Editorial independence
Decisions are based on relevance, originality, argument, responsible scholarship and compliance with journal policies. Donors, affiliations, commercial interests and personal relationships must not determine acceptance.
Authorship and disclosure
Authorship requires a substantive contribution and responsibility for the work. All authors approve submission. Funding, competing interests and relevant institutional relationships must be disclosed. Authors remain accountable for accuracy, permissions and citations.
Publication metadata and attribution
Article authorship, contributor biography, reviewed-book authorship, publication type and peer-review status are recorded separately. A book author is not automatically the author of a review. Citations credit the author or organisation responsible for the contribution. Each article identifies its copyright holder/licensor and applicable licence; neither authorship nor licensing is inferred from a biography or book title. Peer-review status reflects the assessment actually completed.
Artificial intelligence
Authors must disclose substantive use of generative AI, identify its purpose and verify its output. AI tools cannot be authors. Fabricated references, evidence or quotations are unacceptable. Confidential submissions must not be uploaded to external AI services without appropriate permission and safeguards.
Corrections and the scholarly record
Material errors should be reported to the editor. Corrections, expressions of concern or retractions should explain the reason and remain linked to the affected work. Published records should not silently be altered to conceal substantive errors.
Appeals and complaints
Send a reasoned appeal or ethical concern to the editorial office, identifying the manuscript and supporting evidence. Where a concern involves an editor, assessment should be assigned to a person without the relevant conflict.