Pacific University is committed to uphold the integrity of the work published. The value of academic publishing relies on everyone involved behaving ethically. The following points are only intended to give a broad overview and are not exhaustive.

Pacific University is committed to

1. Maintain the editorial independence of journal editors.
2. Support journal editors to run their journals ethically and transparently.
3. Keep an accurate and transparent record.

Authors

Authors should ensure that:

• Their work is original and unpublished.
• Their work is authored by them.
• Proper referencing and citation are given where material is taken from secondary sources and the material is used with prior permission wherever required.
• Their work does not infringe on any rights of others, including privacy rights and intellectual property rights.
• Their data is true and not manipulated.
• Their data should be original.
• They adhere to all research ethics guidelines of their discipline, particularly where human or animal subjects are involved.
• They contact the Editor to identify and correct any material errors upon discovery, whether prior or subsequent to publication of their work.
• Authorship of the paper is accurately represented, including ensuring that all individuals credited as authors participated in the actual authorship of the work and that all who participated are credited and have given consent for publication.

Reviewers

Reviewers must:

• Maintain the confidentiality of the review process.
• Immediately alert their journal editor of any real or potential competing interest that could affect the impartiality of their reviewing and decline to review where appropriate.
• Review the manuscript fairly and impartially.
• We are aware, of course, that academics will come from a particular school of thought and/or may have strong ties to a particular interest. All we ask is that reviewers strive to act fairly. If in doubt about whether a conflict exists, a reviewer should be transparent and seek the views of the journal editor.

Editors

Editors should:

• Maintain and promote consistent ethical policies for their journals.
• Oversee and act to enforce those policies as needed in a fair and consistent manner.
• Ensure the confidentiality of the review process.
• Exercise the highest standards of personality integrity in their work as editor of the journal, recognizing and planning for instances where they could have a competing interest or the appearance of a competing interest.
• Work with authors, reviewers, and Editorial Board members as necessary to ensure they are sufficiently advised regarding their journals ethics and publishing policies and that the journals stewardship on ethical matters is fair, unbiased, and timely.

Everyone including Editorial Boards

• We should promote fairness and equality and oppose discrimination.
• We should promote the transparency of and respect for the academic record.
• We should respect the confidentiality of others.
• We should be transparent about real or apparent competing interests.