Publication Ethics
African Nexus Quarterly is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. We follow the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and require all authors, reviewers, and editors to comply with these ethical standards.
Plagiarism & Duplication
The journal uses dedicated plagiarism detection software. All submissions must represent original, unpublished work. Duplicate submission or self-plagiarism will result in immediate rejection.
Authorship Criteria
All individuals listed as authors must have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research design, execution, or interpretation. Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial, personal, or institutional relationships that could be perceived as influencing or biasing the study’s findings.
AI and Generative Tools
Authors must disclose in their manuscript if AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) were used in draft preparation. The nature of their use must be explicitly described in the methodology section.
Reviewer Responsibilities
- Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and not share them with others.
- Objectivity: Reviewers must complete evaluations objectively, supporting their recommendations with clear arguments.
- Conflict Disclosure: Reviewers must notify the editor and decline invitations if they have a conflict of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other connections with authors or institutions.
Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern
African Nexus Quarterly adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines for handling errors and academic misconduct:
- Corrections (Erratum/Corrigendum): Published when minor honest errors or inadvertent omissions occur that do not invalidate the article's core findings.
- Retractions: Issued in severe cases of plagiarism, duplicate submission, data fabrication, or unethical conduct.
Appeals and Complaints
Authors who wish to appeal an editorial decision or submit a formal complaint regarding peer-review conduct may contact the Editor-in-Chief directly at editor@anq.aftap.org. Appeals must present clear evidence of procedural errors or factual inaccuracies in peer evaluations.
Research Involving Human Participants & Ethics Approval
For all empirical studies involving human participants, communities, or institutions, authors must obtain formal approval from an institutional ethics committee. The name of the ethics committee, approval date, and protocol/document number must be explicitly stated in the Methodology section of the manuscript.