Editorial policies

 

Affiliations: Authors and their co-authors are required to provide a comprehensive list of all pertinent affiliations associated with the approval, support, or execution of research or scholarly work. In cases where an author has relocated to a different institution before the article's publication, they should list the affiliation where the work was initially undertaken and include a note indicating their current affiliation. If an author does not currently hold a relevant institutional affiliation, they should specify their independent status.

Appeals and Complaints: Critique: Journal of English Language and Literature adheres to the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding appeals to editorial decisions made by the journal and complaints concerning the editorial management of the peer review process. We encourage authors to submit genuine appeals regarding editorial decisions. However, it is essential to provide compelling evidence or new data/information in response to the comments made by the editors and reviewers.

Authorship: Including authors' names in an article is important for acknowledging significant contributions to the work and ensuring transparency in maintaining content integrity. Authors listed on an article must meet the following criteria:

      a. Made a substantial contribution to the work, encompassing conception, study design, execution, data acquisition, analysis, interpretation, or all of these aspects.
      b. Participated in drafting, writing, substantially revising, or critically reviewing the article.
      c. Consented to the submission of the article to the chosen journal.
      d. Reviewed and agreed upon all versions of the article before submission, during revision, the final accepted version for publication, and any significant changes made during the proofing stage.
      e. Agree to take responsibility for the content and collaborate in resolving any questions regarding  the accuracy or integrity of the published work.

Authorship determination is a collective responsibility of all involved individuals, who must collectively decide on authorship order. The journal editor does not decide on authorship order or mediate authorship disputes. In cases of unresolved disputes, the institution(s) where the work was conducted will be involved in investigation.

Citations: Citations in both research and non-research articles should draw from pertinent, current, and validated literature, preferably peer-reviewed, to substantiate any assertions presented in the article. Authors must refrain from excessive and inappropriate self-citation or coordinated agreements among author groups to inappropriately cite each other's work, as this could be construed as citation manipulation, a form of misconduct. It is advisable to consult the COPE guidance on citation manipulation for further information. For authors of non-research articles such as reviews or opinions, it is essential to ensure that cited references offer a fair and balanced overview of the existing research or scholarly work on the subject. References should not exhibit bias toward any specific research group, organization, or journal. In cases of uncertainty regarding whether to cite a particular source, authors are encouraged to seek guidance from the journal editorial office.

Competing Interests: All authors and their co-authors are required to disclose any competing interests that are pertinent to or could be perceived as relevant to the article. A competing interest arises when you (or your employer, sponsor, or family/friends) maintain a financial, commercial, legal, or professional connection with other organizations, or with individuals working for them, which might impact the research or the interpretation of its findings. Competing interests can encompass both financial and non-financial affiliations. It is imperative for transparency that any associations which could be construed by others as competing interests are also disclosed.

Custom computer codes, software tools, and mathematical algorithms: To facilitate a comprehensive evaluation of submissions, authors must be prepared to provide Editors and/or reviewers with access to any custom computer codes, software tools, or mathematical algorithms utilized to generate the results and conclusions presented in their manuscript, upon request.

Editor Code of Conduct: Critique: Journal of English Language and Literature serves as a platform for trusted and validated research from leading scholars worldwide. Editors play a crucial role in advancing knowledge within their respective fields by:

    ✓ Upholding and enhancing the quality of published work and the integrity of peer review processes.
    ✓ Providing support to authors and reviewers involved in the journal.
    ✓ Collaborating with the broader editorial team to maintain and enhance the journal's reputation.

