Academic misconduct and publication misconduct undermine the integrity of the scholarly record and may compromise the reliability and credibility of published research. Polar and Cold Regions Research is committed to identifying, investigating, and addressing suspected misconduct in accordance with applicable ethical standards and the Core Practices of COPE.

Publication misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

• Plagiarism: Presenting another person's ideas, words, data, images, or other intellectual work as one's own without appropriate acknowledgement.

• Fabrication or falsification: Inventing research data or results, or manipulating, omitting, or altering research materials, data, images, or results in a manner that misrepresents the research.

• Duplicate or redundant publication: Publishing or submitting substantially overlapping work without appropriate disclosure, justification, or citation.

• Inappropriate authorship: Including individuals who have not made a substantial contribution, excluding eligible contributors, or otherwise misrepresenting authorship contributions.

• Peer-review manipulation: Attempting to improperly influence or interfere with the peer-review process, including the use of fabricated reviewer identities or other deceptive practices.

• Undisclosed conflicts of interest: Failing to disclose relationships or circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or publication process.

Concerns regarding possible misconduct may arise through editorial screening, peer review, post-publication communications, or reports from authors, reviewers, readers, institutions, or other relevant parties.

Polar and Cold Regions Research may use similarity-detection tools, including iThenticate, as part of its editorial screening. Similarity results are assessed in context and do not by themselves constitute a determination of plagiarism or misconduct.

Where concerns arise, the journal may request supporting documentation, original research materials or data, explanations from the authors, or additional expert assessment. Where appropriate, the journal may also contact the relevant institution or other responsible organization.

Depending on the nature and severity of the matter, possible actions may include:

• rejection of a manuscript;

• request for clarification or correction;

• publication of a correction or expression of concern;

• retraction of a published article;

• notification of relevant institutions or organizations; or

• other proportionate actions consistent with applicable ethical standards.

Investigations will be conducted fairly and confidentially to the extent reasonably possible. Individuals who raise concerns in good faith will be treated appropriately and, where feasible, their identity will be protected.

Editors of Polar and Cold Regions Research are responsible for maintaining the quality, integrity, fairness, and confidentiality of the editorial and peer-review process.

Fairness and Impartiality

Editors should evaluate manuscripts objectively and consistently, without discrimination based on authors' personal characteristics, institutional affiliations, geographic location, or other irrelevant considerations. Editorial decisions should be based on the scholarly quality, relevance, originality, and integrity of the submission.

Peer Review Integrity

Editors should select reviewers with appropriate expertise and should take reasonable steps to avoid conflicts of interest. Reviewers should be selected independently of personal, financial, or professional relationships that could compromise impartiality.

Editors should monitor the peer-review process, evaluate reviewer reports appropriately, and seek additional assessment when necessary. The journal uses double-blind peer review where applicable.

Confidentiality

Editors must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, reviewer identities and reports, unpublished research information, and other confidential material obtained during the editorial process. Such information should not be used for personal advantage or disclosed to unauthorized persons.

Conflict of Interest

Editors should disclose relevant conflicts of interest and should recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where their impartiality could reasonably be questioned. Appropriate alternative editorial arrangements may be made when necessary.

Academic Integrity

Editors should respond appropriately when there are reasonable grounds to suspect plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, peer-review manipulation, or other forms of publication misconduct. Investigations and resulting actions should be proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the concern.

Editorial Communication

Editors should communicate decisions and relevant editorial requirements clearly and professionally. Where appropriate, decision letters should provide sufficient information to explain the basis of an editorial decision and any actions required from the authors.

Polar and Cold Regions Research follows widely recognized principles of authorship and contributor responsibility, including the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) where applicable. Authorship should accurately reflect substantial contributions to the research and manuscript.

Authorship Criteria

Authors should have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data, and/or the development or substantial revision of the manuscript. Authors should approve the final version and agree to be accountable for the integrity and accuracy of the work.

Author Approval and Responsibility

All listed authors should approve the manuscript before submission and should agree to the order of authorship. Each author should be able to identify their contribution and should participate sufficiently in the work to take appropriate responsibility for the integrity of the research.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating communication with the journal and ensuring that all authors are informed of the submission, editorial decisions, revisions, and final version of the manuscript. The corresponding author should also ensure that the information provided to the journal is accurate and complete.

Changes in Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission should be made with the agreement of all affected authors and should include an explanation for the requested change. The journal may request written confirmation from all authors before approving an authorship change.

Contributors Who Are Not Authors

Individuals who provide assistance that does not meet the criteria for authorship, such as administrative support, language editing, technical assistance, or general supervision, should not be listed as authors solely on that basis. Appropriate contributions may be acknowledged where relevant.

