1. Introduction
Scientific research is complete only when its results are shared with the scientific community, along with all the information that led to those results. This practice allows for the accumulation of knowledge and prevents unnecessary repetition of studies. Researchers must master scientific writing and adhere to fundamental principles in presenting and organizing information, ensuring that studies are easy to read and understand.
The ethical and legal principles of scientific publishing aim to:
1. Ensure the credibility of information and accuracy of scientific knowledge;
2. Protect intellectual property and respect authors' rights;
3. Safeguard and uphold the rights of research participants.
1.2 Ensuring the Credibility of Information and Accuracy of Scientific Knowledge
A fundamental principle of scientific research is that researchers must present the methodology used in their studies. This allows others to replicate the experiment and verify its results. Researchers must not fabricate, manipulate, or alter data to support their hypotheses, nor should they conceal observations to persuade readers of their conclusions. Careful preparation and meticulous editing of studies before publication are essential to avoid errors.
2.2 Information Sharing
Researchers are encouraged to share their raw data with other researchers and retain them for at least five years after publication. This practice ensures the reliability of research findings. Researchers should collaborate with peers and provide access to collected data upon request while ensuring the removal of any personal information that could identify participants. It is also necessary to agree on the methods of data usage and result dissemination, considering the moral rights of all parties involved.
2.3 Duplicate Publication
A study should not be published in two separate sources as if it were two independent original studies. Such duplication may falsely suggest the existence of new findings that reinforce previous results. However, it is permissible to republish previous research findings in a new study for scientific purposes, provided that the repeated material remains minimal compared to the new text. The researcher must clearly cite the original study and specify the information derived from it.
3. Protection of Intellectual Property and Respect for Authors' Rights
3.1 Intellectual Property Laws
Intellectual property belongs to individuals who have made significant contributions to a scholarly work and are willing to take responsibility for its publication. Significant contributions in research include defining the research problem, formulating hypotheses, designing research tools, analyzing results, and drafting sections of the text. These contributors must be acknowledged in the authorship data.
Authors hold both moral and financial rights over their intellectual output, protected by national laws and international agreements under intellectual property laws. For work to be protected, it must be original, containing new and unique ideas, regardless of its value, type, form of expression, or purpose. Notably, laws do not protect ideas themselves but rather their expression. Intellectual property protection covers written and recorded oral works, images, artistic creations, and more.
Exceptions to protection typically include:
1. Laws, regulations, judicial rulings, administrative decisions, international treaties, and other official documents issued by governmental bodies;
2. News reports published, broadcast, or publicly communicated, as they are not considered original works but merely information dissemination.
Intellectual property laws safeguard both moral and financial rights. Moral rights include the author's right to be credited for their work, the right to decide on its publication, the right to object to any distortion or modification that may harm their reputation, and the right to withdraw their work from circulation if altered inappropriately. These rights are perpetual and remain in effect indefinitely. Therefore, researchers must properly cite any excerpts or ideas borrowed from others without distorting the original meaning, even if the work is old or in the public domain.
Financial rights grant authors the ability to benefit from their work economically, including reproduction, publication, broadcasting, performance, exhibition, and translation.
The Journal of the Faculty of Arts follows an open-access policy, publishing research under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, allowing others to copy, modify, and distribute published works, provided proper attribution is given to the original author.
3.2 Plagiarism
Plagiarism, or literary theft, involves using and presenting another person's original ideas, opinions, or work without proper acknowledgment, whether intentional or accidental (such as incorrect citations). The moral right of an author is perpetual, meaning that credit must always be given when their ideas are used, regardless of the age of the work. This applies to both verbatim and non-verbatim use, including paraphrasing and summarization.
Ethical principles of scientific publishing dictate that intellectual credit must be given for both ideas and expressions. Any research that serves as a model for a new study should be properly cited, and any idea taken from previous research or discussions must be attributed to its original source. This principle extends to online content, as internet publishers retain the right to be acknowledged for their work, even if it is freely available.
Additionally, researchers must not present their previous work as new. While a researcher may reference their past studies, the new work must contain original contributions. In such cases, borrowed content should be limited to specific paragraphs, accompanied by clear citations.
3.3 Citation and Referencing
Citation is one of the key exceptions to intellectual property law, recognized in international and national legal frameworks. It permits the use of a limited portion of a work without the author's consent and without financial compensation, provided the purpose is criticism, supporting an argument, or educational use. However, this exception applies only if the excerpted portion does not exceed what is necessary.
Proper citation practices include:
• Direct quotation: Copying a sentence or a few words verbatim, using quotation marks (" "), and including the author's name, publication date, and page number.
• Paraphrasing: Rewriting a passage in the researcher’s own words while maintaining its original meaning, followed by proper citation.
• Summarization: Condensing a lengthy passage without altering its meaning, along with a reference to the author, publication date, and pages.
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Additionally, all sources used in a study must be listed in the references section. However, citation is not required for general knowledge found in encyclopedias or widely known proverbs. The Journal of the Faculty of Arts follows the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition citation style.
4. Ensuring and Protecting Research Participants' Rights
4.1 Obtaining Participants' Consent
Researchers must inform relevant parties (institutions under study, interview participants, etc.) about the study's objectives, research methods, and intended use of results. Participants' consent must be obtained voluntarily, without coercion or undue pressure.
4.2 Ensuring Privacy and Avoiding Harm
If a researcher employs a case study approach, they must not disclose confidential or personal information that could identify individuals or institutions. Researchers should share reports with participants before publication to seek approval. Additionally, non-essential details should be omitted to ensure anonymity. Under no circumstances should information be published in a way that could harm research participants.
4. 3 Conflicts of Interest
Scientific research conclusions should be based on unbiased analyses and interpretations. Researchers must not have personal relationships with subjects that may compromise the objectivity of their studies. Any potential conflicts of interest that could affect impartiality must be disclosed.
4. 3. 1. Participants
A conflict of interest exists when an author (or their institution), reviewer, or editorial board member has financial or personal relationships with individuals or entities that may inappropriately influence – or be perceived to influence – their judgments or conclusions.
The mere existence of a potential conflict does not imply a lack of integrity. However, disclosure is a necessary step to ensure transparency and scientific integrity.
Financial relationships (e.g., employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid activities, or patents) are among the most apparent forms of conflicts of interest and are also the most likely to undermine the journal's credibility, the researchers' reputation, or the scientific merit of the research.
4. 3. 2. Reporting Conflicts of Interest
All authors are required to complete and sign the Unified Declaration Form: Publication Ethics and Conflict of Interest, available at: https://journals.misuratau.edu.ly/arts/en/submission.php
Each author is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their disclosed information. The corresponding author must include a Conflicts of Interest statement within the submitted manuscript (not the form itself). The statement must list all authors and specify any conflicts of interest (if applicable).
Examples of Conflicts of Interest
statements in research papers:
Case 1 (No conflicts of interest):
Conflicts of Interest:
The authors declare that they have completed the Unified Declaration Form: Publication Ethics and Conflict of Interest and have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Case 2 (Conflicts exist):
Conflicts of Interest:
All authors have completed the Unified Declaration Form: Publication Ethics and Conflict of Interest. Ahmed Mohamed and Mohamed Ahmed are former employees of Al-Madar Al-Jadeed Company, while Ali Mustafa is currently employed there. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest.
