Journal Policies

1. Peer Review Policy

JPAS employs a double-blind peer review system, ensuring that both authors and reviewers remain anonymous. This maintains impartiality and integrity in the evaluation of manuscripts.

  • Initial Editorial Screening: Each manuscript is first checked by an editor for scope, originality, and minimum quality.

  • Peer Review: Qualified reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on scientific rigor, novelty, methodology, clarity, relevance, and ethical compliance. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent experts.

  • Editorial Decision: The editorial board makes final decisions based on reviewer reports. Authors are provided with anonymized feedback and requested to revise if necessary.

  • Review Timeline: Initial screening: 3–5 days. Peer review: 4–6 weeks. Revision & resubmission: up to 4 weeks.

2. Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

JPAS adheres strictly to COPE, ICMJE, and WAME guidelines. All participants in the publication process, authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers, are required to follow ethical standards.

Author Duties:

  • Reporting Standards: Manuscripts must present original, accurate, and verifiable research. Data should be clearly documented, with sufficient detail for replication.

  • Data Access and Retention: Authors must provide underlying data upon request and retain it for a reasonable period.

  • Originality & Plagiarism: Manuscripts must be original. Proper attribution is required for all borrowed text, data, and ideas. Plagiarism in any form is strictly prohibited.

  • Multiple Submissions: Authors must not submit substantially similar manuscripts to multiple journals simultaneously.

  • Acknowledgment of Sources: All references must be properly cited; private communications require permission.

  • Authorship: Only individuals who have made significant contributions to conception, design, execution, or interpretation should be listed as authors. All co-authors must approve the final manuscript.

  • Human & Animal Subjects: Research must comply with institutional, national, and international guidelines. Consent and ethical approvals must be documented.

  • Conflicts of Interest: All financial or personal conflicts must be disclosed. Funding sources must be acknowledged.

  • Corrections of Errors: Authors must promptly notify editors of any significant errors or inaccuracies in published work.

Reviewer Duties:

  • Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Provide constructive evaluations to guide editorial decisions.

  • Promptness: Decline review invitations if unable to provide timely or qualified assessments.

  • Confidentiality: Keep manuscript content and reviews confidential.

  • Objectivity: Provide impartial, evidence-based comments without personal bias.

  • Acknowledgment of Sources: Highlight uncited but relevant works or potential overlap with existing publications.

  • Conflict of Interest: Disclose any conflicts with authors, institutions, or subject matter.

Editorial Board Duties:

  • Publication Decisions: Editors make impartial decisions based on scientific quality, relevance, and adherence to policies.

  • Fair Play: Decisions are independent of authors’ race, gender, religion, nationality, or political beliefs.

  • Confidentiality: Manuscripts and reviewer comments are treated as confidential.

  • Disclosure & Conflicts of Interest: Editors must not use unpublished data for personal gain or research.

3. Retraction and Correction Policy

JPAS follows COPE guidelines:

  • Articles may be retracted for ethical violations, fabricated data, or serious errors.

  • Corrections are issued for minor errors that do not affect the validity of the results.

  • Retractions and corrections are permanently linked to the original article and indexed.

  • Expressions of concern may be issued during ongoing investigations.

4. Plagiarism Prevention

  • All manuscripts are checked using iThenticate or similar software.

  • Manuscripts exceeding a 15% similarity threshold are flagged for review.

  • Plagiarism at any stage will result in rejection and may lead to further sanctions.

  • Authors must ensure proper citation of all sources and previous work.

5. Open Access Policy

JPAS is an open-access journal under CC BY 4.0, allowing free reading, downloading, sharing, and reuse of articles.

  • Authors are encouraged to post articles and supplementary materials on personal or institutional websites.

  • Preprints can be shared with proper citation.

  • Open access ensures maximum dissemination, visibility, and citation impact.

6. Article Processing Charges (APC) and Waivers

  • Initial 2 years: No APC to encourage submissions.

  • Subsequently: APC USD 200–300 per article.

  • Waivers are available for authors from developing countries or underfunded institutions.

  • Transparent invoices issued; refunds only for withdrawn manuscripts before review begins.

7. Copyright and Licensing

  • Authors retain copyright under CC BY 4.0.

  • JPAS holds first publication rights for distribution, archiving, and indexing purposes.

  • Proper attribution is required for reuse.

8. Data Sharing and Supplementary Material

  • Authors are encouraged to provide raw data, datasets, and supplementary files.

  • Data should be deposited in recognized repositories when possible.

  • Supplementary files are linked to the published article for transparency and reproducibility.

9. Archiving and Digital Preservation

  • JPAS uses LOCKSS, CLOCKSS, and PKP PN for permanent preservation.

  • The article receives a DOI via Crossref.

  • Secure backups ensure long-term accessibility.