Copyright and Licensing

Articles published by Polar and Cold Regions Research are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, unless otherwise stated for specific material.

Authors retain appropriate rights in their work while granting the rights necessary for publication and distribution under the CC BY 4.0 license. The CC BY 4.0 license permits others to share and adapt the published work, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original authors and source, a link to the license is provided, and any changes are indicated.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary rights and permissions for third-party materials included in their manuscript. Material that is not covered by the article's CC BY 4.0 license should be clearly identified, and appropriate permission should be obtained where required.

Data and Research Records

Authors should maintain appropriate research records and supporting materials and should be able to provide relevant documentation or data when reasonably requested during editorial assessment or an investigation into research integrity.

Funding and Conflicts of Interest

Authors should disclose relevant sources of funding and any financial or non-financial relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its publication. Where applicable, grant or funding information should be reported accurately.

Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript before it is formally published. Withdrawal requests should normally be submitted by the corresponding author and should include a clear explanation of the reason for withdrawal.

Where a manuscript has multiple authors, the corresponding author should ensure that all co-authors are informed of and agree to the withdrawal request. The journal may request confirmation from the authors before processing the withdrawal.

The journal may also withdraw a manuscript before publication in exceptional circumstances, including serious ethical concerns, evidence of publication misconduct, significant procedural problems, or technical problems that cannot reasonably be resolved.

Withdrawal of a manuscript does not remove the authors' responsibility for complying with applicable copyright, ethical, legal, or contractual obligations.

A published article may be retracted when there is clear evidence that the article contains substantial problems that compromise the reliability of the scholarly record. Reasons for retraction may include major errors that invalidate the conclusions, fabrication or falsification of data, plagiarism, duplicate publication, serious ethical violations, or other forms of substantial publication misconduct.

Retraction decisions will be made in accordance with applicable ethical standards and the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authors, institutions, readers, or other relevant parties may raise concerns regarding a published article, and the journal may investigate such concerns before determining whether retraction is appropriate.

When an article is retracted:

1. A clear retraction notice will be published and permanently linked to the original article.

2. The notice will identify the article and explain the reason or reasons for the retraction.

3. The original article will normally remain accessible to preserve the scholarly record, but it will be clearly identified as retracted.

4. Where technically appropriate, the published version may contain a clear retraction indication or watermark.

Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record and does not necessarily imply misconduct by every author of a retracted article.

A correction notice may be issued when an error or omission in a published article affects the accuracy, clarity, or completeness of the scholarly record but does not justify retraction.

Examples may include:

• errors or omissions in data presentation;

• incorrect references or bibliographic information;

• errors in author names, affiliations, or contribution information;

• minor methodological or analytical errors that do not invalidate the overall conclusions; or

• production or formatting errors that affect the accuracy or interpretation of the published article.

Where appropriate, the online article may be corrected and a separate correction notice may be published. The correction notice will be permanently linked to the affected article so that readers can identify the nature of the change.

Removal of a published article is an exceptional measure and will generally be considered only where serious legal, ethical, privacy, or other substantial concerns cannot be adequately addressed through a correction or retraction.

Possible circumstances may include:

• a valid legal requirement or court order;

• serious and demonstrable copyright or intellectual property infringement;

• publication of confidential or personally identifiable information that creates a substantial risk of harm and cannot reasonably be corrected;

• other exceptional circumstances in which continued public availability of the article would create substantial and demonstrable legal or ethical harm.

Where an article is removed, the journal will seek to preserve the bibliographic record and, where appropriate, provide a notice explaining that the article has been removed and the general reason for the action.

Article Processing Charges, where applicable, are normally non-refundable when an accepted manuscript or published article is withdrawn, retracted, or removed because of academic misconduct or serious ethical violations, unless otherwise determined by the journal or publisher in exceptional circumstances.

Research involving human participants or animals must comply with applicable ethical, legal, and institutional requirements. Authors should obtain approval from the relevant ethics committee, Institutional Review Board (IRB), or other competent body before conducting the research where such approval is required.

Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants should follow appropriate ethical standards, including the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki where applicable. Authors should ensure that participants' rights, privacy, safety, and dignity are appropriately protected and that informed consent is obtained where required.

The manuscript should identify the relevant ethics committee or institutional approval and approval number where applicable. Where informed consent requirements have been waived, the authors should state this and provide the relevant justification or approval information where appropriate.

Research Involving Animals

Research involving animals should comply with applicable institutional, national, and international requirements for animal welfare. Authors should apply the principles of Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement (the 3Rs) where applicable and should take reasonable measures to minimize animal use, suffering, and distress.

Relevant animal ethics approval, committee information, or other required documentation should be provided where applicable. The journal may request supporting ethical approval documents when necessary.

