Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement

APALM is committed to the highest standards of publication ethics. We follow the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (v4) endorsed by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME, and apply COPE guidance when concerns arise. This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher.

1. Editorial independence & decision-making

Editorial decisions are independent of owners, sponsors, advertisers, and funders, and are based on scholarly merit, relevance, and clarity. Editors and editorial staff must declare conflicts of interest (COIs) and be recused from handling submissions where a COI exists; such manuscripts are reassigned to an independent editor.

2. Peer review ethics

All research articles undergo double-blind external peer review. Each eligible submission is assessed by at least two independent expert reviewers; additional methods/statistics review may be sought where appropriate. Prior to external review, submissions receive editorial screening for scope, reporting standards, ethics approvals/consents, and text similarity using a plagiarism-detection service. See our Peer Review Policy for full workflow and timelines.

3. Reviewer responsibilities

Reviewers must: (a) deliver objective, constructive reports; (b) keep manuscripts confidential; (c) declare COIs and decline where necessary; and (d) refrain from using non-public information for personal advantage. Reviewers must not use AI tools on non-public manuscripts unless explicitly permitted; if used for limited purposes (e.g., language editing), this must be disclosed to the editor and the reviewer remains fully responsible for content.

4. Authorship, contributorship & changes

APALM adopts ICMJE authorship criteria and records contributor roles. The corresponding author ensures that all listed authors meet authorship criteria and that no inappropriate authors are included. Authorship changes after submission require written consent from all authors and editorial approval. Each article must include Funding and Conflict-of-Interest statements; undisclosed COIs discovered later will be corrected per journal policy.

5. Research ethics (human & animal)

Human studies must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and national regulations, with prior IEC/IRB approval and informed consent (including publication consent for any identifiable details/images). Animal studies require prior IAEC/IACUC approval, humane endpoints, and adherence to ARRIVE and local regulations. See our dedicated Human Participants and Animal Research policies for required manuscript statements.

6. Reporting standards, transparency & data

Authors must follow appropriate EQUATOR reporting guidelines (e.g., CONSORT for trials, PRISMA for systematic reviews, STROBE for observational studies, CARE for case reports, ARRIVE for animal studies). Clinical trials must be prospectively registered in a WHO-recognized registry. All research articles must include a Data Availability Statement; where possible, underlying data, code, and materials should be deposited in trusted repositories with persistent identifiers, subject to lawful/ethical constraints.

7. Misconduct, redundant publication & plagiarism

Plagiarism, redundant/duplicate publication, data or image fabrication/falsification, inappropriate image manipulation, and unethical research are unacceptable. The journal screens submissions for text similarity and may request raw data, approvals, or original images during assessment. Allegations during review or post-publication are handled in line with COPE guidance; the journal may contact institutions/funders as part of investigations.

8. Corrections, expressions of concern & retractions

APALM maintains the integrity of the scholarly record through corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions where warranted. Retraction decisions follow COPE Retraction Guidelines (2019) and are: clearly labeled, promptly issued, linked to the affected article, and openly accessible. Our Article Withdrawal, Removal & Replacement policy details additional scenarios.

9. Preprints, self-archiving & licensing

APALM supports preprints and self-archiving of the preprint, author-accepted manuscript (AAM), and Version of Record (VoR) with no embargo; deposited versions should include the full citation and a link to the DOI. Published articles carry CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise indicated; third-party content may have different terms noted in the credit line. See our Open Access and Repository & Self-Archiving policies.

10. Appeals & complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions within 30 days by providing an evidence-based rationale. Appeals are reviewed by a senior editor not involved in the original decision and may involve additional external review. Complaints (about editorial process, peer review conduct, or ethics) are investigated independently and may be escalated to the Editor-in-Chief.

11. Publisher responsibilities

The publisher supports the journal in maintaining ethical standards, investigating concerns, and ensuring permanent availability of published content (e.g., DOIs; preservation services). The publisher must not encourage or permit misconduct and will take steps to correct the record when needed.