The Journal of Law, Society and Authority (JLSA) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and ensuring the integrity and quality of the scholarly record. The journal adheres to the COPE Core Practices and follows international ethical standards for editors, authors, and reviewers.

1. Duties of Editors

Editors are responsible for the final decision on which articles are published. They evaluate manuscripts based solely on their academic merit, without discrimination based on race, gender, religion, institutional affiliation, or political views. Editors ensure a fair and unbiased peer review process and maintain confidentiality of all information related to submitted manuscripts. They must not use unpublished materials from submitted manuscripts for their own research without the express written consent of the author(s). Editors will take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred, including plagiarism, citation manipulation, or falsification of data.

2. Duties of Authors

Authors must ensure that their submissions are original, have not been published elsewhere, and are not under consideration by any other journal. Authors must accurately present their research and provide sufficient detail and references for others to verify their work. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Authors must properly acknowledge the work of others and cite relevant publications. All persons who made significant contributions to the research should be listed as co-authors. Authors must disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that could influence their results or interpretations. If an author discovers a significant error in their published work, they must promptly notify the editors and cooperate in correcting or retracting the paper.

3. Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers assist editors in making editorial decisions and help authors improve their manuscripts. They must maintain confidentiality and treat all materials received for review as privileged information. Reviews should be conducted objectively, with clear, evidence-based comments. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers must identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors or institutions connected to the paper.

4. Duties of the Publisher

The Editorial Office of JLSA ensures that best practices are followed throughout the publication process. It takes reasonable steps to maintain the integrity of the academic record and to prevent any form of unethical behavior. The journal is open access and non-commercial. It does not charge submission or publication fees and operates exclusively for academic and scientific purposes. The publisher works closely with editors and reviewers to handle retractions, corrections, and expressions of concern according to COPE guidelines.

5. Handling of Unethical Behavior

Allegations of unethical conduct, such as plagiarism, data fabrication, or authorship disputes, will be investigated thoroughly. Editors will follow COPE flowcharts and procedures in dealing with cases of misconduct. If unethical behavior is confirmed, appropriate actions will be taken, which may include rejection of the manuscript, retraction of the article, and notification of the author’s institution.

6. Plagiarism Policy

JLSA uses plagiarism detection tools to screen all submissions. Manuscripts with a similarity rate above acceptable thresholds will be returned to the authors or rejected. All detected cases of plagiarism, data fabrication, or redundant publication will be handled in accordance with COPE’s standards.

Adherence to COPE Principles

The Journal of Law, Society and Authority (JLSA) supports and applies the COPE Core Practices related to publication ethics. While the journal is not an official member of COPE, it follows international best practices in editorial transparency, research integrity, and responsible conduct of publication.
For more information, please visit the official COPE website.