Publication Ethics

BHĀRATĀYANA | भारतायन | ভারতায়ন

AI-Assisted Interdisciplinary Journal of Indian Knowledge Systems

Commitment to Ethical Publishing

BHĀRATĀYANA is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, fairness, and accountability in scholarly publishing. The journal believes that ethical publishing is fundamental to the advancement of knowledge, the credibility of research, and the trust placed in academic communication.

The Editorial Board expects all participants in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, editors, guest editors, and editorial staff—to uphold the principles of honesty, objectivity, respect, confidentiality, and academic responsibility.

These Publication Ethics are informed by internationally recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing and are implemented to promote research integrity, editorial independence, and public confidence in published scholarship.

1. General Principles

All submitted and published works must demonstrate:

• academic honesty;

• intellectual originality;

• methodological rigor;

• transparency in research and reporting;

• proper acknowledgment of sources;

• respect for intellectual property;

• ethical conduct throughout the research and publication process.

The journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward research misconduct.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are expected to:

• submit only original work;

• ensure the accuracy of all data, interpretations, and references;

• acknowledge all sources appropriately;

• obtain necessary permissions for copyrighted materials;

• disclose funding sources and conflicts of interest;

• ensure that all listed authors have made substantial scholarly contributions;

• approve the final manuscript before submission;

• promptly notify the Editorial Office if a significant error is discovered after submission or publication.

Authors remain solely responsible for the content of their published work.

3. Research Integrity

Authors must ensure that their research has been conducted and reported honestly.

The following practices constitute serious violations of publication ethics and are strictly prohibited:

• plagiarism;

• self-plagiarism;

• duplicate or redundant publication;

• simultaneous submission to multiple journals;

• fabrication of data;

• falsification of research findings;

• manipulation of images or figures;

• citation manipulation;

• paper mill submissions;

• ghost authorship;

• gift or honorary authorship;

• suppression of negative findings where disclosure is scientifically necessary.

Evidence of misconduct may result in rejection, correction, retraction, notification of the author's institution, or other appropriate editorial action.

4. Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research.

All authors should have participated in one or more of the following:

• conception or design of the study;

• data collection or analysis;

• interpretation of findings;

• drafting or critical revision of the manuscript;

• approval of the final version.

Individuals who contributed only administrative, technical, financial, or editorial assistance should be acknowledged but should not normally be listed as authors.

Artificial Intelligence systems or automated software tools cannot be credited as authors.

5. Human–AI Collaboration

BHĀRATĀYANA recognizes the responsible and transparent use of Artificial Intelligence in scholarly research.

AI tools may assist authors in language editing, formatting, translation, coding support, or data organization; however:

• AI systems cannot assume responsibility for scholarly content.

• AI tools cannot be listed as authors.

• Authors remain fully accountable for the originality, accuracy, interpretation, citations, and conclusions presented.

• Significant AI assistance must be disclosed in accordance with the journal's Human–AI Collaboration Policy.

Undisclosed or misleading use of AI technologies may constitute research misconduct.

6. Plagiarism Policy

The journal considers plagiarism to be a serious breach of academic ethics.

This includes:

• direct plagiarism;

• mosaic plagiarism;

• paraphrased plagiarism without attribution;

• self-plagiarism;

• translated plagiarism;

• unauthorized reproduction of figures, tables, or illustrations.

All submissions may be screened using plagiarism-detection software prior to peer review.

Confirmed cases of plagiarism may lead to immediate rejection or retraction.

7. Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence—or reasonably be perceived to influence—the editorial or scholarly process.

Transparency helps maintain public trust in academic publishing.

8. Funding Transparency

Authors should acknowledge all financial support received for the research.

Funding information should include:

• funding agency;

• grant number (where applicable);

• institutional support.

If no funding has been received, authors should clearly state this.

9. Ethical Approval

Research involving human participants, personal data, cultural communities, or sensitive materials should comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional requirements.

Where appropriate, authors should indicate that ethical approval has been obtained.

10. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

• provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations;

• maintain confidentiality;

• disclose conflicts of interest;

• avoid personal criticism;

• identify relevant published work not cited by the authors;

• report suspected plagiarism or ethical concerns to the Editorial Office.

Reviewers should complete their evaluations within the agreed review period.

11. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for:

• maintaining editorial independence;

• ensuring fair and unbiased editorial decisions;

• protecting the confidentiality of submissions;

• selecting qualified reviewers;

• addressing ethical concerns promptly;

• avoiding conflicts of interest;

• safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record.

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's scope.

12. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently of commercial, political, institutional, or personal interests.

The Editorial Board is committed to protecting academic freedom while ensuring compliance with ethical publishing standards.

13. Confidentiality

Submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and unpublished materials are treated as confidential documents.

Information relating to a submission will not be disclosed except where required for editorial evaluation or legal obligations.

14. Corrections and Retractions

Where significant errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the journal may publish:

• Corrections (Errata)

• Corrigenda

• Expressions of Concern

• Retractions

Such actions are undertaken to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

15. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may submit a reasoned appeal against an editorial decision.

Appeals are reviewed independently by the Editorial Board or an appropriately designated editor.

The decision following appeal shall be considered final.

16. Misconduct Investigations

Allegations of publication misconduct will be investigated carefully, fairly, confidentially, and without prejudice.

Where appropriate, the Editorial Board may seek clarification from authors, reviewers, institutions, or other relevant parties before reaching a decision.

17. Editorial Actions

Depending on the severity of an ethical breach, the journal may:

• request clarification;

• request correction;

• reject the manuscript;

• suspend editorial processing;

• publish a correction;

• retract the published article;

• notify relevant institutions or funding agencies;

• impose restrictions on future submissions.

18. Commitment to Ethical Scholarship

BHĀRATĀYANA is dedicated to fostering a scholarly environment founded upon integrity, respect, intellectual honesty, and responsible innovation.

The journal encourages rigorous interdisciplinary research that contributes meaningfully to Indian Knowledge Systems while upholding the highest standards of ethical publishing and global academic responsibility.

BHĀRATĀYANA | भारतायन | ভারতায়ন

Promoting excellence in research through integrity, transparency, responsible human–AI collaboration, and ethical scholarly publishing.