Ethics Policy and Guidelines for Best Practices in Publishing

Direito & Inclusão has a strong commitment to promoting and maintaining the highest standards of ethics in scientific publishing. We recognize that, as a vehicle for disseminating knowledge, we have a significant responsibility in preserving the integrity of the research record and in transmitting reliable information to society.

From this perspective, we encourage all authors to rigorously adhere to ethical principles in their submissions, ensuring that their research is conducted and reported in a transparent, honest, and responsible manner. Additionally, as editors, we are aware of our unique role in promoting good research practices through editorial policies and processes that reflect universal standards of academic integrity.

While we acknowledge the particularities of different fields of knowledge, we understand that certain editorial and ethical principles are universal and should be followed by all involved in the publication process. We believe that adherence to these standards is essential not only to ensure the quality and reliability of publications but also to strengthen public trust in science and its outcomes.

We promote ethical conduct among all parties involved in the publication of our journal, including authors, editors, reviewers, editorial staff, and the publisher. We do not tolerate plagiarism or any other form of unethical behavior. To ensure this, the Direito & Inclusão journal is committed to ethics and publication quality, following international standards for scientific publishing. We adhere to the guidelines established at the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity, held in Singapore from July 22 to 24, 2010.

Editor Responsibilities:

Publication Decision: The editor is responsible for deciding which articles submitted to the journal should be published. Their decisions are guided by the policies established by the Editorial Board, which must comply with current legal requirements, including issues of defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editor may consult the Editorial Board and reviewers when making these decisions.

Transparency and Impartiality: The editor must evaluate submitted manuscripts without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, nationality, or political affiliations.

Confidentiality: The editor and the editorial team members must maintain the confidentiality of all information related to a submitted manuscript, sharing it only with the reviewers and members of the Editorial Board involved.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: The editor should not use unpublished information from a manuscript in their own research without the express written consent of the author. The editor should also refrain from evaluating manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the manuscript.

Investigations and Cooperation: The editor must take appropriate measures when ethical issues arise concerning a submitted manuscript or a published article, ensuring the integrity of the editorial process.

Reviewer Responsibilities:

Contribution to Editorial Decisions: The review conducted by reviewers assists the editor in making editorial decisions and may also help the author improve their article through the feedback provided.

Punctuality: If a reviewer feels unqualified to evaluate a manuscript or knows that they will be unable to do so within the stipulated time frame, they must inform the editor immediately.

Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and should not be shared or discussed with others.

Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively, with reviewers expressing their opinions clearly and supported by solid arguments.

Source Acknowledgment: Reviewers should identify relevant work that has not been cited by the authors and alert the editor to any significant similarity or overlap between the manuscript in question and any other published work of which they are personally aware.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Privileged information or ideas obtained during the review process must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should avoid reviewing manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest, whether due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the manuscript.

Author Responsibilities:

General Standards: Authors of original research articles must present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. All supplemental data should be accurately represented in the article, which should provide sufficient detail and references to allow others to replicate the study. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their works are entirely original, and if they have used the work and/or words of others, that this has been appropriately cited. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

Multiple or Redundant Publication: Authors should not submit manuscripts describing essentially the same research to more than one journal. Submitting the same article to more than one publication without informing the editors and obtaining their consent constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

Source Acknowledgment: The work of others must always be properly acknowledged. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work. Information obtained privately, such as in conversations, correspondence, or discussions with third parties, should not be used or reported without explicit written permission from the source. Information obtained during confidential services, such as manuscript reviewing or grant applications, should not be used without the explicit written permission of the author of the work involved in these services.

Authorship: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors, while others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project should be acknowledged as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included in the article and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

Publisher Responsibilities:

We are committed to ensuring that advertising, reprints, or other commercial revenue does not influence editorial decisions.

Our articles undergo peer review to ensure the quality of scientific publications.

*This statement is based on Elsevier's recommendations and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.