Book Editorial Policy

The objective of the Editorial Policy is to provide clear explanations, best practices, and guidelines for the editorial management of IGI Global Scientific Publishing books. All editors, authors, and reviewers are expected to familiarize themselves and respectfully follow the policies and expectations established for IGI Global Scientific Publishing books. The following policies and guidelines are to ensure the highest level of quality, integrity, accuracy, and impact for IGI Global Scientific Publishing books. IGI Global Scientific Publishing is currently accepted as a FULL member of the international Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) due to its strict adherence to ethical publishing.

Will Publish

• Scientific Research
• Research Methodologies
• Empirical Research
• Practice-Based Research
• Case Studies
• Literature Reviews

Will Not Publish

• Previously Published Research
• Translations
• Dissertations/Theses
• Introductory/Basic Monographs
• Textbooks
• Biographies
• How-To Guides/Manuals
• Fiction

Format: Authored

Specifications: 160,000+ words, 15+ chapters, 300+ pages

Description: Written entirely by up to five authors, Authored References are comprised of illustrative chapters that delve into emerging research in niche areas. Though similar to Edited References, these books tend to be smaller and more compact, featuring focused discussions on key models, methodologies, and concepts from a narrowed point-of-view.

Handbook of Research

Format: Edited

Specifications:

• 250,000+ words, 25+ chapters, 400+ pages (1 Volume)
• 500,000+ words, 40+ chapters, 700+ pages (2 Volumes)

Description: Consisting of 1-3 volumes of careful examination, Handbooks of Research contain large chapters of exceptionally focused research. Containing at least 25 chapters, these incisive titles provide a comprehensive assessment on inclusive topics and present research methodologies that thoroughly describe the discipline of focus. These edited titles contain contributions from the world’s leading experts and offer well-rounded coverage of some of the most cutting-edge and trending concepts.

Case Book

Format: Edited (Sometimes Authored)

Specifications: 120,000+ words, 15+ teaching cases, 300+ pages

Description: Case Books provide a unique opportunity for research to take the shape of experience, implementation, and application. Real-life impacts of technology in a particular setting are described, analyzed, and synthesized for the objective of offering solutions for successful strategies. Also addressed are organizational challenges and pitfalls experienced during an implementation of various technological applications.

Protocol

Format: Edited and Authored

Specifications: 110,000+ words, 10+ chapters, 280+ pages

Description: Protocols are edited or authored books that introduce and guide readers through the current best practices, laboratory methods, policies and protocols, and more within a specific area. Covering everything from operational procedures to clinical trials, these peer-reviewed books provide the latest insights on standards and practices across all scientific and technological fields. Acting as handbooks or manuals, each chapter contains colored figures that enhance the understanding and reproducibility of the methods outlined within.

Encyclopedia

Format: Edited

Specifications: 750,000+ words, 250+ articles, 1,550+ pages (3 Volumes)

Description: Encyclopedias are between 3 to 10 volumes and contain a high volume of concise, abbreviated articles that offer critical perspectives on current issues and controversies, as well as provide prospective solutions and future directions in the field. Containing expansive knowledge focused on a particular discipline or topic area, these all-encompassing titles are contributed to by hundreds of international authors and include original articles that contain charts, graphs, tables, and formulae, as well as key terms and their definitions. An exhaustive list of references, as well as additional reading sections consisting of sources that complement the topical coverage within the article, are also provided for the benefit of scholars, students, and researchers looking to improve upon their own research.

Book Enhancement Project (BEP)

Format: Edited and Authored

Specifications: 160,000+ words, 15+ chapters, 300+ pages

Description: By invitation only, IGI Global Scientific Publishing editors or authors who previously published a book with IGI Global Scientific Publishing, may be asked to enhance their previous book’s content to a newer version. The book consists of updated chapters from the previous book as well as newly solicited chapters.

Journal Enhancement Project (JEP)

Format: Edited

Specifications: 160,000+ words, 15+ chapters, 300+ pages

Description: By invitation only, IGI Global Scientific Publishing Editor(s)-in-Chief who are currently leading an IGI Global Scientific Publishing journal may be asked to develop a book from the past volume’s worth of content they received. The book consists of journal articles from their journal that have been expanded and updated into full chapters as well as newly solicited chapters.

The role of the author of a book entails being able to successfully carry out various central responsibilities. The following is a general list of what is expected of an author

Manuscript Development

• Development of a complete first draft of the book by the deadline.
• Submitting a preface and any additional front matter desired.
• Adhering to IGI Global Scientific Publishing’s formatting and submission guidelines.
• Ensuring the complete work meets all submission guidelines and strictly adheres to APA format.
• IGI Global Scientific Publishing offers a range of editing services in partnership with eContent Pro, which specializes in English language copy editing. High-quality copy editing not only ensures your manuscript meets all publisher guidelines and industry standards but also enhances its grammar and clarity, increasing its chances of being indexed in leading academic databases. eContent Pro is pleased to offer all past and present authors and editors of IGI Global Scientific Publishing an exclusive 25% discount on these services. Click here to learn more. The exclusive 25% discount will automatically apply at checkout.
• Being sure that the content within the manuscript is original and has never been published or distributed before elsewhere.
• Securing appropriate permissions if using previously published or copyrighted figures to support the work.

