Azerbaijan Pharmaceutical and Pharmacotherapy Journal

Research and Publication Ethics

The Azerbaijan Pharmaceutical and Pharmacotherapy Journal (APPJ) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity, publication ethics, and academic excellence. The journal follows internationally recognized ethical guidelines and expects authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers to adhere to ethical principles throughout the publication process.

Ethical Principles

APPJ is dedicated to promoting honesty, transparency, accountability, and integrity in scientific research and scholarly publishing. All parties involved in the publication process must ensure that research is conducted and reported ethically and responsibly.

The journal does not tolerate any form of research misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, or unethical research practices.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to APPJ must ensure that:

Originality of Research

Submitted work is original and has not been previously published.
Manuscripts are not under consideration by another journal simultaneously.
Proper acknowledgment is given to the work of other researchers.

Data Integrity

Research data are accurate, reliable, and honestly presented.
No fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of data has occurred.
Authors are prepared to provide supporting data if requested by editors.

Authorship

Only individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research should be listed as authors.
All co-authors must approve the final version of the manuscript before submission.
Individuals who contributed but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the research or interpretation of findings.

Human and Animal Research

Studies involving human participants must comply with recognized ethical standards and institutional regulations.
Informed consent must be obtained from all participants where applicable.
Research involving animals must follow established animal welfare and ethical guidelines.
Ethical approval details should be included within the manuscript.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers play a critical role in maintaining publication quality and integrity. Reviewers are expected to:

Evaluate manuscripts objectively and fairly.
Maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
Avoid using unpublished information for personal advantage.
Declare any conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment.
Provide constructive, evidence-based feedback.
Report suspected ethical concerns, plagiarism, or research misconduct to the editorial office.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair and transparent review process. Editors shall:

Evaluate manuscripts solely on academic merit and scientific quality.
Maintain confidentiality throughout the editorial process.
Avoid conflicts of interest in editorial decisions.
Take appropriate action when ethical concerns arise.
Ensure that publication decisions are independent of commercial considerations.
Uphold the integrity of the scholarly record.

Plagiarism Policy

APPJ maintains a strict policy against plagiarism.

The journal considers the following practices unethical:

Direct copying without citation.
Paraphrasing without proper acknowledgment.
Self-plagiarism or redundant publication.
Unauthorized use of data, figures, tables, or images.

All submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection software. Manuscripts containing significant plagiarism may be rejected immediately.

Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously. Publishing substantially similar research in more than one journal without proper justification and disclosure is considered unethical and may result in manuscript rejection or article retraction.

Data Fabrication and Falsification

The fabrication, manipulation, or falsification of research data is strictly prohibited. If evidence of misconduct is identified before or after publication, the journal reserves the right to reject, correct, retract, or remove the article as appropriate.

Citation Manipulation

Authors, reviewers, and editors must not engage in citation manipulation practices intended to artificially increase citation counts or journal metrics. References should be included solely on the basis of scholarly relevance.

Conflicts of Interest

All participants in the publication process must disclose potential conflicts of interest that could influence their work.

Conflicts may include:

Financial relationships
Employment affiliations
Research funding
Personal relationships
Institutional interests

Editors may request additional disclosures when necessary.

Corrections and Retractions

When significant errors or ethical issues are identified, APPJ will take appropriate corrective actions, including:

Publication of corrections or errata.
Expressions of concern.
Article retractions.
Removal of content where legally required.

Such actions will be undertaken to maintain the integrity of the scientific record.

Research Misconduct

The journal investigates allegations of:

Plagiarism
Data fabrication
Data falsification
Image manipulation
Ethical approval violations
Authorship disputes
Undisclosed conflicts of interest

Appropriate actions may include rejection, correction, retraction, notification of institutions, or other necessary measures.

Ethical Oversight

The Azerbaijan Pharmaceutical and Pharmacotherapy Journal is committed to ensuring that all published research complies with accepted ethical standards and international best practices. The journal reserves the right to request documentation related to ethical approval, informed consent, raw data, or other supporting materials whenever necessary.

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