Publishing Policies

Open Access

ESRA Publications supports open-access scholarly publishing, with the aim of making published research accessible to readers worldwide.

Unless otherwise stated on the individual journal's website, articles published under an open-access model are made freely accessible online from the date of publication, subject to the copyright and licensing terms applicable to the article.

Article Processing Charges (APCs), if any, will be clearly stated on the relevant journal's website and in its author guidelines before manuscript submission. ESRA Publications does not charge an APC for articles where the applicable journal policy expressly provides for publication without an APC.

For academic and student Project Reports, a separate Project Publication Charge (PPC) may apply. Any applicable charge, together with the services covered by it, will be communicated transparently to the authors before publication.

There is no general page limit for open-access publication; however, manuscripts and reports must satisfy the applicable journal or publication's editorial, scholarly and formatting requirements.

Open-access articles may be made available for reading, downloading, sharing and other permitted uses according to the specific Creative Commons or other licence stated with the published work.

Publication Ethics and Plagiarism

ESRA Publications is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and research integrity.

Authors are expected to ensure that submitted work is original and that all sources, quotations, data, images and other material obtained from third parties are appropriately acknowledged and cited.

The following may constitute serious publication misconduct:

Plagiarism or substantial unattributed copying
Duplicate or redundant publication
Fabrication or falsification of data
Manipulation or inappropriate presentation of research results
Improper or disputed authorship
Undisclosed conflicts of interest
Unauthorized use of copyrighted material
Misrepresentation of research, affiliations or sources
Any other conduct that compromises the integrity of the scholarly record

ESRA Publications may conduct appropriate pre-publication and post-publication checks. Where concerns arise, the publisher and editors may request explanations, supporting documentation or corrections and may take appropriate action, including rejection, correction, withdrawal or retraction of a publication, depending on the circumstances.

Authors, reviewers and editors are expected to comply with the applicable ethical and editorial policies of the journal.

Peer Review

All submitted manuscripts are subject to editorial assessment before being considered for external peer review.

A manuscript may be declined at the editorial stage where, for example, it:

Falls outside the aims and scope of the journal;
Does not meet the journal's basic submission requirements;
Lacks sufficient originality or scholarly contribution;
Contains substantial methodological or scientific deficiencies;
Does not provide adequate ethical or research information where required; or
Requires extensive revision before it can reasonably be considered for peer review.

Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial assessment may be sent for independent peer review by qualified reviewers with appropriate subject expertise.

Where a journal uses double-anonymous (double-blind) peer review, the identities of authors and reviewers are not disclosed to one another to the extent practicable under the journal's procedures.

The number of reviewers, review model and decision-making procedure may vary according to the individual journal and manuscript type. Editorial decisions remain the responsibility of the journal's editors and are based on the journal's stated editorial policies and the scholarly merits of the submission.

Copyright and Licensing

The applicable copyright and licensing terms will be clearly stated before publication and associated with the published article or report.

Where authors retain copyright, they grant ESRA Publications the necessary publishing and distribution rights to publish, host, reproduce, communicate and disseminate the work in accordance with the agreed licence.

Where copyright is transferred or assigned to ESRA Publications under a specific publishing agreement, the terms of that agreement will govern the respective rights of the author and publisher.

For open-access publications, the applicable Creative Commons licence will be identified on the published work. Depending on the publication, this may include a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence or another appropriate Creative Commons licence.

Authors and readers should refer to the specific licence displayed with each publication to determine the permitted rights concerning copying, distribution, adaptation, commercial use and other forms of reuse.

Where an embargo or repository policy applies, the applicable conditions and permitted version of the manuscript will be specified in the relevant journal or publishing agreement.

Human and Animal Research Ethics

Authors reporting research involving human participants, human-derived materials or animals must comply with applicable ethical standards, institutional requirements and relevant national or international regulations.

Where ethical approval is required, authors must provide details of the relevant Institutional Ethics Committee, Institutional Review Board, Animal Ethics Committee or equivalent body, including the approval/reference number where applicable.

The editor may request documentary evidence of ethical approval where appropriate.

Research involving human participants should include an appropriate statement concerning informed consent, where required.

Informed Consent

Where a publication contains identifiable information, photographs, clinical details or other material relating to an identifiable individual, authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary informed consent for publication.

The consent process should comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements. Authors should not include unnecessary personally identifiable information in manuscripts or supplementary material.

Where appropriate, the manuscript should contain a statement confirming that informed consent for publication was obtained.

Professional Conduct and Civility

ESRA Publications is committed to maintaining a respectful, professional and inclusive scholarly environment.

Authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members and publishing staff are expected to communicate professionally and respectfully.

Harassment, threats, abusive or discriminatory communication, intimidation, personal attacks and other forms of inappropriate conduct will not be tolerated.

Where serious misconduct occurs, ESRA Publications may take appropriate action in accordance with applicable policies and circumstances.

Complaints, Appeals and Disputes

Authors and other stakeholders may raise legitimate concerns regarding editorial decisions, publication processes, ethical matters or published content through the appropriate journal or publisher contact channel.

ESRA Publications will seek to consider such matters fairly, transparently and in accordance with applicable editorial and publication policies.

Legal and Governing Matters

ESRA Publications Pvt. Ltd. operates in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations of India.

Any legal matter or dispute arising from the publisher's activities, publications, agreements or services shall be addressed in accordance with applicable Indian law and the jurisdiction specified in the relevant contractual or publishing agreement.

Where a specific publishing agreement provides for a particular jurisdiction or dispute-resolution mechanism, the terms of that agreement shall apply.

ESRA Publications Pvt. Ltd. reserves the right to update these policies from time to time to reflect developments in scholarly publishing, applicable law and recognized publication-ethics practices. The version published on the ESRA Publications website at the relevant time shall apply, subject to any specific contractual terms.