Publication Ethics & Integrity

Authors submitting manuscripts to GRPJ certify that:

• the work is original and has not been published previously;
• the manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal;
• all listed authors satisfy the journal's authorship requirements;
• all data presented are accurate, authentic, and honestly reported;
• appropriate ethical approval has been obtained when required;
• informed consent has been secured where applicable;
• all sources are properly acknowledged and cited;
• all conflicts of interest have been disclosed; and
• the manuscript complies with all journal policies.

Authors remain responsible for the integrity of their work even after publication.

Authors are expected to conduct and report research honestly, transparently, and responsibly. Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

• fabrication or falsification of data;
• selective reporting of results;
• inappropriate statistical manipulation;
• image manipulation that alters scientific meaning;
• suppression of conflicting findings;
• misleading interpretation of results; and
• deliberate misrepresentation of research methods.

Submitted manuscripts must represent original scholarly work. The journal screens all submissions using plagiarism detection software before peer review. The following constitute unacceptable publication practices: plagiarism, self-plagiarism without proper citation, duplicate publication, redundant publication, mosaic plagiarism, translated plagiarism, and unattributed use of text, figures, tables, or ideas. Proper quotation, citation, and acknowledgment of previously published work are mandatory. The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject manuscripts or retract published articles found to contain plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct.

Authors shall not submit substantially similar manuscripts to more than one journal simultaneously. The journal does not accept manuscripts that have already been published, substantially overlap with previously published work, have been divided into multiple publications without scientific justification ("salami publication"), or constitute duplicate publication. Any overlap with previously disseminated work, including conference proceedings, dissertations, or preprints, must be fully disclosed at submission.

Authors are encouraged to make research data, analytical code, instruments, and supplementary materials publicly available whenever ethically and legally possible. Each manuscript should include a Data Availability Statement indicating one of the following:

• data are publicly available;
• data are available upon reasonable request;
• data cannot be shared because of ethical or legal restrictions; or
• no new datasets were generated.

Research involving human participants must comply with internationally accepted ethical standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant national regulations. Authors must indicate the approving ethics committee or IRB, approval or protocol number (where applicable), confirmation that informed consent was obtained, and additional safeguards for vulnerable populations. Personally identifiable information shall not be published unless scientifically justified, explicit written consent has been obtained, and publication complies with applicable data protection laws. Research involving animals must comply with institutional, national, and international ethical standards governing animal welfare, with evidence of ethical approval provided.

AI technologies may assist authors during manuscript preparation provided their use is transparent, responsible, and does not compromise research integrity — for example, language editing, grammar improvement, formatting assistance, coding assistance, data visualization support, and literature organization. Authors remain fully responsible for all content generated with AI assistance. AI tools shall not be listed as authors, assume responsibility for the manuscript, replace scientific interpretation, fabricate references or data, or generate misleading scientific conclusions. All substantial AI assistance must be disclosed in an AI Use Declaration.

Authorship should accurately reflect substantial scholarly contributions, following the ICMJE authorship recommendations. Each submission must include an Author Contributions Statement using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy). Guest, honorary, gift, and ghost authorship are considered unethical and are prohibited.

Authors must disclose all financial, institutional, personal, professional, or political relationships that could reasonably influence the interpretation of their research, and must disclose all funding sources supporting the research, including the funding organization, grant number(s), and the funder's role in the study.

Authors should cite literature fairly, accurately, and appropriately; citation practices intended solely to manipulate citation metrics — such as excessive self-citation, coercive citation, or citation cartels — are prohibited. Any attempt to manipulate the peer-review process, including fabricated reviewer identities or improperly influencing reviewers, constitutes serious misconduct. Figures, photographs, and graphical materials must accurately represent the original data; manipulation intended to deceive readers is strictly prohibited.

The journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy of the scholarly record. When necessary, GRPJ may publish an Erratum to correct publisher errors, a Corrigendum to correct author errors, an Expression of Concern while allegations are under investigation, or a Retraction when findings are unreliable because of error or misconduct. Retractions remain permanently linked to the original publication.

All allegations of research or publication misconduct shall be investigated fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with COPE guidance. Depending on the nature of the allegation, the journal may request explanations from authors, obtain original data, consult independent experts, contact the authors' institutions, suspend editorial processing, publish corrections, issue expressions of concern, retract published articles, or prohibit future submissions for a specified period. All decisions are based on evidence, due process, and the principles of fairness, transparency, and academic integrity.