Publication Ethics

Sirte University Scientific Journal is guided in publication ethics by the Core Principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

COPE Core Principles

In July 2026 the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) published its Core Principles and a Code of Conduct for its members, replacing the Core Practices retired in 2024. The journal is guided by these principles and by COPE's publicly available flowcharts and guidance when handling cases. How each principle applies at the journal:

Principle	At the journal
Accountability	The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for publication decisions, policies are reviewed and corrected when needed, and authors have a published appeals and complaints route.
Fairness, justice and equity	Double-blind review, and scientific decisions that do not depend on fees or on who pays them; see the Peer Review Policy and Publication Fees.
Integrity	Turnitin similarity check for every manuscript, conflict of interest statements, and the Plagiarism and Retraction Policy.
Rigour and accuracy	Independent reviewer reports, methods and data statements, and correction or retraction after publication when an error is established.
Stewardship	Long-term preservation in the PKP Preservation Network, persistent identifiers (DOI and ORCID), and the CC BY 4.0 licence.
Transparency	Policies, procedures and fees published in both languages, and the Journal Standards page.

Editorial board responsibilities

1. Verify the originality of submitted manuscripts and ensure they comply with the journal's permissible thresholds for similarity, prior to assigning them to qualified peer reviewers.
2. Ensure a geographically diverse pool of reviewers, both from within and outside the university, avoiding exclusive selection from a single institution.
3. Exercise their duties with integrity, objectivity and impartiality, without discriminating against authors on any unlawful grounds.
4. Provide authors with a reasonable opportunity to address the reviewers' comments and revisions.
5. The Editor-in-Chief formally notifies the corresponding author of the manuscript's acceptance and the issue in which it will be published.
6. Respect author privacy and academic confidentiality by not disclosing any personal information of the authors or co-authors to any third party.
7. Provide a clear and final decision based on the reviewers' recommendations, which will be one of the following:
   • Accept the manuscript for publication without revisions.
   • Accept the manuscript for publication after minor revisions.
   • Accept the manuscript for publication after major revisions, which require re-submission to the original reviewers for verification.
   • Reject the manuscript and decline publication.

Journal rights

1. The editorial board reserves the right to conduct an initial assessment of any submission and decide whether it proceeds to peer review.
2. A manuscript will be considered withdrawn if the author fails to implement the required revisions within two weeks of receiving the journal's feedback, unless the Editor-in-Chief grants an extension for a valid excuse.
3. The journal is not obligated to provide reasons for rejecting a manuscript.
4. Accepted manuscripts are prioritized for publication based on their acceptance date; the order of articles within an issue is determined by layout design.
5. Upon acceptance, the copyright of the manuscript is transferred from the author to Sirte University, the journal's publisher, and the article is made available under a CC BY 4.0 licence.
6. The editorial board reserves the right to edit the manuscript regarding citation style, language, and the design of tables, figures and text as necessary.

Reviewer responsibilities

Peer review is a cornerstone of scientific publishing, and the journal is committed to ensuring the professionalism and ethical standards of its reviewers. Reviewers must:

1. Follow the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.
2. Respond to the review invitation within three days and complete the review within two weeks of accepting it.
3. Refrain from using any information from the manuscript for personal advantage.
4. Decline to review manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists due to competitive or other relationships with the author.
5. Verify the manuscript's originality; if plagiarism is suspected, identify the specific passages and provide evidence.
6. Treat the manuscript as a confidential document and not disclose or discuss it with others without the editor's permission.
7. Ensure objectivity in their judgments and conclusions.
8. Express their opinions with integrity and clarity, supported by reasoned arguments.
9. Adhere to the agreed timeline for the review process.
10. Decline to review manuscripts outside their area of expertise.
11. Provide detailed, constructive feedback using the journal's official review form.

Author responsibilities

1. Uphold the principles and standards of research and publication ethics.
2. Submit original work accompanied by a complete list of references.
3. Prepare the manuscript in accordance with the journal's guidelines.
4. Follow the journal's rules on citation, referencing and publication ethics.
5. Not submit work previously published in other journals, unless significant modifications have been made to the content or title.
6. Avoid simultaneous submission to multiple journals, as this violates international publication ethics.
7. Submit the work to another journal only after receiving an official rejection or formal approval of its withdrawal.
8. Confirm that all contributing co-authors have approved the manuscript before submission.
9. Acknowledge all contributors appropriately and list authors in order of their scientific contribution.
10. Thank individuals who assisted in the research but are not listed as authors.
11. Disclose to the editorial board any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the evaluation of the work.
12. If the author wishes to submit elsewhere, formally withdraw the manuscript from this journal first.
13. Ensure the originality of the work and its adherence to professional research ethics, especially concerning human and animal rights where applicable.
14. Avoid all forms of misconduct, including plagiarism and data fabrication.
15. Promptly notify the editorial board of any significant errors in the published work so that it can be corrected or retracted.
16. Revise the manuscript based on reviewer feedback; if the author disagrees with certain suggestions, provide a logical justification, otherwise the journal may reject the manuscript.