Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement (PEMS)

The Celebes Nursing Journal (CNJ) is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, fairness, and reliability of the scholarly record. As a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, CNJ requires authors, reviewers, editors, Editorial Board members, and the publisher to uphold responsible practices throughout manuscript submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, publication, and post-publication evaluation.
CNJ's publication-ethics framework is informed by the COPE Core Practices , the ICMJE Recommendations , and relevant principles of the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).
Potential ethical breaches—including plagiarism, citation manipulation, data fabrication or falsification, inappropriate authorship, duplicate or redundant publication, undeclared conflicts of interest, unethical research practices, manipulation of the peer-review process, and other conduct that may compromise the integrity of the scholarly record—are taken seriously.
Concerns are assessed fairly, confidentially, and proportionately. Allegations are not treated as established misconduct until they have been appropriately assessed, and corrective action is taken according to the nature and evidence of the concern and the applicable CNJ policies.

1. Duties of Authors
Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted work is original, ethically conducted, accurately reported, appropriately attributed, and consistent with CNJ's research and publication-ethics requirements.

Originality and Integrity of Research
Authors must submit work that is original and is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal.
Research data, findings, analyses, and interpretations must be reported honestly and accurately. Authors must not engage in:

• Data fabrication;
• Data falsification;
• Inappropriate data or image manipulation;
• Deliberate misrepresentation of methods or findings;
• Duplicate or redundant publication; or
• Other practices that distort the scientific record.

Reuse of previously disseminated material must be transparently disclosed, appropriately cited, and scientifically justified where applicable.

Citations, Plagiarism, and Scholarly Integrity
Authors must appropriately acknowledge the work and ideas of others and cite sources accurately and for legitimate scholarly purposes.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• Direct copying without appropriate quotation or attribution;
• Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism;
• Inappropriate paraphrasing;
• Unattributed reuse of ideas, data, figures, tables, or other material; and
• Inappropriate reuse of an author's own previously published material without appropriate transparency.

Citation manipulation is prohibited. Authors must not use excessive, irrelevant, coordinated, or inappropriate citations for the purpose of artificially influencing citation metrics or creating misleading citation relationships.
Similarity-screening findings are evaluated contextually in accordance with CNJ's Plagiarism & Similarity Policy and are not treated as automatic evidence of plagiarism.

Ethical Approval, Consent, and Participant Protection
Research involving human participants, animals, biological materials, identifiable information, or sensitive data must comply with applicable ethical and regulatory requirements.
Where required, authors must report:

• The name of the approving Ethics Committee, Institutional Review Board, or equivalent authority;
• The ethics approval number or code;
• Informed-consent procedures;
• Appropriate protections for privacy and confidentiality; and
• Any ethically justified exemption from formal review.

Requirements concerning ethical oversight, informed consent, confidentiality, vulnerable populations, and research involving identifiable information are described in CNJ's Ethical Consideration.

Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship must accurately reflect scholarly contribution and accountability.
Authors must meet the applicable CNJ authorship requirements based on the ICMJE authorship criteria, and author contributions must be reported transparently using the journal's designated contributorship framework.
Ghost, guest, and gift authorship are not permitted.
Changes in authorship after submission must be transparent, justified, and handled according to CNJ's Authorship & Contributorship policy.

Conflicts of Interest and Funding
Authors must disclose relevant financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably influence, or be perceived to influence, the research or its interpretation.
Funding sources and the role of funders, where applicable, must be disclosed transparently.
Detailed requirements are provided in CNJ's Conflict of Interest Policy.

Data Transparency and Availability
Authors are responsible for the integrity of the data underlying their work and should maintain appropriate research records.
Where applicable, authors must provide a Data Availability Statement describing whether and under what conditions supporting data can be accessed.
Requests for data, documentation, or clarification during editorial assessment or investigation should be addressed appropriately, subject to ethical, legal, privacy, and confidentiality requirements. Detailed requirements are provided in CNJ's Data Sharing & Availability Policy.

Use of Artificial Intelligence
Authors must comply with CNJ's requirements concerning the use and disclosure of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies.
AI tools must not be listed as authors and must not replace human responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, interpretation, or accountability of scholarly work.
Where disclosure is required, authors must transparently report relevant AI use in accordance with CNJ's AI Use Policy and manuscript requirements.

