International Research Publishing Group
Clear principles. Practical rules. A commitment to reproducible, ethical, and accessible scholarship.
Contact: contact@irpublishinggroup.com
Editorial enquiries: editorial@irpublishinggroup.com
Data Availability & Research Data Policy
Purpose. We require clear, machine-readable statements about where and how the data supporting published findings can be accessed. Good data stewardship increases reproducibility, trust, and discoverability.
Scope. Applies to all article types. Exceptions for privacy, legal, or ethical reasons must be justified in the manuscript and in the Data Availability Statement.
Requirements
- Every submission must include a Data Availability Statement (DAS). Use one of the templates below. Place the DAS in the manuscript and repeat it in the metadata during submission. (See Submit Manuscript.)
- When possible, deposit primary data, code, and materials in a recognized repository and provide persistent identifiers (DOIs, accession numbers). Recommended repositories: Zenodo, Figshare, Dryad, OSF, domain repositories, or institutional repositories.
- Cite datasets in the references as you would cite literature, including DOI.
Acceptable DAS templates (copy into your manuscript)
- Open data: “The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available in the [NAME] repository, [REPOSITORY NAME], [DOI/Accession number].”
- Restricted data (privacy/legal): “The datasets are not publicly available due to [reason — e.g., participant privacy, legal restrictions]. Access may be granted on reasonable request to the corresponding author subject to institutional/ethical approvals.”
- No new data: “No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.”
- Data available on request: “Data supporting the findings are available from the corresponding author [NAME] upon reasonable request and subject to any necessary approvals.”
Metadata & formats
- Deposit raw and processed data in non-proprietary formats where possible (CSV, TXT, JSON, TIFF for images; or archived code with README).
- Provide clear README files describing variables, methods, and code execution. Include licenses for data reuse.
Sensitive data
- Personal, clinical, or identifiable data require anonymization and explicit consent for sharing; otherwise deposit in controlled-access repositories and explain access mechanisms in the DAS.
Enforcement
- Failure to provide a DAS or persistent identifiers may delay review or publication. Misrepresentation of data availability is treated as a serious breach and handled under Publication Ethics & Misconduct. (See Publication Ethics & Misconduct.)
Human Subjects / Animal Ethics Policy
Purpose. Protect participants, promote transparent reporting, and ensure compliance with ethical norms and laws.
Human research
- Authors must include an Ethics Approval Statement in the manuscript and submission form: name of approving committee, approval number, and a brief description of consent procedures.
- For clinical trials and interventional studies, register the trial in a public registry prior to participant enrolment (provide registry name and registration number). We require registration for trials as a condition of consideration.
- Authors must confirm informed consent was obtained for participation and for publication of identifiable information (including images) where relevant.
- For secondary analyses of existing data, authors must state the original consent and approvals governing reuse.
Animal research
- Animal studies must comply with relevant national and institutional guidelines and include an Animal Ethics Statement: committee name, approval number, and a summary of welfare measures.
- Authors should follow reporting guidelines such as ARRIVE for in vivo experiments.
Reporting standards
- Authors are asked to follow appropriate reporting checklists (CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, ARRIVE, etc.) and to upload completed checklists when required.
Exceptions & special cases
- If local laws/consent prevent data sharing, state this clearly and provide contact details for obtaining ethical clearance where possible.
Enforcement
- Manuscripts lacking required ethics documentation may be desk-rejected. Suspected misconduct will be investigated per publisher procedures. (See Publication Ethics & Misconduct.)
ORCID & Author Identity Policy
Purpose. Ensure unambiguous attribution of authorship and improve metadata quality for indexing and researcher discovery.
Policy
- IRPG strongly encourages ORCID iDs for all authors and requires an ORCID iD for the corresponding author at submission. ORCID iDs should be provided in the format https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000 and included in author metadata and on the title page.
- Authors should link their ORCID to submission accounts where possible to enable automated name disambiguation and metadata delivery to indexers.
Benefits & use
- ORCID identifiers will be deposited with Crossref and displayed on article pages and PDFs to increase discoverability and correct attribution.
- ORCID allows automatic updating of authors’ records with published works (when authors opt in).
Name changes & identity concerns
- Authors requesting name changes after publication (e.g., for personal safety, privacy, or gender transition) should contact editorial@irpublishinggroup.com; we will work to update records and metadata while respecting privacy.
Image & Figure Policy
Purpose. Preserve integrity of visual materials, ensure production quality, and support accessibility.
Technical requirements
- File types: Prefer TIFF or PNG for raster images; JPEG accepted for photographic images; vector files (EPS, SVG, PDF) for line art and graphs where possible.
- Resolution: Minimum 300 dpi for photographic images; 600 dpi for line art or fine detail.
- Color: Submit images in RGB for online publication; supply CMYK only if specifically requested for print production.
- File naming: Use descriptive names with figure numbers (e.g., Fig1.tif).
Captions & alt text
- Every figure must have a clear caption beneath the figure in the manuscript.
- Provide alt text (short description, 100–250 characters) for each figure during submission to support accessibility.
Image integrity
- Authors must not manipulate images in a way that misleads. Acceptable adjustments (contrast/brightness) must be applied uniformly to the entire image. Cropping must not remove relevant information.
- Any splicing, significant enhancement, or composite images must be explicitly declared in the figure caption and described in the methods. If image manipulation was performed, authors should provide original, unedited images on request.
Permissions
- For previously published or third-party images, authors must provide written permission from the copyright holder and declare the permission in the submission. Failure to provide permission will delay publication.
Legibility & accessibility
- Ensure text within figures is legible at typical display sizes and that color choices are interpretable for readers with common color-vision deficiencies (avoid using color as the sole means of conveying information). Provide data tables as machine-readable files whenever possible.
Enforcement
- Image problems may be raised during editorial checks. Serious breaches of image integrity may lead to rejection, correction, or retraction.
Accessibility Statement
Our commitment. IRPG is committed to providing an inclusive, accessible online experience for all users. We design and maintain our website and article content to be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
Standards & practice
- We aim to conform to WCAG 2.1 AA standards for web content. We use semantic HTML for article pages, provide alt text for images, supply transcripts for audio/video where applicable, and ensure keyboard navigation and readable typography.
- PDFs and downloadable files should be produced in accessible formats when possible (tagged PDFs, proper heading structure, searchable text).
Ongoing improvements
- Accessibility is iterative. We regularly test pages with automated tools and human checks and update content and templates to improve usability.
Known limitations
- Some legacy PDFs, third-party content, or author-supplied files may not fully meet accessibility standards. We commit to working with authors to improve file accessibility where feasible.
Feedback & assistance
- If you encounter accessibility barriers on our site or in published content, please contact contact@irpublishinggroup.com with a description of the issue and your preferred contact method. We will acknowledge receipt and respond with reasonable accommodations or file alternatives.
Enforcement, reporting & contact
- Report suspected policy breaches, ethical concerns, or requests for corrections to editorial@irpublishinggroup.com.
- For site accessibility or general inquiries contact contact@irpublishinggroup.com.
- All reports are handled confidentially and investigated according to our Publication Ethics & Misconduct procedures. (See Publication Ethics & Misconduct.)
IRPG policies are publisher-level standards that guide every journal we host. Individual journals may add discipline-specific requirements; always consult the target journal’s landing page for additional instructions. (See Our Journals · specific journal page · Instructions for Authors)