Submitted Manuscript Duties

• Submission of the complete first draft of the book through the eEditorial Discovery Submission System.
• Making revisions to the manuscript based on feedback received from the double-anonymized peer review process.
• Ensuring the manuscript is in its final revised form before it is moved into our pre-production and production stages.
• Proofing the final typeset manuscript and providing the Production Division with edits within the allotted 3-day turnaround time.
• Edits should refer to issues caused by the typesetting and formatting and final appearance of the manuscript. Line-by-line editing of the content should have been done prior to the submission of the final manuscript and will not be made at this point.

Citation Impact/Indexing of the Book

• Ensuring the book adheres as closely as possible to the criteria put in place by the indices. See the article “Meeting the Marks: Increasing Your Chances of Having Your Book Indexed” for more information.
• Ensuring published content is making a significant contribution to the academic community.
• Ensuring the data is represented accurately and clearly.
• Ensuring the book’s research has global relevance.
• Recommending the book to professional networks and libraries.
• Posting the table of contents and chapter abstracts on various listservs.
• Keeping IGI Global Scientific Publishing abreast of any indices or international libraries that may be of interest to the betterment of the book.
• Keeping IGI Global Scientific Publishing abreast of any awards that the book may be submitted for.

IGI Global Scientific Publishing Contact

• Staying in regular contact with the development editor with whom you have been assigned to collaborate for the duration of the book.

IGI Global Scientific Publishing recommends that all members of the book have their IGI Global Scientific Publishing profiles and their ORCiD iDs linked to ensure that all activities done within IGI Global Scientific Publishing (not strictly just for books) are recorded for your academic and professional careers. Learn More

Authors and Co-Authors

Many IGI Global Scientific Publishing book publications have more than one author on them. We recommend that if the work load for a book is too much for one person to handle that up to four (4) additional co-authors could be recruited to help. IGI Global Scientific Publishing has set a maximum of no more than five (5) authors on one book publication at a time. This will allow accurate and constant communication between the authors and there will be less confusion should something happen in the system that the other authors do not know about.

If there are disputes between the authors of a book, IGI Global Scientific Publishing as the publisher, will not get involved. It is the responsibility of the authors to resolve all disagreements between each other in a professional manner.

Contract Amendments for Authors

If a sole authors decides to step down, the Development Editor should be immediately notified. A cancellation of the author’s contract will be sent.

If an author decides to step down and they have co-authors, all the other authors will need to confirm that they are aware of the departure. A contract addendum will need to be signed outlining the removal of the author from the contract agreement and confirming the current authorship.

Should any adjustments to the leadership of the book be required such as the addition of a co-author or a change to the order in which the authors are listed, a formal contract addendum will need to be issued out by the Intellectual Property & Contracts Department and all parties will need to sign the agreement.

Individuals appointed to review an authored book are performing an important and valuable job, assuring that the book is being published with integrity and accuracy. All reviews must be conducted using the review form provided to them by an IGI Global Scientific Publishing Book Development Editor and should be robust, quality evaluations. These forms should be filled out electronically and returned to the IGI Global Scientific Publishing Book Development Editor by the assigned due date. Deadlines will be clearly stated in the review request. Payment terms for the receipt of a review for an authored book will be dictated at the time of invitation. Reviewers must sign and return a Reviewer Contract before commencing with the review of the book. Payment will not be made until the evaluation form is received and reviewed by IGI Global Scientific Publishing staff. Should the review prove to be of low quality and/or incomplete, payment terms may be adjusted or revoked at IGI Global Scientific Publishing’s discretion.

The role of the editor of a book entails being able to successfully carry out various central responsibilities. The following is a general list of what is expected of an editor.

Manuscript Recruitment Duties

• Development of a Call for Chapters for the book.
• Promoting the book’s Call for Chapters within their professional network, on social media, on listservs, at conferences, etc.
• Acquiring quality research chapters to meet the requisite number of chapters required for completion of the book.
• Making a timely decision on chapter proposals as they are submitted.
• Communicating with chapter authors to support with the submission of their chapters.
• Ensuring that all chapters are submitted through the eEditorial Discovery Submission System.

