Editorial Policies

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OUR EDITORIAL

  • POLICIES

Proud Pen publishes all books, chapters, and compacts open access. This means that readers are not required to pay a subscription fee or register in order to read, download, or share the published work. This model makes knowledge accessible and exponentially increases the visibility of our authors’ work.

  • Authorship
    We employ the ICMJE criteria for authorship. By submitting your book proposal or manuscript, you confirm that all authors are in agreement on the submission and its content. Each author must make a substantial contribution to the submitted work. Adding or removing authors requires a written statement signed by all authors prior to the publication. Changes to authorship upon the publication of the manuscript are not permissible. Make sure to select one author who will be designated to correspond with Proud Pen on all publication-related matters. This person will be the only one with the authority to communicate the authors’ decisions. Proud Pen does not assume any responsibility for any disputes that arise between the authors or other authorship-related matters.
  • Peer Review
    All submissions that receive preliminary approval from the editorial staff undergo a peer review process prior to getting published. You can learn more about Proud Pen’s Peer Review Policies here.
  • Plagiarism
    Proud Pen supports academic integrity. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism. Every submission is checked for authenticity. If a Similarity Report detects a similarity of more than 20%, the submission is automatically rejected. Instances of plagiarism are reported to the author(s), their funding agencies or institutions, and affiliates.
  • Standard Protocol on Approvals, Registrations, Patient Consents & Animal Protection
    Proud Pen requires that all clinical investigations are conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki principles. The authors must comply with the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors on the matter of patients’ consent for research and participation in the study. The submission must not include such patients’ details like their names, initials, or hospital numbers. Proud Pen reserves the right to request documentation of the formal review and recommendation from the Institutional Review Board or Ethics Committee that oversaw the study.
  • Copyright
    All published work is assigned a Creative Commons Attribution License. Authors retain copyright while consenting to the free distribution of their work. The author(s) must have full authority to enter into the agreement with Proud Pen, which includes granting it the distribution rights. It is the author(s) sole responsibility to ensure that entering the contract does not violate or breach any prior contracts.
  • Ethics Principles
    Proud Pen is guided by the principles outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and requires all authors, editors, and reviewers to read and consent to these principles.
  • Conflicts of Interest Policy
    Proud Pen is guided by the principles of ethics outlined by COPE and ICMJE. In line with these principles, all potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed by the authors, editors, and reviewers. The author(s) must disclose the sources of any financial contributions to the work.
  • Corrections and Retractions
    Proud Pen follows COPE’s publication guidelines on scientific misconduct and any disputes. Reports of scientific misconduct will be investigated and the outcome determined based on the criteria of the COPE’s principles. Proud Pen does not offer refunds of the Open Access Publishing Fee in the event of retractions or removals of work.
  • Refunds
    As per the policies on Corrections and Retractions, Proud Pen does not offer refunds of the Open Access Publishing Fee in the event of retractions or removals of work. Refunds are granted in the event of an accidental double payment or should Proud Pen decide not to publish the book. Should the author(s) request the withdrawal of their accepted manuscript, Proud Pen will consider a refund in the amount of 50%. Proud Pen is under no obligation to issue this refund and will determine whether the request is justified. Gateway charges, bank transaction fees, and other transactional expenses are not included in the refund.
  • Appeals and Complaints
    The author(s) can make an appeal or a complaint by submitting it to either the assigned editor or to Proud Pen directly via info@proudpen.com.
  • Disclaimer
    Proud Pen, its employees, and members of the editorial and reviewer boards are not liable for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products instruction, advertisements or ideas contained in a publication by Proud Pen.