Publication Ethics

This section includes the Publication Malpractice Statement.

NJRST is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record and to promoting responsible research and publication practices. Authors, reviewers, editors and the publisher are expected to act honestly, transparently and respectfully throughout the submission, review, publication and post-publication process.

Editors’ responsibilities

Editors are responsible for deciding which submissions are published. Decisions are based on the manuscript’s scholarly merit, originality, clarity, relevance, ethical soundness and contribution to the journal’s aims and scope.

Editors must:

  • treat submissions fairly and without discrimination;
  • preserve the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts;
  • select suitably qualified reviewers;
  • manage conflicts of interest;
  • consider relevant legal and ethical issues, including copyright, plagiarism, defamation, privacy and research ethics;
  • provide authors with clear decisions and, where appropriate, constructive feedback;
  • correct the scholarly record where errors or concerns arise after publication; and
  • ensure that publication decisions are not influenced by author fees, institutional status, personal relationships or external pressure.

Reviewers’ responsibilities

Reviewers assist editors in making publication decisions and support authors in improving their work. Reviewers should:

  • accept review invitations only when they have appropriate expertise and can complete the review within the requested timeframe;
  • declare conflicts of interest;
  • treat manuscripts as confidential documents;
  • provide fair, objective, respectful and evidence-based feedback;
  • avoid personal criticism of authors;
  • identify relevant uncited literature where appropriate;
  • alert editors to possible plagiarism, duplicate publication, data concerns or ethical issues; and
  • not use unpublished material from the manuscript for personal advantage.

Reviewers should not upload manuscripts, images, data or other confidential submission material into generative AI tools or other third-party platforms unless explicitly authorised by the journal and the author(s). Any use of AI-assisted tools in preparing a review must be disclosed in the review report.

Authors’ responsibilities

Authors are responsible for the integrity, originality and accuracy of their work. Authors must:

  • submit only original work that is not under consideration elsewhere;
  • acknowledge all sources accurately;
  • avoid plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication and redundant publication;
  • present research methods, data, findings and interpretations honestly;
  • obtain all required ethical approvals, permissions and consents before submission;
  • disclose funding sources and conflicts of interest;
  • ensure that all listed authors meet the authorship criteria and approve the submitted version;
  • acknowledge contributors who do not meet authorship criteria;
  • correct significant errors promptly if discovered before or after publication; and
  • cooperate with editors in the investigation of publication ethics concerns.

Research ethics

Research involving human participants, animals, sensitive data, Indigenous knowledge, traditional knowledge, biodiversity, environmental samples, health information, institutional records or vulnerable communities must comply with applicable laws, institutional requirements, funder rules and ethical approval processes.

Where research required ethical approval, authors must state the name of the approving body, the approval number or reference where available, and the date of approval. Where ethical approval was not required, authors should state this and explain why.

Research involving human participants must include appropriate informed consent, privacy protection and confidentiality safeguards. Authors must take special care when reporting on small, specialised or easily identifiable communities, institutions or groups.

Authorship and contributorship

Authorship should be limited to those who made a significant scholarly contribution to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation or writing of the work and who approve the final version submitted for publication.

All listed authors share responsibility for the integrity of the work. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors have approved the submission and that all contributors are properly acknowledged.

Changes to authorship after submission must be explained and approved by all affected authors. The journal may decline authorship changes that are not properly justified.

Conflicts of interest

Authors must disclose any financial, personal, professional, institutional, political or other interests that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the research or its interpretation. This includes funding, employment, consultancy, patents, advisory roles, paid expert testimony, personal relationships or institutional affiliations relevant to the manuscript.

A conflict of interest does not necessarily prevent publication, but it must be transparently disclosed.

Funding disclosure

Authors must disclose all sources of funding or support for the research, including grant numbers where available. Where no funding was received, authors should state this.

Complaints and appeals

Authors may appeal an editorial decision or raise a complaint about the editorial process by contacting the editorial office at mshahungu@ncrst.na. Appeals should provide a clear explanation of the grounds for appeal and should respond to the editorial and reviewer concerns where relevant.

Appeals will be reviewed by the Chief Editor, Deputy Chief Editor or another appropriate editorial board member who was not directly responsible for the original decision, where possible. The outcome of an appeal may be to uphold the original decision, request further review, invite a revised submission, or take another appropriate editorial action.

Complaints about publication ethics, peer review, editorial conduct or published content will be assessed carefully and handled fairly, confidentially and transparently.

Updated: 21 May 2026