Linguistic Forum – A Journal of Linguistics adheres to the ethical standards set by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, which are in alignment with the guidelines of COPE (The Committee on Publication Ethics). These standards ensure integrity, fairness, and academic excellence in scholarly publishing.

For Authors

General Ethical Standards

Authors must adhere to the following ethical guidelines. Any violations may lead to penalties, including but not limited to the suspension or revocation of publishing privileges.

1. Reporting Standards

• Research reports must be detailed, transparent, and provide adequate references.
• Misrepresentation or fabrication of data is considered unethical and unacceptable.

2. Originality and Plagiarism

• Plagiarism in any form is unethical and will not be tolerated.
• Verbatim material must be placed in quotation marks with appropriate citations.
• Manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 19% (as per HEC policy) may be rejected or subjected to conditional acceptance by the Editorial Board.

3. Declaration of Authenticity

• Authors must declare that the manuscript contains original work and is not under review elsewhere.
• Co-authored papers must be accompanied by an authorship declaration ensuring consensus on the order of authors.

4. Multiple, Redundant, and Concurrent Publications

• Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals is unethical and unacceptable.
• A previously rejected or withdrawn manuscript can be resubmitted but must include necessary revisions.

5. Acknowledgment of Sources

• Proper acknowledgment of prior work is mandatory.
• Authors must recognize contributions from individuals, organizations, or funding agencies.

6. Authorship Attribution

• Authorship is restricted to individuals who made significant contributions to conceptualization, data collection, analysis, and manuscript writing.
• The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have approved the final submission.

7. Privacy and Ethical Considerations

• Authors must respect the privacy of research participants.
• If participant identities must be disclosed, explicit informed consent must be obtained.

8. Data Integrity and Access

• Authors should be prepared to provide raw data if required by the editorial team.
• Any manipulation of images, figures, or data is unethical and must be avoided.

9. Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

• All financial and non-financial conflicts of interest must be disclosed to the editor at the earliest stage.

10. Manuscript Acceptance and Appeals

• Authors may contact the Editor for manuscript status updates.
• Revisions must include a detailed report of corrections made.
• Authors may appeal rejection decisions by providing justifications to the Editor.

For Reviewers

1. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to uphold the highest ethical standards and must:

• Inform the editor immediately if they lack expertise in the subject matter.
• Provide timely and constructive feedback.

2. Objectivity in Peer Review

• Reviews should be impartial, evidence-based, and maintain academic integrity.
• Unpublished material from reviewed manuscripts must not be used by reviewers without editorial permission.

3. Confidentiality

• Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents.
• Discussions about the manuscript outside of editorial processes are prohibited.

4. Ethical Considerations

Reviewers should report to the Editor if:

• They suspect plagiarism, falsified data, or ethical misconduct.
• The manuscript violates human research ethics (e.g., exploitation of vulnerable populations).

5. Evaluating Originality and Structure

Reviewers should assess whether:

• The research adds value to the field.
• The methodology is sound and appropriately described.
• Data, results, and discussion are logically aligned.
• The manuscript follows journal formatting guidelines.

6. Review Report

• Observations should be specific, constructive, and polite.
• Final decisions must be categorized as Reject, Accept, or Revise with justification.
• If major revisions are suggested, reviewers should be willing to verify corrections.

For Editors

1. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for ensuring:

• The quality and integrity of published work.
• Freedom of academic expression within ethical and legal frameworks.

2. Best Practices in Publishing

Editors should:

• Encourage new ideas to improve journal standards.
• Uphold blind peer review policies.
• Prevent institutional or external pressures from influencing editorial decisions.

3. Fair and Impartial Decision-Making

• Manuscripts should be judged solely on academic merit.
• Editors must ensure no discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or political affiliations.

4. Confidentiality and Transparency

• Reviewer and author identities must remain confidential.
• Research participant confidentiality must be maintained.
• Unpublished material from manuscripts must not be used without permission.

5. Addressing Research Misconduct

Editors will:

• Investigate ethical concerns raised by reviewers.
• Use plagiarism detection tools (e.g., Turnitin) for verification.
• Retract or correct articles if ethical violations are discovered.

6. Conflict of Interest Policy

• Editors must recuse themselves from handling papers where a conflict of interest exists.

7. Publication Decisions

• Only papers relevant to the journal’s scope and meeting quality standards will be accepted.
• Editorial decisions will be based on peer review outcomes.
• Authors will receive timely and justified acceptance or rejection notifications.

8. Appeals and Dispute Resolution

The journal has a mechanism for appeals against:

• Rejections based on perceived unfair assessment.
• Contentious publications causing harm to individuals or communities.
• Alleged ethical violations in research.

Final Note

Linguistic Forum – A Journal of Linguistics is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in academic publishing. All authors, reviewers, and editors must adhere to these guidelines to ensure fairness, transparency, and scholarly excellence.