Journal Ethics

Social Interaction is dedicated to publishing high-quality research and upholding rigorous ethical standards. The journal adheres to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE, DOAJ, OASPA) and complies with Scopus guidelines for publication ethics and malpractice. All parties—authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers—are expected to understand and observe the journal’s ethical policies, and any breaches may result in appropriate action.

Authorship and Research Ethics

By submitting a manuscript for consideration in Social Interaction, the author declares that the submission represents his/her own intellectual work unless clearly stated, and the originality of the research in its presented form, i.e., that it has not been previously published. Exceptions include academic theses and conference presentations.

Research involving human participants (including audio/video recorded data) must comply with local and international ethical regulations (e.g., Declaration of Helsinki). Inclusion and transcription of video/audio clips, photos/screen shots etc. in the paper follows the agreement between the data collector and participants.

Ethical procedures and compliance with the agreement between participants/’informants’ and researchers as well as providing relevant anonymization are authors’ responsibility. The journal cannot be held responsible for showing the video clips as part of a published article.

Video clips that are published and embedded in the final article will be uploaded to a secure server provided by the University of Southern Denmark.

Publication Malpractice and Misconduct Procedures

The journal prohibits plagiarism, data fabrication, or other forms of research misconduct.

Allegations of misconduct will be investigated by the editorial board, in accordance with COPE guidelines. Upon finding evidence of malpractice, appropriate actions such as correction, retraction, or notification of relevant authorities will be taken.

Articles may be withdrawn pre-publication or retracted post-publication for ethical breaches. Clear notices of withdrawal or retraction will be publicly issued and permanently linked to the record.

Peer Review Responsibilities

The peer review process is a crucial component in maintaining a high academic quality, and invaluable in guiding the editors towards editorial or publishing decisions. Reviewers must treat manuscripts – including transcripts, video/audio clips and other information that is made available by the editor as part of the review request – confidentially and not share it with others without the explicit approval of the journal editors. The review report should be written collegially and academically, and comments should be clearly expressed and based on the manuscript. Personal criticism of the author(s) is inappropriate.

Peer reviewers maintain confidentiality, assess submissions objectively, and disclose any potential conflicts of interest prior to accepting review requests.

Editorial Responsibilities and Conflicts of Interest

Editors decide on publication based on manuscript merit and reviewer feedback, without bias to the authors’ personal characteristics, including the author’s gender, ethnicity, political or religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other personal information.

The editor treats submissions confidentially, and only share manuscripts with potential reviewers and members of the editorial board. The editors ensure a double-blind peer review process. In the case of submissions where the editors have a conflict of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative or personal connections with the author(s) they will ask another member of the editorial board to handle the manuscript.

Corrections, Retractions, and Appeals

The journal has established procedures for corrections, retractions, and handling appeals or complaints in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Authors, reviewers, or readers may raise concerns with the editors and/or a member of the editorial board. All concerns will be investigated thoroughly and resolved transparently.

Intellectual Property

All published content respects intellectual property rights and proper citation practices. Any breach may result in corrective action.