Terms & Conditions Policy
Terms and Conditions Policy
Science Mundi
Publisher: AJER Publishing
1. General Terms and Conditions
Science Mundi, published by AJER Publishing, is an open-access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal committed to maintaining high standards of scientific integrity, research quality, ethical publishing, and responsible scholarly communication.
The journal provides a platform for the publication and dissemination of original scientific research that contributes to the advancement of knowledge, innovation, technological development, and evidence-based scientific practice.
By submitting a manuscript to Science Mundi, authors acknowledge and agree to comply with the journal's editorial policies, submission requirements, publication ethics standards, copyright provisions, and applicable terms and conditions.
These terms govern the submission, review, acceptance, publication, and dissemination of scholarly articles in the journal.
Science Mundi reserves the right to take appropriate editorial action where manuscripts or published articles fail to comply with its established policies and ethical requirements.
2. Responsibility for Published Content
Authors bear primary responsibility for the accuracy, originality, validity, completeness, and integrity of the information presented in their manuscripts and published articles.
The opinions, interpretations, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in articles published by Science Mundi are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Science Mundi, its Editorial Board, peer reviewers, or AJER Publishing.
Publication of an article does not imply that the journal or publisher endorses the findings, interpretations, recommendations, or opinions expressed by the authors.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that scientific findings are supported by appropriate evidence and that experimental results, statistical analyses, computational outputs, and other research materials are accurately presented.
Although Science Mundi undertakes editorial assessment, peer review, and quality assurance procedures, the journal cannot guarantee the absolute accuracy or completeness of every statement, dataset, interpretation, or conclusion contained in published research.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, Science Mundi and AJER Publishing disclaim liability for losses or damages arising from reliance on published information, except where such liability cannot lawfully be excluded.
This disclaimer does not diminish the journal's responsibility to investigate credible concerns, correct published errors, and take appropriate action where research misconduct or serious inaccuracies are established.
3. Originality and Academic Integrity
Authors submitting manuscripts to Science Mundi must ensure that their work is original, authentic, accurately represented, and prepared in accordance with recognised scientific and research ethics standards.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that:
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Submitted manuscripts do not contain plagiarism, fabricated information, falsified research findings, manipulated scientific images, or other forms of research misconduct.
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All sources of scientific information, data, theories, quotations, and research findings are appropriately acknowledged.
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References and citations are authentic, accurate, complete, and verifiable.
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The manuscript has not been published previously or submitted simultaneously to another journal, except where permitted under the journal's editorial policies.
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All listed authors have made appropriate scholarly contributions and have approved the manuscript for submission and publication.
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Necessary research ethics approvals, institutional permissions, and regulatory authorisations have been obtained where applicable.
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Research involving human participants, animals, biological materials, or sensitive scientific information complies with applicable ethical and legal requirements.
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Experimental procedures, research methods, statistical analyses, and scientific results are reported accurately and transparently.
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Scientific images, datasets, software outputs, and other research materials have not been inappropriately manipulated or misrepresented.
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Any use of artificial intelligence or other research-support technologies complies with the journal's applicable policies.
Science Mundi reserves the right to investigate suspected scientific misconduct and to reject, correct, or retract manuscripts and publications where justified.
4. Peer Review and Editorial Decisions
All manuscripts submitted to Science Mundi are subject to editorial screening and, where appropriate, independent peer review before acceptance for publication.
Peer reviewers assess manuscripts based on scientific relevance, originality, methodological soundness, ethical compliance, clarity of presentation, quality of evidence, reproducibility where applicable, and contribution to existing scientific knowledge.
Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, confidential, and impartial assessments.
Peer review recommendations may include acceptance, acceptance subject to revisions, major revisions, or rejection.
Peer reviewers provide recommendations; the final decision regarding manuscript acceptance or rejection rests with the Chief Editor or designated handling editor.
Editorial decisions are based on the manuscript's scientific merit, peer review reports, compliance with journal policies, and other legitimate editorial considerations.
Authors may appeal editorial decisions through the journal's established Complaints Handling and Appeals Policy. An appeal does not automatically guarantee reconsideration or acceptance.
5. Ethical Standards and Editorial Independence
Science Mundi is committed to maintaining high ethical standards throughout the scientific publishing process.
The journal upholds principles of transparency, fairness, accountability, confidentiality, scientific independence, and responsible research communication.
Editorial decisions are made independently and must not be influenced by an author's nationality, ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs, institutional affiliation, personal relationships, financial considerations, or other irrelevant factors.
Editors, reviewers, and authors are expected to disclose relevant conflicts of interest and avoid conduct that could compromise the integrity of the publication process.
The journal addresses allegations of research misconduct, plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, inappropriate image manipulation, unethical research practices, and other publication-related concerns through its established editorial and publication ethics procedures.
Research involving human participants, animals, biological materials, or other regulated activities must comply with applicable ethical approval and regulatory requirements.
6. Copyright and Open Access
Science Mundi operates under an open-access publishing model, making published scientific articles freely accessible to readers worldwide without subscription fees or access restrictions.
Authors retain copyright ownership of their original scholarly works while granting Science Mundi and AJER Publishing the non-exclusive rights necessary to publish and disseminate their articles.
Published articles are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) licence, which permits sharing and adaptation for non-commercial purposes, subject to appropriate attribution and other licence conditions.
Authors and readers must comply with the journal's Copyright and Open Access Policy.
7. Corrections, Retractions, and Post-Publication Responsibilities
Science Mundi recognises that maintaining the integrity of the scientific record requires appropriate action when errors, ethical concerns, or research misconduct are identified after publication.
Where justified, the journal may issue corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, or other appropriate editorial notices.
Authors are expected to cooperate with the editorial office in investigating concerns and correcting inaccuracies in their published works.
The journal may investigate concerns relating to unreliable scientific findings, fabricated or falsified data, inappropriate image manipulation, plagiarism, ethical violations, or other matters that compromise the reliability of published research.
Any post-publication action will be undertaken in accordance with the journal's established correction, retraction, and publication ethics policies.
8. Complaints and Appeals
Science Mundi provides procedures for addressing complaints concerning editorial decisions, peer review, publication ethics, copyright infringement, and other matters relating to scientific publishing.
Complaints should be submitted to the journal's editorial office with sufficient supporting information to permit an appropriate assessment.
The journal is committed to handling complaints fairly, impartially, confidentially where appropriate, and within reasonable timeframes.
Authors and other affected parties may seek reconsideration of editorial decisions through the journal's established appeals procedures.
Complaints and appeals are assessed on their merits, and the journal may request additional information from relevant parties before reaching a decision.
9. Acceptance of Terms and Policy Compliance
Submission of a manuscript to Science Mundi constitutes acknowledgement of the journal's published terms, editorial requirements, and applicable publication policies.
Authors are responsible for familiarising themselves with the journal's submission guidelines, ethical requirements, copyright arrangements, and publication procedures.
Failure to comply with these requirements may result in requests for correction, suspension of editorial processing, rejection of a manuscript, or appropriate post-publication action.
Any amendments to these terms and conditions will be communicated through the journal's official website.
Changes will be implemented consistently with applicable laws, existing publication agreements, and the journal's editorial responsibilities.
10. Policy Implementation and Review
The Chief Editor and Editorial Board are responsible for implementing and periodically reviewing this Terms and Conditions Policy.
Science Mundi may revise the policy to reflect developments in scientific publishing, applicable legal requirements, recognised publication ethics principles, and the operational needs of the journal.
The journal remains committed to ensuring that its terms and conditions promote transparency, fairness, accountability, scientific integrity, and responsible scholarly communication.
Science Mundi
AJER Publishing
