Ethical statements

Publication Ethics

Overview

The Bulletin of Humanities and Social Sciences (BHSS) adheres to internationally recognized standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal follows the principles and best practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Council of Science Editors (CSE), and other recognized scholarly publishing bodies.

BHSS is committed to ensuring transparency, integrity, fairness, and academic rigor throughout the editorial, peer review, and publication processes.

Submission of a manuscript to BHSS implies that:

All listed authors have read and approved the manuscript
The work is original and not under consideration elsewhere
The submission complies with the journal’s editorial and ethical policies

Ethics and Scholarly Integrity

The journal is committed to publishing work that is ethically conducted and academically sound. Research must adhere to recognized ethical standards appropriate to the discipline and research design.

Authors must ensure:

Honesty in data collection, analysis, and interpretation
Proper citation and acknowledgment of sources
Transparency in methodology
Avoidance of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and misrepresentation

Ethics Approval

Research involving:

Human participants
Interviews, surveys, focus groups
Fieldwork involving communities
Collection of personal or sensitive data

must have been conducted in accordance with institutional and national ethical standards.

Where applicable, manuscripts must include:

The name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB)
The approval reference number (if available)
A statement confirming informed consent from participants

If ethics approval was not required, authors must provide a clear explanation. Editors may request supporting documentation.

Manuscripts may be rejected if the research is found to lack appropriate ethical oversight.

Privacy Statement

Personal information collected by BHSS is used solely for editorial and publishing purposes and will not be shared with third parties beyond what is necessary for peer review, indexing, archiving, or legal compliance.

Informed Consent and Confidentiality

For research involving identifiable individuals, authors must obtain written informed consent prior to submission.

If personal information, images, interviews, or case details are included:

Explicit written consent must be obtained
Identifiable details must be anonymized where possible
A consent statement must be included in the manuscript

If participants are minors, consent must be obtained from a parent or legal guardian.

If consent cannot be obtained, publication may only proceed if the information is fully anonymized such that identification is impossible.

The final determination regarding sufficiency of anonymization rests with the Editor.

Images and Personal Data

If images, audio, video, or other materials contain identifiable individuals, written consent for publication is required.

If materials are fully anonymized and identification is not possible, consent may not be required, subject to editorial evaluation.

Human Rights and Research Standards

All research must be conducted within an appropriate ethical framework. Editors may reject manuscripts if serious ethical concerns arise, even if institutional approval was granted.

Authors must justify the use of novel methods, tools, or procedures where applicable and demonstrate that participants’ rights, dignity, and welfare were protected.

Retrospective Ethics Approval

Ethics approval must generally be obtained prior to commencing research.

Retrospective approval is typically not acceptable. Whether such manuscripts proceed to review is at the Editor’s discretion.

Research Reporting Guidelines

Authors are encouraged to follow relevant reporting standards appropriate to humanities and social sciences research, including:

Qualitative research reporting standards
Survey research best practices
Transparency in data analysis and interpretation
Clear methodological disclosure

Authors should provide sufficient detail to allow readers and reviewers to assess the reliability and validity of the research.

Consent for Publication

Written informed consent is required for manuscripts that include personal details, interviews, case narratives, images, or multimedia materials involving identifiable individuals.

Consent must allow publication under the journal’s Creative Commons license. If an individual is deceased, consent must be obtained from the next of kin where applicable.

A statement confirming consent must be included in the manuscript.

Dual Use and Sensitive Research

Some research in humanities and social sciences may involve sensitive topics (e.g., political conflict, social unrest, security-related analysis, or vulnerable populations).

If research findings could reasonably be misused in ways that threaten public welfare, social stability, or individual safety, editors may:

Seek additional expert advice
Require revisions
Decline publication if risks outweigh scholarly benefits

Authors must comply with institutional and national regulations when conducting sensitive research.

Conflict of Interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, or personal conflicts of interest that could influence their work or judgment.

Failure to disclose conflicts may result in rejection, correction, or retraction.