Ethics Policy
CFJ is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes seriously all forms of unethical publishing behaviour. This policy is informed by the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and applies to authors, reviewers, and editors involved with the journal.
Authorship Criteria
Authorship should be limited to those who have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported work. All those who made substantial contributions should be listed as co-authors, and all co-authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission. Anyone who contributed in a lesser capacity should be acknowledged, not listed as an author.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research or its evaluation. Authors should declare relevant conflicts in their manuscript; reviewers and editors should recuse themselves from handling a manuscript where a conflict exists.
Originality & Plagiarism
Submitted manuscripts must be the authors’ own original work and must not have been published elsewhere, in whole or substantial part. Manuscripts are screened for textual overlap, and any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, or data fabrication is investigated before proceeding. Confirmed misconduct results in rejection or retraction and notification of the authors’ institution where warranted.
Data Integrity
Authors are expected to present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be accurately represented, and authors should be prepared to provide access to raw data on reasonable request from the editors.
Research Involving Human or Animal Subjects
Studies involving human participants or animals must have been conducted in accordance with relevant institutional and national ethical guidelines, and authors should state that the appropriate ethics approval and, where applicable, informed consent were obtained.
Handling Allegations of Misconduct
Allegations of research or publication misconduct are taken seriously and investigated by the editorial team following COPE guidelines. This may include contacting the authors for clarification, consulting the authors’ institution, and, where warranted, issuing a correction, expression of concern, or retraction.
Retraction & Correction Policy
The journal will issue a correction for honest errors that do not undermine a work’s validity, and will retract a published article where there is clear evidence of unreliable findings, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unethical research. Retractions and corrections are clearly linked to the original article.