The Employee Relations Law Journal (Empl. Relat. Law J.) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, research ethics, transparency, and responsible scholarly publishing. The journal expects all authors, editors, reviewers, and other participants in the publication process to adhere to ethical principles that protect the integrity of research and the scholarly record.

The following principles constitute the core of the journal's Publication Ethics Policy and guide all editorial, peer-review, and publishing activities.

Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or development of the scholarly work.

All individuals listed as authors must have made meaningful contributions to the manuscript and should be able to take responsibility for their contributions. All authors should approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission and publication.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be appropriately acknowledged.

The journal does not accept guest authorship, honorary authorship, ghost authorship, or the inappropriate addition or removal of authors without proper justification and agreement from all relevant authors.

Originality

Authors must submit original work that has not been previously published and is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

All sources, quotations, ideas, data, and previously published material must be appropriately cited and acknowledged. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, and substantial unauthorized reuse of previously published material are unacceptable.

Manuscripts may be screened using Turnitin or an equivalent similarity-detection system as part of the journal's editorial assessment.

Data Access and Research Materials

Authors should maintain appropriate records of the data, methods, sources, and materials underlying their research.

Where appropriate and legally and ethically permissible, authors may be requested to provide supporting data or materials to the Editor for verification or clarification. Data should not be shared where doing so would violate participant confidentiality, privacy, contractual obligations, or applicable laws.

Data Citation

Authors should appropriately cite datasets, databases, archival materials, legal sources, and other research materials that materially contribute to their work.

Data and research resources should be described sufficiently to allow readers to understand their origin and, where appropriate, locate or access the underlying source.

Source Acknowledgment

Authors must provide accurate and complete acknowledgment of sources used in their research. All quotations, ideas, arguments, data, legal authorities, reports, publications, and other material derived from external sources must be appropriately attributed.

Failure to properly acknowledge sources may constitute plagiarism or other forms of publication misconduct.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Authors, Editors, and Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that could influence the research, peer-review process, editorial decision, or interpretation of findings.

Conflicts may include financial interests, professional relationships, institutional affiliations, personal relationships, academic competition, or other circumstances that could reasonably affect impartiality.

Where no relevant conflict exists, an appropriate declaration should be provided.

Reporting Standards

Authors are responsible for presenting their research accurately, transparently, and clearly. Manuscripts should contain sufficient information concerning methods, analysis, evidence, sources, and limitations to allow readers to understand and appropriately evaluate the work.

Authors must not knowingly fabricate, falsify, manipulate, or selectively misrepresent research findings, evidence, data, or sources.

Human Rights and Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants must respect human dignity, privacy, autonomy, safety, and fundamental rights.

Authors should comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements governing research involving human participants and personal information. Appropriate ethical approval and informed consent should be obtained where required.

Identifying information concerning research participants should not be published without appropriate consent or another valid legal and ethical basis.

Animal Welfare

Where research involves animals, authors must comply with applicable laws, institutional requirements, and recognized standards for the ethical treatment and welfare of animals.

The journal expects authors to demonstrate that animal research was conducted responsibly and with appropriate attention to minimizing unnecessary harm, suffering, and distress.

Research Ethics

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with relevant ethical, legal, institutional, and professional requirements.

Where applicable, manuscripts should clearly state the relevant ethical approval, oversight, consent, and other safeguards implemented during the research.

The journal reserves the right to request supporting ethical documentation where necessary.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Research involving human participants, identifiable personal information, or other activities requiring ethical oversight should obtain approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB), Research Ethics Committee, or equivalent authorized body before the research is conducted, where required by applicable standards.

The manuscript should provide the name of the approving body and relevant approval or reference information where applicable.

Where formal ethical approval is not required, authors may be asked to provide an appropriate explanation.

Informed Consent

Where research involves human participants, authors should obtain informed consent in accordance with applicable ethical and legal requirements.

Participants should be appropriately informed about the nature and purpose of the research, their involvement, relevant risks and benefits, and their rights, including the right to withdraw where applicable.

