About the Journal

InContext welcomes articles relevant to the Aim and Scope of the Journal throughout the year. The submission instructions and guidelines can be found on the Journal’s Submissions page.

Please contact our editorial staff regarding any further inquiries:
InContext editorial team (journal.incontext@gmail.com).

Open Access and Copyright

InContext holds the copyright of all articles published therein, while the use of such articles by others after publication will be subject to a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC ND 4.0). The journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Under this license, users have the right to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work—and derivative works based upon it—but for non-commercial purposes only. Although their new works must also acknowledge the author and be non-commercial, they do not have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Ethical Guidelines for Contributors and Reviewers

1. Introduction

This document outlines the ethical standards required of authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher to maintain the integrity and quality of scholarly publishing.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

2.1 Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure their work is original and has not been published elsewhere. Proper citations and acknowledgments must be provided for all referenced works. Plagiarism includes self-plagiarism and translations of the author’s work published elsewhere.

2.2 Data Integrity
Authors are responsible for the accuracy of data presented in their research. Fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of data is strictly prohibited.

2.3 Authorship
Only individuals who have made significant contributions to the research should be listed as authors. The corresponding author must ensure all co-authors have approved the final manuscript.

2.4 Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, or other relationships that could potentially influence their work.

2.5 Ethical Compliance
Research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must comply with relevant ethical standards and regulations. Evidence of ethical approval from a recognized committee should be included where applicable.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

3.1 Confidentiality
Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential documents and not shared or discussed outside the review process.

3.2 Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively, with constructive feedback provided. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate.

3.3 Conflict of Interest
Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that could influence their review and recuse themselves if necessary.

3.4 Acknowledgment of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant published work not cited by the authors and notify the editor of any substantial similarity to other published material.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

4.1 Fair Decision-Making
Editors must ensure that manuscripts are evaluated based solely on their scholarly merit, without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, citizenship, or political philosophy.

4.2 Confidentiality
Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and their review processes.

4.3 Conflict of Interest
Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have conflicts of interest and appoint an alternate editor.

4.4 Ethical Oversight
Editors should take appropriate actions in response to ethical issues, including investigating allegations of misconduct and publishing corrections, retractions, or statements as necessary.

5. Responsibilities of the Publisher

5.1 Ensuring Accessibility
The publisher must ensure that the journal is available to readers and researchers in an equitable manner, including compliance with open access policies where applicable.

5.2 Supporting Ethical Practices
The publisher is responsible for providing editors and reviewers with resources and training to uphold ethical publishing standards.

5.3 Addressing Misconduct
The publisher must collaborate with editors to address instances of research misconduct, ensuring transparency and accountability in the resolution process.

6. Use of Generative AI

6.1 Disclosure by Authors
Authors must disclose the use of generative AI tools in the creation of their manuscript. These tools should only be used to assist with tasks such as language editing or data analysis and not to generate original content or manipulate results. Responsibility for the integrity of the manuscript remains solely with the authors.

6.2 Prohibition for Reviewers
Reviewers must not use generative AI tools to render an opinion or make decisions regarding the manuscript. The review must reflect the reviewer’s own expertise and judgment.

6.3 Non-Recognition of AI Authorship
The journal does not recognize AI systems as authors. Any AI-generated content must not be referenced or quoted as an authoritative source within manuscripts.

7. Handling of Ethical Violations

7.1 Plagiarism
If plagiarism is detected, the manuscript will be rejected, and the authors’ institutions may be notified.

7.2 Fabrication or Falsification of Data
The journal reserves the right to retract published papers found to contain fabricated or falsified data, with an accompanying statement explaining the reasons for the retraction.

7.3 Authorship Disputes
Disputes over authorship will be referred to the authors’ institutions for resolution. The journal may amend the authorship list if a satisfactory agreement is reached.

7.4 Allegations of Ethical Violations
In case of an allegation of ethical misconduct, the journal shall follow the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines to remedy the violation transparently and fairly.

8. Acknowledgments and Updates

This guideline is subject to periodic review to ensure compliance with evolving ethical standards in scholarly publishing. Updates will be communicated to all stakeholders promptly.