Publication Ethics

Folia Orientalia is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and adheres to the COPE Core Practices and related guidance issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All participants in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, editors, members of the Editorial Board and the publisher—are expected to adhere to the principles set out in this policy.

Responsibilities of Editors

The Editors-in-Chief are responsible for ensuring the quality, integrity and fairness of the editorial process.

Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their scholarly merit, originality, clarity, methodological soundness and relevance to the journal's scope, without discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, nationality, ethnic origin or political views.

The Editors-in-Chief are responsible for making publication decisions based on the recommendations of independent peer reviewers and their own academic judgement. They reserve the right to accept, reject or request revisions to any submitted manuscript.

Editors and members of the Editorial Board treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Information concerning submitted manuscripts will not be disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, editorial advisers and the publisher, where appropriate.

Editors will not use unpublished material disclosed in submitted manuscripts in their own research without the explicit written consent of the authors.

Where allegations of research or publication misconduct arise, the Editors-in-Chief will investigate them in accordance with the COPE Core Practices, related guidance and COPE flowcharts, and will take appropriate action, including the publication of corrections, expressions of concern or retractions where necessary.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are expected to submit original, unpublished work that has not been submitted simultaneously to another journal.

Submission of a manuscript implies that all authors have read and approved the manuscript and agree to its submission to Folia Orientalia.

Manuscripts should present an accurate account of the research undertaken together with an objective discussion of its significance. Data should be reported honestly and accurately, and manuscripts should contain sufficient information to allow other researchers to verify or replicate the work where appropriate.

Plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation intended to mislead readers, and other forms of research misconduct are unacceptable and may result in rejection of the manuscript or retraction of the published article.

All sources used in the preparation of the manuscript must be properly acknowledged and cited.

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a substantial scholarly contribution to the conception, design, execution or interpretation of the study. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have approved the final version of the manuscript and consented to its submission.

Authors should disclose any financial or personal relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the reported research, together with all sources of research funding.

If authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they are expected to notify the Editors-in-Chief promptly and cooperate in correcting or retracting the article where necessary.

Authors may be asked to provide the underlying research data for editorial assessment and are encouraged to preserve these data for a reasonable period after publication.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Generative AI tools (including large language models) may not be listed as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality and integrity of all submitted content, irrespective of the use of AI-assisted technologies.

Where generative AI tools have been used in the preparation of a manuscript beyond minor language editing or formatting assistance, authors should disclose their use in the manuscript.

Conflict of Interests

Authors, reviewers and editors should disclose any financial, institutional or personal relationships that could influence—or reasonably be perceived to influence—the editorial or peer-review process.

Editors and reviewers who identify a conflict of interest should withdraw from handling or reviewing the manuscript.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer review plays a central role in maintaining the scholarly quality of Folia Orientalia.

Reviewers should evaluate manuscripts objectively, constructively and within the agreed timeframe. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate.

Reviewers should treat all manuscripts as confidential documents and must not share or discuss their contents with others without prior permission from the Editors-in-Chief.

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and inform the Editors-in-Chief of any substantial similarity between the manuscript under review and other published or submitted work of which they are aware.

Reviewers should also alert the Editors-in-Chief to any suspected ethical concerns or possible publication misconduct identified during the review process.

Information obtained through peer review must remain confidential and may not be used for personal advantage.

Research Integrity and Publication Misconduct

Folia Orientalia takes all forms of publication misconduct seriously.

To safeguard the integrity of the scholarly record, all submitted manuscripts may be screened using iThenticate plagiarism-detection software before entering the peer-review process.

Cases involving plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated or falsified data, unethical research practices, undisclosed conflicts of interest or any other breach of research integrity will be investigated in accordance with the COPE Core Practices, related guidance and COPE flowcharts.

Where misconduct is confirmed, the journal may reject the manuscript, publish a correction or expression of concern, retract the article, or notify the authors' institution where appropriate.

Data Availability

Folia Orientalia encourages authors to make research data and other supporting materials openly available whenever possible through recognised public repositories.

Authors are encouraged to include a Data Availability Statement indicating where supporting data can be accessed.

Where no research data are associated with a manuscript, authors may indicate that no research data are available or applicable.

Post-Publication Corrections

The journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

Where errors are identified after publication, appropriate action will be taken depending on their nature and severity.

Minor errors that do not affect the interpretation of the research may be corrected by means of a formal correction notice.

Where more substantial concerns arise regarding the reliability or integrity of a published article, the Editors-in-Chief may publish an Expression of Concern while an investigation is ongoing.

Articles may be retracted where there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable owing to misconduct or honest error, where the work constitutes plagiarism, duplicate publication, or reports unethical research.

Retraction notices will remain permanently linked to the original article, clearly identify the reason for retraction, and distinguish honest error from research misconduct. Retracted articles will remain part of the scholarly record and will not be removed from the journal's archive.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors who wish to appeal an editorial decision may submit a reasoned appeal to the Editors-in-Chief. Appeals will be considered impartially, and additional independent expert opinions may be sought where appropriate.

Complaints concerning the editorial process or publication ethics will be handled confidentially and in accordance with the COPE Core Practices and related guidance.

The decision of the Editors-in-Chief following the appeal shall be final.

Policy Review

This policy is reviewed periodically by the Editors-in-Chief and the Editorial Board to ensure continued compliance with international standards of publication ethics and to reflect developments in editorial best practice.