Submitted Manuscript Duties

• Assessing submitted articles to ensure they fit the scope and topic coverage of the book before assigning reviewers.
• Sending chapters for double-anonymized peer review.
• Securing at least 3 peer reviews on each paper. A review from the editor cannot replace a review in the double-anonymized peer review process.
• Coordinating the chapter revision process with contributing authors.
• Ensuring that authors submit revised materials that meet all submission guidelines and strictly adhere to APA format.
• IGI Global Scientific Publishing offers a range of editing services in partnership with eContent Pro, which specializes in English language copy editing. High-quality copy editing not only ensures your manuscript meets all publisher guidelines and industry standards but also enhances its grammar and clarity, increasing its chances of being indexed in leading academic databases. eContent Pro is pleased to offer all past and present authors and editors of IGI Global Scientific Publishing an exclusive 25% discount on these services. Click here to learn more. The exclusive 25% discount will automatically apply at checkout.
• Running plagiarism checks on research papers to ensure that the papers have not been plagiarized.
• Ensuring that authors do not self-plagiarize or self-citate in their own papers and that authors do not cite references in such a way that tells the reviewers who they are.
• Being sure that the chapters that are being considered for publication are original and have never been published or distributed before elsewhere.
• Helping chapter authors secure appropriate permissions if using previously published or copyrighted figures to support the work.
• Ensuring that all contributing authors strictly follow IGI Global Scientific Publishing’s formatting and submission guidelines.
• Ensuring each accepted chapter is in its final revised form before it is moved into our pre-production and production stages.
• Numbering the final accepted chapters so that they appear in a specific order in the book.
• Writing an Introduction and Conclusion, if desired.
• Development of a preface and any additional front matter desired.
• Proofing the final typeset manuscript and providing the Production Division with edits within the allotted 3-day turnaround time, as well as assisting corresponding authors of chapters with the proofing process.
• Edits should refer to issues caused by the typesetting and formatting and final appearance of the manuscript. Line-by-line editing of the content should have been done prior to the submission of the final manuscript and will not be made at this point.
• Ensuring that all chapter authors sign an Author’s Warranty and Transfer of Copyright Agreement.

Peer Review Management

• Recruiting qualified individuals to join the Editorial Advisory Board (optional).
• Managing reviewers and the entire double-anonymized peer review process through the eEditorial Discovery Submission System.
• Assigning 2-3 reviewers to each chapter manuscript through the eEditorial Discovery Submission System.
• Maintaining contact with the reviewers to ensure timely and quality reviews are completed.
• Ensuring review evaluations are made available to the authors of the submitted chapters.
• Monitoring the reviews to maintain ethicality.

Citation Impact/Indexing of the Book

• Ensuring the book adheres as closely as possible to the criteria put in place by the indices. See the article “Meeting the Marks: Increasing Your Chances of Having Your Book Indexed” for more information.
• Ensuring accepted and published content is making a significant contribution to the academic community.
• Ensuring the data in accepted chapters is represented accurately and clearly.
• Acquiring diverse content from all around the world.
• Ensuring the peer review process is being completed with the highest quality and ethical practices.
• Ensuring that there is a level of selectivity with regard to the chapters that are being considered for publication.
• Ensuring that all chapters accepted into the book adhere to the mission and scope of the book.
• Encouraging contributing authors to recommend the book to their professional networks and to their institutions’ libraries.
• Posting the table of contents and chapter abstracts of all accepted chapters on various listservs.
• Keeping IGI Global Scientific Publishing abreast of any indices or international libraries that may be of interest to the betterment of the book.
• Keeping IGI Global Scientific Publishing abreast of any awards that the book may be submitted for.

IGI Global Scientific Publishing Contact

• Staying in regular contact with the development editor with whom you have been assigned to collaborate for the duration of the book.
• Submitting periodic interim status reports within two weeks of each designated deadline.

The role of the Managing Editor is to aid the editor(s) with the workload of the book at the discretion of the editor. Choosing to use a Managing Editor is completely optional. Often, the editor(s) may request the Managing Editor to perform the following functions:

• Assist with recruitment of chapter submissions by posting the Call for Chapters to their network, listservs, research groups, etc.
• Move chapters in the system to different phases.
• Assign reviewers to submitted chapters.
• Help organize and maintain an Editorial Advisory Board.
• Send chapters out for revisions.
• Assist chapter authors with the submission of their chapters to the eEditorial Discovery Submission System.

*Note: Managing Editors should get a confirmation from the editor(s) before making important decisions on manuscripts.

IGI Global Scientific Publishing recommends that all members of the book have their IGI Global Scientific Publishing profiles and their ORCiD iDs linked to ensure that all activities done within IGI Global Scientific Publishing (not strictly just for books) are recorded for your academic and professional careers. Learn More

Editors and Co-Editors

Many IGI Global Scientific Publishing book publications have more than one editor on them. We recommend that if the work load for a book is too much for one person to handle that up to four (4) additional co-editors could be recruited to help. IGI Global Scientific Publishing has set a maximum of no more than five (5) editors on one book publication at a time. This will allow accurate and constant communication between the editors and there will be less confusion should something happen in the system that the other editors do not know about.

If there are disputes between the editors of a book, IGI Global Scientific Publishing as the publisher, will not get involved. It is the responsibility of the editors to resolve all disagreements between each other in a professional manner.

Managing Editors

Editors are welcome to invite and appoint Managing Editors to support with the workload as well. There should be no more than two (2) Managing Editors appointed to a book. Having too many Managing Editors on the book could lead to disorganization and the potential to duplicate items that have already been completed. Having fewer managing Editors is also easier for the editors to manage on a daily basis.

Contract Amendments for Editors

If a sole editor decides to step down, the Development Editor should be immediately notified. A cancellation of the editors contract will be sent. It will then be at the discretion of IGI Global Scientific Publishing if a new editor will be appointed to takeover the vacant editor position, should the book have received chapter submissions at the time the editor stepped down.

