Publication Ethics

Aloka Publications is committed to the integrity of the scholarly record. We follow the Core Practices and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for books, and we expect the same standards from our authors, editors and reviewers.

Authorship

  • Everyone named as an author must have made a substantial contribution to the book or chapter, approved the final text, and accept responsibility for it.
  • Everyone who meets these conditions must be named. Gift, guest and ghost authorship are not accepted.
  • Changes to the list of authors after acceptance need the written agreement of all authors.
  • Contributions that do not meet the authorship conditions should be acknowledged.

Originality and plagiarism

  • Submitted work must be original and must not have been published elsewhere, except as agreed with us (for example, a revised edition or a thesis turned into a book, declared at submission).
  • Text, figures, tables and data taken from other sources, including the authors' own earlier publications, must be cited, and permission obtained where needed.
  • Manuscripts are checked with similarity-detection software. Where we find plagiarism before publication, the manuscript may be returned or declined. Where it is found after publication, we follow the steps under Corrections and retractions.

Use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools

  • AI tools cannot be authors, because they cannot take responsibility for the work.
  • Authors who use AI tools to draft or edit text, or to create images, must say so in the preface or acknowledgements, naming the tool and how it was used. Using AI only to check grammar and spelling does not need to be declared.
  • Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality and correct citation of all content, including anything produced with AI.
  • Editors and reviewers must not upload manuscripts to AI tools, because this breaks confidentiality.

Research ethics and permissions

  • Research with human participants or animals that is reported in our books must have had approval from the appropriate ethics committee, and informed consent where required.
  • Authors must obtain written permission to reproduce copyrighted material (figures, tables, long quotations) and supply it with the manuscript.
  • Patient images and case details must not identify the patient unless written consent for publication has been obtained.

Conflicts of interest

Authors, editors and reviewers must declare any financial, professional or personal interest that could affect, or be seen to affect, their work on a book. Editors and reviewers with a conflict of interest step aside. Books by members of our editorial team are handled as described in our Peer Review Policy.

Responsibilities of editors and reviewers

  • Decisions are based only on the quality of the work, its relevance and the readership, regardless of the authors' gender, religion, caste, nationality, institution or seniority.
  • Manuscripts are kept confidential and are not used for any other purpose.
  • Reviewers give fair, specific and constructive comments, and report any suspected misconduct to the editor.

Corrections and retractions

  • Corrections (errata): significant errors found after publication are corrected in the eBook and noted in the next printing, and a correction notice is placed on the book's page.
  • Retractions: where a book or chapter is found to contain plagiarism, fabricated data or other serious misconduct, it is withdrawn from sale and a retraction notice explaining why is published on its page. The bibliographic record remains.
  • Concerns are investigated following the relevant COPE flowcharts, and authors are given a chance to respond. Where needed, we contact the authors' institutions.

Complaints

To raise a concern about a published book, about possible misconduct, or about how a manuscript was handled, write to info@alokapublications.com with the subject line “Ethics concern”. We acknowledge every complaint within seven days and tell you the outcome once we have investigated. Complaints are handled by an editor who is not involved with the book in question.