Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Interações Journal adopts the principles of ethics, transparency, scientific integrity, and editorial best practices recommended by SciELO, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and other international organizations. This policy establishes the guidelines for authors, reviewers, editors, and readers in order to ensure the integrity of the scientific literature published by the journal.

 

Open Data

The Interações Journal adopts clear criteria, in accordance with the principles established by SciELO and other indexing services, regarding data sharing.

In line with Open Science practices, authors are requested to share all content underlying the manuscript, including research data, software code, and other supporting materials, either prior to or at the time of publication. Exceptions are permitted when justified by legal or ethical considerations.

The objective is to facilitate the manuscript evaluation process and, if accepted, contribute to the preservation, reuse, and reproducibility of research data and findings.

To share research data, authors may use their institutional repositories or deposit their data in relevant certified repositories, such as those listed by SciELO for research data repositories.

Alternatively, authors may declare that the data will be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author or state that all relevant data are included and discussed within the article.

 

Conflict of Interest Policy

The journal requires authors to provide authorship statements and disclose any relevant conflicts of interest. This includes financial relationships, institutional affiliations, or any other relationships that could influence the impartiality of the work.

Conflicts of interest may arise when authors, reviewers, or editors have interests—whether apparent or not—that may influence the preparation or evaluation of manuscripts.

To make informed editorial decisions, it is necessary to be aware of any competing interests held by the authors. The purpose of disclosure is not to eliminate such interests, as they are often unavoidable. Manuscripts will not be rejected solely because a conflict of interest exists.

 

Authors' Responsibilities

Upon manuscript submission, the corresponding author must declare that the research was conducted in accordance with the applicable ethical principles, respecting scientific integrity and the regulations governing research.

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the information presented, the originality of the manuscript, the acquisition of all required ethical approvals, the proper citation of all sources used, and compliance with best practices in research and scientific publishing.

Authors are also responsible for disclosing all funding sources related to the development of the research, as well as any conflicts of interest that may influence the interpretation or dissemination of the results.

All manuscripts submitted to the journal are evaluated exclusively on the basis of their scientific merit. Any form of discrimination based on gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, nationality, religious belief, disability, political position, or any other social characteristic is strictly prohibited.

 

Authorship Criteria

Only individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, development, data collection, analysis, or interpretation of the research, as well as to the drafting or critical revision of the manuscript, shall be considered authors.

The corresponding author is responsible for correctly identifying all co-authors who effectively participated in the preparation of the work, ensuring that no eligible contributor is omitted and that individuals without a relevant scientific contribution are not included as authors.

All authors must approve the final version of the submitted manuscript, assume public responsibility for its content, and report their individual contributions according to the CRediT Taxonomy, which will be published at the end of the article if the manuscript is accepted.

Any addition, removal, or change in the order of authorship after submission will only be permitted upon submission of a formal justification accepted by the editorial team and with the explicit agreement of all authors involved.

 

Research Integrity

The Interações Journal promotes research integrity by encouraging the publication of original, transparent, reproducible studies conducted in accordance with internationally recognized ethical principles.

Authors must ensure that the data presented are authentic, complete, and ethically obtained, maintaining scientific honesty throughout every stage of the research process, from its conception to the publication of the results.

The journal reserves the right to request clarifications, supporting documentation, or additional information whenever there are indications of inconsistencies, irregularities, or potential breaches of scientific integrity.

 

Ethics Committee Approval

Whenever required by the nature of the research, authors must declare that the study was submitted to and approved by the appropriate Research Ethics Committee, providing the approval opinion or protocol number.

For research conducted in virtual environments, the journal follows the guidelines established by the Brazilian National Research Ethics Commission (CONEP). For studies carried out outside Brazil, authors must comply with the equivalent ethical standards applicable in the country where the research was conducted.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that the research was conducted in accordance with all applicable ethical standards, including obtaining approval from the appropriate ethics committees whenever required and complying with the relevant legislation. It is the responsibility of the Interações Journal to verify the declarations provided by the authors during the editorial process and, whenever necessary, request supporting documentation, clarifications, or additional information.

If inconsistencies, evidence of non-compliance with ethical standards, or practices that compromise research integrity are identified, the journal may suspend the evaluation process, reject the manuscript, or adopt other appropriate editorial measures in accordance with the recommendations of COPE, SciELO, and internationally recognized best practices in scientific publishing.

The Interações Journal does not publish research conducted in violation of the ethical principles applicable to studies involving human participants, animals, or other living organisms. Whenever applicable, authors must provide information regarding approval by the appropriate Research Ethics Committee or equivalent body and declare that the research was conducted in accordance with the applicable legislation and national and international ethical standards.

Failure to obtain mandatory ethical approval or the identification of ethical violations may result in rejection of the manuscript or, if identified after publication, the adoption of appropriate editorial actions, including corrections, Expressions of Concern, or retractions.

