Editorial Policy

The Kaduna Journal of Geography (KJG) is committed to upholding the highest standards of research integrity, ethical publishing, and transparency in scholarly communication. These policies are guided by international best practices, including those from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), where applicable to non-medical fields. The journal adheres to principles of fairness, accountability, and reproducibility in Geography and Environmental Sciences research.

Research Integrity

KJG expects all authors, reviewers, editors, and stakeholders to act with integrity, honesty, and compliance with ethical standards. Submissions must represent original work, with accurate reporting of methods and results to ensure reproducibility.

  • Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication: All manuscripts undergo plagiarism screening using available tools. A similarity index exceeding 20% (excluding references and properly quoted material) will result in rejection. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or duplicate publication is unacceptable and may lead to investigation, rejection, or retraction in line with COPE guidelines.
  • Image Manipulation and Fraud: Suspected manipulation of data, images, or results will be investigated. Confirmed misconduct may result in retraction and notification of authors' institutions.
  • Reproducibility: Authors are encouraged to provide sufficient detail in methods to allow replication. Data sharing is promoted where possible, in accordance with funder or institutional requirements.

Authorship

Authorship confers credit and implies responsibility for the published work. KJG follows criteria adapted from ICMJE recommendations:

Authors must meet all four criteria:

  1. Substantial contributions to conception/design, data acquisition/analysis/interpretation.
  2. Drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content.
  3. Final approval of the version to be published.
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring accuracy and integrity.
  • Author Contributions: A statement detailing each author's contributions (e.g., using CRediT taxonomy) must be included in the manuscript.
  • Corresponding Author: Responsible for communication with the journal and ensuring all co-authors agree to submission and content.
  • Changes to Authorship: Any additions, removals, or reordering post-submission require written consent from all authors.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

KJG aligns with COPE and ICMJE guidelines on generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, DALL-E, or similar large language models).

  • Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors, as they cannot take responsibility for content accuracy, integrity, or originality.
  • Limited use is permitted for improving language, grammar, readability, spelling, or style in the final draft (e.g., non-substantive editing). Authors must disclose such use in the Acknowledgements or Methods section (e.g., "Generative AI was used to assist with English language polishing via [tool name and version]").
  • Substantial use of AI for generating ideas, text, analysis, figures, images, or other core content is prohibited, as manuscripts must reflect the original intellectual work of human authors.
  • Use of AI-generated images, illustrations, or graphical elements is not permitted.
  • Undisclosed or excessive use may result in rejection or retraction. Authors remain fully responsible for all content, including verifying AI outputs for accuracy, bias, or errors.

Peer Review

KJG operates a double-blind peer-review process to ensure impartial, expert evaluation.

  • Reviewers provide constructive, confidential feedback.
  • Reviewers must disclose conflicts of interest and maintain confidentiality; uploading manuscripts to generative AI tools is prohibited to protect author rights and data privacy.

Competing Interests (Conflicts of Interest)

All authors, reviewers, and editors must declare any financial, personal, or professional competing interests that could influence the work or its interpretation. Declarations should be included in the manuscript.

Research Data and Materials

Authors are encouraged to share data and materials supporting their findings (e.g., via repositories) to promote transparency and reproducibility, subject to ethical and legal constraints.

Ethical Approvals and Consent

  • Studies involving human participants require ethical approval from relevant committees and informed consent. Evidence may be requested.
  • Animal studies must comply with local and international ethical standards.
  • Consent for publication of identifiable data/images must be obtained.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

KJG follows COPE guidelines for handling errors, misconduct, or concerns. Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern will be issued as needed to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are independent and based solely on academic merit, free from commercial or external influence.

For submissions, author guidelines, and further details, visit https://kadunajournalofgeography.org/index.php/kjg/about/submissions.

These policies are reviewed periodically to reflect evolving standards. Questions should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief. (Updated: December 2025)