The Ethical Guidelines of the Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics (RALs)
The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal is an essential building block in the development of a coherent and respected network of knowledge. It is a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. It is therefore important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer, the publisher and the journals.
Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics (RALs) adheres to the below ethical guidelines for publication and research.
Peer review process
All of the journal’s content, apart from any editorial material that is clearly marked as such, is subjected to peer review. Peer review is defined as obtaining advice on individual manuscripts from reviewers expert in the field who are not part of the journal’s editorial staff.
If RALs' Editor-in-Chief has invited you to review a manuscript, please consider the following:
WHAT SHOULD BE CHECKED WHILE REVIEWING A MANUSCRIPT?
For more information about the ethical guidelines for peer reviewers, please click here.
Authorship
Authors submitting a paper do so on the understanding that the manuscript has been read and approved by all authors and that all authors agree on the submission of the manuscript to the Journal. ALL named authors must have made an active contribution to the analysis and interpretation of the data and/or the drafting of the paper and ALL must have critically reviewed its content and have approved the final version submitted for publication. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the manuscript content. They should also sign an agreement form confirming their contribution in writing the manuscript. Papers are only considered for publication once consent is given by all contributing authors.
Conflict of interest and source of funding
Authors are required to disclose any possible conflict of interest. These include financial issues (for example patent, ownership, stock ownership, consultancies, speaker's fee). Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics (RALs) requires that sources of institutional, private and corporate financial support for the work within the manuscript must be fully acknowledged, and any potential conflicts of interest noted. Please include this information under the separate headings of 'Source of Funding' and 'Conflict of Interest' at the end of your manuscript.
Plagiarism and copyright
Journal editors and readers have a right to expect that a submitted work is the author’s own contribution that has not been plagiarized (i.e. taken from other authors without permission, if permission is required) and that copyright has not been breached (for example, if figures or tables are reproduced). The editorial office runs a plagiarism check on every submission using iThenticate. By submitting your manuscript to this journal you accept that your manuscript may be screened for plagiarism against previously published works. Individual authors and researchers can now check their work for plagiarism before submission. Please click here for details.
Identification of and dealing with allegations of research misconduct
The publisher and the editor of the journal take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred, including plagiarism, under/over citation, and data falsification/fabrication, among others. In no case shall the journal or its editor encourage such misconduct, or knowingly allow such misconduct to take place. In the event that the journal’s publisher or editor is made aware of any allegation of research misconduct relating to a published article in the journal –the publisher or editor shall follow COPE’s guidelines (or equivalent) in dealing with allegations. Please click here for details.