Responsibilities During and After Publication
Authors must:

• Respond appropriately to editorial and reviewer comments;
• Provide clarifications or supporting documentation when reasonably requested;
• Cooperate with legitimate publication-ethics inquiries;
• Notify the journal when they identify significant errors affecting their published work; and
• Cooperate with necessary corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, or retractions.
  
  

2. Duties of Editors
Editors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts are evaluated fairly, independently, confidentially, and according to their scientific and ethical merit.

Editorial Independence and Decision-Making
Editorial decisions must be based on considerations including:

• Scientific merit;
• Methodological rigor;
• Originality and scholarly contribution;
• Ethical integrity;
• Quality of reporting;
• Relevance to the journal's scope; and
• Peer-review evaluation where applicable.

Decisions must not be influenced by commercial interests, sponsorship, institutional relationships, nationality, ethnicity, gender, political views, personal relationships, or other considerations unrelated to scholarly evaluation.
The publisher does not interfere with reviewer selection or decisions concerning the acceptance, revision, or rejection of individual manuscripts.

Confidentiality
Editors must treat submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and unpublished information as confidential.
Information obtained through the editorial process must not be disclosed or used for personal, academic, professional, or financial advantage except where disclosure is legitimately required for the investigation of an ethical or research-integrity concern.

Conflicts of Interest and Recusal
Editors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts when impartial decision-making cannot reasonably be assured.
Manuscripts authored by editors, Editorial Board members, journal staff, or others whose relationship with a handling editor creates a relevant conflict must be assigned to another qualified and independent editor.
Such manuscripts must undergo the same applicable scientific, ethical, and peer-review requirements as other submissions.

Peer Review and Reviewer Selection
Editors are responsible for selecting reviewers with appropriate expertise and reasonable independence from the authors and work under review.
Reviewer recommendations are advisory. Final responsibility for editorial decisions rests with the Editor-in-Chief or designated editor.
The review model and editorial decision process are governed by CNJ's Peer Review Policy and Editorial & Peer Review Process.

Citation Integrity and Journal Metrics
Editors must not require authors to add citations for the purpose of artificially increasing citations to CNJ, an editor, a reviewer, or any other individual or journal.
Reviewer citation recommendations that are irrelevant, excessive, coercive, or otherwise inappropriate should not influence editorial decisions.

Research and Publication Misconduct
Editors must respond appropriately to credible concerns involving research or publication misconduct.
Editors should assess allegations objectively, allow relevant parties an appropriate opportunity to respond, seek additional information or expert advice when necessary, and take proportionate action to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Corrections and Retractions
When errors or ethical concerns affecting published articles are substantiated, editors must consider appropriate post-publication action, which may include:

• Correction;
• Clarification;
• Expression of concern;
• Retraction; or
• Other appropriate notice.

Detailed procedures are provided in CNJ's Retraction & Correction Policy.

3. Duties of Reviewers
Reviewers provide independent scholarly evaluation and contribute to the scientific and ethical quality of CNJ's editorial process.

Objectivity and Constructive Evaluation
Reviewers must provide evaluations that are:

• Objective;
• Evidence-informed;
• Constructive;
• Respectful;
• Professionally expressed; and
• Relevant to the manuscript under consideration.

Personal criticism, discriminatory comments, hostile language, or recommendations unrelated to scientific evaluation are inappropriate.

Confidentiality
Submitted manuscripts are confidential scholarly communications.
Reviewers must not:

• Share manuscripts or related information with unauthorized individuals;
• Discuss manuscripts outside the authorized review process;
• Use unpublished information for personal or professional advantage; or
• Misappropriate data, ideas, methods, or findings obtained through peer review.

Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers must disclose actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest and should decline assignments when their independence or impartiality cannot reasonably be assured. Detailed requirements are provided in CNJ's Reviewer Conflict of Interest policy.

Citation Practices
Reviewers must not request unnecessary citation of their own publications, CNJ articles, or other sources for the purpose of influencing citation metrics. Citation recommendations should be based on genuine scholarly relevance.

Ethical and Integrity Concerns
Reviewers should confidentially inform the editor when they identify potential concerns involving:

• Plagiarism;
• Duplicate or redundant publication;
• Data inconsistencies;
• Fabrication or falsification;
• Unethical research;
• Citation manipulation;
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest;
• Authorship concerns; or
• Other potential integrity issues.

Reviewers should not independently investigate or directly accuse authors of misconduct.