If an editor decides to step down and they have co-editors, all the other editors will need to confirm that they are aware of the departure. A contract addendum will need to be signed outlining the removal of the editor from the contract agreement and confirming the current editorship.

Should any adjustments to the leadership of the book be required, such as the addition of a new co-editor or a change to the order the editors are listed, a formal contract addendum will need to be issued out by the Intellectual Property & Contracts Department and all parties will need to sign the agreement.

Individuals appointed to a book’s review board are performing an important and valuable job, assuring that the book is being published with integrity and accuracy. All reviews must be conducted through the eEditorial Discovery^® manuscript submission system and returned to the editors electronically by the assigned due date from the time the manuscript is received. Deadlines will be clearly stated in the review request.

Editorial Advisory Board

Book editor(s) may choose to develop an Editorial Advisory Board for their book. These individuals are invited and appointed to be part of the board by the editor(s) of the book and should be considered experts in the book’s topic. Individuals appointed to the Editorial Advisory Board should be prepared to provide initial reviews for a chapter or serve higher-level evaluations in which they collect and summarize previous reviewers evaluations and offer an over-arching recommendation to the editor(s). Members of the Editorial Advisory Board are listed with their name and affiliations within the completed copy of the book.

*Note: It is at the Editor(s)' discretion on how they would like to manage their review board.

As a full member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), IGI Global Scientific Publishing and its editors have been found to be following sound ethical standards as well as having the highest quality of publication process. As such the double-anonymized peer review process must be conducted ethically and responsibly as the credibility of the book could be at stake if an author, reviewer, or reader were to know that the double-anonymized peer review process was compromised. Should they open a case with COPE to investigate, IGI Global Scientific Publishing is expected to provide any information to COPE that we have on record.

As such, IGI Global Scientific Publishing requires that the entirety of the double-anonymized peer review process is conducted through the eEditorial Discovery Submission System. This provides IGI Global Scientific Publishing with documentation on every review conducted on each publication and allows the peer review process to be closely monitored by all parties. At any time, IGI Global Scientific Publishing may audit the double-anonymized peer review results for book chapters by examining all reviews conducted and documents secured in the eEditorial Discovery Submission System.

Failure to properly conduct an ethical double-anonymized peer review process on every chapter submitted to the book will result in the termination of the editor’s contract.

For more information regarding an ethical peer review process, please see this guideline document that COPE has put together for editors, authors, and publishers to reference.

Chapters that the editors of the book deem in scope and suitable then enter the double-anonymized peer review process. This process is designed to ensure that there is no bias for or against any articles that are being considered for future publication. If any reviewer has a concern that they have a competing interest, they should immediately notify the editor of the book. The editor will then assign a new reviewer to the chapter.

The editor may not assign themselves as reviewers or complete reviews that take part in the double-anonymized peer review evaluations for chapters that are submitted to the book that they oversee. Editors have the ability to view the names, affiliations, and contact information of the authors, which directly compromises their ability to act as a reviewer in a double-anonymized peer review process. Providing feedback to authors is welcomed and encouraged; however, an editor's comments/review cannot take the place of a reviewer evaluation for the double-anonymized peer review process.

The editor should not adjust the decision a reviewer makes in their evaluation during the double-anonymized peer review process. Adjusting the formal decision from a reviewer is compromising the peer review process as the decision is being adjusted to what the editor wants, which could show a bias or favoritism to indices or other authors. It is at the editor’s discretion on whether or not they would like to continue with a manuscript, but the authors are entitled to view the true evaluations that were conducted by the reviewers. Moreover, editors should not alter reviewer’s comments or add their own feedback to a review. If an editor feels that a reviewer’s comments are overly critical, biased, or harsh, they may choose not to disclose it to the author and assign a new reviewer to provide a replacement review.

Tampering with the double-anonymized peer review process will lead to a dismissal from the book and a cancellation of the contract following a thorough investigation. Moreover, future editorial opportunities with IGI Global Scientific Publishing will be diminished.

The editor is expected to maintain full management and responsibility for all aspects related to the completion of the work and should provide IGI Global Scientific Publishing with frequent updates and status reports within the eEditorial Discovery Submission System and via email. Editors are encouraged to follow the schedule of deadlines provided to them within their book’s contract as this schedule will keep them on track to meet the final manuscript deadline. However, the dates leading up to the final manuscript deadline are meant as a guide to inform the editor as to how long each step is expected to take. Editors may adjust these dates to conform to their own project schedule. However, the final manuscript deadline cannot be changed. The complete final manuscript structured exactly as it will appear in the final typeset book must be provided to IGI Global Scientific Publishing by the final manuscript deadline.

Should the editor find that the book will be completed ahead of schedule and meets all contractual obligations including chapter and word count requirements, he/she/they may submit the final manuscript before the final manuscript deadline. IGI Global Scientific Publishing will not hold the book if it arrives early; instead, the book’s release date will be moved forward, and the book will be published and released to the public ahead of its original schedule.

