Ethical policy and code of good practices of the Revue Congo Challenge (RCC)
Scientific journals play a crucial role in the creation, dissemination and validation of scientific knowledge. However, the publication process can be compromised by unethical practices such as plagiarism, falsification of data or the publication of low-quality research. Thus with the dual objective, on the one hand, of ensuring a fair, respectful and high quality publication environment for researchers wishing to publish in the Revue Congo Challenge (RCC) and, on the other hand, of guaranteeing the credibility of The journal, the scientific committee and the editorial office of the RCC undertake to permanently observe the ethical policies contained in this document and to respect at all times the codes of good practice. In summary, these are the following standards:
Impartial selection of articles: At all times, the RCC ensures that articles are selected in an impartial manner, based on their quality and relevance to the target research area.
Compliance with research ethics: the RCC is committed to respecting ethical standards in research at all times, ensuring that all work submitted is conducted in an ethical and responsible manner. Where applicable, this may include verification of conflicts of interest, approval of ethics committees, data confidentiality, protection of human and animal subjects.
Peer review process: At all times, the RCC ensures that peer review is rigorous. For each manuscript submitted, the RCC is committed to maintaining high standards throughout the refereeing process, including choosing reviewers for their expertise in the relevant research area, their rigor and their impartiality, i.e. said without regard to the race, religion, gender, age or political orientation of the author(s). In addition, the RCC requires that reviewers respect the confidentiality of the submitted work and not disclose the submitted work to others without prior authorization.
Plagiarism and fraud: The RCC requires authors to submit original work that has not been previously published and is not under review by another journal. Furthermore, authors must ensure that their work does not contain plagiarism or fraud. The RCC undertakes to verify at all times that the articles submitted are original and do not contain plagiarism. To this end, the RCC systematically uses plagiarism detection software to help identify plagiarism and fraud problems. Plagiarism and false or intentionally misleading statements constitute unethical behavior in scientific publication. If plagiarism is discovered after an article has been published, the editorial board will be forced to withdraw the article. Additionally, disputes may arise if plagiarism is considered a violation
copyright or intellectual property laws. To this end, given that plagiarism is an ethical and professional violation that can have long-term negative consequences, it is crucial that authors respect academic standards for citation and referencing, despite the fact that the RCC has taken steps to rigorously implement strict policies to detect and prevent plagiarism.
Editorial Transparency: At all times, RCC is committed to being transparent in its submission, review and publication processes or its editorial policies and practices. Authors have the right to know the status of their submission at any time.
Confidentiality and anonymity: The RCC undertakes to guarantee the confidentiality of all submissions at all times. Editors, reviewers, and journal staff agree not to disclose submissions to third parties without prior permission from the authors. Furthermore, the RCC is committed to protecting the confidentiality and anonymity of authors and reviewers at all times.
Respect for intellectual property and protection of copyright: The RCC is committed to ensuring that copyright is respected at all times. The RCC informs, on the one hand, authors of their rights and, on the other hand, readers of possible restrictions on the use of published articles. The RCC respects the intellectual property rights of authors and requires that all submissions
also respect these rights. Authors are responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary rights to publish their work.
Diversity and inclusion: The RCC is committed to respecting the cultural, gender and geographic diversity of authors and reviewers.
Respect for intellectual property and protection of copyright: The RCC is committed to ensuring that copyright is respected at all times. The RCC informs, on the one hand, authors of their rights and, on the other hand, readers of possible restrictions on the use of published articles. The RCC respects the intellectual property rights of authors and requires that all submissions
also respect these rights. Authors are responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary rights to publish their work.
Diversity and inclusion: The RCC is committed to respecting the cultural, gender and geographic diversity of authors and reviewers. Additionally, the RCC is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in all its activities, including the submission, evaluation process and publication of articles. The RCC will also strive to encourage broad participation of researchers from all disciplines, geographic regions and identities.
Data Integrity: At all times, the RCC requires that data used in submitted work be reliable and transparent. The RCC requires that authors clearly present the source of the data used and provide detailed and honest information about the data collection method. Additionally, authors should be able to provide the raw data upon request. The RCC strongly opposes and severely sanctions any attempt to falsify, fabricate or manipulate data to support research conclusions.
Conflicts of interest: The RCC requires that authors, editors and reviewers declare any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the results of their work, the validity of their research or the objectivity of their conclusions. Conflicts of interest may include financial ties to organizations that could benefit from publishing the article or personal relationships that could influence the research.
Social Responsibility: The RCC is committed to supporting academic excellence, including publishing articles that present significant advances in their field and have a significant impact on future research, stimulating international collaboration and encouraging the submission of papers. articles from researchers around the world in order to promote the diversity of perspectives and voices, as well as a wider dissemination of knowledge.
Handling complaints: The RCC has procedures in place to handle complaints relating to publications, including complaints regarding research integrity, conflicts of interest, plagiarism, breach of confidentiality or manipulation of data.
Retraction Policy: In cases of fraud, plagiarism, mishandling of data or other forms of scientific misconduct, the RCC removes the target article(s) from all its platforms and archives. In addition, in the present case, the RCC triggers the warning procedure consisting of informing the author(s) as well as their home institutions and takes all necessary measures to discourage these bad practices in the future.
