Ethical Policy

Kōbai is a publication that seeks to make interdisciplinary content accessible to all audiences, covering a wide range of fields from the Arts to the Sciences. The journal ensures that all published content and the entire editorial process meet rigorous, transparent, and ethical standards for both authors and editors.

The following ethical guidelines, adapted to the particular context of Kōbai, are based on those proposed by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals), and OASPA (Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association).

Authors

Authorship. Authors must guarantee that the work submitted is original and has not been published previously. Exceptions apply only in cases explicitly stated in the Editorial Policy, such as translations selected by the Editorial Team. Articles must not be under simultaneous review in other journals.

If an author wishes to publish an article that contains essentially the same information as a previous work, they must inform the Editorial Team and agree on the procedure. In such cases, the new article must clearly reference the original publication and remain consistent in data and interpretation.

When submitting images with third-party copyrights, authors are responsible for obtaining the appropriate permissions, including online reproduction rights. Any costs associated with permissions or illustrations are the responsibility of the authors.

Plagiarism and citation. All use of ideas, results, or texts from others must be properly acknowledged, following the citation system required by the journal. Publications that have influenced the work must be duly cited.

Information obtained in private conversations, correspondence, or discussions with third parties must not be used or shared without explicit written permission from the source. The same applies to information acquired during manuscript review or grant application processes.

All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection tools (e.g., Turnitin, SafeAssign). Any form of plagiarism is unacceptable and will result in rejection or withdrawal of the article at any stage of the editorial process.

Corrections. If an author discovers a significant error in their published work, they must promptly notify the Editorial Team and cooperate in correcting or retracting the article.

Data access. The journal may request the primary research data related to an article for editorial review, and authors should be prepared to provide public access to them when possible, as well as to preserve them for a reasonable period after publication.

Responsibility. Authors are fully responsible for the content of their articles. Submissions that directly or indirectly promote harassment, discrimination, bullying, threats, or any form of violence will not be accepted.

Editors

Editorial decisions. The Editorial Team is solely responsible for independently deciding which articles will be accepted or rejected. When necessary, the team may consult external reviewers or members of the Advisory Committee.

Decisions are made without regard to the authors’ gender, age, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, nationality, or political philosophy.

Errata and corrections. If the Editorial Team identifies false or incorrect information in published content, it must ensure its correction or retraction through the appropriate notice (correction, retraction, expression of concern, etc.).

Image handling. If the journal needs to adjust or modify any images submitted, the author will be notified beforehand. No changes will be published without the author’s approval, and the original authorship will always be acknowledged.