Journal of Outdoor Recreation Study (ISSN: 1012-5434) is an academic journal committed to publication of research papers on outdoor recreational research and practical techniques. Call for papers are open and all submissions peer-reviewed. Papers published by the Journal must conform to the standards of expected ethical behaviors. The Journal rejects manuscripts with plagiarized content, submission to multiple
journals, containing fraudulent data, authored by a third party, or failing to reveal conflicts of interest. The Journal follows ethical standards of “Publishing Ethics” set up by Elsevier B.V. (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/publishing-ethics) and COPE (Committee of Publication Ethics) (http://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines). This process includes the roles of the author, journal editor, and reviewers. The duties of these stakeholders in the publishing process are described in the following.
Duties of Authors
1. Paper standards
Authors are required to present an accurate account of the research data and to provide a precise description of the experimental or research procedures. The manuscript must present clear and objective research findings. Sufficient detail of the study, including relevant methodologies and references, must be provided to allow others to replicate the work. Any form of fraudulent practice or knowingly inaccurate statement constitutes unethical behavior and is unacceptable.
2. Data access and retention
Authors must retain original research or experimental data. Authors may be asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review and should be prepared to make such data available upon reasonable request.
3. Originality and acknowledgment of sources
Authors must ensure that the submitted work is entirely original. If the work or ideas of others are used, proper acknowledgment and citation must be provided. Plagiarism in all its forms, including the unauthorized use of others’ conclusions, copying or paraphrasing substantial portions of another work, or presenting modified versions of others’ works as one’s own—constitutes unethical and illegal behavior and is
unacceptable.
4. Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication
Authors must not publish or submit manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or publication simultaneously. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals constitutes unethical publishing behavior. Previously published research should not generally be submitted for publication in another journal. Secondary publication may be permitted under specific conditions: agreement must be obtained from the editors of both the primary and secondary journals; the secondary publication must accurately reflect the data and interpretations of the original publication; and the original publication must be cited in the references of the secondary publication.
5. Acknowledgement of sources
Authors must properly acknowledge and cite the use of others’ work and should identify all sources that have significantly influenced the nature of the research. Unpublished personal information—such as conversations, correspondence, or third-party discussions—must not be used or disclosed without explicit written permission from the source.
6. Confidentiality
Information obtained through the peer review of manuscripts or other scholarly materials must be treated as confidential and must not be used or disclosed without the explicit written consent of the original author.
7. Authorship
All individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study must be listed as co-authors. All participants involved in the relevant research project must be clearly identified. The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included and that individuals who did not contribute to the work are not listed. The corresponding author must also confirm that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission.
8. Hazards and human or animal subjects
If the research involves chemicals, procedures, or equipment that pose significant hazards, these must be clearly identified and described in the manuscript. For studies involving human participants or animals, authors must provide a detailed description of the procedures and confirm compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and institutional requirements. Such studies must have received approval from an
appropriate ethics committee. For research involving human subjects, authors must state that informed consent was obtained and must ensure the permanent protection of participants’ privacy.
9. Conflicts of interest
Authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that could be perceived to influence the research results or their interpretation. Such disclosures include, but are not limited to, funding sources, research grants, employment, consultancies, ownership of materials or equipment, honoraria, expert testimony fees, patent applications or registrations, and donation authorizations. Any potential future conflicts of interest must also be disclosed as early as possible. All sources of financial support must be disclosed before the reference list in the manuscript.
10. Errors in published works
When authors discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their published work, they must promptly notify the editor and cooperate in retracting or correcting the manuscript. If the editor becomes aware of significant errors through a third party, authors must cooperate with the editor and provide accurate information.
Duties of Editors
1. Publication decision
Editors are responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts should be published. Decisions must be based on the manuscript’s academic merit, relevance to the journal’s scope, importance to readers and researchers, the results of peer review, and compliance with legal and ethical standards.
2. Peer review
Editors must ensure that the peer review process is conducted fairly, objectively, and in a timely manner. Each research manuscript must be reviewed by at least two independent external reviewers, and additional opinions may be sought when necessary. Editors must select reviewers with appropriate expertise. Manuscripts published without peer review must be clearly identified as such.
3. Fair play
Editors must evaluate manuscripts solely on the basis of their intellectual content and must not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, or political beliefs.
4. Citations and journal metrics
Editors must not require authors to cite the journal itself or any other journal, nor require citation of editors’ or reviewers’ own publications. Editors may remove inappropriate or coercive citation requests from reviewer comments.
5. Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, editorial advisers, and the publisher.
6. Conflicts of interest
(1) Editors must require all contributors to disclose any relevant conflicts of interest. If conflicts of interest are identified after publication, appropriate actions—including the publication of corrections, retractions, or conflict-of-interest statements—must be taken.
(2) Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have competitive, collaborative, or other conflicts of interest and delegate responsibility to another qualified editor.
(3) Editors must not use unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research without the author’s explicit written consent.
(4) Information obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and must not be used for personal advantage.
(5) Editors must ensure that sponsored or funded research receives the same peer review standards as all other submissions and that sponsorship serves scholarly purposes rather than commercial interests.
7. Involvement in investigations
When ethical concerns or allegations of misconduct are raised regarding a submitted or published manuscript, editors, publishers, and distributors must take appropriate action. This includes contacting the authors or relevant institutions and informing them of the
alleged issues. If misconduct is confirmed, corrective measures—such as corrections, retractions, or statements of clarification—must be implemented promptly. All cases of suspected ethical misconduct must be thoroughly investigated, including those involving published articles.
Duties of Reviewers
1. Contribution to editorial decisions
(1) Reviewers should accept review assignments only for manuscripts that fall within their areas of expertise. Reviewers who consider themselves unqualified or unable to complete the review in a timely manner must notify the editor and request to be excused.
(2) Reviewers must identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and must provide appropriate references. Any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript and other published works must be reported to the editor.
2. Standards of objectivity and competing interests
(1) Reviewers must conduct reviews objectively and impartially, provide constructive comments, and support criticisms with clear arguments and
evidence.
(2) Reviewers must not use unpublished materials disclosed in a manuscript for their own research without the author’s consent. Reviewers who identify conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships must declare such conflicts and recuse themselves from the review.
3. Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for peer review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be disclosed to or discussed with anyone other than the editor.
All authors, editors, and reviewers involved in the submission, review, and publication process must comply with this statement to ensure adherence to publication ethics and to prevent any form of publication malpractice.