Editorial responsibility and independence
Editors assess work on scholarly merit, relevance to scope, originality, clarity and evidential quality without discrimination. Editors must recuse themselves where a personal, institutional, financial or scholarly conflict could affect impartiality. Editorial decisions remain independent of fees and revenue.
Authorship and contributorship
Authorship is limited to people who made a substantial contribution, approved the submitted and final versions and accept accountability for the work. The corresponding author must obtain the agreement of all contributors and disclose any change to authorship. Contributors who do not qualify as authors should be acknowledged with their permission.
Originality, duplicate publication and citation practice
Submissions must be original, must not be under consideration elsewhere and must identify all reused or closely related material. Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, redundant publication, citation manipulation and undisclosed text recycling are prohibited. Similarity reports are screening aids, not automatic findings of plagiarism; the context and source of every meaningful match must be examined.
Conflicts of interest and funding
Authors must disclose financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably be perceived to influence the work, and identify funding sources and the funder's role. Reviewers and editors must disclose conflicts promptly and decline involvement where impartial assessment cannot be assured.
Research involving people, animals or sensitive data
Authors must state the approving ethics body and reference number where approval is required. They must confirm informed consent, protect participant confidentiality and obtain consent for identifiable information. Research involving animals must comply with applicable institutional and national standards. Where formal approval was not required, the manuscript must explain the basis.
Data, evidence and reproducibility
Authors should preserve the evidence supporting their conclusions and provide an appropriate data-availability statement. Data should be shared through a trusted repository where ethical, legal and confidentiality conditions permit. Restrictions must be explained. Editors may request underlying data or documentation during assessment.
Reviewer duties
Reviewers must provide timely, objective and constructive reports, maintain confidentiality, avoid personal criticism, identify relevant uncited work and disclose conflicts. Unpublished material must not be used for personal advantage. Reviewers must not upload confidential manuscripts to an external artificial-intelligence service.
Allegations of misconduct
Credible concerns are assessed fairly and confidentially. NJCR may request an explanation and supporting records, consult independent experts, contact an institution or funder, reject a manuscript, correct the record, issue an expression of concern or retract an article. The subject of an allegation will ordinarily be given an opportunity to respond.
Corrections, expressions of concern and retractions
A correction is issued where an error affects the record without invalidating the main conclusions. An expression of concern may be used while serious questions remain unresolved. Retraction is considered where findings are unreliable, publication is redundant, research is unethical or serious misconduct is established. Notices remain permanently linked to the article and state the reason and responsible authority.
Complaints and appeals
Complaints and reasoned appeals should be sent to the journal within 15 days of the relevant decision. A person not materially involved in the disputed decision should review the matter where practicable. Appeals address process or evidence and do not guarantee a fresh review or reversal.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial-intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain responsible for accuracy, originality, attribution, confidentiality and rights clearance. Declarable use must identify the tool and purpose. Editors and reviewers must not place confidential manuscripts or personal data into public generative-AI systems.
Contact for ethical concerns
Email njcr@edouniversity.edu.ng with the article title or submission identifier, a clear description of the concern and supporting evidence.