Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement
Last Updated: 5 March 2026
This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement outlines the ethical standards and responsibilities governing scholarly publishing at Inkbound Publishers (“Inkbound”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), accessible at https://inkbound.org (the “Website”).
Inkbound Publishers was previously known as The Law Brigade (Book) Publisher, and the current publishing platform continues the academic publishing activities formerly carried out under that name. References to “Inkbound”, “we”, “us”, or “our” in this policy refer to the publisher operating the Website and its associated publishing services.
Inkbound is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, and ethical publishing practices. Our editorial policies are guided by the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other internationally recognized standards for responsible scholarly communication.
This policy applies to all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and conference organizers.
1. Editorial Responsibilities
Editors at Inkbound are responsible for ensuring that all submitted manuscripts are evaluated fairly, objectively, and in accordance with established academic standards.
Editors shall:
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assess submissions based solely on their scholarly merit, originality, and relevance, without discrimination based on nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, or personal characteristics;
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ensure that manuscripts undergo appropriate editorial evaluation and, where applicable, peer review;
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maintain confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts and associated correspondence;
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avoid conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from editorial decisions where such conflicts exist.
Editorial decisions must be independent and free from external influence, including commercial or institutional pressures.
2. Author Responsibilities
Authors submitting manuscripts to Inkbound must adhere to accepted standards of scholarly integrity.
Authors must ensure that:
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submitted work represents original research or scholarly analysis;
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all sources of information are properly cited and acknowledged;
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the manuscript does not contain plagiarism, fabricated data, or misleading results;
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all authors listed have made significant scholarly contributions to the work and have approved the final manuscript;
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any conflicts of interest or funding sources relevant to the research are disclosed.
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for any third-party copyrighted materials included in their submissions.
Submission of the same manuscript to multiple publishers simultaneously without disclosure is considered unethical and may result in rejection.
3. Peer Review Process
Inkbound employs editorial review and, where applicable, peer review processes designed to ensure scholarly quality and integrity.
Reviewers are expected to:
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evaluate manuscripts objectively and constructively;
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maintain confidentiality regarding the manuscript and its contents;
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disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect their ability to review the work impartially;
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provide feedback within a reasonable timeframe.
Reviewers must not use unpublished material disclosed in a manuscript for their own research or personal advantage.
4. Plagiarism and Originality
Inkbound maintains a strict policy against plagiarism.
All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection tools, including systems such as Turnitin.
Manuscripts found to contain substantial plagiarism, including unattributed copying or improper paraphrasing, may be rejected without further review.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that their work is properly referenced and original.
5. Artificial Intelligence and Scholarly Integrity
Inkbound maintains clear standards regarding the use of artificial intelligence in scholarly submissions.
Fully AI-generated manuscripts are not permitted.
Artificial intelligence tools may be used only for limited purposes such as language editing, formatting assistance, or the generation of illustrative media (e.g., diagrams, figures, or infographics).
The intellectual and scholarly content of the work must be authored by human researchers.
Where AI tools have been used to assist in manuscript preparation, authors should disclose such usage where appropriate.
6. Conflicts of Interest
Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could influence the interpretation or evaluation of the research.
Examples of potential conflicts include:
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financial sponsorship or funding sources;
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employment or institutional relationships;
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personal or professional relationships with other authors or reviewers.
Where conflicts of interest are identified, appropriate steps will be taken to ensure impartial evaluation of the manuscript.
7. Data Integrity and Research Transparency
Authors are expected to present research findings accurately and transparently.
Fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of data constitutes serious academic misconduct.
Where appropriate, authors should retain research data and supporting materials so that they may be made available for verification if requested by the editorial office.
8. Corrections, Retractions, and Editorial Notices
Inkbound is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.
Where errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, Inkbound may take corrective action including:
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publishing corrections or errata for minor errors;
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issuing expressions of concern where significant questions arise regarding the reliability of a publication;
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issuing retractions in cases involving plagiarism, data fabrication, legal disputes, or other serious ethical violations.
Retractions will clearly identify the reason for the action and will remain permanently associated with the original publication.
9. Handling Allegations of Misconduct
Allegations of ethical misconduct—including plagiarism, duplicate publication, or data manipulation—will be investigated by the editorial office in accordance with recognized ethical procedures.
Investigations may involve:
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communication with the authors and relevant institutions;
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review of supporting documentation;
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consultation with independent experts where necessary.
If misconduct is confirmed, Inkbound may reject the manuscript, retract the publication, or implement other appropriate corrective measures.
10. Ethical Oversight for Conference Proceedings
Conference organizers submitting proceedings to Inkbound must ensure that contributions comply with the same ethical standards required for other scholarly publications.
Organizers are responsible for ensuring that submitted papers:
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represent original work;
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are properly reviewed where applicable;
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comply with plagiarism and academic integrity requirements.
Inkbound reserves the right to decline publication of conference proceedings that do not meet these standards.
11. Copyright and Licensing
Authors retain copyright to their work while granting Inkbound a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute, and archive the work.
All published content is released under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license.
This license permits readers to share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given and derivative works are distributed under the same license terms.
12. Complaints and Appeals
Authors who believe that an editorial decision has been made in error may submit a reasoned appeal to the editorial office.
Appeals will be reviewed objectively and may involve consultation with additional editors or reviewers.
Inkbound is committed to handling complaints and appeals in a fair and transparent manner.
Contact
Questions regarding publication ethics or potential ethical concerns may be directed to:
Email: editor@inkbound.org