Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement

Rheinforum is committed to the highest standards of publication ethics and follows the principles set out by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Duties of Authors

• Submit only original work and disclose all sources appropriately.
• Ensure all listed authors have made a substantive contribution to the research and approve the final manuscript.
• Disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest.
• Report data accurately; fabrication, falsification, or selective omission of data is prohibited.

Duties of Reviewers

• Evaluate manuscripts objectively and provide constructive, well-reasoned feedback.
• Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts under review.
• Declare any conflicts of interest and decline review where appropriate.

Duties of Editors

• Make publication decisions based solely on the manuscript's academic merit and fit with the conference scope.
• Maintain the confidentiality and integrity of the double-blind review process.
• Act on suspected misconduct in accordance with COPE guidance.

Plagiarism Screening

All submissions are screened for textual overlap using automated plagiarism-detection software prior to peer review. Manuscripts with unacceptable similarity are returned or rejected.

Authorship & Conflicts of Interest

Authorship must reflect genuine intellectual contribution. All potential conflicts of interest, including funding sources, must be disclosed at submission.

Corrections & Retractions

Where errors are identified after publication, the editorial office will issue a correction, or, in cases of serious misconduct, a retraction, in line with COPE guidelines.