Critique: Journal of English Language and Literature operates within the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and adheres to all relevant legal and ethical frameworks. The Editor has the following responsibilities:

  1. Follow COPE core practices and guidelines.
  2. Ensure the journal maintains ethical standards and fair processes, upholding its reputation.
  3. Respect intellectual property and maintain research integrity.
  4. Avoid bias in editorial decision-making.
  5. Ensure papers meet ethical standards regarding authorship, originality, duplicate publication, fabrication/falsification, and proper referencing.
  6. Ensure authors disclose funding sources and other resources.
  7. Maintain confidentiality of all parties involved in the editorial process.
  8. Use Turnitin or Crossref Similarity Check to detect potential plagiarism and follow COPE guidelines when addressing similarity issues.
  9. Ensure editorials aim for balance, fairness, and avoid defamation
  10. Encourage constructive criticism in reviews and address concerns raised by editorial board members, reviewers, and interested parties.
  11. Understand copyright rules related to sharing published and unpublished work and various forms of open access licenses.
  12. Ensure submitted articles meet subject-specific ethical standards and address concerns appropriately.
  13. Maintain confidentiality of submission and peer review details, avoiding uploading unpublished manuscript files to databases or tools lacking confidentiality guarantees.
  14. Act with good faith and without ethical compromise, reporting any unauthorized payments or unethical incentives to the Publisher immediately.

Funding: Authors submitting articles to the Critique must declare all sources of financial support that contributed to covering the expenses associated with the research reported. This includes both internal and external funds, grants, and other forms of financial assistance. Examples of funding sources to declare include:

    ✓ Internal funds, grants, and support from the authors' institutions, employers, or affiliated organizations.
    ✓ External funds from charities/non-profit organizations, private foundations, for-profit companies (e.g., technological or pharmaceutical companies), think tanks, political advocacy groups, trade associations, research associations, and government bodies.

Authors should declare funding used for various purposes related to the research, including expenses associated with performing the research, outsourcing services or external assistance, language editing services, translators, technical writers, and travel necessary for the research project. The funding declaration must include the full name(s) of the funding body, grant number(s), and ideally, the name of the person/group to whom the grant was awarded. If the funder played an active role in the research study, such as data acquisition or analysis, this should be clearly stated in the competing interest(s) declaration. Authors must be prepared to provide funding documentation and additional information to the journal office if requested, including information on funding used toward submission and publication fees. Failure to disclose funding may be considered misconduct and could result in corrective action, including issuing correction or retraction notices on published articles. This declaration ensures transparency and integrity in the scholarly record. If no funding was obtained for the reported work, authors are encouraged to declare that no funding was obtained.

Harassment: Government College University Faisalabad, along with the Department of English Literature as the publisher of this journal, maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of harassment directed towards our authors, editors, reviewers, staff, or subscribers. We are committed to fostering an environment of mutual respect and professionalism. In the event of any instances of harassment, we will collaborate closely with the journal ethics team and legal experts to address and resolve the issue promptly and appropriately. For researchers who may experience harassment, particularly those working on high-profile subjects that attract controversy, it is important to be aware of the following:

Expect Scrutiny: Researchers should anticipate that their work may be subjected to scrutiny by various parties, including the public, policymakers, and campaigners. This scrutiny is a natural part of engaging in scholarly research and contributing to public discourse.

Awareness of Online Harassment: Researchers, especially those working on contentious topics, should be mindful of the possibility of encountering online harassment. This can take various forms, including abusive messages, cyberbullying, or targeted campaigns aimed at discrediting the researcher or their work.

Seek Support: Researchers who experience harassment should not hesitate to seek support from their institution, colleagues, or relevant authorities. It's essential to reach out for assistance and not to suffer in silence.

Document Instances: Keeping records of any instances of harassment, including screenshots or saved messages, can be valuable for documenting the situation and seeking appropriate recourse.

Report to Authorities: If harassment occurs, researchers should consider reporting it to relevant authorities, such as their institution's ethics committee, human resources department, or law enforcement, depending on the severity and nature of the harassment.

Maintain Self-Care: Dealing with harassment can be emotionally challenging. Researchers should prioritize self-care and seek support from friends, family, or mental health professionals if needed.

