Ethics in Publication

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

The Revista Eletrônica Direito e Política (RDP) observes best practices in publication and research ethics in accordance with internationally established guidelines, including the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Below, we outline some of the policies adopted in this regard, as a reinforcement and complement to those discussed in the “Guidelines for Authors.”

Responsibilities of Editors

The editors of the Revista Eletrônica Direito e Política (RDP) are responsible for acting in a balanced, objective, and fair manner in the performance of their duties, without any form of discrimination.

All submissions are processed in accordance with the journal’s standard procedures, ensuring that articles are considered and accepted solely on their academic/scientific merit, without commercial or political influence.

Editors adopt and follow fair and consistent procedures in cases of ethical issues or conflicts, while also granting authors the right to respond to evaluation decisions to which they have been subjected.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers who form part of the evaluation board of the RDP are responsible for contributing to the decision-making process regarding the publication of scientific work, helping to improve the quality of published articles through objective review, within the time limits established in the “Guidelines for Authors.”

They must maintain the confidentiality of any information provided by the editor or author(s), and they are prohibited from retaining or copying the manuscript.

Additionally, reviewers must alert the editor if they identify any published or submitted content suspected of plagiarism or self-plagiarism, i.e., substantially similar to the work under review.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors who submit their scientific work to the RDP are responsible for complying with the journal’s requirements concerning originality and other ethical and methodological standards established in the “Guidelines for Authors.”

Thus, submitted articles must be unpublished and cannot be under review elsewhere, nor previously published in another national or international journal, unless published in another language and country. In such cases, it must be clearly indicated that the article is a version of one already published in another journal.

Upon submission, authors agree to the originality clause and acknowledge that, even after approval and publication on the journal’s website, if ethical irregularities are identified, the article will be immediately withdrawn and replaced with the notice: “This article was withdrawn due to an issue of publication ethics.”

For acceptance, submissions must comply with the following requirements:

a) align with the journal’s research lines;
b) fully comply with the rules set forth in the “Guidelines for Authors”;
c) automatically transfer rights over the work upon submission, for an indefinite period, including the rights to expose, publish, reproduce, store, and/or otherwise use it, expressly, irrevocably, irreversibly, and free of charge, in favor of the RDP;
d) ensure the submitted contribution is original, acknowledge and cite content reproduced from other sources;
e) ensure that any studies involving humans or animals comply with applicable national, local, and institutional laws and requirements;
f) declare any potential conflict of interest that could be considered or perceived as exerting undue influence on the publication process.

Editorial Duties Regarding Unethical Behavior

Any unethical conduct identified in scientific works published in the RDP may be brought to the editor’s attention at any time by anyone, provided sufficient information and evidence are submitted to initiate an investigation.

Evidence must be collected while avoiding unnecessary dissemination of allegations beyond what is required.

In any case, the author must be given the opportunity to respond to any allegations.

All articles undergo peer review to ensure the quality of scientific publications. They are first screened before being sent to reviewers, and in parallel with pre-evaluation criteria, the Farejador self-plagiarism detection software is used.

The editorial office will notify the author or reviewer if there appears to be a misunderstanding or misapplication of acceptable standards.

Formal retraction or withdrawal of the publication may be carried out.

Once an investigation concludes and unethical conduct is confirmed, no further contributions from the author under investigation will be accepted.