Publication Ethics

Bonafide: Journal of Theology and Christian Religious Education is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. This publication ethics statement is intended to clarify the ethical responsibilities of all parties involved in the publication process of this journal: the authors, the editorial board, the reviewers, and the publisher. This policy is based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Duties of Editors

  1. Publication Decisions: The Editor-in-Chief is solely and independently responsible for deciding which of the manuscripts submitted to the journal should be published. This decision is based on the validity, significance, originality, clarity, and relevance of the manuscript to the journal's scope, as well as feedback from the reviewers.

  2. Fair Play: Manuscripts shall be evaluated for their intellectual content without regard to the race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

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

  4. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author. Editors must recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.

  5. Handling of Complaints: The editor will follow a clear procedure for handling ethical complaints. Every complaint will be taken seriously and will be pursued to a full resolution in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Duties of Reviewers

  1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communications with the author, may also assist the author in improving the paper.

  2. Promptness: Any selected reviewer who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse themselves from the review process.

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

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

  5. Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation.

  6. Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers should not consider 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 connected to the papers.

Duties of Authors

  1. Reporting Standards: Authors of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper.

  2. Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others, this has been appropriately cited or quoted. (See Plagiarism Policy).

  3. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication: An author should not, in general, publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior.

  4. 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 reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors.

  5. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.

  6. 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 and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper through the issuance of an erratum.

Handling of Unethical Conduct

This journal takes suspected misconduct and ethical violations seriously. We will follow the COPE flowcharts when dealing with cases of suspected plagiarism, authorship disputes, or redundant publications. If an ethical violation is confirmed, we will take appropriate action, including the publication of a correction, retraction, or other measures as deemed necessary.