Ethics, Publication Policy, and Privacy

The African Journal of Applied Research and Professional Practice (AJARPP) is committed to maintaining high standards of editorial integrity, publication ethics, fairness, confidentiality, and transparency in all stages of manuscript handling and publication. The journal operates a double-blind peer review process and expects authors, editors, and reviewers to uphold the highest standards of scholarly and professional conduct. AJARPP's policies are informed by internationally accepted standards of responsible scholarly publishing.

Editorial independence

Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, originality, relevance to the journal's scope, methodological soundness, clarity, and ethical compliance. Editorial decisions are not influenced by personal, institutional, political, or financial considerations. AJARPP's Editorial Board provides policy and strategic guidance, while editorial decisions are taken through the journal's editorial process.

Peer review

AJARPP uses a double-blind peer review process. Authors must submit a separate title page and an anonymized manuscript without author-identifying details. Manuscripts considered suitable after initial screening are sent for expert review. Reviewers are expected to provide objective, respectful, and confidential assessments.

Author responsibilities

Authors submitting to AJARPP must ensure that the manuscript is original and not under consideration elsewhere; all listed authors have approved the submission; all relevant conflicts of interest are disclosed; ethical approval and informed consent statements are provided where required; sources are properly cited; and the work complies with accepted standards of research and publication ethics.

Plagiarism and originality checks

AJARPP screens submissions for plagiarism and unacceptable textual overlap. Similarity reports are used as part of editorial assessment, but editorial judgment is always applied in determining whether overlap is acceptable or constitutes misconduct. Properly cited quotations, references, standard methods language, and legitimate reuse are considered in context. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarism, unattributed copying, or other serious originality concerns may be rejected or, where already published, corrected or retracted.

Conflicts of interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could affect objective judgment. Where a conflict exists, AJARPP may require disclosure, recusal, or reassignment of editorial responsibility.

Editors publishing in AJARPP

AJARPP permits editors and Editorial Board members to publish in the journal, but such submissions are handled under strict conflict-of-interest safeguards. No editor may handle, review, or participate in the decision on their own manuscript. Any submission authored by an editor is assigned to an independent editor with no conflict of interest and is subject to the same or stricter double-blind peer review and editorial standards as all other manuscripts. A disclosure statement may be included in the final publication to confirm that the editor-author had no role in the review or decision-making process.

Research ethics

Studies involving human participants must include appropriate ethical approval and informed consent statements. AJARPP reserves the right to reject any manuscript that raises serious concerns about participant welfare, consent, privacy, legality, or research integrity.

Confidentiality

Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff must treat submitted manuscripts and all related correspondence as confidential. Reviewer identities and editorial deliberations are protected in line with the journal's review process and reviewer terms.

Corrections, retractions, and complaints

AJARPP is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. Where necessary, the journal may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions. Authors and other stakeholders may also submit complaints or appeals regarding editorial process, ethical concerns, or publication decisions, which will be reviewed fairly and confidentially.

Privacy and data protection

AJARPP collects and processes personal data for manuscript submission, peer review, editorial administration, communication, registration, and publication management. Privacy inquiries and data update or removal requests may be sent to privacy@ajarpp.org.

Fees and waivers

AJARPP is self-supporting and uses article publishing charges to support journal operations. The journal also maintains a waiver and discount mechanism for authors with limited funding. Fees and waivers do not influence editorial decisions. Waiver or discount requests may be sent to waiver@ajarpp.org.