Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement

Readings in Political Economy is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. The Journal expects all participants in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher, to uphold principles of honesty, accountability, fairness, and professional responsibility throughout the submission, review, and publication process.

The Journal does not tolerate any form of research or publication misconduct and reserves the right to take appropriate editorial action whenever ethical concerns arise.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
Authors submitting manuscripts to the Journal are expected to:
● Submit only original and unpublished work.
● Ensure that the manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.
● Accurately present research methods, data, and findings.
● Properly acknowledge the work and ideas of others through appropriate citation.
● Obtain all necessary permissions for copyrighted materials.
● Disclose all sources of research funding.
● Declare any potential conflicts of interest.
● Ensure that all listed authors have made significant scholarly contributions and approve the submitted version.
● Promptly notify the Editorial Office if a significant error is discovered after submission or publication.

Authors are solely responsible for the integrity, accuracy, and authenticity of their work.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors
Editors are responsible for maintaining the quality and integrity of the Journal. Editorial decisions are made solely on the basis of academic merit, originality, methodological quality, and relevance.
Editors shall:
● Handle manuscripts fairly and impartially.
● Maintain confidentiality throughout the editorial process.
● Avoid discrimination based on nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, ethnicity, religion, or political beliefs.
● Ensure a fair and unbiased peer review process.
● Manage conflicts of interest appropriately.
● Take reasonable steps to investigate allegations of ethical misconduct.
● Publish corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern where necessary.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers play a vital role in safeguarding the quality of scholarly publications.
Reviewers are expected to:
● Provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations.
● Maintain complete confidentiality regarding manuscripts under review.
● Declare any conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment.
● Review manuscripts solely on academic merit.
● Identify relevant literature that has not been cited.
● Inform the Editor of suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, or other ethical concerns.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained during peer review for personal or professional advantage.

Authorship Policy
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the research.

Individuals who have provided administrative, technical, financial, or language assistance should be acknowledged appropriately but should not be listed as authors unless they meet accepted authorship criteria.

Any request to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission must be supported by written consent from all authors and approved by the Editorial Office.

Conflict of Interest
All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any financial, institutional, professional, or personal relationships that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their decisions or interpretations.
Potential conflicts may include:
● Financial relationships
● Employment or consultancy
● Research funding
● Institutional affiliations
● Personal relationships
● Academic competition
● Intellectual property interests

Where no conflicts exist, authors should include the statement:
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Editors and reviewers with conflicts of interest shall recuse themselves from handling or reviewing the manuscript.

Research Misconduct
The Journal considers the following practices to constitute research or publication misconduct:
● Plagiarism
● Self-plagiarism
● Duplicate or redundant publication
● Data fabrication
● Data falsification
● Image manipulation intended to misrepresent findings
● Citation manipulation
● Fake peer review
● Undisclosed use of third-party writing services to misrepresent authorship
● Misrepresentation of authorship or affiliations
● Ethical approval fraud
● Failure to disclose conflicts of interest

Where misconduct is suspected, the Editorial Office may request explanations, supporting documentation, institutional clarification, or independent expert assessment before making a decision.

Corrections
The Journal is committed to preserving the accuracy of the scholarly record.
Where minor errors are identified that do not affect the validity of the research, the Journal may publish a correction or erratum.
Corrections may be issued to address:
● Typographical errors
● Author information
● Affiliation updates
● Minor factual inaccuracies
● Reference corrections

All corrections will remain permanently linked to the original publication.

Retraction Policy
The Journal reserves the right to retract published articles when there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable or that publication ethics have been seriously violated.
Retraction may occur in cases including, but not limited to:
● Proven plagiarism
● Duplicate publication
● Data fabrication or falsification
● Serious methodological errors
● Ethical approval violations
● Unauthorized publication
● Fraudulent authorship
● Significant copyright infringement

Retracted articles will remain part of the scholarly record but will be clearly identified as retracted to preserve the integrity of the academic literature.

Expressions of Concern
Where an investigation is ongoing but conclusive evidence is not yet available, the Journal may publish an Expression of Concern to inform readers of potential issues associated with a published article.

The notice will remain until the matter has been resolved.

Withdrawal of Submitted Manuscripts
Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript before editorial acceptance.
The Journal reserves the right to decline withdrawal requests after substantial editorial or peer review work has been completed or where ethical concerns are under investigation.

Complaints Policy
The Journal welcomes constructive feedback regarding its editorial policies, publication process, or ethical practices.
Complaints may relate to:
● Editorial decisions
● Peer review process
● Publication ethics
● Editorial conduct
● Publication delays
● Website or publication policies

All complaints will be handled confidentially, fairly, and impartially. The Editorial Office will investigate the matter and provide a reasoned response where appropriate.

Appeals Policy
Authors who believe that an editorial decision was based on a misunderstanding or procedural error may submit a written appeal to the Editorial Office.
Appeals should clearly explain:
● The reasons for the appeal.
● Any factual errors in the editorial decision.
● Additional supporting evidence, where applicable.

Appeals are reviewed independently by the Editor-in-Chief or another designated senior editor who was not directly involved in the original decision. The outcome of the appeal will be communicated to the corresponding author, and the decision following the appeal shall be considered final.

Confidentiality
All submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial communications, and author information are treated as confidential throughout the editorial and peer review process.
Information relating to manuscripts is disclosed only to individuals directly involved in editorial evaluation, peer review, production, or publication.

Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions are made independently of commercial interests, sponsors, advertisers, or institutional influence.
Acceptance or rejection of manuscripts is based solely on scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and contribution to academic knowledge.

Commitment to Research Integrity
Readings in Political Economy is dedicated to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record through transparent editorial practices, ethical peer review, responsible publishing, and the prompt correction of the literature whenever necessary. The Journal encourages all participants in the publication process to uphold the highest standards of academic honesty, professionalism, and ethical conduct.