Beyond the Mainstream: Studying North-East India
1. Ethical Principles
Beyond the Mainstream: Studying North-East India, published by Dakshin Kamrup Girls’ College, Mirza, Assam, India, is committed to maintaining academic integrity, originality, transparency, fairness, and ethical standards in scholarly publishing. The journal publishes research exclusively in the Humanities and Social Sciences, with particular emphasis on North-East India.
Authors, editors, reviewers, and all individuals involved in the publication process are expected to uphold these principles and act responsibly to prevent plagiarism, research misconduct, conflicts of interest, and other forms of unethical publication practice.
2. Responsibilities of the Editors
The Chief Editor and editorial team are responsible for maintaining the academic quality and integrity of the journal. Their responsibilities include:
- Evaluating manuscripts objectively on the basis of originality, scholarly merit, relevance, and quality, without discrimination.
- Ensuring that submissions undergo appropriate editorial screening and peer review.
- Maintaining the confidentiality of manuscripts and author information throughout the review process.
- Avoiding decisions influenced by personal, financial, professional, or institutional conflicts of interest.
- Taking appropriate action when plagiarism, research misconduct, or ethical violations are suspected.
- Making final publication decisions based on reviewers’ recommendations and the journal’s editorial standards.
3. Responsibilities of Reviewers
The journal follows a double-blind peer-review process in which the identities of authors and reviewers remain confidential. Reviewers are expected to:
- Evaluate manuscripts fairly, objectively, and within the agreed timeframe.
- Provide constructive comments to improve the quality and clarity of scholarly work.
- Identify relevant published research that has not been appropriately cited.
- Inform the editor of suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, or other ethical concerns.
- Decline assignments involving conflicts of interest or subjects outside their expertise.
- Maintain confidentiality and refrain from using unpublished information for personal or professional advantage.
4. Responsibilities of Authors
Authors submitting manuscripts to the journal must ensure that:
- Their work is original, unpublished, and not under consideration by another journal.
- All sources, quotations, ideas, data, and previously published materials are properly acknowledged.
- Research findings and interpretations are presented accurately and honestly.
- All listed authors have made appropriate scholarly contributions and approved the final manuscript.
- Relevant funding sources and conflicts of interest are disclosed.
- Necessary permissions and ethical approvals are obtained wherever applicable.
- The manuscript complies with the journal’s author guidelines and referencing requirements.
Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their manuscripts and must cooperate with the editorial team when clarification or correction is required.
5. Plagiarism and Similarity Screening
All submitted manuscripts will be screened using appropriate plagiarism-detection or similarity-checking software before publication. The editorial team will assess similarity reports contextually, considering proper quotations, citations, references, and legitimate textual overlap.
Plagiarism, unattributed borrowing, inappropriate text reuse, fabricated references, and other forms of academic misconduct may result in revision requests, rejection, or further action under the journal’s ethical procedures.
6. Duplicate Submission and Publication
Manuscripts submitted to the journal must not be simultaneously submitted to another publication. Authors must disclose any substantial overlap with their previously published work, including conference papers, dissertations, or other scholarly outputs.
Duplicate publication or undisclosed substantial reuse of published material may result in rejection or other appropriate editorial action.
7. Research Ethics and Informed Consent
Authors must conduct research in accordance with applicable ethical standards. Studies involving interviews, surveys, oral histories, human participants, or sensitive personal information must respect privacy, confidentiality, and informed consent requirements wherever applicable.
Research involving indigenous and tribal communities should demonstrate cultural sensitivity and respect for community rights, traditional knowledge, and appropriate consent procedures. Authors must obtain institutional ethical approval where required and disclose relevant ethical considerations when submitting their manuscripts.
8. Authorship and Conflicts of Interest
Authorship must reflect genuine scholarly contributions. Individuals who have not made an appropriate contribution should not be listed as authors, and all authors must approve the final manuscript.
Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose relevant financial, professional, institutional, or personal interests that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their work or decisions. Appropriate measures should be taken to manage such conflicts.
9. Use of Artificial Intelligence
Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their submissions. Generative AI tools must not be listed as authors. Substantive use of AI in writing, translation, analysis, or other relevant research activities should be disclosed in accordance with the journal’s policy.
Authors must independently verify AI-generated facts, quotations, and references. AI tools must not be used to fabricate data, sources, research findings, or citations.
10. Manuscript Withdrawal
Authors wishing to withdraw a submitted manuscript must send a written request to the editorial office, stating the reasons for withdrawal. The editorial team will review the request and confirm the withdrawal in writing.
Once a manuscript has been accepted or published, withdrawal or removal will be considered only in accordance with the journal’s editorial procedures and applicable publication ethics standards.
11. Corrections and Retractions
The journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy and reliability of its published content. If significant errors, plagiarism, fabricated findings, or other serious ethical violations are identified, the editorial team will investigate the matter fairly.
Depending on the circumstances, the journal may publish a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction. Decisions will be based on the available evidence, the seriousness of the issue, and the need to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.
12. Confidentiality and Data Protection
The journal will handle manuscripts, reviewer reports, author details, and editorial correspondence confidentially. Such information will not be disclosed to unauthorized persons or used for purposes unrelated to the editorial process, except where disclosure is necessary to address ethical concerns or comply with applicable requirements.
13. Complaints and Ethical Misconduct
Authors, reviewers, and other concerned parties may submit complaints regarding editorial decisions, publication practices, or suspected ethical misconduct to the editorial office. Complaints will be examined impartially, and appropriate action will be taken based on the available evidence and the journal’s established procedures.
14. Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions will be based on scholarly merit, originality, relevance, research integrity, and the outcome of the review process. Decisions must not be improperly influenced by personal relationships, institutional interests, financial considerations, or external pressure.
15. Commitment to Ethical Publishing
Beyond the Mainstream: Studying North-East India seeks to foster responsible research, transparent editorial practices, and respect for diverse scholarly perspectives. Through adherence to these ethical principles, the journal aims to maintain academic credibility and contribute meaningfully to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, particularly concerning North-East India.