Ethics and Malpractice Statement

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The Archives of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (APPS) adheres to the highest standards of publication ethics and best practices in scholarly publishing. This statement aligns with international guidelines including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the ICMJE Recommendations.

Sources: APPS policy pages on ethics, COPE Code of Conduct, ICMJE guidelines.

1) Duties of Editors

  • Fair evaluation: Manuscripts are evaluated solely on scholarly merit without discrimination on race, gender, religion, nationality, or institutional affiliation.
  • Confidentiality: Editors ensure confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and related data.
  • Conflict of interest: Editors must declare and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts exist.
  • Integrity of record: Editors act to prevent and address misconduct, ensuring corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when required.

2) Duties of Authors

  • Originality: Submissions must be original, not plagiarized, and not under consideration elsewhere.
  • Transparency: Authors should provide accurate data, detailed methodology, and clear attributions.
  • Conflicts of interest: All potential conflicts must be disclosed during submission.
  • Human/animal ethics: Studies must comply with institutional and international ethical standards.
  • Acknowledgment: Proper credit must be given to sources, collaborators, and funding bodies.

3) Duties of Reviewers

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must maintain strict confidentiality of manuscripts.
  • Objective review: Reviews should be conducted objectively with constructive feedback.
  • Timeliness: Reviewers must submit their assessments promptly or inform the editor if unable to meet deadlines.
  • Conflicts of interest: Reviewers should decline assignments where personal or professional conflicts exist.

4) Publisher Responsibilities

  • Integrity: HSPI ensures ethical oversight, maintains the scholarly record, and prevents publication malpractice.
  • Transparency: Policies on APCs, waivers, open access, and archiving are clearly available on the journal website.
  • Safeguarding research: The publisher supports COPE/ICMJE processes for addressing misconduct.

5) Misconduct Policy

APPS defines misconduct as fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, redundant publication, and other violations of research integrity. Allegations of misconduct will be investigated in line with COPE flowcharts. Outcomes may include manuscript rejection, corrections, or retraction notices.

6) Retractions, Corrections, and Expressions of Concern

In cases where integrity of the published record is compromised, APPS will issue retractions, corrections, or expressions of concern following COPE guidance. Retraction notices will be linked to the original article for transparency.

7) Compliance and References

This Ethics and Malpractice Statement is informed by:

8) Contact Information

For questions related to publication ethics, please contact: