Editorial Policy
ABSU Journals are committed to the highest standards of publication ethics. ABSU Journals endorses the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) Policy Statement on Geopolitical Intrusion on Editorial Decisions and the ICMJE recommendations for scholarly work.
1. Overview and Institutional Identity
Abia State University (ABSU) Journals are committed to the highest standards of publication ethics. ABSU Journals endorses the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) Policy Statement on Geopolitical Intrusion on Editorial Decisions. We also endorse the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations for scholarly work. Submission to an ABSU journal implies all authors have agreed to these policies. ABSU Journals remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
2. Professional Conduct and Respect
At ABSU Journals, mutual respect is regarded as fundamental to building trust within the academic community. Our editorial staff are required to behave professionally and respectfully at all times. We expect the same standard of behaviour from authors, reviewers, and readers. Aggressive behaviour, harassment, bullying, or discrimination against ABSU Journals staff will not be tolerated. ABSU Journals reserves the right to report serious violations to employers or local authorities and may decline to engage with individuals who repeatedly violate this policy.
3. Ethics and Consent
Research involving human participants, materials, or data must be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by an appropriate ethics committee.
- Documentation:All manuscripts must include a statement detailing ethics approval, including the committee's name and reference number.
- Informed Consent:For research involving human participants, informed consent must be obtained from the participants or, in the case of minors, from their parents or legal guardians.
- Vulnerable Groups:Manuscripts involving vulnerable groups or where consent may not be fully informed will be subject to increased editorial scrutiny.
4. Research Involving Animals, Plants, and Heritage
Experimental and field research involving living organisms must comply with applicable national and institutional guidelines.
- Animal Research:Experimental research involving vertebrates must comply with applicable national and institutional guidelines and must receive prior approval from an ethics committee. We recommend following the ICLAS ethical guidelines.
- Plant Research:Field studies and experimental research on plants must comply with local and national legislation. Manuscripts must specify the permits or permissions obtained for specimen collection.
- Geological Material:Submissions detailing new palaeontological or geological material must include clear provenance information and requisite permissions.
5. Sex and Gender in Research (SAGER)
ABSU Journals encourages authors to follow the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines. Authors should distinguish between 'sex' (biological) and 'gender' (social/cultural). Titles and abstracts should indicate the sex or gender to which the study applies, and the results should provide data disaggregated by sex and gender where appropriate.
6. Availability of Data, Materials, and Software
ABSU Journals strongly encourages authors to make datasets available to readers.
- Data Sharing:Where applicable, authors must include an 'Availability of Data and Materials' section.
- Open Access Preference:While we encourage deposition in public repositories, data may be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
- Software and Code:Any custom code or software described in the manuscript must be made available to editors and reviewers for evaluation, and archived in an appropriate repository with a unique identifier.
7. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy
The use of AI tools in research and writing must be handled responsibly and transparently.
- AI Authorship:Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT do not satisfy the criteria for authorship. Any use of AI in the conduct of the research must be disclosed in the Methods section.
- Copy Editing:The use of AI for copy editing, including improvements to readability, grammar, and style, does not need to be declared. Human authors remain accountable for the final text.
- Generative AI Images:ABSU Journals generally does not permit AI-generated images or videos due to unresolved copyright and integrity issues.
9. Competing Interests
All manuscripts must include a 'Competing Interests' section. A competing interest exists when personal, professional, or financial relationships could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the interpretation of the data. If no interests exist, state: 'The author(s) declare(s) that they have no competing interests'.
10. Publication Integrity and Duplicate Submission
Manuscripts must be original and not under consideration by any other journal.
- Originality:Manuscripts must be original and not under consideration by any other journal.
- Preprints:Posting a manuscript on a recognized preprint server is not considered prior publication and will not jeopardize its consideration by the journal.
- Text Recycling:Substantial repetition of an author's previously published work (self-plagiarism) is generally unacceptable and, where unavoidable, must be disclosed transparently.
- Image Integrity:Final images must accurately represent original data. Editors may request unprocessed data files during peer review.
11. Peer Review and Citations
All peer review at ABSU Journals is conducted with integrity.
- Citation Policy:Authors must cite appropriate and relevant literature to support claims. Citation manipulation, including excessive self-citation or coordinated efforts to inflate citation counts, is inappropriate and may result in rejection.
- AI in Peer Review:Peer reviewers must not upload manuscripts to generative AI tools because such manuscripts may contain sensitive, confidential, or proprietary information.
12. Funding Sources
Authors must disclose all funding sources that provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or the preparation of the article. The role of any sponsors must be declared in relation to the study design, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, the writing of the report, and the decision to submit the article for publication.
13. Writing and Formatting
Our acceptable file format is MS Word. Files must include figures, tables and text graphics. Authors must use spell-check and grammar-check functions to minimize errors.
- Units:ABSU Journals requires authors to use the International System of Units (SI).
- Math formulae:Submit math equations as editable text, not as images. Present simple formulae in line with normal text where possible.
- Variables:Present variables in italics. Denote powers of e by exp.
14. Submitting Your Manuscript
The online submission system guides authors through the steps required to enter manuscript details and upload files. The system converts your article files to a single PDF file used in the peer-review process.
- One author must be designated as the corresponding author, and that author's full contact details must be provided.
- All required files must be uploaded, and the manuscript must include keywords, figure captions, and tables with appropriate titles, descriptions, and footnotes.
- Spelling and grammar checks have been carried out.
- All references in the article text are cited in the reference list and vice versa.
15. Proof Correction
To ensure a timely publication process, authors will be asked to return proof corrections within two weeks. The corresponding author will receive an email containing a link to the online proofing system, which allows the annotation and correction of proofs electronically.
16. Indemnity and Liability Clause
By submitting a manuscript to an ABSU Journal, the author(s) warrant that the work is original, does not infringe any third-party copyright or other intellectual property rights, and contains no defamatory or unlawful statements.
- Indemnification:The author(s) agree to indemnify and hold harmless Abia State University, editorial boards, and their editors, staff, and agents against all claims arising from any breach of the warranties stated.
- Limitation of Liability:In no event shall ABSU Journals be liable for any special, incidental, indirect, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with the use of information published.
- Disclaimer:The opinions expressed in published articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions or policies of Abia State University.
17. Statement of Editorial Commitment
The editorial boards of JAMESLSS and JEST are dedicated to upholding the integrity of the academic record. These policies are living documents designed to evolve alongside global ethical standards while remaining firmly rooted in the practical realities and legal frameworks of the Nigerian research community.
18. Specialized Standards by Journal
Each journal has specific additional reporting requirements.
- JAMESLSS (Arts, Law, and Social Sciences) focuses on human-participant ethics, the SAGER guidelines, and qualitative reporting standards, including COREQ.
- JEST (Environment, Science, and Technology) focuses on plant and geological material provenance, software and code availability, and compliance with animal welfare requirements.