Directive Publications is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication integrity. Our policies follow the principles and Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This statement sets out the responsibilities of all parties involved in publishing in our journals.
Duties of authors
- Originality & integrity — submitted work must be original, accurately reported, and free from fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.
- Authorship — all listed authors must have made a significant contribution; those who contributed should be appropriately credited and none omitted.
- Disclosure — all sources of funding and any conflicts of interest must be declared.
- Consent & approvals — studies involving humans or animals must have appropriate ethical approval and consent.
- Concurrent submission — manuscripts must not be under consideration elsewhere.
- Error correction — authors must promptly notify the editor of any significant error in their published work and cooperate in its correction.
Duties of reviewers
- Evaluate manuscripts objectively and provide constructive, evidence-based feedback.
- Maintain confidentiality and not use privileged information for personal advantage.
- Disclose conflicts of interest and decline review where impartiality is compromised.
- Alert editors to ethical concerns, including suspected misconduct or redundant publication.
Duties of editors
- Make publication decisions based solely on scholarly merit, independent of commercial interests.
- Ensure fair, timely, and confidential peer review.
- Guard against conflicts of interest and act on credible concerns regarding integrity.
- Be willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when needed.
Duties of the publisher
- Support editorial independence and the integrity of the scholarly record.
- Maintain the availability and preservation of published content.
- Provide clear, accessible policies and a transparent process for raising concerns.
Handling allegations of misconduct
Concerns about research or publication misconduct are taken seriously and investigated in line with COPE guidance. Depending on the findings, outcomes may include correction, an expression of concern, or retraction (see Corrections, Retractions & Withdrawals). Allegations may be reported confidentially to [email protected].
Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship is limited to those who have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the work, who approve the final version, and who agree to be accountable for it. Those contributing less substantially should be named in the Acknowledgements. Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission must be approved in writing by all authors. We do not permit ghost, guest, or gift authorship.
Conflicts of Interest
All authors must declare any financial or non-financial interests that could be perceived to influence the work (funding, employment, consultancies, patents, or personal relationships). Editors and reviewers recuse themselves from manuscripts in which they have a competing interest. Declared interests are published with the article; where none exist, a statement to that effect is included.