Zeus Press is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in publishing. These ethical guidelines ensure the integrity of the research and the publication process, fostering trust among authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. Our ethical policies are aligned with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). 

1. Authorship and Contribution

• Criteria for Authorship: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors.
• Corresponding Author: One author should be designated as the corresponding author, who will ensure that all co-authors approve the final version of the paper and agree to its submission for publication.
• Acknowledgments: Contributions from individuals who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately.

2. Originality and Plagiarism

• Original Works: Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original works. If the authors have used the work and/or words of others, these must be appropriately cited or quoted.
• Plagiarism: Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. This includes the following:

Direct plagiarism: Reproducing word-for-word work of others without attribution.

Self-plagiarism: Reusing significant portions of one's own previously published work without citation.

Paraphrasing plagiarism: Rephrasing ideas of another without proper acknowledgment.

3. Data Access and Retention

Data Sharing: Authors may be asked to provide the raw data of their study for editorial review and should be prepared to provide public access to such data, if possible.

Data Retention: Authors should retain their raw data after publication of their research for a reasonable time and should be prepared to make it available if questions arise about the research.

4. Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication

Policy on Redundancy: Authors should not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently. It is prohibited to publish redundant or duplicate publications, which involve the same hypotheses, data, discussion points, or conclusions in multiple papers.

5. Acknowledgment of Sources

Proper Attribution: All sources of data, references, figures, and texts should be provided in the manuscript. Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

6. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Conflict of Interest Statement: All authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.

Financial Support: All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

7. Ethical Treatment of Human and Animal Subjects

Human Subjects: If the work involves the use of human subjects, the authors must ensure that the work has been performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and must include a statement about it in the manuscript. The privacy rights of human subjects must always be observed.

Animal Subjects: For experimental involving animals, authors must ensure that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that the appropriate institutional committee(s) has approved them.

8. Peer Review Process

Confidentiality: Reviewers must keep the content of the manuscript and the review process confidential.

Objective Assessment: Reviews should be conducted objectively, with no personal criticism of the author. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest: Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

9. Fundamental Errors in Published Works

Author's Responsibility: If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with them to retract or correct the paper.

10. Handling Ethical Complaints

Procedure for Complaints: Zeus Press adheres to COPE's guidelines on handling ethical complaints. Complaints concerning unethical behavior should be directed to the editor-in-chief, and proper measures will be taken following the COPE flowcharts.

COPE’s Practices

>> Allegations of Misconduct

>> Authorship and Contributorship

>> Complaints and Appeals

>> Conflicts of Interest / Competing Interests

>> Data and Reproducibility

>> Ethical Oversight

>> Intellectual Property

>> Journal Management

>> Peer Review Processes

>> Post-publication Discussions and Corrections

For any further questions or concerns regarding our ethical policies, you can contact us.