The editorial team may request, at any stage of the editorial process, a copy of the Ethics Committee approval or additional documentation demonstrating the ethical approval of the research.

 

Scientific Misconduct

The Interações Journal does not tolerate any form of scientific misconduct.

Scientific misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

• Data fabrication or falsification;
• Inappropriate manipulation of research results;
• Unauthorized duplicate publication;
• Inappropriate omission or inclusion of authors;
• Misuse of third-party data;
• Plagiarism;
• Self-plagiarism;
• Citation manipulation;
• Image manipulation or falsification;
• Any practice that compromises the reliability, integrity, or originality of the scientific literature.

Whenever scientific misconduct is suspected, the editorial team may request explanations from the authors, supporting documentation, and adopt the procedures recommended by COPE, ensuring that all parties involved have the opportunity to respond before an editorial decision is made.

When misconduct is confirmed, editorial measures proportional to the seriousness of the violation may be applied, including rejection of the manuscript, publication of corrections or retractions, or any other appropriate action, including communication with the institutions responsible for the research, whenever applicable.

 

Plagiarism and Self-plagiarism

As part of its commitment to scientific integrity, all manuscripts approved through peer review are subjected to similarity analysis using Similarity Check (iThenticate).

Manuscripts presenting a similarity index greater than 20% will be individually evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief, taking into account the context of the textual overlap.

When the similarity index exceeds 30%, and there is no acceptable justification—such as the use of standardized methodology, properly cited quotations, or the ethical reuse of the authors' own previously published material—the case may be characterized as plagiarism or self-plagiarism.

In such cases, the corresponding author will be notified and invited to provide clarification or make the necessary revisions. If the irregularity is confirmed, the manuscript may be rejected due to the journal's originality requirement.

If plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or any other form of scientific misconduct is identified after publication, the journal may adopt the appropriate editorial measures, including the publication of corrections or retractions, depending on the severity of the case.

 

Errata and Retractions

If any author identifies a significant error in a published article, they must immediately notify the editorial team so that the appropriate measures can be assessed.

Depending on the nature of the issue, the journal may publish:

• Erratum, when corrections are required for errors that do not affect the conclusions of the work;
• Editorial Correction, when relevant information needs to be updated;
• Retraction, when scientific misconduct, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, redundant publication, or any other irregularity that compromises the reliability of the published results is confirmed.

All corrections and retractions will be carried out transparently, preserving the publication record and following the recommendations of COPE, SciELO, and internationally recognized best practices in scientific publishing.

 

Complaints and Appeals Policy

The Interações Journal ensures that authors, reviewers, readers, and other interested parties have the right to submit complaints, allegations, or appeals concerning the editorial process, ethical conduct, peer review, or editorial decisions.

Complaints and appeals must be submitted exclusively by email using the address provided on the journal's official website and should include a detailed description of the issue together with any supporting documentation or information whenever possible.

All complaints and appeals will be handled impartially, confidentially, transparently, and within a reasonable timeframe. They will be assessed by the editorial team and, whenever necessary, by the Editor-in-Chief and/or the Editorial Board.

In cases involving suspected scientific misconduct, ethical violations, or concerns regarding research integrity, the journal may follow the procedures recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), ensuring that all parties involved have the opportunity to respond and that the process is conducted ethically, fairly, and impartially.

The submission of a complaint or appeal does not necessarily result in the reconsideration of an editorial decision. The editorial team retains the authority to determine whether a manuscript should be re-evaluated or whether any other appropriate editorial measures should be adopted, always in accordance with the journal's editorial policies and internationally recognized best practices in scientific publishing.

 

Post-publication Discussions Policy

The Interações Journal recognizes that scientific communication remains open to scrutiny by the academic community after publication and encourages responsible, respectful, and evidence-based scientific discussion.

Authors, readers, reviewers, and other members of the scientific community may submit, by email to the address provided on the journal's official website, comments, questions, requests for corrections, or well-founded communications concerning possible inconsistencies, errors, or ethical issues related to published articles.

All communications received will be evaluated by the editorial team and, when appropriate, may be forwarded to the authors for clarification. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, the journal may adopt the appropriate editorial measures, including the publication of errata, editorial corrections, Expressions of Concern, or retractions, in accordance with the recommendations of SciELO, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and internationally recognized best practices in scientific publishing.

The journal reserves the right not to publish or proceed with communications that contain offensive language, unfounded accusations, defamatory content, or that lack technical or scientific grounds consistent with the principles of ethics and academic integrity.

Whenever appropriate, the outcomes of investigations and the editorial measures adopted may be disclosed transparently while preserving the confidentiality of personal information and respecting the applicable ethical principles.