Where identifiable personal information, images, or other identifying material is intended for publication, appropriate consent for publication should be obtained where required.

Clinical Trial Registration

Where applicable, clinical trials should be registered in a recognized public clinical trial registry before participant enrollment, in accordance with applicable ethical standards and requirements.

Authors should provide the trial registration name and registration number in the manuscript where applicable.

Author Accountability

Authors are collectively responsible for the integrity and accuracy of their submitted work and individually responsible for their respective contributions.

Authors must cooperate with the journal in responding to reasonable requests for clarification, supporting documentation, corrections, or investigations concerning their manuscript.

If a significant error is identified after publication, authors should promptly inform the Editorial Office and cooperate in correcting the published record.

Research and Publication Misconduct

The journal does not tolerate research or publication misconduct. Potential misconduct may include:

• Plagiarism and self-plagiarism
• Fabrication or falsification of data or information
• Duplicate or redundant publication
• Improper or disputed authorship
• Manipulation of citations
• Peer-review manipulation
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest
• Copyright infringement
• Misrepresentation of research methods or findings
• Failure to obtain required ethical approval
• Inappropriate use or disclosure of confidential information
• Any other conduct that seriously compromises research or publication integrity

When credible concerns arise, the journal may conduct an appropriate investigation and may seek information or documentation from authors, institutions, reviewers, or other relevant parties.

Where misconduct is established or serious concerns remain unresolved, the journal may take appropriate action, including rejection, correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

Corrections

The journal is committed to maintaining an accurate and reliable scholarly record. Authors and readers are encouraged to report significant errors discovered in published articles.

Where an error does not invalidate the overall work but requires correction, the journal may publish a formal correction notice and clearly link it to the original article.

Retractions

A published article may be retracted when there is clear evidence that its findings or conclusions are unreliable or when serious research or publication misconduct has occurred.

Retractions are intended to correct the scholarly record and will be clearly identified. The original article will generally remain accessible where appropriate, with a clear retraction notice explaining the reason for the action.

Editorial and Reviewer Ethics

Editors and reviewers must conduct their responsibilities fairly, independently, and confidentially. They must disclose conflicts of interest and must not use confidential information obtained through the editorial or peer-review process for personal or professional benefit.

The journal follows recognized principles of responsible peer review and publication ethics, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and, where applicable, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Advertising Policy

Advertising and sponsorship, where applicable, must remain separate from editorial and peer-review decision-making. Advertisers or sponsors must not influence the selection, review, acceptance, rejection, or publication of manuscripts.

Advertisements must be clearly distinguishable from scholarly and editorial content. The display of an advertisement does not constitute endorsement by the journal, its Editors, Editorial Board, or reviewers.

The journal reserves the right to reject or remove advertising that is misleading, unlawful, inappropriate, or inconsistent with the journal's academic and ethical standards.

Artificial Intelligence and Publication Ethics

Authors, Editors, and Reviewers should use artificial intelligence tools responsibly and transparently where applicable. AI tools must not be used in a manner that compromises confidentiality, research integrity, authorship accountability, or the originality of scholarly work.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their submitted manuscripts, regardless of whether AI-assisted tools were used during preparation.

Confidential manuscripts and peer-review materials should not be entered into AI systems where confidentiality cannot be adequately protected.

Complaints and Appeals

The journal provides mechanisms for authors and other stakeholders to raise concerns or appeal editorial decisions. Complaints and appeals are reviewed fairly, confidentially, and independently where appropriate.

The journal may refer complex ethical matters to relevant institutions, organizations, or appropriate authorities when necessary.

Commitment to Ethical Publishing

The Employee Relations Law Journal is committed to continuously improving its editorial and publishing practices and to maintaining a trustworthy scholarly record. All participants in the publication process are expected to cooperate in protecting academic integrity, transparency, confidentiality, and responsible research practices.

The journal may update this policy when necessary to reflect developments in ethical standards, applicable regulations, and recognized scholarly publishing guidance.