Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Commitment to Ethical Standards

The International Journal of Rehabilitation and Special Education (IJRSE) upholds the highest standards of publication ethics in accordance with guidelines developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We are dedicated to the integrity, transparency, and responsibility of the scholarly publishing process and ensure that all manuscripts are evaluated fairly and without bias.

Evaluation of Manuscripts

All submissions to IJRSE are subject to rigorous peer review based solely on scientific merit, originality, and relevance. Manuscripts must be original work, unpublished elsewhere, and not under simultaneous consideration by other journals. Authors are required to affirm the originality of their work and properly cite any materials or ideas derived from other sources.

Ethical Compliance for Research

Research involving human participants or animals must adhere to internationally accepted ethical standards. Authors must obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board and include a statement confirming informed consent from participants or their legal guardians where applicable.

Research Involving Human Participants, Children and Persons with Disabilities

Much of the research published in IJRSE involves children, students with disabilities, their families and teachers. Manuscripts reporting research with human participants must meet the following requirements, and must describe how they were met in the Methods section:

  • Ethics approval: the study must have been approved by an appropriate institutional ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB) before data collection began. The name of the committee and the approval reference number must be stated. Where a study was exempt from review, the manuscript must say so and give the reason and the body that granted the exemption.
  • Informed consent: participants must have given informed consent, normally in writing, after being told the purpose of the study, what taking part involves, and that they may withdraw at any time without consequence. A statement confirming this must be included in the manuscript.
  • Children and minors: for participants below the legal age of consent, written consent must be obtained from a parent or legal guardian, and the child’s own agreement (assent) must also be sought in a form suited to the child’s age and understanding.
  • Persons with disabilities and other vulnerable participants: information and consent procedures must be accessible to the participant (for example easy-read, sign language or augmentative and alternative communication formats). Where a participant cannot give consent, consent must be obtained from a legally authorised representative, and the participant’s own wishes must still be respected.
  • Privacy and anonymity: participants must not be identifiable from the published article. Names, photographs, video stills, school or institution names, case details and other identifying information may be published only with separate written consent for publication from the participant or, for a minor, the parent or guardian.
  • International standards: research must follow the principles of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki and the laws and regulations of the country in which it was carried out.

The editors may ask authors for a copy of the ethics approval letter or consent forms at any stage. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements will not be considered for publication.

Duties and Responsibilities of Editors

The Editorial Team, including Editors and the Publisher, holds the responsibility for final publication decisions. Editors must maintain impartiality by evaluating manuscripts without discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, nationality, political or religious beliefs, or institutional affiliation. Editors are required to avoid conflicts of interest and maintain the confidentiality of submissions during and after the review process. Appropriate measures will be taken to correct errors or ethical breaches identified in published articles.

Duties and Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play a critical role in ensuring publication quality. They must provide objective, constructive, and timely assessments while maintaining manuscript confidentiality. Reviewers are expected to disclose any potential conflicts of interest and not use unpublished information for personal gain. They should identify relevant prior work overlooked by authors and report any concerns related to ethical misconduct or plagiarism.

Duties and Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are expected to present accurate and original research findings. Manuscripts must not be submitted to multiple journals simultaneously. Proper citation of all sources and permissions for copyrighted material are mandatory. Authors must disclose any financial or personal conflicts of interest. Corrections or retractions will be issued for significant errors or ethical violations discovered post-publication, with authors cooperating fully in these matters.

Peer Review Process

IJRSE follows a double-blind peer review system to uphold fairness and confidentiality. The Managing Editor first screens every submission for scope, completeness and similarity (plagiarism check). Manuscripts that pass this screening are sent to two independent reviewers, subject experts selected from the journal’s reviewer database. Reviewers are not members of the editorial office and must declare any conflict of interest; they are not chosen from the authors’ own institution. The review is double-blind: the identities of the authors are concealed from the reviewers, and the identities of the reviewers are concealed from the authors. The editors make the final decision on the basis of both reports. Review outcomes are communicated typically within 2-8 weeks. Authors are expected to resubmit revised manuscripts within 3 weeks unless otherwise indicated.

Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication

IJRSE has a strict zero-tolerance policy against plagiarism and duplicate publication. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized content or substantial self-plagiarism will be rejected or retracted if detected post-publication. Detection is performed using recognized plagiarism screening tools. Authors must ensure that their work is original and properly referenced.

Handling of Ethical Complaints and Misconduct

Complaints regarding ethical breaches will be thoroughly investigated by the Editorial Team according to COPE guidelines. If misconduct such as data fabrication, falsification, or unethical research practices is confirmed, appropriate corrective actions including retraction, notification to authors’ institutions, and public statements may be taken.

Data Availability and Transparency

Authors are encouraged to make research data available for validation and reproducibility in accordance with ethical and legal guidelines. Data availability statements should be included in manuscripts where applicable.

Article Withdrawal and Retraction

Articles may be withdrawn or retracted due to errors, ethical violations, or duplicate publication. Retraction notices will be issued and linked to the original article to maintain the scholarly record’s integrity.

Proofs and Corrections

Authors will receive proofs for review and must respond with corrections within 7 working days to avoid delays. Excessive corrections at this stage may lead to additional charges or publication postponement.