Spektrum Iran

SPEKTRUM IRAN (SPIR) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, research ethics, and responsible scholarly publishing. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism or any form of research misconduct and requires all authors, reviewers, and editors to adhere to ethical principles in scholarly communication.

SPIR follows the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding plagiarism, research misconduct, and the handling of allegations of unethical practices.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or presentation of another person’s ideas, words, data, results, or intellectual work as one’s own without appropriate acknowledgment.

Forms of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:

• copying text, ideas, arguments, data, or findings from other sources without proper citation;
• presenting another researcher’s work as original;
• inappropriate paraphrasing without adequate acknowledgment;
• using substantial parts of previously published material without permission or proper attribution;
• self-plagiarism, including the reuse of substantial parts of an author’s own previously published work without appropriate disclosure and citation.

All submitted manuscripts must contain original work and provide appropriate acknowledgment of all sources used.

Similarity Screening

All manuscripts submitted to SPIR may be screened for plagiarism and inappropriate textual similarity using appropriate plagiarism detection tools.

The use of similarity detection software is intended to support editorial assessment and does not replace expert academic judgment. Editors evaluate similarity reports in consideration of the context, discipline, citation practices, and nature of the manuscript.

Manuscripts showing substantial overlap with previously published works may be rejected or returned to authors for clarification and revision.

Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes any behavior that violates principles of responsible research and scholarly publishing. This may include, but is not limited to:

• Fabrication: making up data, results, or research findings that do not exist;
• Falsification: manipulating, altering, or misrepresenting research materials, data, sources, or results;
• Duplicate or redundant publication: submitting or publishing substantially similar work in more than one journal without appropriate disclosure;
• Manipulation of citations: excessive, irrelevant, or inappropriate citation practices intended to influence citation metrics or misrepresent scholarly impact;
• Improper authorship practices: including honorary, guest, gift, or ghost authorship;
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest: failure to disclose relationships or circumstances that may influence the research or publication process;
• Violation of ethical standards: failure to comply with relevant ethical requirements applicable to the research.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

• submitted manuscripts represent original work;
• all sources, ideas, data, and contributions from others are properly acknowledged;
• the manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration elsewhere;
• all listed authors have made genuine contributions and approved the final version of the manuscript;
• any errors or inaccuracies identified after publication are promptly reported to the journal.

Handling Allegations of Misconduct

SPIR takes all allegations of plagiarism and research misconduct seriously. Concerns regarding possible ethical violations may be investigated by the editorial office in accordance with COPE guidelines.

When necessary, the journal may:

• request explanations and supporting information from authors;
• consult relevant experts or institutions;
• reject a manuscript before publication;
• issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions for published articles when misconduct is confirmed.

All investigations are conducted fairly, confidentially, and with respect for the rights of all parties involved.

Editorial and Reviewer Responsibilities

Editors and reviewers must maintain confidentiality and report any suspected cases of plagiarism or research misconduct identified during the review process.

Reviewers should not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal advantage and should notify the editors of any concerns regarding originality, integrity, or ethical compliance.

SPIR is committed to protecting the integrity of the scholarly record and ensuring that all published research meets internationally recognized standards of academic and publication ethics.