Publication Ethics & Research Integrity
SAMVADIKA should publicly state that it follows internationally recognised principles of transparency and publication ethics and will use COPE guidance when handling allegations and post-publication issues. The journal should not claim COPE membership unless membership has actually been granted.
Misconduct covered
● Plagiarism and text recycling that misrepresents originality.
● Fabrication or falsification of data, quotations, sources, images or references.
● Duplicate, redundant or simultaneous submission/publication.
● Citation manipulation or coercive citation.
● Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
● Authorship manipulation, gift/guest authorship or ghost authorship.
● Peer-review manipulation or fabricated reviewer identities.
● Unethical research involving human participants or sensitive data.
● Image or document manipulation that changes scholarly meaning.
● Use of AI to fabricate evidence, references, quotations, data or reviewer reports.
Allegations should be assessed fairly, confidentially and without retaliation. Depending on the stage and evidence, actions may include clarification, correction, rejection, withdrawal, retraction, expression of concern, or referral to the relevant institution.