Statement of Ethics

The Wah Academia Journal of Global Religions is committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. The journal promotes integrity, transparency, and academic responsibility in all aspects of research, editorial decision-making, and publication.

This Statement of Ethics applies to authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher and forms an integral part of the journal’s editorial and publishing framework.

  1. Ethical Framework

The ethical policies and practices of the journal are informed by internationally recognized principles and guidelines, including:

The journal adopts these standards to ensure ethical oversight, accountability, and trust in the scholarly record.

  1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to WAJGR are expected to ensure that:

  • The work is original and has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
  • All sources are properly cited and acknowledged.
  • Data, interpretations, and conclusions are presented honestly and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation.
  • All listed authors have made substantial scholarly contributions and approve the final manuscript.

Plagiarism, redundant publication, and unethical research practices are considered serious violations of publication ethics.

  1. Research Ethics and Cultural Sensitivity

As a journal devoted to the study of religions and belief systems, WAJGR requires that research be conducted and presented with scholarly rigor, respect, and cultural sensitivity. Authors must ensure that:

  • Religious communities, beliefs, and practices are represented accurately and respectfully.
  • Fieldwork or qualitative research involving individuals or communities follows appropriate ethical standards, including informed consent where applicable.
  • Sensitive content is handled with academic responsibility and contextual clarity.
  1. Peer Review Ethics

WAJGR employs a fair and unbiased peer-review process appropriate to the humanities and social sciences. Reviewers are expected to:

  • Treat manuscripts as confidential documents.
  • Declare any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations based solely on academic merit.

Editorial decisions are independent and based on scholarly quality, relevance to the journal’s scope, and ethical compliance.

COPE guidance on peer review: https://publicationethics.org/peerreview

  1. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research or editorial process. Disclosed conflicts are managed transparently in line with COPE recommendations.

COPE guidance on conflicts of interest: https://publicationethics.org/competing-interests

  1. Editorial Independence

The journal operates with full editorial independence. Editorial decisions are not influenced by the publisher, sponsors, or any external interests. This principle safeguards academic freedom and aligns with internationally accepted publishing ethics.

  1. Allegations of Misconduct

Allegations of research or publication misconduct—including plagiarism, data fabrication, authorship disputes, or ethical violations—are handled in accordance with COPE procedures and flowcharts.

COPE guidance on handling misconduct: https://publicationethics.org/guidance

Where necessary, the journal may issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

  1. Transparency and Accessibility

WAJGR is committed to transparency in editorial policies, peer-review procedures, and ethical standards. All relevant policies are publicly accessible on the journal website, in accordance with DOAJ best practices and Web of Science evaluation criteria.

       9. Generative AI

WAJGR acknowledges the emerging role of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in academic writing and research support. Authors may use AI-based tools only for limited purposes such as language editing, grammar correction, or formatting assistance. However, the use of AI to generate scholarly arguments, interpret data, create citations, or produce original research content is strictly prohibited. Any use of generative AI must be transparently disclosed by the authors within the manuscript. AI systems cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the integrity of scholarly work. The Wah Academia Journal of Global Religions follows internationally recognized ethical publishing standards, including the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (https://publicationethics.org) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (https://www.icmje.org), which emphasize transparency, accountability, and the responsible use of emerging technologies in scholarly communication. Any misuse of AI, including plagiarism, fabrication of data, or manipulation of academic content, will be treated as a violation of the journal’s publication ethics policies.

Attribution

The ethical standards referenced in this policy are the intellectual property of their respective organizations. The journal acknowledges and credits COPE and DOAJ for their publicly available guidance on publication ethics and transparency.