Images and figures: When including images and figures in your article, it's essential to ensure they are relevant and add value to the scholarly work. Avoid using purely illustrative content that does not contribute substantively to the research. Furthermore, if you intend to include material in your article that is owned and held in copyright by a third party, such as proprietary text, illustrations, tables, or other material, it's imperative to obtain the necessary written permission. This includes various types of content like data, audio, video, film stills, screenshots, musical notation, and any supplemental material. If the content includes identifiable or protected information, such as photographs, video or audio recordings, 3D models, illustrations, etc., which could reveal the identity of patients, study participants, or subjects, consent must be obtained from them or their legal guardians. In cases where additional permissions are required, such as from community leaders in indigenous communities or from protected sources like museum collections, authors must secure these permissions before submitting the manuscript. By adhering to these guidelines and obtaining the required permissions, authors can ensure the integrity and ethical compliance of their research articles.

Misconduct: It's crucial for all parties involved in scholarly publishing to take misconduct seriously to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record. Examples of misconduct that must be addressed include, but are not limited to:

    ▪ Affiliation misrepresentation: Providing false or misleading information about institutional affiliations.
    ▪ Breaches in copyright/use of third-party material without appropriate permissions: Unauthorized use of copyrighted material without obtaining proper permissions.
    ▪ Citation manipulation: Engaging in inappropriate or excessive self-citation or coordinating with other authors to artificially inflate citation counts.
    ▪ Duplicate submission/publication: Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously or publishing the same work in multiple journals without proper disclosure.
    ▪ Ethics dumping: Conducting research in a manner that exploits populations or communities without adequate ethical oversight or consent.
    ▪ Image or data manipulation/fabrication: Altering or fabricating images or data to misrepresent research findings.
    ▪ Peer review manipulation: Attempting to manipulate the peer review process, such as by suggesting biased reviewers or influencing editorial decisions.
    ▪ Plagiarism: Presenting someone else's work, ideas, or words as one's own without proper attribution.
    ▪ Text-recycling/self-plagiarism: Reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without proper citation or acknowledgment.
    ▪ Undisclosed competing interests: Failing to disclose financial, professional, or personal relationships that may influence the research or interpretation of results.
    ▪ Unethical research: Conducting research that violates ethical principles or standards, such as conducting experiments without proper consent or approval.

Website Usage T&Cs: The usage, cookies, and privacy policies for the Critique: Journal of English Language and Literature website are the same as those of the Government College University Faisalabad official website.

Autonomy of the Editorial Collective: The Editorial Collective is approved by the Vice Chancellor as the competent authority, and any changes to the Editorial Collective require the Vice Chancellor's approval. However, this does not apply to the Advisory Panel. The approved Editorial Collective, through mutual or democratic decision, can add or remove members from the Advisory Panel, make changes to the Advisory Panel as a whole, and make policy decisions in the best interest of the journal without further approval. Similarly, the Editorial Collective has the authority to retract any published articles on valid grounds, impose any submission fees or charges, allocate funds for journal improvements, and create or amend policies through mutual or democratic decision without needing additional approval from the Vice Chancellor or any other authority. The Editorial Collective, by mutual or democratic decision, may also alter the contents of the journal website at any time without prior approval from any authority. However, the names of the founding Editorial Collective members will remain on the website indefinitely, regardless of their current status. These members will always be recognized as part of the founding collective and cannot be removed by any means or authority.

Data Protection Policy: At Critique, we are committed to ensuring the privacy and security of your personal information. We collect data, including names, email addresses, and affiliations, solely for the purpose of managing manuscript submissions, facilitating the peer review process, and communicating necessary updates. Your personal information will not be sold or rented and may only be disclosed to authorized editorial staff and third-party service providers under strict confidentiality agreements. We employ appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data against unauthorized access and comply with applicable data protection laws. You retain the rights to access, rectify, or request the deletion of your personal information

Abstracting & Indexing: The journal editorial office aims to have the journal abstracted and indexed in leading recognized services.

 

Please note: We strive to ensure the accuracy of all information (referred to as the "Content") within our publications. However, neither the Department of English Literature at Government College University Faisalabad Pakistan, its publication office, or our journal team (including editors, members of the editorial team or board, and guest editors), nor our licensors, make any representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Opinions and views expressed in our publications are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publication office. The accuracy of the Content should not be solely relied upon and should be independently verified using primary sources of information. The journal office shall not be held liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, or other liabilities arising directly or indirectly from, in connection with, or related to the use of the Content.