Ethical Policies

AQCH is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in research and publication. Authors are expected to adhere to the following ethical principles when submitting their work to the journal:

1. Authorship Criteria Authorship should accurately reflect the contributions made by individuals to the research and manuscript preparation. Authors must meet the following criteria:

  • They should have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or analysis of the research.
  • They must have drafted the manuscript or contributed to its critical revision for important intellectual content.
  • All listed authors should approve the final version of the manuscript before submission.

2. Conflicts of Interest Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence the interpretation of their research. This includes funding sources, patents, or any commercial interest that may be linked to the research or its outcomes. Authors should also declare any potential conflicts with other researchers, companies, or institutions involved in the study.

3. Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication

  • Zero Tolerance for Plagiarism: AQCH adheres strictly to anti-plagiarism policies. All submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism, and any manuscript found to contain plagiarized content will be rejected.
  • Duplicate Publication: Submissions to AQCH must not have been published previously in any other journal. If a manuscript is under consideration by another journal, authors must clearly state this in their cover letter when submitting to AQCH.

4. Human and Animal Research Ethics Any study involving human participants or animals must comply with ethical guidelines established by relevant institutional or national bodies. Authors should provide documentation of ethical approval from the relevant research ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB).

5. Data Availability and Integrity Authors must ensure the accuracy of all data presented in the manuscript. AQCH encourages authors to make raw data publicly available when possible, particularly when the data are essential for reproducibility. Any discrepancies in data, whether intentional or accidental, must be addressed before submission.

6. Retraction and Correction Policy In the event of errors, misconduct, or unethical practices discovered after publication, the journal has a strict retraction and correction policy. Articles may be retracted if there is significant evidence of plagiarism, fraud, or substantial scientific inaccuracies. Corrections are made to ensure the scientific record is accurate and trustworthy.