Polar and Cold Regions Research recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) tools can assist researchers and authors with certain aspects of scholarly communication. However, AI tools cannot replace human responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical conduct of scholarly work.

AI Cannot Be an Author

AI tools and generative AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of a manuscript. Human authors remain fully responsible for the content of the submitted and published work.

Permitted Uses

Subject to appropriate verification and applicable confidentiality and copyright requirements, AI tools may be used for purposes such as:

• language editing, grammar, spelling, and stylistic improvement;

• translation or assistance with multilingual communication;

• organizing or summarizing information, provided that the underlying sources and information are independently checked;

• technical or formatting assistance; and

• other supportive tasks that do not replace the authors' intellectual responsibility for the research.

Prohibited Uses

Authors must not use AI tools to:

• fabricate or falsify research data, results, references, images, or other evidence;

• generate misleading or unsupported scholarly claims;

• manipulate research evidence or results in a deceptive manner;

• conceal plagiarism or otherwise misrepresent the origin of scholarly content; or

• upload confidential, unpublished, personal, proprietary, or otherwise restricted information into an AI system without appropriate authorization.

Disclosure of Substantive AI Use

Authors should disclose substantive use of AI tools in the preparation of a manuscript when such use goes beyond routine spelling, grammar, formatting, or language polishing. The disclosure should identify the nature and purpose of the AI-assisted work sufficiently to allow readers and editors to understand its role.

Authors remain responsible for checking AI-assisted content for accuracy, completeness, originality, appropriate attribution, and compliance with applicable copyright, confidentiality, privacy, and intellectual property requirements.

Polar and Cold Regions Research accepts manuscripts that have previously been posted on recognized non-peer-reviewed preprint servers. The posting of a manuscript on a preprint server does not, in itself, constitute prior publication and does not prevent the manuscript from being considered for publication in this journal.

Authors must disclose the existence of any preprint version at the time of submission and provide the name of the preprint server and the corresponding DOI or URL, where available.

To be considered for publication:

1. The manuscript must not have been formally published in a peer-reviewed journal or other primary publication.

2. The manuscript must not be under consideration for publication by another journal at the same time.

3. Authors must have the necessary rights to submit the manuscript for journal publication, and the preprint posting must not violate any copyright, licensing, confidentiality, or other third-party rights.

4. The existence of the preprint must be clearly disclosed to the journal during submission.

Examples of recognized preprint servers include, but are not limited to, Research Square, arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv, SSRN, ChemRxiv, and Zenodo.

Manuscripts previously posted as preprints will be subject to the same editorial assessment and peer-review process as other submissions. A preprint is not considered a substitute for peer review or formal journal publication, and its existence will not, by itself, determine the editorial decision.

If a manuscript is accepted and published, authors are encouraged to update the preprint record with a citation and link to the final published Version of Record.

Failure to disclose a relevant preprint may be considered a publication ethics concern.

The journal is committed to maintaining editorial independence and academic integrity.

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on:

• Scholarly merit;
• Originality;
• Relevance to the journal's scope;
• Methodological rigor;
• Ethical compliance.

Editorial decisions are made independently by the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board and are not influenced by:

• Publication fees;
• Waiver requests;
• Advertising;
• Sponsorship;
• Commercial interests;
• Publisher interests.

The publisher shall not interfere with editorial evaluations, peer review processes, acceptance decisions, or publication decisions.

All manuscripts are evaluated according to the same academic and ethical standards.

The journal is committed to handling complaints and appeals fairly, transparently, and in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Complaints

Complaints may relate to:

• Editorial processes;
• Peer review procedures;
• Publication ethics;
• Alleged misconduct;
• Author, reviewer, editor, or publisher conduct.

Complaints should be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office with sufficient details and supporting evidence.

Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions if they believe that a decision was based on factual errors, procedural irregularities, or significant misunderstandings of the manuscript.

Appeals must:

• Be submitted within 30 days of the editorial decision;
• Clearly explain the grounds for appeal;
• Provide relevant supporting information.

Appeals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or an independent editor who was not involved in the original decision. Additional peer review may be requested when appropriate.(contact@explorerpress.com)

The final decision following the appeal process shall be considered binding.

The journal follows COPE recommendations when handling complaints and appeals.

The journal does not accept or publish commercial advertising in any form, including website advertisements, sponsored content, promotional materials, or paid advertisements.

As the journal does not carry advertisements, no advertising revenue is associated with editorial decision-making.

Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, peer review outcomes, ethical standards, and the journal's editorial policies.

The publisher, editors, and editorial board operate independently of any commercial influence.

Should the journal's advertising practices change in the future, this policy will be updated accordingly.