Guidelines on Ethical Conduct and Publication

Guidelines on Ethical Conduct and Publication

"The Shield - Research Journal of Physical Education & Sports Science" is committed to strict adherence to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing defined by DOAJ and the guidelines and flowcharts set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This comprehensive policy governs publication ethics, authorship, use of AI, and dispute resolution.

  1. Ethical Frameworks and Oversight

The journal adheres to the highest ethical standards, guided by COPE and internationally recognized frameworks for academic integrity.

  • COPE Guidelines (Code of Conduct): For authorship, peer review, and handling misconduct.
  • Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles adapted for studies involving human participants (e.g., athlete trials, coaching surveys).
  • IRB / Ethics Approval: Mandatory submission of ethics approval from the relevant Institutional Review Board (IRB) or ethics committee for all human and animal studies.

Ethical Oversight (Human Studies)

  • Informed Consent: Required from all participants. Written consent must be obtained, especially for sensitive data or images.
  • Anonymity: Identities must be protected, especially in qualitative studies (e.g., use pseudonyms like "Coach A" or "Athlete-12").
  • Vulnerable Populations: Special care must be taken for minors, para-athletes, or marginalized groups (e.g., obtaining parental consent for minors).
  • Multi-Center Studies: Independent ethics approval must be provided by each collaborating institution.

 

  1. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship is based on COPE Standards, where all listed authors must meet all four criteria below.

Criteria

Description

Substantial Contribution

Involvement in conception, design, acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data (e.g., designing training interventions, interpreting physiological data).

Critical Revision

Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

Final Approval

All authors approve the submitted version of the manuscript.

Accountability

Authors agree to be accountable for the integrity of the work and address ethical concerns.
  • Non-Author Contributions: Roles like data collection, funding acquisition, or general administrative support do not qualify for authorship but must be listed in the Acknowledgments section with the individual's written permission.
  • Originality: Submissions must be unpublished and not simultaneously under review elsewhere.
  • Authorship Changes: Post-submission modifications require written approval from all existing and proposed authors.
  • Dispute Resolution: The journal follows COPE’s flowcharts for resolving authorship disagreements.
  1. Transparency in the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

In alignment with COPE’s position on AI tools, "The Shield" mandates full transparency regarding the use of Generative AI (e.g., LLMs, chatbots, machine learning algorithms).

  • AI Cannot Be an Author: AI tools lack accountability and cannot meet the four authorship criteria.
  • Human Responsibility: Authors must verify all AI-generated content for accuracy, ethics, and originality.
  • Plagiarism: AI-generated text content, as identified by the journal's screening software (e.g., Turnitin), must not exceed 19% of the total manuscript text.

Mandatory AI Disclosure

  • Methods Section: Detail AI use for data analysis (e.g., machine learning algorithms used for performance data).
  • Acknowledgments: Note AI use for writing assistance (e.g., refining language).
  • Cover Letter: Declare any AI-assisted technology used in the research process.
  1. Conflict of Interest (COI) and Funding

The journal strictly follows COPE’s guidance on disclosing financial, professional, or personal relationships that could influence the publication process.

  • Declaration: All conflicts (e.g., grants from sportswear brands, advisory roles in sports federations) must be declared in the submission form and within the manuscript under the heading “Conflict of Interest.”
  • No Conflicts: If none exist, the mandatory statement is: “The authors declare no competing interests.”
  • Funding: All funding sources must be explicitly declared (e.g., "This study was funded by the National Sports Institute..."). If no funding was received, state: “No funding was received for this study.”

 

  1. Journal Policies on Data Sharing and Reproducibility

The journal adheres to COPE’s data sharing standards to promote transparency.

  • Requirements: Authors are required to deposit primary data (e.g., athlete performance metrics, training logs, code for simulations) in recognized repositories like Open Science Framework (OSF) or Figshare and provide DOIs or persistent links.
  • Exceptions: Restrictions on sensitive data (e.g., identifiable health records) must be clearly explained in the Methods section.

 

  1. Handling Research Misconduct

The journal follows COPE’s misconduct guidelines to address issues including Plagiarism, Data Fabrication/Falsification, Citation Manipulation, and Duplicate Submission.

Investigation Process

Allegations should be submitted to the Editorial Office at [email protected]. The editorial team will audit relevant records and correspondence using COPE’s flowcharts.

  • Resolution: Minor issues result in published corrections. Severe misconduct leads to Retraction and notification to the authors’ institutions.

Complaints and Appeals

  • Appeals Process: Authors may appeal editorial decisions (e.g., rejection) by submitting a detailed rebuttal to the Editorial Office within 30 days of notification.
  • Post-Publication Appeals: Concerns about published articles are reviewed under COPE’s retraction guidelines. Corrective actions (Errata or Retractions) are taken to uphold academic integrity.

 

  1. Intellectual Property and Website Transparency
  • Licensing: Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Authors retain copyright while granting the journal first publication rights.
  • Website: The journal's website (updated to reflect the University of Sindh) prominently displays the Aims & Scope, ISSN, and all ethical guidelines.