Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy

The World Review of Research and Innovation (WRRI) follows the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the guidance of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan. Authors, editors, reviewers and the publisher are each expected to act honestly, transparently, accountably and confidentially, and to respect the work of others, from submission through to the life of the article after publication.

1. Authors' Obligations

By submitting to WRRI, authors confirm that the manuscript:

  • is their own original work;
  • contains no plagiarised or substantially copied material;
  • is not under review by any other journal;
  • reports methods, analysis and results truthfully;
  • credits and cites the work of others correctly;
  • meets all relevant research ethics requirements;
  • declares any conflict of interest and all funding; and
  • names all those, and only those, who qualify as authors.

Authors remain accountable for the accuracy and integrity of their work.

2. Originality

Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable. Submissions are checked with similarity-detection software, and plagiarism, unacknowledged copying or fabricated citations are treated as serious breaches that the journal will investigate and act upon.

3. Multiple and Redundant Submission

Authors may not submit the same paper to more than one journal at once, nor present previously published work as new without full disclosure and ethical justification. Related publications, preprints, conference papers or earlier versions should be declared at submission.

4. Fabrication and Falsification

Creating fictitious data, results, sources or participants, or altering data, images or findings so that they misrepresent the research, is strictly prohibited. Where there are credible concerns, WRRI may ask to see original records and will take appropriate action.

5. Authorship

Only those who made a substantial intellectual contribution and approved the final version should be listed as authors; others are acknowledged. Changes to authorship after submission require justification and the written agreement of all authors concerned.

6. Conflicts of Interest

Everyone involved in the process must declare any financial, professional, institutional, personal or other interest that could influence the research or its evaluation. The journal decides case by case how a declared interest should be managed.

7. Funding

All sources of financial or institutional support must be listed. If there was no specific funding, the paper should say so.

8. Ethical Research

Research involving people, personal data, vulnerable groups or other sensitive matters must meet applicable ethical, institutional and legal standards. Details of ethics approval and informed consent should be given where required. See the Research Ethics Policy.

9. Data

Data and evidence must be reported accurately. Authors are encouraged to share data, instruments or materials where this is legally and ethically possible, so that their work can be verified and built upon, but never in a way that breaches privacy, confidentiality or the terms under which the data were collected.

10. Citation Practice

Citations must be accurate and relevant. Any attempt to inflate citations to particular authors, journals or institutions, whether by authors, reviewers or editors, is misconduct.

11. Reporting Misconduct

Concerns about possible misconduct should be sent to the editorial office with enough information to allow assessment. WRRI may ask for explanations, documents or data and may contact authors, institutions, editors, reviewers or others as needed.

12. Editors' Obligations

Editors judge manuscripts independently and solely on scholarly and ethical grounds. They:

  • keep submissions confidential;
  • declare and manage their own conflicts;
  • treat all authors equally;
  • select appropriate reviewers;
  • investigate credible allegations of misconduct; and
  • keep decisions free from commercial pressure.

An author's nationality, gender, religion, institution or other irrelevant attributes never influence a decision.

13. Reviewers' Obligations

Reviewers maintain confidentiality, assess objectively, declare conflicts and never use unpublished information for their own benefit. See the Guidelines for Reviewers.

14. Correcting the Record

When a significant error or ethical problem is identified after publication, WRRI may publish a correction, clarification, expression of concern or retraction, linked openly to the article.

15. Artificial Intelligence

Substantive use of generative AI must be declared under the AI Policy. AI cannot be an author, and authors remain responsible for their work.

16. Independence from Commercial Factors

Advertising, sponsorship and publication charges have no influence on editorial decisions. Payment of the APC does not guarantee acceptance or affect peer review.

17. Complaints and Appeals

Concerns and appeals can be raised through the complaints and appeals procedure and are handled fairly by an appropriate member of the editorial or publishing team.

18. Commitment

WRRI is committed to protecting the integrity of the research it publishes and will update these procedures as standards in publishing and research integrity develop.

Journal: World Review of Research and Innovation (WRRI)
Email: editor@wrri.ibexinstitute.org