Editors should make every effort to ensure that the book is published on time. However, IGI Global Scientific Publishing understands the unforeseen circumstances can arise during the development of a book. Editors should remain vigilant during the entirety of the management of their project and should bring problems or issues immediately to the attention of their assigned Book Development Editor. Such issues include difficulties recruiting the required number of chapters, problems with the eEditorial Discovery Submission System, personal issues that will delay the project, and difficulties managing the double-anonymized peer review process. IGI Global Scientific Publishing will work with editors on solutions to these and other issues to ensure that the book remains on-time.

If after every effort has been made to prevent a book’s delay, and there are no other options, IGI Global Scientific Publishing may issue a contract addendum to move the book’s final manuscript deadline. Should the book simply need a week or two to be finalized, the Book Development Editor may issue an informal extension to the editor. Should the book need to move its final manuscript deadline by over a month, a formal contract addendum will be issued to the editor and must be countersigned by all editors on the project.

Please note that extensions are only granted after all other efforts to keep the book on time have been exhausted. IGI Global Scientific Publishing announces a book’s anticipated release date as much as six (6) months in advance in order to help drive the book’s discoverability. As such, partners and libraries expect the book to be released to them within a certain timeframe. Delaying the book’s release can thus be harmful to its impact on the research community. This is also why it is important that editors remain proactive to any issues that arise and alert their Book Development Editor as soon as possible.

Editors who seek more than one (1) extension for their book may be required to provide a list of tasks that have been accomplished thus far, as well as an action plan for the completion of the book.

Books on a significant delay or unable to otherwise fulfill contractual obligations may be canceled at IGI Global Scientific Publishing’s discretion. Editor’s dealing with unforeseen circumstances that significantly inhibit their ability to complete the book in a timely manner may choose to cancel the book and potentially revisit it at a later date, should IGI Global Scientific Publishing still find it suitable for publication at that time. Editors of book project’s that have received a decent number of chapter submissions, and who become unresponsive and unnecessarily cause significant delay to the book, may be dismissed from the editorship of the book at IGI Global Scientific Publishing’s discretion. In such cases, and as a courtesy to the chapter authors who submitted content, the book itself may not be cancelled and new leadership may be appointed to complete it.

Only original, previously unpublished manuscripts should be considered for publication. Any manuscript that has a pre-publication posting online by another publisher or has already been formally published cannot be considered. Also, materials posted openly online in databases such as ResearchGate, SSRN, arXiv, etc. should not be considered until they have been pulled from those respective sites.

IGI Global Scientific Publishing abides by international copyright law, and as such all contributors of traditionally published books (published behind a paywall) are asked to sign an IGI Global Scientific Publishing Author’s Warranty and Transfer of Copyright Agreement prior to publication. Authors of Open Access manuscripts will be required to sign an Author’s Warranty (but the copyright will not be transferred to IGI Global Scientific Publishing and will remain with the author). The warranty portion ensures that materials submitted to IGI Global Scientific Publishing for consideration are original and have not been published elsewhere previously.

IGI Global Scientific Publishing exercises First Publication Rights to open access work, meaning that the verbatim article has not appeared elsewhere, which includes open access publication online or in print, prior to being released by IGI Global Scientific Publishing. After publication with IGI Global Scientific Publishing, the open access content may be republished in other outlets.

IGI Global Scientific Publishing defines plagiarism as the intentional or unintentional use of another individuals, or collection of individuals’, ideas, theories, models, equations, conclusions, research (intellectual property), and/or verbatim or paraphrased words without proper attribution to the original source.

IGI Global Scientific Publishing defines self-plagiarism as reusing work that the author had already published previously including copying or paraphrasing large passages from their previous work without proper attribution to the original source. Although IGI Global Scientific Publishing acknowledges the importance of the use of previously published work to the evolving research process, work submitted for publication must show significant advances in the research conducted and should appropriately quote, cite, and attribute the earlier work for any prior research mentioned. The failure to disclose previously published work upon which the current work is based may be considered cause for investigation into allegations of plagiarism.

If an editor has reason to believe that a work has been submitted that may contain plagiarized or copyrighted material, they are advised to run the manuscript through plagiarism software. If the results yield further concern, they are to bring it to the attention of their Book Development Editor who will then forward the discrepancy to IGI Global Scientific Publishing’s Intellectual Property & Contracts Division for further investigation. IGI Global Scientific Publishing will carefully review the manuscript with the assistance of iThenticate, a plagiarism detection software, to determine if plagiarism has taken place and to what extent. If the manuscript contains plagiarism, the Intellectual Property & Contracts Division will contact the editor and the authors of the chapter and inform them of the rejection of the submitted work If warranted, the Intellectual Property & Contracts Division will conduct a full-scale investigation and will contact the authors regarding potential plagiarism concerns and/or copyright infringement issues.

In certain cases, IGI Global Scientific Publishing will allow authors to enhance chapters that were previously published by IGI Global Scientific Publishing. In such cases, authors should enhance and update the chapter by at least 20% including updated reference and literature review sections that include the most current research findings related to the subject of the manuscript; updated tables/graphs/figures that incorporate new information; new title and abstract that reflects the enhanced scope of the manuscript; and updates to the body of the manuscript with the latest research findings and coverage of the topic. Such chapters should still appropriately cite the research.

