Publication Ethics Policies

The policies outlined below ensure that Life Conflux maintains its high standards of publication ethics. They cover established best practices in publishing and define what constitutes scientific, academic, or publishing misconduct. We advise you to review these policies to ensure your submission meets the necessary requirements for integrity.

Where evidence of misconduct is found, we reserve the right to take action that may include rejection, retraction, and/or further follow-up with the institution.

Inclusive Language Policy

Life Conflux is dedicated to fostering an environment that champions diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI). Our commitment ensures that every individual has an equal opportunity to participate in the scientific community. At Life Conflux, our mission is to make science open and accessible to all. To achieve this, our language must be culturally sensitive and inclusive of all readers, authors, and staff. Recognizing the evolving nature of language, we strive to stay abreast of cultural nuances and shifts over time while continuously reviewing our unconscious biases. Acceptable language can vary across different regions and times.

Authors, reviewers, editors, and Life Conflux's staff share the responsibility to ensure that articles use appropriate language free from terms that could be seen as hostile or offensive based on group differences such as ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, or health.

We expect all authors to be receptive to feedback on their choice of words or language from editors and reviewers. We are committed to suggesting alternative language to ensure publications adhere to our inclusive language requirements. Life Conflux will support authors in replacing offensive, outdated, or exclusionary terms during the review process. However, we reserve the right not to publish material that goes against this policy. In exceptional circumstances, we may modify language pre- and post-publication to uphold our commitment to DEI.

This policy applies to daily communication as well as published content. All individuals should be culturally sensitive and inclusive in all communications.

Plagiarism, Redundant Publication, and Ethical Text-Reuse Policies

Material submitted to Life Conflux must comply with the following policies to ensure ethical publication of academic work:

Originality of Content and Duplicate Submission

Life Conflux publishes only original content. Authors confirm the originality of their submissions upon submission. Manuscripts must not have been previously published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Submitting to multiple journals simultaneously is classified as duplicate submission and is considered unethical.

Fabrication and Falsification

Life Conflux opposes the fabrication of data or images (i.e., fake or made-up data) and falsification of data or images (i.e., intentional misrepresentation or deceptive manipulation of data).

Manuscripts prepared by commercial entities on behalf of researchers listed as authors do not meet Life Conflux's policies and will not be considered for publication. Suspicious manuscripts will be rejected before peer review.

Redundant Publication

Redundant publication occurs when the same research is published more than once, often with minor additions. This type of publication is unethical. All submissions are screened for redundancy, and authors must disclose any related publications and cite all relevant material. It is advisable to discuss how the publication adds value beyond preliminary or related studies.

Life Conflux follows the COPE guidelines on redundant publication.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism involves presenting someone else's previously published work as one's own. Every manuscript submitted to Life Conflux is screened for textual overlap using CrossCheck/iThenticate. Manuscripts containing plagiarism will not be considered for publication.

We check all submitted manuscripts for plagiarism and duplication, publishing only original content. According to COPE guidelines, direct quotations from other researchers' publications should appear in quotation marks with proper citations. This applies to an author's own previous work as well.

Ethical Text Re-use and Permitted Publications

Theses and Dissertations

Life Conflux allows the inclusion of content from an author's thesis if it is the only form in which it has appeared, complies with university policy, and can be accessed online. If the thesis is not archived online, it is treated as original, unpublished data. Material from theses or dissertations should be noted in the Acknowledgements section and cited in the reference list. For examples, see the 'References' section of our author guidelines.

Conferences, Proceedings, and Abstracts

Conference papers must be significantly expanded upon to be considered original work. A minimum of 30% new content is generally expected. Authors submitting such work must:

• Seek permission for reusing a published conference paper if they do not hold the copyright.
• Cite the conference in the acknowledgements section or references section as applicable.

Blogs

Content previously appearing in non-academic media, such as blogs, should be declared at submission in the acknowledgements section of the manuscript.

Preprints

Our supportive preprint policy encourages full open access at all stages of a research paper. Authors may share their work on repositories or preprint servers provided there are no restrictions on the author's full copyright and re-use rights. Manuscripts shared after submission to Life Conflux journals cannot contain Life Conflux branding.

Correct Attribution of Original Source

Proper attribution to the original source in repositories or preprint servers must be included within the manuscript upon submission or added at re-submission if the deposition occurs during the review process. We require that the preprint is listed within the acknowledgment section and that a full citation is included in the reference list.

