Publication Ethics & Misconduct Policy

Publication Ethics & Integrity Policy
IGI Active Living and Health Insight is committed to protecting the integrity of the scholarly record and maintaining a fair, transparent, and accountable editorial process. This policy applies to authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher.
Policy version: v1.0 — January 02, 2026
Last updated: January 02, 2026
Publisher: INSPIRETECH GLOBAL INSIGHT
INTERNATIONAL GUIDANCE
Alignment and Principles
INSPIREE develops and maintains its ethical procedures in-house and aligns them with broadly recognized international guidance, including (where relevant) the COPE Core Practices, COPE guidance resources, the ICMJE Recommendations, and the Declaration of Helsinki.
1
Editorial Independence and Decision-Making
Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, relevance to the journal scope, methodological rigor, clarity, and compliance with this ethics policy. Decisions are made without discrimination based on nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, ethnicity, religion, or personal beliefs.

Possible editorial outcomes include: Reject, Major Revision, Minor Revision, and Accept. The Editor-in-Chief (or delegated Handling Editor) holds final responsibility for decisions after considering peer-review reports and any ethics checks.
2
Peer Review Integrity and Confidentiality
IGI Active Living and Health Insight applies peer review to research articles and other eligible content types as described on the journal’s Peer Review Process page. All manuscripts under review are treated as confidential. Editors and reviewers must not share, discuss, distribute, or use unpublished manuscript content for personal advantage.
3
Conflicts of Interest (COI)
All participants in the publication process must disclose potential conflicts of interest:
  • Authors: funding sources, employment, consultancies, honoraria, patents, stock ownership, paid testimony, or other relationships that could be perceived as influencing the work.
  • Reviewers/Editors: any competitive, collaborative, financial, or personal relationship with the authors, institutions, or sponsors that could affect objectivity.
When a conflict exists, INSPIREE will manage it by appointing an alternative editor/reviewer, seeking additional independent reviews, and documenting the handling as appropriate.
4
Authorship, Contributorship, and Acknowledgements
Authorship must accurately reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the work (e.g., conception/design, data acquisition, analysis/interpretation, drafting or critical revision). All authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to submission.

Individuals who contributed but do not meet authorship criteria should be listed in Acknowledgements (with their permission). INSPIREE may request an Author Contributions statement and may investigate authorship disputes through written clarification from all parties and, when needed, involvement of relevant institutions.
5
Research Ethics: Humans, Animals, and Sensitive Data
5.1 Human Participants
For studies involving human participants, authors must include an Ethics Statement specifying:
  • the name of the approving ethics committee / IRB, and the approval number (or a justified exemption);
  • informed consent procedures (including assent/guardian consent for minors when applicable);
  • privacy/confidentiality safeguards.
If identifiable images/video are included, authors must confirm that consent for publication was obtained.
5.2 Animal Studies
For studies involving animals, authors must state approval and compliance with relevant institutional and national animal welfare regulations and describe humane care procedures.
5.3 Sensitive Data
For research involving personal or sensitive data, authors must describe data-protection measures, anonymization (where applicable), secure storage, and the lawful basis for data use and sharing.
6
Data Availability and Reproducibility
IGI Active Living and Health Insight encourages authors to make underlying data, materials, and analysis methods available when feasible and ethically appropriate. If public sharing is restricted (e.g., privacy, legal, or contractual constraints), authors must provide a clear explanation and may be asked to provide confidential access for verification purposes. A Data Availability Statement is recommended for empirical studies.
7
Use of Generative AI Tools (Author Responsibility and Transparency)
Authors may use AI tools for language editing or drafting support only when authors retain full responsibility for accuracy, originality, citations, and scholarly reasoning. AI tools must not be used to fabricate data, results, images, or references.

If AI tools were used, authors must disclose (in a dedicated statement): the tool name (and version if known), the purpose of use (e.g., language polishing), and confirmation that all content was verified by the authors. AI tools cannot be listed as authors.
Recommended wording (AI disclosure):
“The authors used [tool name] for [purpose]. All analyses, interpretations, and final content were verified by the authors. The AI tool was not used to generate or manipulate data, results, images, or references.”
8
Plagiarism, Redundant Publication, and Citation Manipulation
IGI Active Living and Health Insight does not accept plagiarism in any form, including direct copying, close paraphrasing without attribution, and reuse of figures/tables without permission where required. Manuscripts may be screened using similarity-checking tools. Similarity scores are evaluated contextually; legitimate overlap may occur in methods, standard terminology, and properly cited quotations.

