Publication Ethics | International Journal of Ageing and Later Life

Duties of authors

Reporting standards

Authors of original research should present an accurate account of the work done as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the manuscript. A manuscript should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to judge the academic and scientific merits of the work.

Data access and retention

Authors may be asked to provide the raw data in connection with a manuscript for editorial review, and should be prepared to provide public access to such data, if practicable, and should in any event be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.

Originality and plagiarism

The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable. Manuscripts submitted to IJAL can be checked for plagiarism using Similarity Check.

Acknowledgement of sources

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work. Information obtained privately, as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must not be used or reported without explicit, written permission from the source.

Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication

An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

Authorship of the paper

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged. Manuscripts with more than one author must designate a corresponding author. The corresponding author should be the person with full responsibility for the work and/or the conduct of the study, and control the decision to publish. Full contact details for all co-authors should be submitted together with the manuscript. Participation solely in the acquisition of funding or the collection of data does not, of itself, justify authorship. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the manuscript, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Ethical guidelines

Where the manuscript reports original research, confirmation must be given that ethical guidelines have been met, including adherence to the legal requirements of the study country. Authors must provide evidence that the study was subject to the appropriate level of ethical review (e.g. university, hospital etc.) or provide a statement indicating that it was not required. Authors must state the full name of the body providing the favourable ethical review and reference number as appropriate.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

Fundamental errors in published works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the article.

Duties of editors

Publication decisions

The editor is responsible for deciding which of the manuscripts submitted to IJAL should be published. The editor may be guided by the policies of IJAL's editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The editor may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

Confidentiality

The editor and any editorial staff do not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript will not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review are kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

Duties of reviewers

Contribution to editorial decisions

Peer reviewers, through correspondence with the editor, provide constructive comments and suggestions to the author on how to revise and improve the manuscript.

Promptness

Any selected reviewer who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse her- or himself from the review process.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts received for review are treated as confidential documents, and will not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

Standards of objectivity

Reviews are to be conducted in an objective manner, and personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Acknowledgement of sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published manuscript of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and conflict of interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in the reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.

Duty of the Journal

There are no publication fees or any other kind of fees to be paid by the author(s) to cover the handling and publication of the manuscripts.

The Linköping University Electronic Press will keep the articles online on the Internet – or its possible replacement – for a considerable time from the date of publication barring exceptional circumstances