Publication ethics

Eos aims to follow the COPE Code of Conduct. In case of a discovered misconduct on the author’s part, such as plagiarism, falsifying data or double publication, the journal Editorial Team will call for explanation and then undertake appropriate steps by following the COPE flowcharts.

Publication Ethics

Eos is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. The journal follows good editorial practice and supports integrity, transparency, and fairness at all stages of the editorial and peer review process. Authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the editorial board are expected to adhere to the principles of honest scholarly conduct.

The journal accepts only original scholarly work that has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal or publisher. Any form of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data falsification, data fabrication, duplicate publication, undisclosed conflict of interest, or unethical research practice is considered unacceptable.

Editors reserve the right to reject, withdraw from review, or retract a submission or published article if serious ethical concerns arise.

Authorship

Authorship should be limited to those persons who have made a significant scholarly contribution to the conception of the article, its argument, interpretation of evidence, or preparation of the manuscript.

All persons listed as authors must have:

made a substantial intellectual contribution to the work,
participated in drafting the article or revising it critically,
approved the final version of the manuscript,
agreed to be accountable for the content of the work.

Persons who contributed to the article in a more limited way, for example through technical assistance, language correction, or general supervision, should be acknowledged but should not be listed as authors unless they meet the criteria above.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that:

all eligible contributors are listed as authors,
no ineligible persons are listed as authors,
all authors have seen and approved the submitted version,
all authors agree to the submission of the manuscript.

Any proposed change in authorship after submission, including addition, removal, or reordering of authors, must be explained in writing to the editorial office and approved by all co-authors.

Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when professional judgment concerning a manuscript may be influenced, or reasonably perceived to be influenced, by personal, financial, institutional, academic, or other considerations.

Authors should disclose any conflict of interest that could affect the interpretation of their work. If there is no conflict of interest, the authors should state this explicitly.

Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, personal, or institutional relationships with the authors or the subject of the research.

Editors and editorial board members must withdraw from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest. In such cases, editorial responsibility is assigned to another editor.

The journal is committed to ensuring that all editorial decisions are made impartially and solely on the basis of scholarly merit.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

The journal recognises the importance of maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. When necessary, the editorial office may publish a correction, retraction, or expression of concern.

A correction may be issued when a published article contains a significant error that affects clarity, accuracy, or citation, but does not invalidate the overall findings or argument.

A retraction may be issued when a published article is found to contain serious ethical violations or major errors, including but not limited to plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated or falsified data, unauthorised use of materials, or unreliable conclusions.

An expression of concern may be issued when serious doubts have arisen regarding a publication, but the investigation has not yet been completed or the available evidence is inconclusive.

Any such notice will be published in a transparent manner and linked to the original article whenever possible. Retractions and corrections are intended to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record, not to punish authors.

Complaints and Appeals

The journal welcomes well-founded complaints and appeals concerning editorial procedures, peer review, or publication ethics.

A complaint may relate to:

delays in editorial handling,
perceived procedural irregularities,
concerns about reviewer conduct,
concerns about editorial bias,
publication ethics issues.

An appeal may be submitted if an author believes that a rejection decision was based on a serious misunderstanding, factual error, or procedural problem. Appeals must be reasoned, specific, and supported by relevant arguments. Mere disagreement with editorial judgment is not sufficient grounds for appeal.

Complaints and appeals should be submitted in writing to the editorial office. They will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or, where appropriate, by another editor not directly involved in the original decision. If necessary, the matter may be referred to the editorial board or to the publisher.

The journal will handle complaints and appeals fairly, impartially, and confidentially.

Research Misconduct

The journal treats all allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously.

Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

plagiarism,
self-plagiarism,
duplicate submission or duplicate publication,
fabrication or falsification of data,
misrepresentation of sources,
improper attribution of authorship,
manipulation of the peer review process,
undisclosed conflicts of interest.

If misconduct is suspected before publication, the manuscript may be rejected or returned to the authors for explanation. If misconduct is suspected after publication, the journal may initiate an investigation and, where justified, publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

The editorial office may contact the author(s), reviewers, editorial board members, publisher, and, where appropriate, the authors’ affiliated institution(s) in order to clarify the matter.

All cases will be assessed carefully, fairly, and with due respect for confidentiality.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Peer review is an essential part of maintaining the scholarly quality of the journal. Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations.

Reviewers should:

refer to the journal’s Reviewing Policy,
accept review assignments only when they have appropriate expertise,
decline review if they cannot provide a review within the requested time,
declare any conflict of interest and withdraw where necessary,
treat the manuscript as a confidential document,
not use unpublished material from the manuscript in their own research without the author’s explicit consent,
provide clear, substantiated, and respectful comments,
avoid personal criticism of the author,
alert the editors to relevant published work not cited in the manuscript,
inform the editors of any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, or other ethical concern.