Publication misconduct is a serious violation of research and publishing integrity. Transnational Supply Chain Research is committed to protecting the reliability of the scholarly record and will investigate credible concerns regarding research or publication misconduct in accordance with applicable ethical standards.

Examples of misconduct include, but are not limited to:

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

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

• Duplicate or redundant publication: Publishing substantially overlapping work without appropriate disclosure, justification, or cross-reference.

• Inappropriate authorship: Including individuals who do not meet authorship criteria or excluding individuals who made substantial contributions that qualify for authorship.

• Peer-review manipulation: Attempting to interfere improperly with the peer-review process, including the submission of fraudulent reviewer identities or fabricated reviewer reports.

• Undisclosed conflicts of interest: Failing to disclose relationships or interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research, review, or editorial decision-making process.

Concerns regarding publication misconduct may be identified through editorial screening, peer review, post-publication communication, or reports from authors, reviewers, readers, institutions, or other parties.

The journal may use plagiarism-detection or similarity-screening tools, including iThenticate, as part of its editorial processes. Similarity results are assessed in context and do not, by themselves, establish plagiarism or other misconduct.

When credible concerns arise, the journal may request relevant information or supporting materials, seek explanations from the authors, consult appropriate experts, and communicate with relevant institutions where necessary.

Where misconduct is confirmed, the journal may take proportionate action, including:

• Rejection of a submitted manuscript;

• Correction or retraction of a published article where appropriate;

• Notification of relevant institutions or other appropriate parties;

• Restriction of future submissions in serious cases, where justified.

Investigations will be conducted as fairly and confidentially as reasonably possible. Decisions will be based on the available evidence and relevant ethical guidance. Where appropriate, individuals raising concerns in good faith will be treated with confidentiality and protected from inappropriate disclosure or retaliation to the extent reasonably possible.

Editors are responsible for maintaining the quality, integrity, and fairness of the journal's editorial process. Editorial decisions should be based on the academic quality, relevance, originality, and validity of a manuscript and should not be influenced by personal characteristics or relationships unrelated to the scholarly merits of the submission.

Fairness and Impartiality

Editors should evaluate manuscripts objectively and consistently, without discrimination based on factors such as nationality, ethnicity, gender, institutional affiliation, or other characteristics unrelated to academic merit.

Peer-Review Integrity

Editors should:

• Select reviewers whose expertise is appropriate to the manuscript;

• Avoid assigning reviewers with relevant conflicts of interest;

• Monitor the quality and appropriateness of peer-review reports;

• Seek additional expert assessment when necessary;

• Protect the confidentiality and integrity of the peer-review process.

The journal may use a double-blind peer-review process where applicable. Editors should take reasonable steps to protect the identities of authors and reviewers in accordance with the journal's review model.

Confidentiality

Editors must treat unpublished manuscripts and related information as confidential. Manuscript content 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 editorial decisions where their impartiality could reasonably be questioned. An alternative editor may be assigned when necessary.

Academic Integrity

Editors should respond appropriately to credible concerns regarding plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, authorship disputes, peer-review manipulation, or other forms of publication misconduct.

Editorial Communication

Editors should communicate decisions and relevant editorial requirements to authors and reviewers clearly and professionally. Editorial decisions should be supported by appropriate reasons based on the journal's policies and the scholarly assessment of the manuscript.

Transnational Supply Chain Research follows internationally recognized principles concerning authorship and contributor responsibilities. Authorship should accurately reflect substantial contributions to the work and should carry responsibility for the integrity of the research and publication.

Authorship Criteria

Individuals should normally qualify as authors when they have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; and have participated in drafting the work or critically revising it for important intellectual content. Authors must also approve the final version to be published and agree to be accountable for the work.

Individuals who contribute to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship should, where appropriate, be acknowledged rather than listed as authors.

Author Approval and Responsibility

All listed authors should:

• Approve the manuscript submitted to the journal;

• Approve the final version before publication;

• Agree with the author list and the order of authors;

• Take responsibility for their contributions and cooperate in addressing questions concerning the integrity of the work.

Corresponding Author

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

Changes in Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission should be supported by an explanation and the agreement of all affected authors. The journal may request written confirmation from the authors before approving a change in authorship.

Research and Publication Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

• The submitted work is original and has not been formally published elsewhere;

• The manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal;

• Sources, data, methods, and other materials are reported accurately;

• Relevant funding and conflicts of interest are disclosed;

• Necessary permissions are obtained for third-party copyrighted material;

• Relevant ethical approvals are obtained where required;

• Significant errors discovered after submission or publication are promptly communicated to the journal.

Copyright and Licensing

Articles published by Transnational Supply Chain 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 retain appropriate research records and supporting materials for a period consistent with applicable institutional, funder, legal, and disciplinary requirements. Where data or materials are subject to sharing requirements, authors should comply with applicable institutional, ethical, legal, and funder requirements.

Funding and Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose relevant sources of financial support and any relationships or interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.

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

Where multiple authors are involved, the corresponding author should confirm that the other authors are aware of and agree with the withdrawal request. The journal may request confirmation from other authors when necessary, particularly where there is a dispute concerning the withdrawal.

Manuscripts may also be withdrawn by the journal in exceptional circumstances, including serious ethical concerns, evidence of substantial publication misconduct, or technical or procedural problems that prevent the manuscript from being reliably processed.

