaccuracies or significant errors in the submitted manuscript, all authors must provide retractions or corrections to the manuscript promptly.
All authors must identify all sources used in the creation of the submitted manuscript, including proper acknowledgment of the work and/or words of others and citation of relevant publications.
Reviewers
All reviewers must review and evaluate the submitted manuscripts in fairness based upon their originality, significance, and relevance without any favoritism or bias.
All reviewers must provide the Editor-in-Chief with their professional credentials, education, and experience that represent their expertise truthfully and accurately.
All reviewers must ensure sufficient time to complete a comprehensive evaluation of the submitted manuscript on time before consenting to the review assignment.
All reviewers must refuse to review the submitted manuscript that creates any potential conflict of interest to the publisher and seek advice before they proceed further with the manuscript review.
All reviewers must offer reviews which are impartial and constructive, devoid of any inflammatory, libelous, hostile, unfair, or derogatory comments.
All reviewers must preserve the confidentiality of unpublished manuscripts and refrain from discussing any details of the manuscript with anyone during and after the peer-review process.
Editors
All editors must accept or reject the submitted manuscript based on its scholarly merit, which includes its originality, clarity, importance, and relevance to the CLS’ mission.
All editors must maintain objectivity when reviewing the manuscript and act without favoritism or bias or on the grounds of any commercial considerations.
All editors must adhere to the regulations which govern any conflict of interest and improper use of unpublished manuscripts as peer reviewers.
All editors must oversee the performance of both authors and peer reviewers, and ensure that authors and peer reviewers understand their roles in the process of reviewing manuscripts.
All editors must follow editorial policies which promote honest, comprehensive, and ethical reporting.
6- All editors must guarantee the confidentiality of unpublished articles and the anonymity of peer reviewers.
All editors must pursue serious and alleged misconduct in the process of writing, submitting, accepting and/or rejecting, reviewing the submitted manuscript, to protect the integrity of the journal. Editors must also reject any manuscripts that raise any concerns about potential misconduct, making considerable efforts to ensure a full investigation is carried out and the issue resolved.
Publisher
The publisher must uphold strict standards of publication ethics to preserve the integrity of the journal.
The publisher must offer the institutional support and provide useful resources needed to publish original and accurate manuscripts, including, as necessary, specialized legal counsel and review for issues of libel, infringement, and copyright.
The publisher must ensure clear policies are in place to give guidance, address, and resolve editorial conflicts of interest.
The publisher must stop publishing any content that is not following these Standards for Publication Ethics.
If and when the need arises, the publisher must publish corrections, revisions, clarifications, retractions, and apologies promptly, and with due prominence.