Publication Ethics Statement

Purpose and Principles

The Journal of Multicultural Adolescent Psychology (JMAP) is committed to the highest standards of publication ethics. We uphold integrity in research, fairness in peer review, and transparency in authorship, funding, and potential conflicts of interest. JMAP aligns its policies with widely recognized best practices in scholarly publishing and expects all stakeholders—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—to act accordingly.

Responsibilities of Authors

• Originality & Plagiarism: Submissions must be original, accurately cited, and not under consideration elsewhere. Authors must properly credit prior work and sources, including instruments, scales, datasets, and code.
• Authorship Criteria: Authorship is limited to those who made substantial contributions to conception/design, data acquisition/analysis/interpretation, drafting or critical revision, and final approval. All authors share accountability.
• Data Integrity & Reproducibility: Report methods and results transparently. Do not fabricate, falsify, or manipulate data, images, or statistics. Where possible, provide data, materials, and analysis code in a trusted repository with appropriate protections.
• Pre-registration & Trials: Clinical trials and prospectively designed experiments should be pre-registered in a publicly accessible registry. Deviations from protocol must be disclosed and justified.
• Research Ethics & Human Participants: For studies with humans—especially adolescents and minors—authors must confirm prior approval by an accredited IRB/ethics committee and compliance with relevant laws and guidelines. Obtain informed consent/assent and parental or legal guardian consent as applicable.
• Privacy & Confidentiality: Protect participant privacy (e.g., de-identification, secure storage). Do not publish identifiable information without explicit written permission.
• Vulnerable Populations: Research involving minors, justice-involved youth, refugees, or other vulnerable groups requires heightened safeguards and a clear risk–benefit justification.
• Conflicts of Interest & Funding: Disclose all financial and non-financial interests and the full funding statement, including the funder’s role in study design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, and manuscript preparation.
• Image & Figure Integrity: Any image adjustments must be applied to the whole image and must not mislead. Composites and enhancements must be disclosed in figure captions.
• AI & Computational Tools: Authors must disclose any use of generative AI or large language models in writing, analysis, translation, or figure generation. AI tools cannot be listed as authors, and authors remain responsible for accuracy, originality, permissions, and protection of sensitive data.
• Availability of Materials: When ethically and legally permissible, authors should make de-identified data, analysis scripts, and materials available to support verification and replication.
• Corrections: Authors must promptly notify the editor of significant errors discovered after publication and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions.

Responsibilities of Editors

• Editorial Independence: Decisions are based on scholarly merit, relevance to scope, and ethical compliance, without discrimination or undue influence.
• Fair Process: Manuscripts are evaluated impartially. Editors ensure a timely, rigorous, and confidential peer-review process.
• Confidentiality: Editors and staff must not disclose manuscript information beyond those involved in the evaluation.
• Conflicts of Interest: Editors will recuse themselves from handling manuscripts for which they have a conflict and will assign an independent editor.
• Misconduct Handling: Editors will investigate credible concerns about misconduct and follow established procedures for corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Expert, Constructive, and Timely Review: Reviews should be evidence-based, respectful, and delivered within agreed timelines.
• Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential and not use or share content prior to publication.
• Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must decline assignments when conflicts exist and disclose any potential conflicts that arise.
• Ethical Vigilance: Reviewers should alert editors to suspected plagiarism, data fabrication, image manipulation, unethical research, or significant errors.

Research with Human Participants and Minors

• IRB/Ethics Approval: Provide the approving body’s name and protocol number, or a justification when exempt.
• Informed Consent/Assent: Describe procedures for assent from minors and consent from parents/guardians. Explain risk mitigation, confidentiality protections, and compensation.
• Justice-Involved & School-Based Settings: Address site approvals, data-sharing agreements, and compliance with FERPA/HIPAA or analogous regulations where applicable.
• Sensitive Topics: For trauma, self-harm, or illegal behaviors, include safety protocols, referral procedures, and mandatory reporting requirements consistent with local laws.

Data Sharing, Transparency, and Reproducibility

• Data Availability Statement: Each manuscript must include a statement describing whether and how de-identified data, materials, and code can be accessed.
• Responsible Sharing: Sharing must protect participant privacy and honor consent agreements and legal/contractual restrictions.
• Reporting Standards: Authors should follow appropriate reporting guidelines (e.g., CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, COREQ) where relevant.

Misconduct, Corrections, and Retractions

• Allegations: JMAP investigates credible allegations of plagiarism, data fabrication/falsification, duplicate publication, image manipulation, authorship disputes, or undisclosed conflicts.
• Process: The editor-in-chief coordinates fact-finding, may request original data, and may contact authors’ institutions or funders as appropriate.
• Outcomes: Where warranted, JMAP will publish corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions with clear reasons. Retractions are linked to the original article and remain publicly accessible.

Peer Review Model

JMAP uses a rigorous peer-review process (typically double-anonymous unless otherwise noted). Editors may use plagiarism detection and image-screening tools. Review histories may be shared confidentially with journals involved in ethical investigations.

Conflicts of Interest and Funding Disclosure

• All authors must disclose relevant relationships (financial, institutional, personal, or intellectual) and provide a complete funding statement.
• Editors and reviewers must declare and manage conflicts transparently, including recusal when necessary.

Inclusive Language and Community Respect

• Use respectful, person-centered language that reflects identities as participants define them.
• Describe sampling frames and limitations that affect generalizability across cultures, languages, and contexts.
• When translating instruments or conducting cross-cultural research, report validation and adaptation procedures.

Appeals, Complaints, and Post-Publication Discussion

• Authors may appeal editorial decisions by providing a reasoned response to the editor-in-chief for reconsideration.
• Ethical concerns may be submitted to the editorial office. JMAP will acknowledge and review complaints in a timely manner.
• Post-publication commentary is welcomed when it advances scholarly dialogue and meets civility and evidence standards.

Policy Updates

JMAP periodically reviews and updates this ethics statement. The version posted on the journal website is authoritative. Authors are responsible for consulting the most recent version at the time of submission.