PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

International Journal of Integrated Research and Practice (IJIRP) is dedicated to maintaining high standards of academic honesty, editorial rigor, and scientific accountability across all multidisciplinary research.

• Adherence to COPE Standards: While IJIRP is currently not a formal member of COPE, the journal strictly adheres to and operationalizes the core guidelines, codes of conduct, and best practice recommendations established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
• Authorship and Contributorship Policy: Involvement in authorship requires direct intellectual input into the research design, analytical framework, data interpretation, or manuscript composition. All contributors listed as co-authors must review, evaluate, and formally approve the final text before submission. IJIRP requires clear transparency regarding contributor roles (encouraging CRediT taxonomy). Passive participation, funding procurement, or structural supervision alone does not qualify an individual for authorship. Unauthorized inclusions such as gift, honorary, or ghost authorship are strictly prohibited.
• Complaints and Appeals Policy: Any reader, researcher, or reviewer who encounters concerns regarding editorial review standards, timeline delays, or procedural misconduct may submit a formal complaint to the Editorial Office at info@ijirp.org. Re-examinations and appeal petitions are conducted through impartial administrative assessment in line with COPE workflows. Submitting a complaint will not affect any future editorial evaluations of the author's work.
• Conflict of Interest and Competing Interests Policy: Authors are required to explicitly disclose any financial affiliations, professional commitments, or personal relationships that could influence the objectivity or interpretation of their work. Reviewers and editors must recuse themselves from processing any submission where a potential or existing conflict of interest exists. Editorial recommendations are determined solely by scientific quality, methodology, and practical applicability.
• Data Sharing and Data Availability Policy: IJIRP strongly encourages authors to archive primary and secondary research datasets in recognized public repositories (such as Zenodo, Dataverse, or FigShare). Submissions must incorporate a Data Availability Statement clarifying access mechanisms, repository links, or outlining valid legal, ethical, or confidentiality barriers that prevent open distribution.
• Ethical Oversight (IRB / Human & Animal Rights): Studies involving human subjects, personal/demographic data, or experimental animal models must strictly align with international research ethics standards (including the Declaration of Helsinki). Manuscripts must cite explicit approval credentials from a designated Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee. Verification of informed consent is required for all human-centered research.
• Post-Publication Discussions: IJIRP encourages scientific debate and academic commentary regarding published work. Critical responses, formal notes, or Letters to the Editor can be submitted for review. Original authors will be granted an opportunity to provide a counter-statement or explanation prior to publication. If credible concerns regarding research validity or ethical integrity are established, the journal will execute corrective actions in accordance with standard publishing ethics procedures.