Reviewer' responsibility
Peer Review is the backbone for quality publication. The articles published in Indian Journal of Science and Technology follows the process by which Editors mediate all interactions between reviewers and authors.
The RSA publication adapts COPE guidelines (COPE Council. COPE Ethical guidelines for peer reviewers — English. https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.9) and insists the reviewers to follow the COPE guidelines laid out as follows:
“Professional responsibility
Authors who have benefited from the peer review process should consider becoming peer reviewers as a part of their professional responsibilities. Some journals require a formal process of appointment to the review panel, and some require specific expertise; anyone interested in becoming a reviewer should look for the journal guidelines on peer review and follow any requirements posted. In order to assign appropriate reviewers, editors must match reviewers with the scope of the content in a manuscript to get the best reviews possible. Potential reviewers should provide journals with personal and professional information that is accurate and a fair representation of their expertise, including verifiable and accurate contact information. It is important to recognise that impersonation of another individual during the review process is considered serious misconduct (eg, see COPE Case 12-12: Compromised peer review system in published papers) (https://cope.onl/case-review-2). When approached to review, agree to review only if you have the necessary expertise to assess the manuscript and can be unbiased in your assessment. It is better to identify clearly any gaps in your expertise when asked to review.
Competing interests:
Ensure you declare all potential competing, or conflicting, interests. If you are unsure about a potential competing interest that may prevent you from reviewing, do raise this. Competing interests may be personal, financial, intellectual, professional, political or religious in nature. If you are currently employed at the same institution as any of the authors or have been recent (eg, within the past 3 years) mentors, mentees, close collaborators or joint grant holders, you should not agree to review. In addition, you should not agree to review a manuscript just to gain sight of it with no intention of submitting a review, or agree to review a manuscript that is very similar to one you have in preparation or under consideration at another journal.
Timeliness:
It is courteous to respond to an invitation to peer review within a reasonable time frame, even if you cannot undertake the review. If you feel qualified to judge a particular manuscript, you should agree to review only if you are able to return a review within the proposed or mutually agreed time frame. Always inform the journal promptly if your circumstances change and you cannot fulfil your original agreement or if you require an extension. If you cannot review, it is helpful to make suggestions for alternative reviewers if relevant, based on their expertise and without any influence of personal
considerations or any intention of the manuscript receiving a specific outcome (either positive or negative).”
▪ The editors should be intimated for any overlap of the reviewed manuscript with any other published paper.
▪ DisclosuresandConflictof Interest–manuscriptshaving conflictof interest resulting from competitive,collaborativeor any other relationshipsor connectionswith institutionsconnectedto the paper will not be considered.
In case, plagiarism is detected during review/editorial process,such manuscript(s)will be rejected immediatelyand we can also considerother steps dependingupon the seriousnessof the case. If the plagiarism is proven after publication,such manuscript(s)will be removed from our website and appropriateannouncementwill be placed in this regards.
Further, Research Scholars Academy (RSA) or its Journal’sEditorial Board representativecan bring such instancestothe notice of author's funding agencies,author's institutes(where they work) and to the original authors whose work has been plagiarized. Please reportthe plagiarism to contact.rsa@gmail.comor rsa@scholarsresearchacademy.in
Editorial board or Publisherof the Journals reserves the right to verify the originalityof research content submitted for publicationwith organizationwhere the research reportedlycarried out.
