Citations Policy

Accurate and ethical citation practices are essential to uphold the integrity and quality of scholarly publishing. All types of submissions, including research articles, reviews, commentaries, and opinion pieces, must include appropriate citations to relevant and reliable literature that supports the claims and arguments made.

1. Unacceptable Practices

• Excessive self-citation by an individual author or group
• Coordinated citation rings or mutual citation agreements between authors or institutions
• Gratuitous citation of articles from the journal to which the manuscript is being submitted, without scholarly justification
• Any form of citation manipulation intended to artificially inflate metrics or visibility

Violations may lead to immediate rejection of the manuscript and, in serious cases, notification to the authors’ affiliated institutions. Similarly, if peer reviewers or editors are found encouraging inappropriate citation practices, authors are encouraged to report such behavior to the publisher.

2. Citation Guidelines for Authors

• Cite all external sources of information, including data, concepts, methods, or prior research that is not the authors’ original contribution or common knowledge.
• Reference original work directly, rather than citing review articles that summarize or reference the original study.
• Ensure citation accuracy, meaning the cited work should directly support the statements being made in the manuscript. Misrepresentation of cited content is unethical.
• Do not cite materials not personally reviewed or read by the authors.
• Avoid preferential citation of one’s own work, that of collaborators, colleagues, or publications from the same institution, unless clearly justified.
• Do not limit citations to works from a single geographic region or country without valid reason.
• Refrain from excessive citations to support a single point. Use only the most relevant and high-quality references.
• Prefer peer-reviewed sources wherever possible, to maintain scholarly rigor.
• Do not cite advertisements, promotional content, or non-academic materials such as advertorials.