Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Commitment to Research Integrity

The Dyal Singh Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (DSJHSS) is committed to maintaining the integrity, independence and reliability of the scholarly record. Authors, reviewers and editors share responsibility for ethical publication practices.

The journal's decisions are based on scholarly relevance, quality, originality, evidence, ethical compliance and the peer-review process. DSJHSS welcomes rigorous academic disagreement and critical analysis. Manuscripts are not rejected because an argument is controversial or critical of an institution, ideology, policy, historical actor or social practice, provided that the work is scholarly, evidence-based, lawful and expressed in appropriate academic language.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are expected to:

·        submit original work that is not simultaneously under consideration elsewhere;

·        accurately present sources, evidence, methods and findings;

·        acknowledge all sources and contributions appropriately;

·        identify all qualifying authors and avoid guest, gift or ghost authorship;

·        disclose relevant competing interests and funding;

·        obtain ethical approval or informed consent where applicable;

·        protect confidential or identifiable participant information;

·        disclose relevant use of generative AI or automated tools according to journal policy; and

·        cooperate with legitimate editorial inquiries before and after publication.

Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, citation manipulation, duplicate publication, peer-review manipulation and intentional misrepresentation are unacceptable.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts fairly, confidentially and within their expertise. They should disclose relevant conflicts, avoid personal criticism, provide evidence-based recommendations, protect unpublished information and decline assignments they cannot review impartially.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must protect editorial confidentiality, manage conflicts of interest, obtain appropriate peer review, avoid discrimination unrelated to scholarly merit, and act when credible integrity concerns arise.

Editors may request changes to language that is discriminatory, defamatory, harassing, gratuitously abusive or inconsistent with professional scholarly communication. Substantive changes to an author's argument or interpretation must not be imposed without the author's knowledge and agreement.

Misconduct and Post-Publication Action

Credible allegations of misconduct will be examined under the Research Misconduct and Allegations Policy. Depending on the evidence and the status of the work, action may include requesting clarification, rejecting a manuscript, correcting the published record, issuing an expression of concern, retracting an article, or contacting an appropriate institution or authority where necessary.

The journal distinguishes an honest error or legitimate scholarly disagreement from research misconduct and will seek proportionate action.

Related Policies

This statement operates together with the journal's policies on authorship, plagiarism, competing interests, ethical oversight, data availability, AI, complaints and appeals, and corrections and retractions.