Open Access Policy

Open Access Policy

At Maxosmith Publications, we are committed to making scientific knowledge and academic research freely available to everyone, everywhere. All our journals operate under a Gold Open Access model, which ensures that every article we publish is immediately and permanently accessible online without subscription barriers.

This policy reflects our mission to advance global scholarship, encourage collaboration, and maximize the reach and impact of research.

1. Accessibility

  • All articles published in Maxosmith journals are freely available online to readers worldwide.
  • No subscription, registration, or paywall is required to access content.
  • Readers may download, share, and use articles in accordance with the license terms.

2. Licensing

  • Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (or its updated versions).
  • This allows anyone to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt the work, provided the original author and source are properly cited.
  • Authors retain the copyright of their work while granting Maxosmith Publications the right to publish and disseminate it.

3. Benefits of Open Access

  • Increased visibility: Articles reach a broader audience without access restrictions.
  • Higher citations: Studies show that open access works receive more citations.
  • Faster knowledge transfer: Open access accelerates scientific progress and policy-making.
  • Global equity: Scholars in developing countries can access the same research without financial barriers.

4. Article Processing Charges (APCs)

To sustain open access publishing, Maxosmith Publications may charge Article Processing Charges (APCs). These cover:

  • Peer review and editorial management
  • Typesetting, formatting, and online hosting
  • DOI registration and indexing services
  • Long-term digital preservation

Current APCs (introductory stage):

  • Indian Authors: INR 1500 (includes plagiarism check + DOI charges)
  • International Authors: USD 25

Waivers or discounts may be offered to students, early-career researchers, or authors from low-income countries.

5. Indexing and Archiving

  • All open access content is indexed in scholarly databases such as Google Scholar, CrossRef, and will be submitted to DOAJ, UGC-CARE, and Scopus as eligibility grows.
  • Articles are assigned a DOI for permanent identification.
  • We ensure long-term preservation through digital repositories.

6. Author Rights

  • Authors retain copyright of their work.
  • Authors are free to:
    1. Share their published article on institutional repositories, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, or personal websites.
    2. Reuse parts of their work in future research with proper citation.

7. Reader Rights

  • Readers can:
    1. Access, download, and share articles without restrictions.
    2. Use content for teaching, research, or training.
    3. Translate articles into other languages with appropriate citation.

8. Compliance with Funders

Our open access policy aligns with mandates from organizations such as Plan S, Wellcome Trust, NIH, and other funding agencies, ensuring that funded research is openly accessible.

9. Ethical Commitment

Maxosmith Publications follows the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) principles and is committed to removing barriers in academic communication for the benefit of the global research community.

Authorship and Contributorship Policy

At Maxosmith Publications, we uphold the principles of fairness, accountability, and transparency in assigning authorship and contributorship. Clear authorship criteria ensure proper recognition of intellectual contributions and prevent disputes or unethical practices.

1. Authorship Criteria

Authorship is granted only to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research and manuscript. According to the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) guidelines, an author should meet all the following four conditions:

  1. Conceptualization and Design: Significant involvement in the idea, hypothesis, or design of the work.
  2. Data Collection/Analysis: Direct participation in acquiring, analyzing, or interpreting data.
  3. Manuscript Drafting: Contribution to drafting or critically revising the manuscript for important intellectual content.
  4. Final Approval: Review and approval of the final version before submission, agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Anyone not fulfilling all four criteria should be acknowledged as a contributor but not listed as an author.

2. Order of Authors

  • The first author is usually the individual with the highest contribution (concept, data, drafting).
  • The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal and ensures compliance with ethical policies.
  • The sequence of authors should be mutually agreed upon by all contributors before submission.
  • Any changes in authorship (addition, removal, order) after submission require a written consent signed by all authors.

