Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics

The Davao Research Journal (DRJ) is committed to upholding the highest standards of research ethics and publication integrity. All manuscripts submitted to DRJ must adhere to ethical principles in the conduct of research involving human participants, animals, and the environment.

1. Human Subjects Research

Research involving human participants must comply with recognized ethical standards such as the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant national guidelines. Authors must clearly state in their manuscripts that the study protocol was reviewed and approved by an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Review Committee.

Informed consent must be obtained from all participants (or their legal guardians, in the case of minors or vulnerable groups) before participation. Authors must explain how participant confidentiality and privacy were protected throughout the study.

For studies involving interviews, surveys, or focus group discussions, participants must be informed about the purpose of the study, their right to withdraw at any time, and the measures taken to ensure anonymity.

2. Anonymity and Confidentiality

Identifiable personal information (e.g., names, photos, personal identifiers) must not be published unless explicitly written consent has been obtained. Authors must describe in their manuscripts the steps taken to safeguard anonymity, including data handling and reporting practices.

3. Research Involving Animals

Studies involving animals must comply with established international guidelines for the ethical treatment of animals in research (e.g., ARRIVE Guidelines, OECD Principles). Authors must state whether an institutional or national committee approved the research protocol and confirm that animal suffering was minimized.

4. Data Protection and Integrity

Authors are responsible for ensuring that data are collected, stored, and reported honestly and transparently.

Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or manipulation of data are considered serious ethical violations and will result in rejection or retraction. Where appropriate, authors should make anonymized data available for verification, in line with open science principles and institutional requirements.

5. Author Responsibility and Declaration

All authors must include an Ethics Statement in their manuscripts, explicitly confirming compliance with ethical standards relevant to their study. Manuscripts without sufficient ethical clearance or documentation will not be considered for peer review.

6.  Editorial Decisions

The editor is solely and independently responsible for deciding which submitted articles are publishable based on the validity and scholarly merit of the article. Decisions may be guided by journal policies, the editorial board, and peer reviewers, but must remain free from discrimination based on race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, or political beliefs. 

Editors must safeguard the integrity of the published record. When credible evidence indicates that a paper contains errors or invalid conclusions, the editor should coordinate with the publisher to ensure prompt issuance of corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern, in line with standards from the Committee on Publication Ethics.

Editors should also respond appropriately to ethical complaints, following due process. This includes communicating with authors, assessing claims fairly, and, when necessary, coordinating with relevant institutions or funding bodies to resolve concerns responsibly.

7. Role of the Publisher 

The publisher plays a supportive, investing, and nurturing role in scholarly communication while ensuring adherence to best practices and ethical standards, including those set by the STM Association and Committee on Publication Ethics. It must uphold the principle of editorial independence as outlined in COPE guidelines. When credible evidence shows that a published work contains errors or invalid conclusions, the publisher should collaborate with the editor to ensure timely issuance of appropriate actions, such as corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern, thereby maintaining the integrity and reliability of the scholarly record.

Figure 2. Publication Ethics followed by the Davao Research Journal (DRJ).