Author Instructions

Ethical Conduct and Editorial Integrity Policy

 

The International Journal of Multidisciplinary Innovations is committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethical behavior, editorial independence, and academic integrity in scholarly publishing. All authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members are expected to adhere to recognized ethical norms and professional conduct throughout the publication process.

 

1. Undue Influence and Editorial Interference

Prohibition of Influence

 

Authors must not attempt to influence, manipulate, or improperly communicate with any member of the editorial team or reviewers regarding the evaluation, acceptance, or rejection of their manuscripts.

 

Prohibited actions include, but are not limited to:

 

• Directly contacting reviewers or editors to seek favorable decisions
• Offering incentives, gifts, or personal benefits
• Applying pressure through repeated or inappropriate communication
• Attempting to bypass editorial procedures
• Using personal or institutional relationships to influence decisions

 

All editorial decisions are based solely on academic merit, originality, relevance, and ethical compliance.

 

2. Consequences of Ethical Misconduct

 

If unethical conduct is identified, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

 

• Immediate rejection of the manuscript
• Withdrawal from the review process
• Temporary or permanent submission ban

 

These measures are taken to protect editorial independence and scholarly integrity.

 

3. Author Responsibilities

 

By submitting a manuscript, authors agree to:

 

• Respect the peer review process
• Communicate only through official journal channels
• Uphold academic integrity
• Accept editorial decisions made in good faith

 

Failure to comply constitutes a breach of publication ethics.

 

4. Plagiarism Policy

 

The journal maintains strict standards against plagiarism. All submissions are screened for originality. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and may result in rejection, retraction, or further action.

(Refer to the detailed Plagiarism Policy for more information.)

 

5. Conflict of Interest Policy

 

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may influence:

 

• Study design
• Data analysis
• Interpretation
• Conclusions
• Publication decisions

 

If no conflict exists, authors must declare: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

 

6. Copyright and Open Access Policy

Copyright Ownership

 

Authors retain copyright of their published work.

By publishing in the journal, authors grant a non-exclusive license to:

 

• Publish and distribute the article
• Archive it for preservation
• Make it publicly available

 

Open Access License

 

All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License, unless otherwise stated.

This permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction, provided proper attribution is given.

 

7. Author Rights

Authors have the right to:

 

• Deposit articles in repositories
• Share on personal or academic platforms
• Use content for teaching and research
• Reuse material with proper citation

 

8. Journal Rights

 

The journal reserves the right to:

 

• Issue corrections or retractions
• Maintain permanent access to articles
• Preserve scholarly records

 

9. Misuse of Copyright

 

Unauthorized use of copyrighted material may result in rejection, retraction, or corrective actions.

 

10. Manuscript Withdrawal Policy (Pre-Publication)

Permissible Withdrawal

 

Authors may request withdrawal within 48 hours of submission, provided that:

 

• The request is submitted in writing
• All authors agree
• The manuscript is not accepted

 

Restrictions

Withdrawal is not permitted when:

 

• Peer review is substantially completed
• Acceptance has been communicated
• Production has begun

 

Repeated misuse of withdrawal may lead to submission restrictions.

 

11. Ethical Violations Before Publication

 

Manuscripts may be withdrawn by the journal if they involve:

 

• Plagiarism
• Duplicate submission
• Data fabrication
• Ethical misconduct
• Undue influence

 

12. Retraction Policy (Post-Publication)

Principle

 

Published articles form part of the permanent scholarly record and cannot be removed at the author’s request alone.

 

Grounds for Retraction

 

Retraction may occur due to:

 

• Proven plagiarism
• Serious errors
• Ethical violations
• Copyright infringement
• Duplicate publication

 

Retraction Procedure

 

When retraction is necessary:

 

• A retraction notice is published
• The article remains accessible with clear labeling
• Reasons are stated transparently
• Complete deletion is avoided

 

13. Preservation of Scholarly Record

 

To ensure transparency:

 

• Retracted articles remain accessible
• Metadata is preserved
• DOI links (if assigned) remain active

 

14. Author Agreement

 

By submitting a manuscript, authors acknowledge that:

 

• Submission implies commitment to editorial procedures
• Withdrawal is limited after review begins
• Published articles cannot be removed
• Ethical responsibilities continue after publication

 

15. Manuscript Format

 

Manuscripts must be submitted in MS Word format and follow the journal’s sample template. Authors can download sample manuscript from home page of the website.