MSPL Publishing Policies
Authorship
The person submitting the article should carefully check that all those who have contributed to the article are recognized as contributing authors. The list of authors should include all individuals who can legally claim authorship. Obtaining funding, collecting data, or providing general supervision to the research team does not constitute authorship.
Acknowledgments
Any contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an acknowledgments section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical assistance or a department chair who provided only general support.
Declaration of Conflict of Interest
Our journals encourage authors to include a declaration of any conflicts of interest and recommend that you read the best practice guidelines in the for Authors of MSPL Journals.
Author Publication Agreement
MSPL requires authors to sign a Journal Contributor's Publishing Agreement before publication. The MSPL Journals Contributor's Publishing Agreement is an exclusive license agreement, meaning that the author retains copyright in the work, but grants MSPL the sole and exclusive right and license to publish for the full legal term of copyright.
Permissions
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from copyright holders to reproduce illustrations, tables, figures, or lengthy quotations that have been published elsewhere. For further information, including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see our Frequently Asked Questions on the Instructions for Authors of MSPL Journals.
Data Citation Standards
Guidelines for properly citing datasets used in research. Citations should include creators, title, year, repository, and persistent identifier to ensure datasets receive academic credit. Standardized citation formats facilitate automated tracking of dataset usage and impact, contributing to academic reward systems that acknowledge data sharing contributions. Citation practices also clarify provenance chains when datasets are derived from or combined with other datasets, maintaining the integrity of attribution throughout the research ecosystem.
Acceptance and Publication Agreement
Once your manuscript has been accepted, you'll be required to sign a publication agreement with the journal. This legally binding contract establishes the rights and responsibilities of both authors and publishers. Understanding each component of this agreement is crucial before signing.
The information above illustrates the relative importance of key sections in a typical publication agreement. Let's examine each component in detail:
Warranties
By signing the agreement, you're warranting (legally promising) that the work is original, doesn't infringe on others' rights, hasn't been previously published, and that you have the authority to agree. This section also typically includes indemnification clauses where you agree to protect the publisher from legal claims arising from breaches of your warranties.
Promoting Transparency in Publishing
MSPL strongly encourages authors to include data availability statements in their manuscripts, indicating where the data supporting their findings can be accessed. This promotes transparency and facilitates the verification and extension of research results. Data availability statements should clearly specify whether data is available in a repository, included as supplementary material, available upon reasonable request, or if there are restrictions on data access due to ethical or legal considerations.
A publication format where the research design is peer-reviewed before data collection, reducing bias and promoting rigorous methodology. This two-stage review process separates the evaluation of the research question and methods from the evaluation of the results, mitigating publication bias and encouraging more reliable scientific research.
Openly sharing peer review reports to increase transparency and provide insights into the review process. This practice allows readers to understand how a manuscript evolved during the review process, provides context for editorial decisions, and acknowledges the contributions of reviewers in academic discourse. It also serves as an educational resource for early-career researchers learning the peer review process.
Requiring authors to disclose all funding sources for their research, ensuring transparency and accountability. Complete financial disclosure helps readers assess potential conflicts of interest, understand the context of the research focus, and evaluate whether the funding source may have influenced the research design, data analysis, or interpretation of results. This transparency is crucial for maintaining public trust in scientific research.
Core Elements of Publishing Policies
Detailed instructions on manuscript formatting, length, and required supplementary materials, ensuring submissions are consistent and complete. These guidelines help streamline the editorial process and reduce delays in manuscript handling.
An outline of the journal's peer review system, including the types of review used (single-blind, double-blind, or open), reviewer selection criteria, evaluation timeframes, and decision-making procedures. This transparency helps authors understand how their work will be evaluated.
Principles and procedures for maintaining ethical standards, addressing plagiarism, data fabrication, image manipulation, and managing conflicts of interest. These policies protect the integrity of the scholarly record and build trust in published research.
Clear statements about who retains copyright of published materials, what rights authors maintain, and what licensing options are available for distribution and reuse of published content. These policies have significant implications for how research can be shared and utilized.
Open access publishing has revolutionized how academic research is disseminated by removing barriers to accessing scholarly content. These policies aim to make research findings available to a global audience regardless of institutional affiliation or financial resources, promoting greater collaboration and accelerating scientific progress.
The Journals of MSPL track article metrics, such as citations, downloads, and social media mentions, to assess the impact of published works. This data provides valuable insights into the reach and influence of research articles. We utilize industry-standard analytics tools to ensure accurate measurement and provide authors with detailed reports about their publication's performance.
Our comprehensive impact tracking system includes altmetrics, which measure non-traditional impact factors like mentions in policy documents, news media coverage, and educational resources. These metrics help researchers understand the broader societal impact of their work beyond academic citations.
We encourage post-publication discussions and provide a platform for readers to comment on published articles. This fosters scholarly exchange and allows for the clarification of findings or identification of errors. All comments are moderated to ensure constructive academic discourse and maintain professional standards of communication.
Reader comments can lead to valuable scholarly dialogue that enriches the original research. Authors are notified of comments on their work and are encouraged to participate in these discussions, creating an interactive scholarly environment that extends the research impact beyond initial publication.
The Journals of MSPL hava robust procedures for handling reader comments and concerns, ensuring that all issues are addressed promptly and fairly. This maintains the integrity of the published record and promotes trust in the journal. When significant errors or concerns are identified, our editorial team works with authors to investigate and address these issues appropriately.
However, please note that MSPL will still track and evaluate the scholarly quality of published articles to ensure that the articles are not potentially affected by academic misconduct.For substantiated concerns, we follow COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines to implement corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when necessary. This transparent approach to post-publication oversight reinforces the reliability of our published content.