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

A published article may be retracted when there is clear evidence that its findings or the integrity of the publication are substantially compromised. Reasons for retraction may include, but are not limited to, major errors that invalidate the conclusions, fabrication or falsification of data, plagiarism, duplicate publication, serious ethical violations, or other significant forms of research or publication misconduct.

Retraction decisions are made following appropriate investigation and consideration of the available evidence, with reference to applicable guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Where an article is retracted, the journal will normally:

1. Clearly identify the article as retracted in the online version or article record;

2. Publish a separate retraction notice that explains the reason or reasons for the retraction;

3. Permanently link the retraction notice to the original article record;

4. Maintain the retraction information as part of the scholarly record.

The original article will normally remain accessible for the purposes of maintaining the publication record, but its retracted status will be clearly indicated.

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 of the article.

Examples may include:

• Errors in data presentation;

• Incorrect or incomplete references;

• Errors in author or contributor information;

• Minor or non-fatal methodological or analytical errors;

• Other factual or production errors that require correction.

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

Removal of a published article is an exceptional measure and is considered only where continued public access to the article would create serious legal, ethical, privacy, or other substantial risks that cannot be adequately addressed through correction or retraction.

Possible circumstances may include:

• A legal requirement or court order;

• Serious and demonstrable copyright or intellectual-property infringement;

• Publication of confidential or personally identifiable information that creates a significant risk of harm;

• Other exceptional circumstances in which continued public availability would create substantial and demonstrable harm.

Where removal is necessary, the journal will seek to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record by maintaining an appropriate bibliographic record and, where possible, publishing a notice explaining that the article has been removed and the general reason for the action.

Where an accepted manuscript or published article is withdrawn, retracted, or removed because of research or publication misconduct, any applicable Article Processing Charge will normally not be refundable, unless otherwise determined by the journal or publisher.

Research involving human participants or animals must comply with applicable ethical, legal, and institutional requirements. Authors are responsible for obtaining approval from the appropriate ethics committee, institutional review board, animal ethics committee, or other competent authority where such approval is required.

Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants should comply with applicable ethical principles, including the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki where relevant. Appropriate informed consent should be obtained where required, and authors should take reasonable measures to protect participants' privacy, confidentiality, safety, and rights.

The manuscript should identify the approving ethics committee or institutional review board and provide the relevant approval or reference number where applicable. Where ethics approval was not required, authors should provide an appropriate explanation.

Research Involving Animals

Animal research should comply with applicable institutional, national, and international requirements for the ethical treatment and welfare of animals. Authors should apply the principles of Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement (the 3Rs) where applicable and should take appropriate measures to minimize animal suffering and unnecessary use of animals.

The manuscript should identify the relevant ethics committee or institutional approval and provide an approval or reference number where applicable.

Human and Animal Rights

Authors must ensure that research involving human participants or animals has been conducted responsibly and in accordance with applicable ethical standards. The journal may request supporting ethics documentation during editorial assessment or peer review.

Transnational Supply Chain Research recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools can assist researchers and authors with certain aspects of scholarly work. However, the use of AI does not transfer responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, or ethical compliance of a manuscript away from the human authors.

AI Cannot Be an Author

AI tools and other automated systems cannot be listed as authors or credited as authors of a manuscript. Authorship requires human responsibility for the work, including accountability for its content and integrity.

Permitted Uses

Authors may use AI tools for appropriate purposes such as:

• Language editing, grammar correction, and improvement of readability;

• Translation or assistance with language expression;

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

• Technical or formatting assistance that does not replace the authors' intellectual responsibility.

Prohibited or Unacceptable Uses

AI tools must not be used in a manner that compromises research or publication integrity. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Fabricating or falsifying data, results, references, images, or other research materials;

• Generating misleading or unsupported scholarly claims;

• Manipulating research results or evidence;

• Using AI to conceal plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct;

• Uploading confidential, unpublished, personal, or otherwise restricted information to an AI service where such disclosure is not authorized.

Author Responsibility

Authors remain fully responsible for all content submitted to the journal, including content produced or modified with the assistance of AI. Authors must independently verify the accuracy, completeness, originality, citations, and appropriateness of AI-assisted content.

Disclosure of AI Use

Where AI tools have been used in a substantive way in the preparation of a manuscript, authors should disclose the nature and purpose of the use in an appropriate part of the manuscript or during submission, where required by the journal.

The use of AI solely for routine spelling, grammar, formatting, or language polishing generally does not require a detailed disclosure unless otherwise specified by the journal.

Authors should also comply with applicable copyright, confidentiality, data-protection, and intellectual-property requirements when using AI tools.

Transnational Supply Chain 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 the 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.

Conditions for Consideration

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 copyright, licensing, confidentiality, or other third-party rights.

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

Recognized Preprint Servers

Examples of established preprint servers include, but are not limited to, Research Square, arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv, SSRN, ChemRxiv, and Zenodo. The journal may consider manuscripts posted on other established preprint platforms where the platform functions as a non-peer-reviewed or pre-publication dissemination service and the posting is consistent with the authors' rights and applicable publishing policies.

Editorial and Peer-Review Process

Manuscripts previously posted as preprints will undergo the same editorial assessment and peer-review process as other submissions. The existence of a preprint will not, by itself, determine the editorial decision.

Authors should accurately disclose the relationship between the preprint and the submitted manuscript. A preprint must not be represented as a peer-reviewed or formally published journal article before peer review and formal publication have occurred.

Failure to disclose a relevant preprint may be considered a publication-ethics concern where the omission materially affects editorial assessment or creates a misleading impression regarding the manuscript's publication history.

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.