Editorial Policies

The editorial board of the Journal of Teaching and Research in English Literature is committed to upholding scholarly publication ethics in every possible way. We adhere to the guidelines framed by various scholarly bodies (Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)) to maintain international standards by enhancing quality in publication. We expect all the concerned parties associated with the journal (authors, reviewers, editors, and readers) to abide by the following norms.

(i) Authorship:

All published materials (articles, book reviews, interviews, and poems) must furnish appropriate attribution of authorship. According to the recommendation of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the authorship can be attributed to a person based on the following four criteria:

A person who makes a substantial contribution to the conception of research work or the acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data for the work.
A person who drafted a work or revised it critically for important intellectual content.
A person who made the final approval of the version to be published.
A person who is accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work.

Contributors who meet fewer than all four of the above criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors.

(ii) Number of authors:

Though there is no fixed and definitive rule about the number of authors for a work, the editors of JTREL recommend that the number should not exceed three. Keep in mind that including large numbers of authors usually increases the time it takes to prepare, review and finalise a research paper.

(iii) First and last authors:

The order of authorship should be a joint decision of the co-authors. Authors should be prepared to explain the order in which authors are listed. Generally speaking, the most sought-after position is the first. The first named author is generally held to have made the greatest contribution to the research. The last place is usually given to a senior team member who contributed expertise and guidance.

(iv) Corresponding author:

The corresponding author is the person who receives the reviewers’ comments, the proofs, etc. and whose contact details are printed on the article so that readers can request reprints or contact the research group. This role is purely administrative and any one of the authors can be the corresponding author, irrespective of their position in the order of authorship.

Authors are expected to consult with their co-authors at an early stage and decide in advance who will be the corresponding author. It is ideal to choose an author whose contact details are not likely to change soon.

It is the sole responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure the integrity of publication ethics. The corresponding author should guarantee that

the submitted manuscript is genuine research work produced by the author/s,
all the other authors are made aware of the submission,
permission is taken from other authors for publication,
the contribution of the authors is appropriately acknowledged,
the contribution of other persons or parties, who/which add value to the work in any way is sufficiently acknowledged,
there is no conflict of interest among the authors.

The corresponding author is responsible for initiating the submission process online and assisting the editors in the review process.

(v) Changes in authorship:

Whenever there is a need to make changes in the authorship of a manuscript or a published article, the changes will be implemented according to COPE specifications. Only the corresponding author can request a change in authorship. The request should be made to the Editor-in-Chief. Changes will be made only if there is a valid reason agreed by all the authors. The Editorial Board of the journal reserves the right to make a final decision on the request. Public notification may be made in the case of any post-publication change.

(vi) 'Ghost', 'guest', or 'gift' authorship:

The editorial board of JTREL is against the unethical practice of 'ghost', 'guest', or 'gift' authorship (or anything that does not have any proper contribution to an article) and takes appropriate steps against such practices.

(vii) Acknowledgement:

Individuals who participated in the development of a manuscript but do not qualify as an author should be acknowledged and what they did should be described. All those who are listed in this way should be aware of it. Organizations that provide support in terms of funding and/or other resources should also be acknowledged. If the submitted research paper is an improvised version of a paper that was presented at a conference and not published should mention the conference details in the acknowledgement.

(viii) Conflict of Interest:

Conflict of interest arises when there is a difference between an individual’s private interests and his or her responsibilities to scholarly publishing activities. In order to maintain transparency in publication, JTREL encourages authors, editors, reviewers and other persons involved in the publication process, to avoid any form of conflicts of interest. Our publication policies and guidelines are regularly revised to address the issues.

Editors and reviewers: Editors and reviewers of JTREL are expected to avoid any form of potential conflict of interest while performing their duties in concerned capacities to maintain the integrity of our publication ethics and raise the standard of the journal. They are requested to follow the guidelines sent to them in the form of email communication. Reviewers should disclose any conflict of interest and if necessary, decline the review of any manuscript they perceive to have a conflict of interest. Editors should also decline to consider any manuscript that may have a conflict of interest. Such manuscripts will be re-assigned to other editors.

Editor-in-Chief: All forms of internal conflicts of interest are handled by the Editor-in-Chief, who maintains privacy and takes appropriate measures.

Publisher: The professional independence of the editorial board members is strictly maintained by the publisher. The board enjoys full autonomy in performing its scholarly duties. The publisher does not interfere with anything regarding this.