Societas: A Journal for Philosophical Study of Public Affairs
Publishing Ethics
Societas: A Journal for Philosophical Study of Public Affairs is an interdisciplinary journal for enquiries on the relations between normative theory and empirical research. The journal does not accept submissions involving academic misconduct, including but not limited to: plagiarism, duplicate submission, data fabrication, honorary authorship, and undisclosed conflicts of interest. Its Publication Ethics adhere to the guidelines established by Elsevier B.V. (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/publishing-ethics) and the Taiwan Political Science Review (https://www.tpsr.tw/zh-hant/page/chu-ban-yu-xie-zuo-lun-li), encompassing the responsibilities and obligations of editors, reviewers, and authors.
Duties of the Editors
Publication decisions
Editors independently determine which submitted manuscripts merit publication, based on the validity of the research and its significance to the scholarly community and readership. Editorial decisions must comply with journal policies and applicable legal standards, including those concerning defamation, copyright, and plagiarism. Editors may also consult the editorial board when making publication decisions.
Anonymous peer review
Editors shall ensure that the manuscript review process is fair, impartial, and timely. Submissions are typically evaluated by at least two anonymous reviewers, with additional opinions solicited when necessary.
Fair play
The editor should evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
Confidentiality
The editor must protect the confidentiality of all material submitted to the journal and all communications with reviewers, unless otherwise agreed with the relevant authors and reviewers. Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.
Declaration of competing interests
Editors must not be involved in the review or decision-making process for manuscripts authored by themselves, their family members, colleagues, or those with whom they have a conflict of interest. Such submissions must follow all standard journal procedures, undergo peer review independent of the involved authors or editors and their research teams, and include a clear disclosure statement.
Duties of Reviewers
Contribution to editorial decisions
Anonymous peer review assists editors in making publication decisions and supports authors in improving their manuscripts. Beyond evaluating scholarly merit, reviewers should identify potential ethical concerns, including similarities between the manuscript and other published works known to them, and alert the editor accordingly. All observations, citations, and inferential claims must be properly referenced. Reviewers unable to fulfill the review due to conflict of interest or time constraints must promptly notify the editor.
Standards of objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate, and reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
Confidentiality
All manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers are prohibited from sharing the review or any information related to the manuscript with others without explicit permission from the editor. They must not use any unpublished data contained in the manuscript for their own research. Information or ideas obtained through anonymous peer review must be kept confidential and must not be used for personal advantage.
Duties of Authors
Article standards
Authors of original research must accurately describe their work and objectively assess its significance. Manuscripts should include sufficient argumentation and relevant citations. Fraudulent or inaccurate statements violate academic ethics and will not be accepted. All essays (article, book review, and research notes) should also be accurate and objective.
Originality and acknowledgement of sources
Authors must ensure their work is entirely original. Use of others' content or text requires proper citation or permission when necessary. Relevant publications influencing the reported work should be cited, and appropriate scholarly context must be provided. Private information obtained through conversation, correspondence, or discussion may not be used or disclosed without explicit written consent from the source. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, misrepresenting another's work as one's own, copying or paraphrasing substantial portions without attribution, and claiming results derived from others' research. All forms of plagiarism are unethical and unacceptable.
Duplicate submission or simultaneous submission
Authors must not submit substantially identical research to multiple journals. Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript constitutes unethical and unacceptable conduct. In principle, previously published work should not be resubmitted for review elsewhere. Secondary publication is permissible only with explicit approval from the author and both journal editors, and must clearly indicate the source of the original publication.
Citations
Authors must cite relevant, timely, and verified literature to support claims made in their manuscripts. References should primarily consist of peer-reviewed sources. Authors shall:
- Ensure all statements relying on external sources are properly cited.
- Ensure that all cited references are verifiable through Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) or other permanent identifiers.
- Avoid excessive or inappropriate self-citation.
- Avoid excessive or inappropriate citation of works by other authors or institutions, and do not engage in mutual citation with others for the purpose of increasing citation counts.
- Avoid citing an excessive number of sources to support a single claim.
Editors and reviewers may recommend additional references during anonymous peer review for legitimate scholarly reasons. If such recommendations involve works authored by the editor, reviewer, or their affiliates, they must be justified by academic merit rather than intended to increase visibility or citation metrics. Authors who suspect a violation of this principle should notify the editor upon receiving the recommendation.
Co-authorship of Academic Papers
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. All individuals who have made significant contributions must be listed as co-authors. Those who have participated in specific substantive aspects of the work should be appropriately acknowledged in the acknowledgments section. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors meet the criteria for authorship, that no inappropriate individuals are included, and that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript as well as its submission.
Conflict of Interest
A conflict of interest is defined as a divergence between an individual’s private interests and their responsibilities in scientific research and publication, such that a reasonable observer might question whether the individual's actions or judgments are influenced by personal gain. Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could potentially affect their research within the manuscript. All sources of financial support received for the conduct of the research and the preparation of the manuscript must be disclosed, along with a statement clarifying the role of the funder(s), if any, in the study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation, manuscript writing, and the decision to submit for publication. If the funder(s) not been involved in these aspects, this should be explicitly stated. Potential conflicts of interest requiring disclosure include employment, consultancy, equity ownership, honoraria, compensation for expert testimony, patent applications or registrations, research grants, and other sources of funding. Such conflicts should be disclosed at the earliest possible stage.
Notification of Content Errors
If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must promptly notify the journal editor. Should the editor deem it necessary, the author is expected to cooperate in retracting or correcting the article. In cases where the editor is informed of such errors by a third party, the author must also assist in the ensuing investigation and provide relevant documentation when required.
