JDFEWS Ethical Statement
We uphold the highest publishing standards and adhere to research ethics in alignment with the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org/). Our procedures in handling suspected violations of publication ethics follow the flowcharts recommended by COPE. Additionally, we align with the ethical recommendations and the POPIA Code of Conduct for Research as outlined by the Academy of Science of South Africa.
Authorship: All authors are required to have made substantial contributions to the research, including conceptualization, data curation, methodology, and contributions to various sections specified in the JDFEWS Paper preparation template. All authors shall bear responsibility for their respective contributions.
Declaration of Competing Interests: Authors must transparently disclose all competing interests, whether financial or non-financial, that could impact the study or introduce bias.
Data Accuracy: Authors are accountable for providing accurate and transparent data. Raw data must be retained for a reasonable period post-publication for verification purposes.
Funding: Comprehensive information regarding all sources of funding must be clearly stated in the manuscript as applicable.
Plagiarism: Authors are obligated to uphold ethical standards, refraining from practices such as multiple submissions, plagiarism, fabrication, fraudulent authorship, copyright infringement, and nondisclosure of competing interests. Adherence to the Journal's specified 5-10% similarity score is strictly required.