Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

International Journal of Graphic Design (IJGD) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. This statement applies to editors, reviewers, authors, and the publisher involved in all stages of the publication process. IJGD follows the principles of responsible scholarly publishing and aligns its policies with the COPE Core Practices, including: allegations of misconduct, authorship and contributorship, complaints and appeals, conflicts of interest, data and reproducibility, ethical oversight, intellectual property, journal management, peer review processes, and post-publication discussions and corrections.

The ethics of scientific publication in IJGD are grounded in three essential values: neutrality, meaning editorial decisions must be free from inappropriate influence and competing interests; fairness, meaning credit must be given only to those who made a genuine scholarly contribution; and honesty, meaning all published work must be free from fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, deceptive image manipulation, and redundant publication. IJGD is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record before and after publication.

After reading this Publication Ethics statement, authors may be required to submit a signed Statement of Ethics as part of the submission process and a Copyright Agreement before publication. Submission of a manuscript to IJGD implies that all authors have read, understood, and agreed to comply with the journal’s ethical policies. Policies relating to copyright, licensing, publication ethics, peer review, and any publication charges should be clearly stated on the journal website.

Allegations of Misconduct

IJGD takes seriously all allegations of research and publication misconduct, whether raised before or after publication, and whether made by authors, reviewers, editors, readers, institutions, or whistleblowers. Allegations may include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, duplicate submission, duplicate publication, fabricated or falsified data, inappropriate image manipulation, citation manipulation, unethical research practices, undisclosed conflicts of interest, authorship disputes, and peer review manipulation.

All allegations will be assessed fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with the journal’s procedures. The Editor-in-Chief may request clarification, supporting files, raw data, ethics approvals, authorship explanations, or institutional confirmation where appropriate. IJGD reserves the right to contact the authors’ institutions, funders, or other relevant bodies when serious concerns arise. A manuscript may be rejected, placed on hold, corrected, retracted, or otherwise acted upon if misconduct is confirmed or strongly suspected.

Complaints and Appeals

IJGD provides a clear process for handling complaints and appeals concerning editorial decisions, peer review conduct, publication delays, ethical concerns, or the behavior of editors, reviewers, or journal staff. Authors may appeal editorial decisions when they believe there has been a procedural error, factual misunderstanding, or demonstrable bias in the review process. Complaints and appeals must be submitted in writing with clear supporting reasons and evidence.

All complaints and appeals will be reviewed objectively by the Editor-in-Chief or another editorial representative not directly involved in the original decision whenever possible. Submission of a complaint or appeal does not guarantee reversal of a decision, but it does guarantee fair reconsideration under the journal’s procedures. Frivolous or abusive complaints will not be entertained.

Data Availability and Reproducibility

IJGD encourages authors to maintain accurate records of the data, visual materials, design process documentation, software outputs, and methods used in their research so that the findings can be verified where appropriate. Authors should be prepared to provide underlying data, analytical details, research instruments, coding frameworks, or visual documentation when requested by the editors during review or investigation.

Where relevant to the study design, authors are encouraged to include a data availability statement indicating whether the underlying materials are publicly available, available upon reasonable request, or restricted for legal, ethical, or copyright reasons. For design-based and visual research, authors should describe sufficiently the creative method, analytical procedure, sampling logic, and source materials so that readers can understand, evaluate, and where possible reproduce or audit the study.

Ethical Oversight

Authors must ensure that their research has been conducted ethically and in accordance with applicable laws, institutional requirements, and disciplinary norms. Where the study involves human participants, interviews, surveys, classroom observation, user testing, vulnerable populations, personal data, or identifiable images, authors must state that appropriate ethical approval and/or informed consent was obtained, where applicable.

If a manuscript includes photographs, artworks, illustrations, screenshots, branding assets, or other visual materials involving identifiable persons or third-party content, authors must ensure that they have obtained the necessary permissions for scholarly publication. Editors may request evidence of ethical approval, consent to publish, or rights clearance before further consideration of the manuscript.

Intellectual Property

IJGD respects intellectual property rights and expects all submissions to comply with copyright law, licensing terms, and accepted scholarly citation practice. Authors must ensure that text, images, illustrations, figures, layouts, photographs, and any other third-party materials included in the manuscript are either original, used under an appropriate license, or reproduced with written permission from the copyright holder. All such use must be properly acknowledged.

The journal’s policies on copyright, licensing, plagiarism, redundant publication, and prepublication should be clearly stated. Authors must not submit work that infringes copyright, misuses licensed content, or republishes substantially overlapping material without proper disclosure. In design and visual communication research, misleading image alteration and unattributed reuse of visual assets are regarded as serious ethical breaches.

Journal Management

IJGD is committed to maintaining a well-described and properly implemented journal management system, including transparent editorial policies, an editorially independent decision-making process, qualified editorial board members, appropriate training or guidance for editors and reviewers, and effective administrative procedures for manuscript handling. Editorial decisions must be based on scholarly merit, originality, relevance to the journal’s scope, ethical compliance, and reviewer input.

The journal will strive to ensure that its website contains accurate and current information regarding aims and scope, peer review model, publication ethics, copyright and licensing, publication schedule, fees if any, and contact information. Transparent journal management is part of publication ethics and is essential to maintaining trust in the editorial process.

Peer Review Process

All manuscripts submitted to IJGD are subject to peer review under the journal’s stated review model. The peer review process must be conducted fairly, objectively, confidentially, and without undue delay. The journal will provide clear information on what is peer reviewed, how reviewers are selected, how many reviewers are normally involved, how editorial decisions are made, and how conflicts of interest in peer review are handled.

Editors must ensure that reviewers possess relevant expertise and have no disqualifying competing interests. Reviewers must provide constructive, evidence-based, and respectful evaluations, and must not exploit confidential material for personal or professional advantage. Suspected peer review manipulation, fraudulent reviewer identities, or improper interference in review will be investigated as serious misconduct.

Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections

IJGD recognizes that publication does not end editorial responsibility. The journal welcomes substantiated post-publication discussion and will consider reader comments, letters, or concerns regarding published work. When necessary, the journal will issue a correction, corrigendum, erratum, editorial note, expression of concern, or retraction in order to preserve the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

Retractions will be issued when findings are unreliable due to misconduct or major error, when the article constitutes plagiarism or redundant publication, or when the research or publication process seriously violates ethical standards. Retraction notices should be transparent, linked to the original article, and explain the reason for the action. Where concerns are unresolved but serious, the journal may publish an expression of concern while the matter is being investigated.

Responsibilities of Authors, Editors, and Reviewers

The responsibilities of authors, editors, and reviewers in IJGD are implemented in accordance with the COPE Core Practices and the journal’s policies on misconduct handling, complaints and appeals, conflicts of interest, data transparency, ethical oversight, intellectual property, journal management, peer review integrity, and post-publication corrections. All parties involved in the publication process are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, and accountability.

Authors, editors, and reviewers must act ethically and professionally throughout the submission, review, and publication process. Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their work; editors are responsible for making fair, unbiased, and independent decisions; and reviewers are responsible for providing objective, constructive, and confidential evaluations of submitted manuscripts.

Considering the scope of the International Journal of Graphic Design (IJGD), particular attention is given to the ethical use of visual materials. Authors must ensure that all images, illustrations, photographs, artworks, and design assets included in the manuscript are original or used with appropriate permission and proper attribution. Any form of deceptive image manipulation, misrepresentation of visual data, copyright infringement, or unattributed reuse of visual content constitutes a serious violation of publication ethics and will be treated as misconduct.

All stakeholders are expected to cooperate in the investigation of ethical concerns and to support corrective actions, including corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary, in order to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.