Publication Ethics

Cognitive Thinking is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. We adhere to the ethical principles outlined by relevant academic organizations and expect all contributors—authors, reviewers, and editors—to maintain the integrity of the research and the publication process.

1. Ethical Guidelines for Authors

• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is original, and any previously published content should be properly cited. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or any form of data fabrication or falsification will result in the immediate rejection of the manuscript.
• Data Integrity: Authors must present their data honestly, without manipulation or omission of critical data points.
• Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional conflicts of interest that may have influenced the research or manuscript preparation.
• Authorship:The authors must approve the final version of the manuscript before submission and must undertake complete responsibility for their content.
• Citation of Sources: Authors must ensure proper and complete citation of the sources they have availed for their writings.
• Multiple Submissions: Manuscripts submitted to Cognitive Thinking must not be under consideration by any other journal at the same time. Simultaneous submissions must be avoided.
• Acknowledgment of Financial Support: It is the ethical duties of the authors to inform all important sources of financial support for the research, including grants, sponsorships etc.

2. Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers

• Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat all manuscripts received for review as confidential documents. The contents of the manuscript should not be shared with others without the consent of the editor.
• Impartiality and Objectivity: The reviewers must be unbiased and unprejudiced to evaluate the manuscripts only on its merits and demerits.
• Constructive Feedback: Reviewers are expected to provide constructive, clear, and unbiased feedback that will help the authors improve their work. Reviews should be focused on the quality of the research and the manuscript's contribution to the field.
• Timeliness: Reviewers are required to adhere to deadlines set by the journal.
• Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: If a reviewer has a conflict of interest in the manuscripts, he/she should notify the editor and may decline to review the same.

3. Ethical Guidelines for Editors

• Fair and Impartial Decision Making: Editors are committed to take publication decisions, based on the academic merit of submitted manuscripts.
• Confidentiality: The Editors must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents, received for publication. Its contents should not be shared with others without the consent of the contributors.
• Conflict of Interest: The Editors must refrain from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest if any.
• Timeliness: The Editors should manage the review process efficiently within a reasonable time frame. If delays occur, the editor must update the author.
• Corrections and Retractions: If significant errors or ethical violations are found after publication, editors are responsible for ensuring the appropriate corrections or retractions are made with clear explanation.
• Encouraging Ethical Standards: The Editors must foster an ethical research environment by ensuring that all contributors to the publication process—authors, reviewers, and themselves—uphold the highest standards of research integrity.

4. Plagiarism Detection and Prevention

• Cognitive Thinking uses plagiarism checking software to maintain credentials of the original work and improve the quality of research.
• Manuscripts found to have significant overlap with previously published work without proper citation will be rejected, and the authors may be subject to sanctions.
• Authors are encouraged to ensure that their work is thoroughly checked for any form of plagiarism before submission.

5. Handling Complaints and Appeals

• Any complaints regarding publication ethics or the review process should be directed to the editorial board. The editorial team will review complaints in a timely and transparent manner, ensuring fair consideration of all parties involved.

6. Duties of the Publisher

• • The publisher of Cognitive Thinking is committed to supporting the ethical publishing process and ensuring that all relevant stakeholders—authors, reviewers, editors, and readers—abide by the publication ethics.
• The publisher ensures the proper maintenance of archives and protects the intellectual property rights of authors and contributors. Additionally, the publisher will cooperate with institutions and organizations in case of ethical violations, following all relevant legal and ethical guidelines.

7. Retractions and Corrections

• • If a serious error, ethical violation, or fraudulent activity is identified post-publication, Cognitive Thinking will promptly issue a correction or retraction notice as required.
• • Corrections will be made to the online version of the article, with a formal note outlining the changes. Retractions will be clearly indicated, with an explanation provided for the removal of the concerned article.