IGI Active Living and Health Insight also prohibits duplicate submission, redundant publication without disclosure, manipulated or coerced citations, fabricated/falsified data or images, and any attempt to manipulate peer review.
9
Misconduct Handling Procedure
When suspected misconduct is reported or detected (before or after publication), IGI Active Living and Health Insight follows a documented process consistent with COPE-style workflows:
  1. Initial assessment by the Editor-in-Chief/ethics lead (evidence review and file checks).
  2. Author notification requesting clarification and supporting documentation within a stated timeframe.
  3. Editorial evaluation of the response; when needed, the journal may request raw data, ethics approval documents, or institutional clarification.
  4. Decision and actions, which may include rejection, correction, expression of concern, retraction, or notifying institutions when appropriate.
10
Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions
IGI Active Living and Health Insight supports responsible post-publication dialogue and will update the scholarly record when necessary. This section explains how readers, authors, and editors can raise concerns and how INSPIREE issues corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions.
How to report concerns
Email: inspiree@igiinsight.com
Subject: Post-Publication Concern – IGI Active Living and Health Insight
Please include article title/DOI, specific passages/figures, and supporting evidence.
10.1 Post-Publication Discussion
IGI Active Living and Health Insight welcomes scholarly discussion that improves clarity and correctness of published work. Channels may include:
  • formal letters to the editor
  • editorial notes or published author responses
  • corrections (errata/corrigenda) when errors are confirmed
10.2 What IGI Active Living and Health Insight Investigates
The journal may investigate:
  • major errors affecting results or conclusions
  • plagiarism or redundant publication
  • data fabrication/falsification or image manipulation
  • unethical research (missing/invalid ethics approval or consent)
  • authorship disputes, undisclosed COI, or peer-review manipulation
10.3 Investigation Process
IGI Active Living and Health Insight applies a structured review process:
  1. Initial assessment by the Editor-in-Chief/ethics lead (credibility and materiality).
  2. Author contact requesting explanation and documentation within a defined timeframe.
  3. Evidence review (may consult reviewers, editorial board, or independent experts).
  4. Institutional contact when necessary and appropriate under confidentiality considerations.
  5. Outcome and public notice (if required) to correct the scholarly record.
10.4 Outcomes and Definitions
10.4.1 Correction (Erratum/Corrigendum)
Issued when an error affects accuracy/clarity but does not invalidate main findings (e.g., mislabeled figure, minor calculation mistake, omitted acknowledgement, affiliation error). Corrections are linked to the original article.
10.4.2 Expression of Concern
May be published when a potentially serious issue is under investigation, evidence is inconclusive, or the investigation is delayed, and readers should be alerted. Linked to the original article.
10.4.3 Retraction
Issued when findings are unreliable due to major error or misconduct (e.g., fabrication/falsification, plagiarism, unethical research), or when the scholarly record must be corrected. Retractions remain accessible, clearly marked as retracted, and linked to a retraction notice.
10.4.4 Removal (Exceptional Cases)
Rare and only in exceptional circumstances (e.g., legal risk, privacy violations involving identifiable individuals where consent cannot be secured). The journal maintains metadata and provides a public explanation to the extent legally permitted.
10.5 How Notices Are Published
Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions will be clearly labeled and permanently accessible; link to the original article (and vice versa); explain what is corrected/withdrawn and why in transparent language; and state who is issuing the notice (authors, editors, publisher) when appropriate.
10.6 Author Appeals
Authors may appeal a post-publication decision by submitting a written request with supporting evidence to the editorial office. Appeals are reviewed by senior editorial staff and/or an independent editorial committee when appropriate.
11
Complaints and Appeals
Authors may appeal editorial decisions or submit complaints regarding editorial handling, peer review, or ethics matters. Appeals/complaints must be submitted in writing and include supporting evidence.

Send to: complaints@igiinsight.com
Subject line: Ethics Concern / Appeal – IGI Active Living and Health Insight
12
Contact
For ethics questions, reports of suspected misconduct, or requests for guidance, contact:
Email: inspiree@igiinsight.com
Post-Publication Concern
Email: igii@igiinsight.com
Subject: Post-Publication Concern – IGI Active Living and Health Insight