Sami Publishing Company

Publishing Policies & Standards

Publisher-Level Policy Hub
Version 1.0 | 2026

1. Purpose

Sami Publishing Company (SPC) maintains a structured set of publishing policies and standards to support responsible, transparent, ethical, and academically independent scholarly publishing.

This Publishing Policies & Standards page serves as the publisher-level policy hub for SPC. It provides an overview of the principal policies governing our publishing activities and establishes their relationship with the SPC Editorial Governance Manual and the individual policies of SPC journals.

The purpose of this framework is to ensure that the principles governing scholarly publishing are clearly defined, publicly accessible, consistently applied, and periodically reviewed.

 

2. Relationship with the SPC Editorial Governance Manual

The SPC Editorial Governance Manual is the overarching publisher-level governance document of Sami Publishing Company.

The present Policy Hub complements that Manual by organizing the principal policies and standards applicable to specific areas of scholarly publishing.

The governance structure can therefore be understood as:

SPC Editorial Governance Manual
↓
SPC Publishing Policies & Standards
↓
Journal-Level Policies and Procedures
↓
Operational Editorial Practice

The publisher-level framework establishes common principles and expectations across SPC publications. Individual journals may establish additional or more detailed policies according to their disciplinary requirements, provided that such policies remain consistent with the fundamental principles of editorial independence, research integrity, fairness, transparency, and responsible publishing.

 

3. Core Publishing Policies

3.1 Editorial Governance

SPC's editorial governance framework establishes the principles governing the relationship between the publisher, editors, editorial boards, reviewers, authors, and other participants in scholarly publishing.

The framework emphasizes appropriate allocation of responsibilities, accountability, transparency, and respect for editorial independence.

Related document:
SPC Editorial Governance Manual

 

3.2 Editorial Independence

SPC supports editorial independence as a fundamental principle of responsible scholarly publishing.

Editorial decisions should be based on scholarly and editorial considerations, including scientific quality, originality, methodological soundness, relevance, research integrity, and suitability for the journal.

Editorial decisions should not be improperly influenced by commercial, political, personal, institutional, or other non-editorial interests.

 

3.3 Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

SPC is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and research integrity.

Our journals maintain procedures for identifying and addressing concerns that may affect the integrity of the scholarly record, including plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, authorship concerns, manipulated peer review, inappropriate image or data manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and other forms of research or publication misconduct.

Individual journals may provide more detailed procedures appropriate to their disciplinary context.

 

3.4 Peer Review

SPC recognizes peer review as an important component of scholarly quality assurance.

Each journal establishes its peer-review model and procedures according to its disciplinary requirements.

Peer-review processes should promote:

• appropriate reviewer expertise;
• independence and objectivity;
• confidentiality where applicable;
• appropriate management of conflicts of interest;
• constructive scholarly assessment; and
• accountable editorial decision-making.

The specific peer-review model used by each journal should be clearly disclosed on its website.

 

3.5 Authorship and Contributorship

SPC supports transparent and responsible attribution of scholarly contributions.

Authorship should reflect genuine intellectual or scholarly contribution to a publication. Individual journals may establish specific authorship and contributorship requirements according to disciplinary standards.

Where appropriate, contributorship statements may be used to clarify the specific roles performed by individual contributors.

 

3.6 Conflict of Interest

SPC recognizes that financial, professional, personal, institutional, or other interests may create actual or perceived conflicts in scholarly publishing.

Authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members are expected to disclose relevant conflicts where applicable.

Conflicts should be assessed and managed appropriately rather than automatically treated as evidence of misconduct.

 

3.7 Artificial Intelligence and Generative Technologies

SPC recognizes the increasing use of artificial intelligence and generative technologies in research and scholarly publishing.

The use of such technologies should be consistent with principles of:

• transparency;
• research integrity;
• accountability;
• confidentiality;
• authorship;
• intellectual property; and
• responsible scholarly communication.

Individual journals may establish specific requirements concerning disclosure of AI-assisted content or other uses of generative technologies.

AI systems cannot assume human accountability for scholarly work and should not be listed as authors.

 

3.8 Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern

SPC recognizes its responsibility to protect the integrity of the published scholarly record after publication.

Where significant errors, ethical concerns, or research-integrity issues are identified, appropriate corrective measures may include:

• corrections;
• retractions;
• expressions of concern; or
• other appropriate post-publication notices.

Such actions should be evidence-based, proportionate, and transparently communicated.

 

3.9 Open Access, Copyright and Licensing

SPC supports transparent communication of the access, copyright, and licensing conditions applicable to each publication.

Individual journals clearly identify their applicable:

• access model;
• copyright arrangements;
• licensing terms;
• author rights;
• publication charges, where applicable; and
• relevant reuse conditions.

Copyright and licensing information should be presented clearly to authors and readers before and after publication.

 

3.10 Data Availability and Research Transparency

SPC supports appropriate transparency concerning research data and materials.