Competing interests occur when any financial or other personal considerations from authors or reviewers have the potential to compromise or bias professional judgment and objectivity. It is important that authors and reviewers declare all competing interests relevant to the work under consideration. These competing interests may include any relationships or roles, both financial and personal, that might interfere with the interpretation of the work to avoid the potential for bias. Competing interests include, but are not limited to: funding sources, financial interests, employment status, as well as those that go beyond financial interests (non-financial interests). The disclosure of such interests helps to provide a transparent process that allows readers to form their own judgments of potential bias.

If at any time an editor or author suspects a competing interest they should bring the matter to the publisher’s attention immediately (e.g. an author of submitted work is based at their same institution and on a competitive project). Should a reviewer experience a competing interest (e.g. they are aware of the article manuscript author’s identity and/or are based at the same institution), they should bring the matter to the editor’s attention immediately. If an author perceives that there may be a competing interest for their submitted work, they should include a declaration of any competing interest along with the article manuscript upon submission.

Competing interest statements/declarations are now mandatory for all chapters to have before publication of an accepted chapter manuscript. This declaration should be placed after an acknowledgement and before the funding agency information. Competing interest statements should state whether all, some, or none of the authors have conflicting ideas, research, beliefs, etc.

If all or some of the authors have a competing interest, each author should provide their statement in this section.

If none of the authors have any competing interests, the statement can simply say, “The authors of this publication declare there are no competing interests.”

The editors of the book can collectively submita total of two (2) chapters for possible inclusion in the book without requiring written permission from the publisher. Editors attempting to submit more than two (2) chapters to their book must first receive written permission from the publisher.

If all editors of the book co-author a chapter, or for book’s with only one (1) editor, they must appoint an Editorial Advisory Board member to manage the double-anonymized peer review process for the chapter in order to retain the validity of the anonymized review by maintaining the reviewer’s anonymity.

If not all editors of the book author a chapter, an editor of the book who is not listed as an author on the chapter must oversee the double-anonymized peer review process and retain the anonymity of the reviewers.

Editors may not assign a chapter to reviewers if they are listed as an author, as the identity of the reviewer – including their name, affiliation, contact information, etc. – is known to them. Please note that under no circumstances should an editor be managing the review or decision processes for their own chapter.

If the editor’s chapter is selected for publication in the book, the editor should provide a conflict of interest statement that states that the review process was handled independent of the book leadership and that the double-anonymized peer review process was no in any way compromised.

Simultaneous submission is defined as a work submitted to IGI Global Scientific Publishing for publication that is under review, has been previously published, or has been accepted for publication elsewhere in whole or in part. IGI Global Scientific Publishing only accepts original, previously unpublished content to every one of its publications. Even if prior permission is received, IGI Global Scientific Publishing will not publish already published work. Book and journal proposals, book chapters, and journal articles may only be in active submission with one source (i.e., book chapters may only be under review by one (1) book at a time). This includes submissions within IGI Global Scientific Publishing publications and across other publisher publications (i.e., a book chapter submitted to an IGI Global Scientific Publishing book cannot be submitted to another IGI Global Scientific Publishing book while under review; a book chapter submitted to an IGI Global Scientific Publishing book cannot be submitted to another publisher’s book while still under review).

IGI Global Scientific Publishing has recently encountered occurrences where authors will take a manuscript or a certain “edited” version with an “edited title” and submit it across multiple IGI Global Scientific Publishing books and journals at the same time for simultaneous processing. This can result in the same chapter being published in two different books. Please note and please tell your contributors that this action is ethically wrong and IGI Global Scientific Publishing does not tolerate this behavior. When IGI Global Scientific Publishing encounters this behavior, we will outright reject all the manuscripts submitted by the individual.

If a manuscript is rejected following the peer review, an author can make the appropriate revisions and either submit it for new consideration to the same book or consider submitting it to another related book.

Upon completion of a thorough investigation, those found guilty of simultaneously submitting their work will face appropriate consequences that typically includes the removal of the author’s chapters from the submission process and a suspension of the author from publishing with IGI Global Scientific Publishing.

Salami slicing, or data fragmentation, is defined as the practice of splitting up the findings of one large study into multiple papers. Oftentimes, these fragmented papers are reporting on the same research population, methods, and research question with different findings in each piece. While salami slicing increases the amount of literature, the amount of knowledge remains the same. This overcrowds journals and books with the same information, potentially making it more difficult to find different, emerging information and wasting the time of editors and peer reviewers who could have instead reviewed one comprehensive and valuable paper.

Upon completion of a thorough investigation, those found guilty of salami slicing will face appropriate consequences that may include the removal of the author’s chapters from the submission process and a suspension of the author from publishing with IGI Global Scientific Publishing.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are continuously and rapidly evolving and pose both challenges and opportunities in academic publishing. IGI Global Scientific Publishing’s policies below are subject to be revised and changed as more policies and best practices continue to emerge from ethical organizations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), governmental agencies, indices, and more.

