Publication ethics

Editors should uphold the highest standards of academic publishing ethics to ensure the accuracy of the publication record and promote integrity in academia.

Editors should be aware of the different types of misconduct that may arise in the publication process and how to address any breaches of publication ethics. Types of misconduct are outlined here: Publication Misconduct.

Sage is likewise committed to the integrity of the publication process and the academic record. Sage takes issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarized other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

Please refer to our Publication Ethics policy page for further details