Publication Ethics

This statement sets out what the journal expects of authors, reviewers, and editors, and how concerns are handled.

Authorship

Everyone listed as an author should have made a real contribution to the work, and everyone who made such a contribution should be listed. The corresponding author is responsible for the accuracy of the author list and for securing the agreement of all coauthors. Sources of funding and material assistance should be acknowledged.

Originality and plagiarism

Submitted work must be original and properly attributed. Quoting, paraphrasing, or drawing on the work of others without clear acknowledgment is unacceptable in any form, as is presenting another’s ideas or data as one’s own.

Use of AI

From the journal’s AI Policy:

“AI tools cannot be authors or coauthors.”

“Text is one’s own. AI tools may be used to refine original compositions but should not be the original source of any text used by author, referee, or editor.”

“Arguments, assessments, and evaluations remain the sole responsibility of humans.”

“All are expected to verify the authenticity of AI-generated information on which they rely. Individuals are especially responsible for authenticating citations, quotations, and summaries.”

“Beyond grammar and spell-checking software built into word processing software, which are exempt, all AI use must be openly disclosed by model and type of aid (e.g., brainstorming, wording improvement, research). Not disclosing AI use is a disclosure of nonuse.”

“Unpublished work submitted to the journal is confidential. It may only be submitted to AI tools whose terms preserve that confidentiality, by explicitly not retaining the submitted work to train models or keeping the manuscript indefinitely.”

“Consequences for violation may include rejection of a manuscript or retraction of a published paper.”

The full terms are in the AI Policy.

Simultaneous and duplicate submission

A manuscript under review at the journal must not be under consideration elsewhere, and work that has already been published should not be submitted as new. Substantial overlap with the author’s own earlier work should be disclosed.

Conflicts of interest

Authors should disclose any financial, professional, or personal interest that could be seen to bear on the work. Reviewers and editors recuse themselves where such an interest exists, including a shared institution or a recent collaboration with the author.

Corrections and retractions

When a significant error or instance of misconduct comes to light after publication, the journal works with The Catholic University of America Press to issue a correction or, where warranted, a retraction, following COPE guidance.

Misconduct and complaints

Concerns about the integrity of a submission or a published article may be raised with the editor at [email protected]. The editor investigates such concerns, gives those involved a fair chance to respond, and may consult COPE in difficult cases.

Duties in brief

• Editors judge submissions on their merits, protect the confidentiality of the review, and act on credible concerns about integrity.
• Reviewers give honest, timely, and constructive assessments, treat manuscripts as confidential, and declare conflicts and any use of AI.
• Authors submit original work, represent their data and sources honestly, disclose any use of AI, and cooperate with corrections when needed.

Appeals

The process for appealing an editorial decision is described on the peer review page.