Upon publication, authors are strongly encouraged to link from the preprint server to the Life Conflux publication to facilitate readers' access to the final peer-reviewed version. Please note that we cannot consider for publication content that has been previously published or is under review by another scientific journal, book, or similar entity.

Translations

We accept submissions that are exact translations of previously published work, provided this is clearly stated in the manuscript at the time of submission. Authors must obtain permission from the original publisher and authors and declare this permission within the manuscript. Relevant documentation should be supplied as supplementary material for verification. The original work from which the manuscript has been translated should be clearly referenced.

Example: "This is a [LANGUAGE] language translation/reprint of [TITLE OF ORIGINAL] originally published in [PUBLICATION NAME]. [NAME] prepared this translation with support from [FUNDING SOURCE, if any]. Permission was granted by [NAME]."

Life Conflux may request copies of related publications if there are concerns about overlap or redundancy.

Image Manipulation

Life Conflux takes image manipulation seriously and does not permit modifications to individual features within an image (including enhancement, obscuring, moving, recycling, removal, or addition). Any processing applied to images (such as changes to brightness, contrast, or color balance) must be uniformly applied to every pixel and should not alter the information illustrated in the figure. Cropped images should be avoided when possible, especially for gels and blots. Where cropped images are used in figures, a full scan of the entire original gel(s) must be submitted as supplementary material. Control images reused for illustrative purposes must be declared in the figure legend. Legitimate image processing required for data interpretation must be declared in the methods section, including the software and techniques used. Image grouping and splicing must be clearly stated in the manuscript and figure legends.

Our artificial intelligence review assistant (AIRA) is trained to detect specific types of image manipulation. Concerns over undeclared modifications will be investigated, and authors will be asked to provide original images and data. Failure to adequately address such concerns can lead to manuscript rejection, and issues raised post-publication may result in retraction.

Falsification or Fabrication of Data

Life Conflux opposes both the fabrication of data or images (i.e., fake or made-up data) and the falsification of data or images (i.e., intentional misrepresentation or deceptive manipulation of data).

Manuscripts prepared by commercial entities on behalf of researchers listed as authors do not meet Life Conflux's policies and will not be considered for publication. Suspicious manuscripts will be rejected before peer review.

Peer Review Manipulation

Life Conflux upholds COPE's standards for ethical peer review and expects all parties involved in the review process to act objectively, honestly, and according to ethical standards. Any attempt to manipulate the peer review process should be reported to the journal.

Peer review manipulation includes:

• Falsifying reviewer and editor identities or credentials.

• Colluding with others to influence review outcomes.

• Fabricating or plagiarizing review reports.

• Engaging in coercive or biased reviewing practices.

• Recommending reviewers with conflicts of interest without disclosure.

• Obfuscating or failing to disclose known conflicts of interest.

• Coercing reviewers to provide favorable or biased evaluations.

• Any other actions compromising the objectivity and integrity of the peer review process.

If an investigation finds evidence of peer review manipulation, Life Conflux will take necessary action, including retracting affected publications or revoking acceptance. Determination of what constitutes reasonable evidence of peer review manipulation remains at the discretion of Life Conflux, ensuring fairness and objectivity in the investigation. All concerns and allegations will be investigated according to COPE guidelines.

Complaints and Allegations

Life Conflux welcomes feedback and takes all complaints and allegations seriously. If you have any concerns regarding the publishing process, ethics, or conduct of individuals involved in our publications, please contact us directly. Our team will handle your complaint discreetly and professionally, following established procedures to ensure a fair resolution. For detailed guidance on how to raise a concern, refer to our complaints and appeals policy.

Appeals and Corrections

Authors who wish to appeal a decision or report errors in their published work should follow the procedures outlined in our appeals and corrections policy. This policy covers the steps for submitting an appeal against editorial decisions and the process for issuing corrections or retractions when errors are identified in published articles.

Retractions and Expressions of Concern

In cases where published work is found to be seriously flawed, unethical, or misleading, Life Conflux may issue a retraction or an expression of concern. Retractions remove the article from the literature, while expressions of concern alert readers to issues with the article without removing it. Both actions are taken following careful consideration and in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Post-Publication Discussions

Life Conflux encourages open discussion and debate on the research it publishes. Readers can engage in discussions through comments or letters to the editor, which are reviewed for relevance and appropriateness before being published online. This helps foster a community of scholarly exchange and allows for the correction of misunderstandings or dissemination of updated findings.