Publication Ethics

Custodia: Journal of Legal, Political, and Humanistic Inquiry is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical responsibility in scholarly publishing. The journal follows the guidelines and best practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and expects all parties involved—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—to uphold these standards throughout the publication process.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must ensure that their submissions are original, accurate, and properly cited. Any form of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, and duplicate submission is strictly prohibited. Authors should report their research honestly, provide sufficient methodological or analytical details for verification, and disclose any potential conflicts of interest. Authorship should reflect substantial intellectual or practical contributions, and manuscripts must not be simultaneously submitted to or published in other journals.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for evaluating manuscripts objectively, based on their originality, scholarly quality, and relevance to the fields of law, political science, and the humanities. Editors must maintain confidentiality regarding all submissions and share information only with individuals directly involved in the review and publication process. Editorial decisions must be made without bias and in accordance with ethical principles, including respect for research subjects and responsible reporting of findings.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to provide constructive, objective, and timely feedback to help authors improve their work. They must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and identify potential ethical concerns such as plagiarism, data duplication, or conflicts of interest, reporting them to the editors. Reviewers who are unable to provide an unbiased evaluation must decline the review invitation.

4. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher collaborates with the editorial board to ensure consistent adherence to ethical publishing standards. This includes addressing ethical disputes, investigating potential cases of academic misconduct, and implementing corrective actions such as issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern, in accordance with COPE guidelines.