Use in Writing

IGI Global Scientific Publishing allows limited use of AI tools to support authors writing processes. However, as AI can produce incorrect, repetitive, or biased output, authors must provide a level of oversight and control in its usage and must carefully review and edit the content generated. Authors are ultimately accountable for the contents of the work. Authors may use AI tools to:

• Support the analysis of data during the research process.
• Improve the readability of the paper.

Authors choosing to use AI tools in the research and writing process must also disclose the tool and its usage by providing a written statement in the manuscript.

No AI tool will be credited with authorship and authors should not list or cite any AI as an author. This is because only humans have the ability to accept the responsibilities and accountability for the work, such as confirming its accuracy and integrity, of which AI cannot take responsibility.

Use in Figures and Images

Artificial Intelligence (AI) use in image and video creation can result in legal copyright and research integrity issues. As such, IGI Global Scientific Publishing does not permit the use of AI-generated images or videos in its publications. IGI Global Scientific Publishing also does not permit the use of AI to manipulate, augment, remove/conceal, introduce, etc. a feature within an image or figure. Included within this policy are videos, animation, illustrations, photographs, drawings, and other 2D and 3D visual representations. Items such as tables, graphs, etc. which do not use images and are text-based are exempt.

Use in Peer Review

Manuscripts under peer review may contain sensitive or confidential information that should not be shared outside the peer review process. Uploading a manuscript to any generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool or service is a breach of confidentiality and privacy. IGI Global Scientific Publishing does not permit editors and peer reviewers to upload an unpublished manuscript or any information pertaining to the manuscript (files, images, data, etc.) into Generative AI tools.

It is the peer reviewer’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the research and to formulate their own opinions and recommendations. Allowing AI to assist with decision making, using it to vet accuracy and integrity, etc. are not permitted.

The use of AI in any aspect of the peer review process, including evaluation, decision-making, and the generation of summaries or comments, is strictly prohibited due to concerns regarding confidentiality and potential biases. IGI Global Scientific Publishing will continue to monitor advancements in AI technology and will update this policy as necessary.

IGI Global Scientific Publishing follows the guidance of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which acknowledges that patients and study participants have a right to privacy that should not be breached without informed consent.

Consent to Participate

Informed written consent must be voluntarily provided from any participants involved in a study, prior to the start of the study. Should the participant be a minor or is considered vulnerable and unable to provide informed consent, a legal guardian will need to provide consent. Should the participant be deceased, a next of kin may provide consent. Participants must have full knowledge of the study they are participating in, including the risks involved. Authors must include a statement confirming the participants consent within the manuscript.

Should verbal consent be obtained instead of written consent, authors must explain why written consent was not obtained, the approval process for the verbal consent, and its documentation methods.

Consent to Publish

Individuals who agree to participate in a study, may not agree to have their identifiable data published. Identifiable data includes but is not limited to descriptions, photographs, images, videos, names, dates of birth, and biometrical characteristics. Identifiable data should generally be excluded from the manuscript as much as possible. Manuscripts that do include potentially identifiable data should obtain written informed consent that the data and any additional images may be published. Consent must be received from the participant (or a legal guardian for minors or next of kin for the deceased) prior to submission. When in doubt, it is best to obtain written informed consent.

Manuscripts that include identifiable images or data of participants must include a statement confirming that permission was obtained to publish the images or data. If the data is anonymized, authors must state that no consent to publish was required. Alterations to images and/or data to anonymize them should not distort scientific meaning.

Ethics Approval

All studies on humans (individuals, human data, or material) must be conducted in accordance with the principles stated in the Declaration of Helsinki. Authors must receive ethical approval for all protocols from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or other appropriate ethics committee to ensure compliance with national and international guidelines. Authors must include details of this approval upon submission of the manuscript and should provide the name of the ethics committee and permit numbers where available.

Manuscripts granted an exemption by an ethics committee should state so with a full explanation and the name of the granting committee within the manuscript. Ethical approval should always be sought prior to the start of the research/study. Retrospective ethics approval usually cannot be obtained. Authors should also check their national ethical guidelines.

Non-stigmatizing and non-discriminatory language should be used when categorizing groups by race/ethnicity, age, disease, disability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc. A justification of the choice of definitions and categories should be explained including whether a relevant funding agency required the categorization.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials must be registered in a publicly accessible registry prior to the trials initiation. Suitable registries can be found at the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). The trial registration number and registration date should be included in the article and/or article’s abstract.

Should a trial have not been registered prior to participant recruitment, a retrospective trial registration should be sought. Authors retrospectively registering trials should provide an explanation for the retrospective registration as well as the trial registration number and date.

Human Embryos and Stem Cells

Submissions that include studies involving vertebrates or regulated invertebrates must offer detailed information on the ethical treatment of the animals including their appropriate care and handling. Manuscripts should include the name of the ethics committee(s) which approved the study and study procedures must be carried out in accordance with applicable national or international guidelines. If the study did not require ethics approval or was granted an exemption, this should be stated in the manuscript.

