Reviewer Ethics

Reviewers must uphold the highest ethical standards in line with COPE guidelines to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in the peer review process.

1. Ethical Principles
Reviewers must:

• Maintain complete confidentiality regarding manuscript content
• Not share, store, or use the manuscript for personal advantage
• Perform reviews objectively, without bias or prejudice
• Avoid personal, political, or ideological influence on judgment
• Report suspected plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or ethical misconduct
• Abstain from reviewing when impartiality cannot be guaranteed

2. Confidentiality
All manuscripts are confidential documents.
Reviewers:

• Must not discuss the manuscript with others
• Must not upload any manuscript content to external tools or AI systems
• Must delete all manuscript files after the review

Reviewers are also required to comply with the broader ethical framework outlined in the Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement (PEMS) under the POLICIES menu.