Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers
Publishers who are members of the Open Association of Research Society (OARS), United States, and support OARS membership for journal editors should:
Encourage editors to adopt and implement OARS guidelines in their functions.
Raise awareness among editors about their rights and responsibilities as members of OARS.
Provide adequate, tangible, and justifiable support to editors to enable them to comply with OARS guidelines for Journal Editors and Publishers.
Clearly outline in writing the relationships among publishers, editors, and other relevant parties.
Uphold the confidentiality of all involved parties.
Protect intellectual property and copyright.
Foster editorial independence and freedom.
Publishers should collaborate with journal editors to:
Develop accurate strategies, particularly to ensure editorial freedom and research ethics, including privacy, consent, and specific needs for human and animal research.
Address authorship issues transparently and truthfully.
Clearly define the roles of editorial team members, journal editors, and peer reviewers.
Develop processes for handling grievances and appeals.
Inform stakeholders, such as authors, readers, and peer reviewers, about OARS policies and procedures.
Periodically review and update journal policies and procedures based on OARS' latest recommendations and amendments.
Editors and OARS recommendations expect publishers to:
Maintain the integrity of academic records.
Collaborate with relevant stakeholders, such as institutions, funding agencies, and legal entities, during investigations of questionable research, publications, or misconduct, and assist them in reaching resolutions or judgments.
Publish corrections, retractions, or disclaimers as needed.
Ensure punctuality in publishing articles.