Artificial Intelligence During Peer Review
Scientific evaluation and reviewer recommendations must remain human-led and human-accountable.
Reviewers must comply with CNJ's Reviewer AI Policy, including requirements designed to protect manuscript confidentiality and prevent inappropriate delegation of scientific judgment to generative AI systems.

4. Duties of the Publisher
The publisher supports the editorial and ethical governance of CNJ while respecting the journal's editorial independence.
The publisher is responsible for supporting:

• The independence of editorial decision-making;
• Consistent implementation of journal policies;
• Responsible management of publication-ethics concerns;
• Maintenance of the journal's publishing infrastructure;
• Long-term preservation and continuity arrangements;
• Transparent correction of the scholarly record; and
• Appropriate publication of corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, and other notices when required.

The publisher must not influence editorial decisions for commercial, institutional, personal, or other reasons unrelated to the scholarly and ethical evaluation of a manuscript.

5. Handling Allegations of Research and Publication Misconduct
CNJ treats allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously and seeks to handle concerns fairly, confidentially, proportionately, and in accordance with relevant publication-ethics procedures.
Potential misconduct may include:

• Plagiarism or inappropriate text reuse;
• Duplicate or redundant publication;
• Data fabrication or falsification;
• Inappropriate data or image manipulation;
• Citation manipulation;
• Inappropriate authorship or undisclosed contributorship;
• Undeclared conflicts of interest;
• Unethical research involving human participants, animals, biological materials, or sensitive data;
• Peer-review manipulation;
• Misrepresentation of research or publication history;
• Inappropriate use of confidential manuscript information;
• Misuse of generative AI contrary to journal policy; and
• Other conduct that may compromise the integrity of the scholarly record.

When a concern is raised, CNJ may, depending on the circumstances:

• Conduct an initial assessment of the allegation and available evidence;
• Request clarification, explanations, original records, or supporting documentation from the author(s) or other relevant parties;
• Obtain additional independent editorial, methodological, statistical, or subject-matter assessment;
• Seek clarification from reviewers or editors involved in the manuscript where appropriate;
• Contact relevant institutions, ethics committees, funders, other journals, or other appropriate bodies when reasonably necessary;
• Suspend editorial consideration while a significant concern is being evaluated;
• Correct the scholarly record through an appropriate correction, clarification, expression of concern, retraction, or other notice; and
• Take other proportionate editorial actions consistent with CNJ policies and relevant publication-ethics guidance.

An allegation alone does not constitute proof of misconduct. Individuals involved should be given an appropriate opportunity to respond before conclusions are reached, except where immediate action is necessary to protect participants, confidential information, or the integrity of the scholarly record.
Where an external institution or authority is better placed to conduct a formal investigation, CNJ may refer the matter to that body while retaining responsibility for any necessary editorial action concerning the journal's published record.

6. Post-Publication Discussion and Integrity of the Scholarly Record
CNJ supports responsible post-publication scholarly discussion concerning articles published in the journal.
Readers, authors, researchers, institutions, and other members of the scholarly community may communicate substantive comments, requests for clarification, or concerns regarding published content to the CNJ Editorial Office.
When appropriate, CNJ may:

• Seek clarification or a response from the author(s);
• Obtain additional editorial or independent expert assessment;
• Review supporting data or documentation where appropriate;
• Clarify published information;
• Consider scientifically relevant post-publication commentary; or
• Take corrective action when the reliability or integrity of the published record is affected.

Differences in scholarly interpretation or academic disagreement do not, by themselves, constitute misconduct. Such matters should be addressed through evidence-based scholarly discussion.
Where a post-publication concern involves an error, research-integrity issue, ethical concern, or potential misconduct, CNJ will assess the matter under the applicable journal policies.
Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions are handled in accordance with the Retraction & Correction Policy , while procedural complaints and appeals are handled in accordance with the Complaints & Appeals Policy .
CNJ seeks to preserve the published scholarly record while ensuring that necessary corrections or notices remain transparent and permanently linked to the affected publication where applicable.

7. Publication Ethics Policy Framework
CNJ maintains dedicated policies addressing specific areas of publication ethics and research integrity. These policies form part of the journal's overall Publication Ethics & Malpractice framework.

The applicable policy should be consulted for detailed requirements and procedures concerning each area.

8. Policy Review
This Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement is reviewed periodically to maintain consistency with CNJ's editorial practices, dedicated ethics policies, and relevant developments in research integrity and scholarly publishing.
Material changes to CNJ's ethical, editorial, or publication-integrity requirements will be reflected consistently across the journal's applicable policies and public information.