Policies and ethics statements

Multiple Submission:

Papers presenting essentially the same research should not be published in multiple journals, and concurrent submission to multiple journals is deemed unethical. Certain articles (e.g., clinical guidelines, translations) may be published in more than one journal under specific conditions, with agreement from authors and editors, reflecting the same data and interpretation, and proper citation of the primary document.

Plagiarism Policy:

All journals published by Westland Publishers are committed to disseminating solely original material, ensuring content that has not been previously published or is concurrently under review elsewhere. As part of our commitment to maintaining scholarly integrity, Westland Publishers employs plagiarism detection tools to identify intances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts. Manuscripts determined to have been plagiarized from other author(s), whether from published or unpublished sources, will be subject to plagiarism sanctions.

Unethical Citation Practices:

Manuscripts submitted to Westland Publishers employing citations with the primary aim of artificially inflating the citation count for a specific author's work or articles from a particular journal will be subject to citation manipulation sanctions.

Fabrication and Falsification of Data:

Submitted manuscripts to Westland Publishers found to have fabricated or falsified experimental results, including image manipulation, will face sanctions for data fabrication and falsification.

AI generated content:

Plagiarism, the unethical use of others' work without proper credit, remains a significant concern in academic circles. While AI writing tools can generate text of human quality, they lack the capacity for independent research and critical thinking. Relying solely on AI to produce research papers raises authenticity concerns, rendering them unsuitable for credible publication. Authentic research requires human involvement for critical analysis and interpretation. Moreover, the use of AI in research presents ethical challenges, including the risk of biases from training data and questions regarding authorship and accountability. To address these issues, collaborative efforts between AI systems and human researchers, rigorous quality control, and transparent attribution are essential. WestLand Publishers prioritizes these measures to ensure ethical standards are upheld.

Conflict of Interest

Author Disclosures: Authors submitting articles to Westland Publishers are required to provide a comprehensive conflict of interest disclosure. This encompasses both financial and non-financial interests, affiliations, as well as personal, racial, and intellectual properties. Notably, authors funded by a company producing the discussed products must transparently acknowledge this, recognizing its potential influence on their manuscript.

Reviewer Responsibilities: Reviewers are expected to disclose any affiliations that place them in the same research area and competing with the authors. The potential influence on judgment is acknowledged, and the guidelines emphasize the importance of avoiding advising the rejection of a competing article solely to expedite the publication of their own research.

Editorial Integrity: Editors at Westland Publishers are reminded that receiving an article from a friend or colleague may introduce bias in their judgment of its suitability for publication. The guidelines stress the importance of maintaining impartiality and ensuring fair evaluations in the editorial process.

Statement on Informed Consent

Westland Publishers aligns with the guidelines outlined in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication.

To uphold patient privacy, Westland Publishers ensures that patient identifiers are not published unless explicit written informed consent is obtained, and the information is deemed essential for the scientific purpose and merit of the manuscript. In cases where photographs reveal recognizable features of subjects, a signed release authorizing publication is required. This requirement also extends to case reports that provide sufficient unique identification of an individual (other than their name) to enable recognition. Failure to secure informed consent from a patient before submission would result in the rejection of the manuscript.

Statement on Human and Animal Rights

Westland Publishers follows the guidelines of the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication. All articles involving experimentation on human subjects and animals must have institutional review board approval, in accordance with the ethical standards outlined in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (www.icmje.org)

Addressing Errors in published works:

Authors are obligated to promptly inform Westland Publishers of significant errors, engaging in collaborative efforts to rectify issues through the publication of an erratum or, if necessary, the retraction of the paper. In cases where third parties identify substantial errors, authors bear the responsibility to address and correct the errors promptly.

Duties of Westland Publishers:

In instances of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication, or plagiarism, Westland Publishers collaborates with editors to thoroughly investigate and clarify the situation. This may involve the prompt publication of an erratum or clarification, and in severe cases, the retraction of the affected work. Both the publisher and the editors are dedicated to implementing reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred, thereby upholding ethical publishing standards.

Advertising: All the journals provide free advertisement to the Universities or Institutes for their events. The advertisements should match to the journal scope and it will be beneficial to the readers. In most of the cases we will display advertisements about the journal.

Manuscript Transfer to Another Westland Journal:

Editors may recommend that a manuscript aligns better with another Westland Journal. Authors are encouraged to contemplate transferring their manuscript to the suggested journal without initiating a new peer-review process.

Withdrawal Policy at Westland Publishers:

At Westland Publishers, we uphold the utmost integrity in the publication process and expect authors to adhere to stringent ethical standards. The withdrawal of a manuscript, whether under review or already published, can result in the inefficient use of valuable resources and efforts by our esteemed editorial board members, reviewers, and editorial staff.

Outlined below is our withdrawal policy:

1. Authors are required to confirm that all data and facts presented in the manuscript are original and solely their own. In cases where information from other sources is utilized, authors must have obtained appropriate written permissions.

2. Manuscript withdrawal after submission is permissible only under the most compelling and unavoidable circumstances.

3. Authors seeking withdrawal are requested to communicate their request, providing comprehensive reasons for the withdrawal.

4. Westland Publishers explicitly states that withdrawal charges may be applicable, contingent on the status of the article, as stipulated in our policy.

If you decide to withdraw your manuscript within the initial 48 hours of submission, there will be no financial penalties imposed on you or your co-authors. This grace period allows authors to reconsider their submission without any financial repercussions.

However, Once your manuscript has been accepted for publication and the Article Processing Charge (APC) has been processed, it signifies a significant step forward in the publication process. Unfortunately, in line with our policies, we are unable to offer refunds for the APC if you decide to withdraw your article after this point. This policy ensures fairness and transparency in our handling of publication fees and resources allocated to manuscript processing.

We sincerely appreciate the cooperation of authors in upholding the ethical standards integral to scholarly publishing.