Studies involving client-owned animals should have documented informed consent from the client or owner. Such studies should still showcase an adherence to the best practices of veterinary care.

Authors should consult with the “Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments’ (ARRIVE) guidelines developed by the NC3Rs when submitting manuscripts describing animal research. Every effort should be taken to reduce suffering and euthanasia or anesthesia methods must be described in detail. Researchers are advised to consult the NC3Rs guide on Humane Endpoints and the American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines for the Humane Slaughter of Animals, as well as follow applicable veterinary guidelines such as the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Authors should also consult the ethical principles in the Basel Declaration and the guidelines by the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS) and the Association for the study of Animal Behaviour.

When describing research on threatened/endangered species, studies should comply with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Policy Statement on Research Involving Species at Risk of Extinction and the IUCN red list index of threatened species and the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Research involving cultivated or wild plants and plant material should follow guidelines provided by the authors’ institution and national or international regulations. Manuscripts describing such research should include a statement of permissions granted and/or licenses.

Voucher specimens much be deposited in a public herbarium or other public collection that provides access to deposited material. The manuscript must include information on the voucher specimen and who identified it, including Genus name, species name, and year of publication.

Authors should comply with the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Manuscripts that include paleontological and geological material should provide detailed information that shows a clear provenance (or attempt to determine provenance in older museum collections), numbers and repository information, museum name (if applicable), and geographic location. Studies must be conducted in accordance with national or international regulations and the author should obtain any permits that may be required for the research and publication of the manuscript from the relevant authority. Manuscripts must include a statement confirming that the necessary permits were acquired and should name the authority that provided those permits. All samples must be collected and exported responsibly and in accordance with national and local law.

Archaeological work that involves human remains requires that all necessary permits relevant for access to the site and the handling of the remains is obtained prior to data collection. Authors should comply with the Guidelines to the Standards for Recording Human Remains (Chartered Institute for Archaeologists).

Authors should also consult the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) normative instruments for the protection of cultural heritage, and Resolutions, Motions, guidance and other statements of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Manuscripts that include studies from protected heritage sites must be conducted in accordance with any necessary guidelines and authors should obtain any permits that may be required for the research and publication of the manuscript from the relevant authority prior to data collection. Manuscripts must include a statement confirming that the necessary permits were acquired and should name the authority that provided those permits.

Authors should also consult the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) normative instruments for the protection of cultural heritage.

Authors may be asked to provide the underlying source data used to support their manuscript in order to comply with open data requirements of the publication, especially in the case of Open Access publications. In such cases, authors should be prepared to provide public access to such data or present an explanation for why such data cannot be openly displayed (i.e., ethical or security considerations). In cases where the data is restricted for such reasons, authors should provide a description for its restrictions and the necessary information required for a reader to apply to access the data.

Standards of reporting guidelines should be utilized to ensure transparency and reproducibility of research. A comprehensive list of reporting guidelines for medical research can be viewed via the EQUATOR network website.

After a chapter is published, it may be found that major corrections must be made, or the chapter needs to be retracted due to ethical concerns including plagiarism. IGI Global Scientific Publishing will conduct a thorough investigation of these corrections and retractions and take the appropriate steps, as outlined below.

In the cases of plagiarized content

The chapter in question is fully and thoroughly investigated before further action is taken. Once confirmed to be plagiarized, as of 2020, IGI Global Scientific Publishing now keeps the full plagiarized content (body text) within the publication; however, each page is noted with a watermark that the content is considered retracted from the publication. This is so that the various retraction monitoring databases can adjust their data appropriately and it offers even fuller transparency. The adjusted publication is resent to the printers and IGI Global Scientific Publishing’s full network of booksellers and distributors are notified and provided updated metadata feeds and the electronic content.

Regarding major corrections

If an author, editor, or reviewer brings forth a major correction request to IGI Global Scientific Publishing, the request will be carefully reviewed and the decision to honor the change request will be made at the publisher’s discretion. Major correction requests include: changes to titles, name changes, affiliation changes, and content changes. If a change is made, the file in question will be updated appropriately and distributed out in the form of updated files and/or metadata to all impacted parties, and IGI Global Scientific Publishing will communicate with the contributors impacted.

As a U.S.-based company, IGI Global Scientific Publishing must comply with federal, state, and local statutes and mandates administered by the Federal Government of the U.S. and related regulatory agencies. Sanctions imposed by the U.S. upon other countries will be discussed with IGI Global Scientific Publishing’s legal counsel. Any necessary actions that IGI Global Scientific Publishing may need to take due to U.S. sanctions will be made transparent and communicated to those affected.

We as a publisher do strive to remain neutral to geopolitical issues. As we understand there are many conflicts taking place all over the world and do exercise sensitivity and heartfelt concern, we are continually striving to make our publishing opportunities as inclusive as possible, ensuring that researchers around the world – regardless of race, gender, religion, or nationality – are able to collaborate on research projects and contribute to research progressions that benefit so many people. This follows the advice from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

IGI Global Scientific Publishing will continue to monitor geopolitical issues and consult with our legal counsel as necessary.