Ethics Policy and Regulation

Linha D'Água adheres to the Codes of Conduct and Good Practice set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org/), and all submissions must adhere to these guidelines. For further information, the original English text is accessible at: https://publicationethics.org/files/Code_of_conduct_for_journal_editors_1.pdf.

 

Plagiarism
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Linha D'Água employs iThenticate, a service provided by CrossRef, to detect text similarity within previously published scientific documents. For additional details, please visit: https://app.ethenticate.com.

 

Generative Artificial Intelligences
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In accordance with COPE guidelines, Linha D'Água does not allow generative Artificial Intelligences to be included as authors of submissions, as they do not meet the authorship requirements in scientific productions, as they cannot assume responsibility for the content of the text.

Additionally, the journal does not allow excerpts of submitted texts to have been generated by generative Artificial Intelligences, as authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscripts.

Access the COPE guidelines here: https://publicationethics.org/cope-position-statements/ai-author.

 

Ethical principles
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Decisions made by the Editors and Editorial Board will not be influenced by revenue sources.

Linha D’Água is dedicated to upholding ethical principles and is prepared to publish any necessary corrections, clarifications, or retractions.

In the event of ethical complaints regarding a manuscript or published article, editors will take appropriate measures to evaluate the complaints and, if warranted, implement necessary corrections or retractions.

 

Digital preservation policy (Archiving)
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Linha D’Água uses LOCKSS – PKP Preservation Network as a system for digital preservation of content.

The journal utilizes DOI as digital object identifier, besides the associated publications on the authors’ ORCiD. The association is made via CROSSREF.

 

Editors' Responsibilities
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Publication Decisions: The editors responsible for determining the acceptance of submitted articles and their suitability for publication are obligated to adhere to the journal’s policies, which align with legal mandates concerning copyright infringement and plagiarism (in accordance with COPE’s Codes of Conduct and Good Practices).

Transparency and Respect: Editors are required to assess submitted manuscripts without consideration for the author's race, sex, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnicity, nationality, or political philosophy.

Confidentiality: Editors are obligated to maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, divulging information solely to reviewers and editorial advisors.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Editors may abstain from evaluating manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest, be it due to competitive, collaborative concerns, or any other affiliation with the authors. If necessary, an impartial editor can be appointed to oversee the editorial process of a specific article.

Engagement and Cooperation in Investigations: Editors are obligated to take appropriate actions when ethical complaints arise concerning submitted manuscripts or published articles.

Editorial Responsibility: Editors are to consistently maintain the anonymity of reviewers and treat all manuscripts as confidential materials.

Good Measures of the editors encompass:

  • Encouraging reviewers to address ethical considerations and potential research and publication misconduct raised by any submission (such as unethical research design, insufficient details on patient consent or protection of research subjects, including animals, manipulation and presentation of inadequate data).
  • Prompting reviewers to assess the originality of submissions and to be vigilant about redundant papers and plagiarism.
  • Considering the provision of tools to assist reviewers in identifying related publications (such as email addresses for cited references and bibliographic searches).
  • Forwarding reviewers' comments to authors in their entirety, unless they contain offensive or defamatory remarks.
  • Disclosing any contributions made by reviewers to the journal.
  • Promoting academic institutions to recognize the peer-review process as an integral part of the academic procedure.
  • Monitoring the performance of reviewers and taking measures to uphold the journal's high standards.
  • Establishing and maintaining a comprehensive database of suitable reviewers and ensuring its currency based on reviewer performance.
  • Discontinuing the engagement of reviewers who consistently provide negative, substandard, or belated comments.
  • Ensuring the reviewer database reflects the broader scientific community relevant to the journal and recruiting new reviewers as necessary.
  • Utilizing diverse sources (beyond personal contacts) to identify potential new reviewers (including author recommendations, bibliographic databases).
  • Adhering to COPE’s flowchart in cases of suspected reviewer misconduct.

 

Reviewers’ Responsibilities
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Confidentiality: The papers received for analysis must be treated as confidential documents; please refrain from sharing any information regarding the manuscripts with third parties.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and avoid using any ideas obtained from reviewing the manuscripts for personal gain.

Citation of Sources: Reviewers are expected to identify pertinent published works that the authors may not have cited. Additionally, reviewers should inform the editors of any significant similarities or overlaps between the manuscript under consideration and other articles they are aware of that have been published.

Reviewers are expected to assess the following aspects:

  1. Appropriateness of the paper to the subject matter.
  2. Clarity and coherence of the paper's objectives and their development throughout the text.
  3. Consistency with the proposed theory, incorporating current insights from pertinent sources.
  4. Originality of thought and the contribution made to the scientific field.
  5. Clarity, linguistic accuracy, and appropriateness of the language expected in a scientific paper.

 

Authors' Responsibilities
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Originality and plagiarism: Authors are responsible for ensuring the complete originality of their papers. When utilizing any text or image from external sources, proper citation is imperative. Plagiarism constitutes unethical editorial behavior and is deemed unacceptable.

Authorship: Authorship of a paper should be limited to individuals who have significantly contributed to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study presented. Any individual who has made a substantial contribution should be credited as a coauthor.
The lead author must confirm the inclusion of all appropriate coauthors in the article.
The lead author must ensure that all coauthors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript version, and that they collectively consent to its submission for publication. The addition of new authors after acceptance will not be permitted.

Multiple, redundant, and simultaneous publications: Authors are prohibited from publishing manuscripts that substantially replicate the same content across multiple issues/journals.
Linha D’Água employs iThenticate to identify similarities between manuscripts.

Citation of sources: Authors are required to appropriately reference all significant publications that influenced the manuscript's content. Proper recognition of other authors' work is paramount. Information garnered through conversations, correspondence, or discussions with others should only be used with explicit written permission from the source.

Errors in published articles: Should authors identify significant errors or inaccuracies in their published work, they must notify and collaborate with editors to rectify the article.

Research funding sources: Authors are accountable for disclosing the sources of funding that supported their research endeavors.