Publication Ethics

The publication of an article in the peer-reviewed Journal of Physical Education and Sports Activities (JPESA) is an essential building block in developing a coherent and respected network of knowledge in the fields of physical education and sports science. It reflects the quality of the authors' work and the institutions that support them.

JPESA is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and adheres to the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publishing process—authors, editors, peer reviewers, and the publisher—must agree upon expected ethical behaviors.

Duties of Editors

  • Publication Decisions: The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board are responsible for deciding which of the submitted articles should be published. Decisions are driven solely by the manuscript's scientific merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal's scope, guided by the journal's policies and legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

  • Fair Play: Manuscripts are evaluated purely on their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

  • Confidentiality: The editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, designated reviewers, potential reviewers, editorial advisers, and the publisher.

  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the explicit written consent of the authors.

Duties of Reviewers

  • Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review assists editors in making editorial decisions and helps authors refine and improve their manuscripts through constructive, scientific feedback.

  • Promptness: Any selected reviewer who feels unqualified to evaluate the research or knows that a prompt review will be impossible must notify the editor immediately and decline the invitation.

  • Confidentiality: All manuscripts received for review must be treated as strictly confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

  • Standards of Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is strictly inappropriate. Reviewers must express their views clearly with supporting scientific arguments.

  • Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that the authors have not cited. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported must be accompanied by the appropriate citation. Reviewers must also alert the editor to any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

  • Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must not evaluate manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the papers.

Duties of Authors

  • Reporting Standards: Authors of original research papers must present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data must be represented accurately. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

  • Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original works. If authors have used the work and/or words of others, this must be appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

  • Multiple or Concurrent Publication: Authors should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently is unethical and unacceptable.

  • Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All significant contributors should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included, that no inappropriate co-authors are listed, and that all co-authors have approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission.

  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All authors must disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project must be fully disclosed.

  • Fundamental Errors in Published Works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate to retract or correct the paper.