Author Policies
1. Participant/Patient Privacy and Informed Consent
At IR, we uphold the highest standards of research ethics. Authors must ensure the privacy and confidentiality of all participants in studies involving human or animal subjects. This includes obtaining informed consent from all human participants, ensuring that they fully understand the nature of the study and their rights. Authors are required to provide evidence that they have followed the ethical guidelines and have obtained the necessary permissions.
Key Points:
- Human Research: Authors must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki.
- Animal Research: Research must adhere to the Principles of Laboratory Animal Care.
- Authors should include a statement confirming the ethical approval of their research from an appropriate review board (e.g., Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee).
2. Rights and Grants to the Author
Authors retain the copyright to their work while granting the journal a license to publish. This allows authors to use their work in other contexts, such as book chapters, presentations, or other publications, while ensuring the article remains openly accessible under a Creative Commons License.
Grants to Authors:
- Authors may include any grant support received for the study, with acknowledgment in the Funding Statement of the manuscript. This transparency ensures recognition of financial contributions.
- Authors may retain the rights to re-use figures, tables, or data in other publications as long as the original journal publication is cited.
3. Article Processing Charge (APC)
IR is an open-access journal, meaning all articles are freely accessible. To cover publication costs, we charge an Article Processing Charge (APC) upon acceptance. This fee supports the peer review process, editorial work, and open access.
Key Points:
- Amount: The APC amount is disclosed on the journal’s website and during the submission process.
- Fee Waivers: Fee waivers are available for authors from developing countries or those unable to afford the APC.
- Payment Timing: The APC is invoiced after a manuscript is accepted for publication.
4. Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism in any form is strictly prohibited. IR uses sophisticated plagiarism detection tools to ensure that all submissions are original and free from unattributed copying. Authors must ensure that they properly cite all sources, including direct quotations and paraphrased material.
Key Points:
- Manuscripts found to contain significant plagiarism will be rejected.
- Authors must confirm that the work submitted has not been previously published or concurrently under consideration for publication elsewhere.
- Self-plagiarism (reuse of your own previously published content) is only permissible with proper citation.
5. Submission of Manuscript
Manuscripts must be submitted through the IR’s online submission system. Upon submission, authors must ensure that the manuscript is formatted according to the journal’s submission guidelines. The manuscript should include the following:
Submission Requirements:
- Title: A concise and informative title.
- Abstract: A 150-250 word summary of the manuscript.
- Keywords: A list of 3-5 relevant keywords.
- Main Text: Follow the specified format for headings, figures, and references.
- References: Must follow the IR citation style.
6. Withdrawal Policy
Once a manuscript has been submitted, it may only be withdrawn if no review process has started. After peer review or once an article has been accepted, withdrawal is typically not allowed unless there are exceptional circumstances. Authors must submit a written request with an explanation for the withdrawal.
Key Points:
- A withdrawal fee may apply to cover editorial work already completed.
- Once an article is in the production process, withdrawal is generally not possible unless the author provides a compelling reason.
7. Digital Preservation
To ensure the long-term availability of articles, IR has partnered with trusted digital preservation services like LOCKSS and Portico. All published content is stored in these digital archives for permanent access.
Key Points:
- The journal ensures that all articles are preserved and retrievable even if the journal’s website or platform becomes temporarily unavailable.
- Authors and readers can be assured that their work will remain accessible indefinitely.
8. Human and Animal Rights Policy
Research involving humans or animals must comply with the ethical standards outlined by national and international bodies, including the Declaration of Helsinki (for human research) and the Principles of Laboratory Animal Care (for animal studies). Ethical approval must be obtained from an institutional or independent ethics committee.
Key Points:
- Authors must provide a statement confirming that ethical approval was obtained.
- Research must be designed to minimize harm and respect participants' autonomy and dignity.
9. Licensing Policy
All content published in IR is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This allows users to freely share, adapt, and reuse the work, provided proper attribution is given to the original authors.
Key Points:
- Authors can reuse their published work in other publications or presentations, as long as they cite IR as the original publisher.
- The open-access nature of the journal encourages the broad dissemination of knowledge and research.
10. English Language Editing
It is the responsibility of the author(s) to ensure that the manuscript is written in clear, correct, and professional English. If an author’s primary language is not English, we strongly recommend using a professional English language editing service before submission. Manuscripts that are poorly written may be returned to the author for revision.
Key Points:
- Manuscripts must be grammatically correct and free of spelling errors.
- Authors can submit a statement confirming that they have used an editing service, if applicable.
11. Open Access Policy
IR is an open-access journal, meaning that all published articles are freely available to the public. Our aim is to make cutting-edge research accessible to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers worldwide.
Key Points:
- Authors retain the right to share their work for non-commercial purposes.
- Open-access articles increase the visibility of research and its impact on the global community.
12. Data Sharing Policy
We encourage authors to make their data and other supporting materials publicly available in a data repository. Authors should provide links to the dataset or include supplementary files with their submission.
Key Points:
- Authors should provide a statement about data availability in the manuscript.
- Authors should make data available in trusted public repositories such as Figshare, Zenodo, or Dryad.
13. Sample Paper
A sample paper is available on the IR website for authors to use as a template when preparing their manuscript. This sample paper provides examples of proper formatting for headings, references, figures, and tables.
Key Points:
- Authors should carefully follow the guidelines in the sample paper to ensure their manuscript is properly formatted.
- The sample paper provides a clear example of how to structure the introduction, methodology, results, and conclusions sections.
14. Copyright Policy
Upon acceptance of a manuscript, authors are required to sign an Author Agreement confirming that they hold the copyright to the work and are granting IR a license to publish. Authors retain the right to reuse their work, but must provide appropriate citation.
Key Points:
- The manuscript is published under a Creative Commons License, ensuring attribution and reuse rights.
- Authors are free to reuse figures or tables from their published article in other works.
15. Manuscript Preparation
Authors must follow the journal's guidelines for manuscript preparation, ensuring that the document is correctly formatted. Manuscripts should be submitted in either Microsoft Word or LaTeX format, with appropriate citation style, figure preparation, and reference list.
Key Points:
- The manuscript should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins on all sides.
- Figures and tables must be submitted in high resolution, preferably in PNG or JPEG format.
16. Errata, Retractions, and Corrigenda Policy
If errors are discovered after publication, authors should notify the editorial office immediately. Errata and Corrigenda will be issued to correct any mistakes, and retractions may occur if a serious issue is identified that compromises the integrity of the article.
Key Points:
- All amendments will be clearly identified, and the original publication will link to the erratum or correction.
- Retractions will be handled carefully and publicly, to maintain transparency.
17. APC Waiver Policy
For authors facing financial constraints, IR offers waivers or discounts on the Article Processing Charge (APC). This support is available for authors from low-income countries, or for manuscripts with significant global or societal relevance.
Key Points:
- Authors should submit a waiver request during the submission process, outlining their need for financial support.
- The waiver decision is made on a case-by-case basis.
18. Check List
Before submitting your manuscript to IR, please ensure you have:
- Obtained ethical approval and informed consent where applicable.
- Prepared the manuscript according to the IR formatting guidelines.
- Included a data availability statement, if required.
- Ensured all references are properly cited.
19. Complaints Policy
If you have any concerns about the submission, review, or publication process, please contact the editorial team. We strive to address all complaints promptly and transparently.
20. Author’s Agreement Form
Before your manuscript can be considered for publication, you must sign the Author’s Agreement Form, which confirms your compliance with the journal's policies and acknowledges that you hold the rights to the work submitted.
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