Where relevant to the discipline and study design, authors may be required or encouraged to provide information concerning:

• data availability;
• datasets;
• research materials;
• analytical procedures;
• software or code; and
• other resources necessary to support research transparency.

Individual journals may establish specific data availability requirements appropriate to their disciplines.

 

3.11 Complaints and Appeals

SPC supports fair and transparent mechanisms for addressing legitimate complaints and appeals relating to publishing and editorial processes.

Depending on the nature of a matter, it may be addressed by the relevant editor, editorial body, publisher, or another appropriate authority.

Complaints and appeals should be considered objectively and, where appropriate, confidentially.

Legitimate concerns should be addressed without inappropriate retaliation against individuals who raise them in good faith.

 

3.12 Digital Preservation and Scholarly Infrastructure

SPC recognizes the importance of maintaining the accessibility, integrity, and discoverability of scholarly content over time.

Where applicable, SPC journals use appropriate scholarly infrastructure and persistent identifiers, including services and technologies supporting:

• DOI registration;
• metadata;
• author identification;
• ORCID;
• digital preservation;
• persistent links;
• article discoverability; and
• interoperability with scholarly information systems.

The specific infrastructure used by each journal may vary according to its publishing platform and operational requirements.

 

3.13 Transparency and Accountability

SPC is committed to providing accurate and accessible information concerning its publishing activities.

Where applicable, journals provide transparent information concerning:

• publisher identity;
• editorial leadership;
• journal scope;
• peer-review procedures;
• publication frequency;
• publication ethics;
• copyright and licensing;
• publication charges;
• indexing and abstracting;
• contact information; and
• other relevant publishing information.

SPC considers transparency an ongoing responsibility rather than a promotional activity.

Information published on SPC websites should be accurate, current, and capable of verification.

 

3.14 International Scholarly Engagement

SPC recognizes scholarly publishing as an international activity.

Our journals seek to support participation by qualified researchers, editors, and reviewers from diverse geographical and institutional backgrounds.

International engagement may be reflected through:

• international authorship;
• editorial participation;
• reviewer participation;
• institutional diversity;
• international research collaboration; and
• the geographical reach of published research.

Geographical diversity complements, but does not replace, scholarly expertise as the principal consideration in editorial appointments and peer-review selection.

 

4. Journal-Level Policies

While SPC establishes publisher-level standards, individual journals remain responsible for implementing policies appropriate to their academic disciplines and editorial models.

A journal may therefore maintain additional policies covering matters such as:

• manuscript preparation;
• peer-review procedures;
• authorship;
• research ethics;
• data availability;
• conflicts of interest;
• AI use;
• corrections and retractions;
• copyright and licensing; and
• other discipline-specific matters.

Journal-level policies should be clearly presented on the relevant journal website.

Where a journal adopts requirements that differ from general SPC standards because of legitimate disciplinary considerations, the journal should communicate those requirements transparently.

 

5. Policy Implementation

Publishing policies are meaningful only when they are reflected in actual editorial and publishing practices.

SPC therefore expects its journals and editorial teams to implement applicable policies through appropriate procedures, responsibilities, documentation, and decision-making processes.

The implementation of policies may include:

• editorial screening;
• peer review;
• conflict-of-interest management;
• research-integrity checks;
• documentation of editorial decisions;
• post-publication review;
• correction and retraction procedures; and
• periodic policy review.

The publisher may provide guidance and oversight where publisher-level involvement is appropriate.

 

6. Policy Review and Continuous Development

Scholarly publishing is continuously evolving.

SPC therefore reviews its publishing policies and standards periodically and may revise them in response to:

• developments in scholarly publishing;
• changes in research and publication practices;
• technological developments;
• emerging research-integrity risks;
• changes in applicable standards;
• experience gained from editorial operations; and
• identified opportunities for improvement.

The current version of applicable publisher-level policies should be identified on the SPC website.

 

7. Evidence-Based Publishing

SPC believes that publishing quality should be demonstrated through actual practices and verifiable evidence.

Accordingly, our policies are intended to be supported by:

• transparent editorial structures;
• clearly defined responsibilities;
• documented publishing procedures;
• publicly accessible policies;
• appropriate scholarly infrastructure;
• responsible management of the scholarly record; and
• continuous quality improvement.

SPC does not consider the existence of a written policy, by itself, sufficient evidence of effective implementation.

The objective is to ensure that policy, practice, and evidence remain connected.

 

8. Commitment to Responsible Scholarly Publishing

Sami Publishing Company is committed to developing a publishing environment in which academic independence, research integrity, fairness, transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement are treated as fundamental responsibilities.

Our publisher-level policies establish a common foundation for SPC journals while allowing each journal to maintain the disciplinary and editorial characteristics necessary for its scholarly identity.

SPC will continue to review and improve its publishing policies and practices as scholarly communication evolves.

Our objective is not simply to publish policies, but to translate sound publishing principles into responsible and verifiable editorial practice.

 

Sami Publishing Company
Publishing Policies & Standards
Publisher-Level Policy Hub
Version 1.0 | 2026