Publishing Ethics Statement

Ethics Policy
The publication of a book by Adonis & Abbey Publishers is a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and their respective institutional affiliations. Peer-reviewed books need to meet minimum standards of expected ethical behaviour for all parties involved in the act of publishing: notably the author(s), peer reviewer(s), publisher and the wider society amongst other stakeholders. Manuscripts in breach of these thresholds would be subject to retraction even after publication. The journal’s ethical policy follows the guidelines of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics). For details on guidelines from COPE, please see this link: https://publicationethics.org/ We are particular about unethical submission practices on the part of authors (see section 1.1); breach of publishing agreement (section 1.2); and any conflict of interest on the part of both authors and reviewers (section 1.3).

Submission Policy
Submission of a manuscript implies that it has not been previously published (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a lecture or academic thesis); is not under consideration for publication elsewhere (i.e. multiple submissions); its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out; and, if accepted, will not be published elsewhere in the same form, without the written consent of the copyright-holder. Books accepted for publication by the company will be checked for originality using anti-plagiarism software. The company’s threshold is 15 per cent, excluding in-text citations.

Authors’ warrant
Following the above, authors submitting a manuscript for evaluation and publication warrant the following:

That the manuscript is not being considered for publication elsewhere.

That the manuscript so submitted is an original work.

That there is no conflict of interests or any plagiarism issues (including ‘text recycling’ or ‘self-plagiarism’), and that the publishers are authorized to run the manuscript through anti-plagiarism software to establish this. Our threshold is 15%, excluding references and in-text citations.

That the work does not include libelous, defamatory or unlawful statements.

That permission has been cleared for any third party material included.

That authorship has been agreed prior to submission and that no one has been ‘gifted’ authorship or denied credit as an author.

That the Authors have followed appropriate international and national procedures with respect to data protection and rights to privacy.

Copyright Transfer Form

Upon acceptance of a manuscript, authors will be asked to complete and sign a Copyright Transfer Form.

Without the author returning the signed copyright transfer form, the manuscript cannot be considered for publication.

If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included in the article, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the manuscript.

Addition or removal of Authors

Corresponding authors requesting to add another author after review and acceptance of the paper for publication must clarify reasons for the addition or subtraction and obtain a written consent from both the author to be added or subtracted and all the co-author(s) of the article. Without the written consent of all concerned, the request for addition of an author cannot be considered.

If the corresponding author requests for the removal of any author before publication, he/she must clarify the reasons for the removal and obtain the written consent of all concerned, including the author whose name is to be removed. Without such written consent, the request cannot be considered.

For co-authored or co-edited books or chapters in a book, authors wishing to change the order in which author names appear in must jointly request for the change in writing signed by all the authors in the affected manuscript.

Where authors have dispute over a manuscript after it has been reviewed and accepted for publication, and appear unable to resolve their differences amicably, the journal reserves the right to decline the publication of the paper and refund any publication fee paid (less 30% administrative fee).

Conflict of interest Publisher conflict of interest:
A sample of every a manuscript submitted (which the authors claim have been professionally proofread) is subject to proofreading test by the company’s language consultants using track changes. Since the company charges for its proofreading services, if the company decides that the quality of the said proofreading does not meet its professional standards, it will decline to offer proofreading services to the author(s) of the manuscript.

If the company proofreads a manuscript for Author (s), the author(s) will be given forms to evaluate the proofread work on a scale of 1- 10 (where 1 is absolutely not satisfied and 10 is absolutely satisfied). Any proofread work that is scored less than 6/10, is sent for another proofreading at the company’s expense.

The company cannot include for publication academic works that have not gone through the peer-review process and have also benefitted from professional proofreading.

Author conflict of interest

All authors are requested, on submission of their manuscripts, to disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest including any financial, personal or other relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence, or be perceived to influence their work. Conflicts of interest include:

A personal interest in the outcomes of the review process.

A personal interest in the suppression of the outcome of the review process.

If a conflict of interest is suspected, this should be reported to the editor or the publisher. Any concerns regarding an editor should be raised with the publisher. The publisher will follow the flowcharts recommended by COPE in cases of a suspected conflict of interest.

Pre-and Post-Publication Corrections

The company is responsible for formatting (typesetting) manuscripts submitted for both digital and print publications.

After the layout (typesetting) of manuscript, a PDF of individual chapters (for edited books) is made and sent to the corresponding Author for corrections, if any.

Where the book or a chapter in it has more than one author, the Corresponding Author is encouraged to share the PDF of the manuscript sent to him/her with his/her co-author(s) and then collate all corrections and observations in Word and send to us at: info@adonis-abbey.com copying editor@adonis-abbey.com
Those who have the relevant software (e.g. Adobe Professional) can also make their observations on the PDF if they so wish.

Identified errors/observations will be corrected by the company’s layout artist (typesetter) and returned to the Corresponding Author for further comments or approval for press. It is not unusual for this ‘ping- pong’ to go a few rounds. The manuscript cannot go to press unless the corresponding Author expressly approves it for press.

In case of an error in the published work (both print and digital), the PDF of the manuscript approved for press shall be used as an arbiter. If the identified error is in the PDF of the manuscript approved for press by the corresponding Author, the liability is with the Author(s) and the best the publisher can do is to correct only the digital version free of charge. If the Corresponding Author also wants the print version to be corrected, this will attract a fee of sixty pounds (£60).

Where the identified errors are not in the PDF of the manuscript approved for press by the Corresponding Author, the publisher is liable and will correct both the print and digital versions of the book free of charge.

If the Corresponding Author fails to respond within the stipulated time frame for the corrections after the PDF of the article is sent to him/her (typically seven working days), after three reminders by email on different days, the manuscript would be deemed to have been approved for press by the Corresponding Author and the liability for any errors identified after the publication shall be with him/her.

Grievance Procedure
The following complaints procedure outlines the process for addressing grievances by authors whose manuscripts are rejected for publication, or who have concerns about the way their inquiry was handled or the way their manuscript was reviewed:

The grievance must be submitted in writing to the editor or publishers (or both depending on the nature of the complaint).

The grievance will be considered by the editorial team (or the publishers).

The grievance will be acknowledged within 2 working days of receipt, investigated and aimed to be resolved within 14 days.

The decision of the publishers on the issue will be in writing and will be final.

Informed Consent
In case of reports or interviews in which human subjects are involved or could be identified, authors must show proof (such as signed consent forms) that they obtained the express permission of those involved before the interview or report.

Subjects asked to participate in research should be adequately informed about the benefits and risks that may be associated with the research.

Subjects should not be coerced into making decisions about participating in the research, nor should they be forced to remain in the research if they decide to withdraw from it.

Subjects must be competent to make decisions regarding their participation in research, which is in part determined by their age and mental capacity.

If a manuscript includes an image of someone’s face, or anything else that might identify them, there must be proof of informed consent to publish such as via a completed consent form.

In cases where deceased persons are involved, Authors should show that they obtained the express consent of the deceased family member(s).

If a manuscript has a medical focus and there is a human subject involved, the authors must obtain written clearance from the institutions involved.

Animal Research
Research involving animals must conform with appropriate guidelines. It must in particular follow three important principles:

Replacement of animals in research, wherever possible

Reduction of animal use, i.e. minimising the number involved

Refinement: Improving the welfare of any animals you work with.