3. Contributorship (Acknowledgment of Contributions)

Contributions that do not meet the authorship criteria but added value to the study should be listed under Acknowledgments or in a Contributorship Statement. Examples include:

  • Technical support
  • Data collection assistance
  • Statistical analysis help
  • Language editing or proofreading
  • Administrative or funding support

These individuals should be acknowledged with their consent.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

  • Ensure originality of the work and avoid plagiarism.
  • Disclose any conflicts of interest (financial or personal).
  • Provide raw data when requested for verification.
  • Cooperate in peer review and respond to editorial queries promptly.
  • Uphold ethical standards in human/animal research (with approvals).

5. Responsibilities of the Corresponding Author

The corresponding author has additional duties:

  • Act as the primary contact between the journal and co-authors.
  • Ensure all authors meet authorship criteria.
  • Manage manuscript submission, revisions, and copyright agreements.
  • Ensure transparency in funding, acknowledgments, and ethical approvals.

6. Disputes in Authorship

  • The journal will not mediate disputes of authorship order or contribution.
  • Such issues must be resolved by the authors’ institution(s).
  • If misconduct is suspected (e.g., gift authorship, ghost authorship), the journal may reject or retract the article.

7. Authorship Misconduct

    Unethical practices related to authorship include:

    • Gift Authorship: Listing individuals who made no significant contribution.
    • Ghost Authorship: Excluding individuals who substantially contributed.
    • Honorary Authorship: Including senior persons or supervisors without contribution.

    Maxosmith Publications strictly condemns such practices.

    8. Joint Authorship Across Languages

    Since Maxosmith also considers bilingual publication (English + Hindi for certain journals), the same author group must be acknowledged in both language versions of an article, ensuring integrity and consistency.

Responsibilities of Authors, Editors, Reviewers, and Publisher

At Maxosmith Publications, we are committed to ensuring transparency, fairness, and academic integrity in every stage of the publication process. To achieve this, we outline the ethical responsibilities of all stakeholders—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher.

1. Authors Responsibilities

Authors play the most crucial role in scholarly communication. They are responsible for the integrity and accuracy of their submitted work.

Responsibilities of Author

  • Originality: Submit only original work, free from plagiarism, duplicate publication, or data fabrication.
  • Proper Citations: Acknowledge and cite sources correctly to avoid plagiarism.
  • Data Accuracy: Ensure accuracy of data, results, and references; provide raw data if requested.
  • Plagiarism Check: Submit articles with plagiarism report (e.g., Turnitin) or agree to journal’s screening.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Disclose any financial, institutional, or personal conflicts.
  • Ethical Approvals: Provide evidence of ethics approval for studies involving humans, animals, or sensitive data.
  • Multiple Submissions: Avoid submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.
  • Authorship Criteria: Ensure all listed authors meet authorship criteria (as per ICMJE).
  • Corrections: Notify the journal immediately if errors or inaccuracies are found after publication.

2. Editors Responsibilities

Editors are guardians of the academic record and responsible for ensuring a transparent and fair review process.

Editor Responsibilities

  • Fair Decision-Making: Evaluate manuscripts solely on academic merit, without discrimination (race, gender, religion, region).
  • Confidentiality: Maintain confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and author details.
  • Peer Review: Ensure manuscripts are sent for unbiased peer review (single-blind/double-blind as per policy).
  • Conflict of Interest: Avoid handling manuscripts where conflicts exist.
  • Decision Transparency: Provide clear justifications for acceptance, revision, or rejection.
  • Plagiarism Handling: Ensure similarity checks are done; reject plagiarized manuscripts.
  • Corrections & Retractions: Publish corrections, errata, or retractions when errors are identified.
  • Reviewer Guidance: Select qualified reviewers and provide clear instructions.
  • Promote Journal Scope: Encourage innovative, ethical, and high-quality research within the journal’s scope.

3. Reviewers Responsibilities (Peer-Review Policy)

Reviewers are experts who provide constructive feedback to improve the quality of manuscripts.

Reviewer Responsibilities

  • Confidentiality: Treat all manuscripts as confidential documents.
  • Timely Review: Accept reviews only if able to complete within the specified timeline (usually 2–3 weeks).
  • Objectivity: Provide unbiased, constructive, and evidence-based feedback.
  • Plagiarism & Ethics: Report suspected plagiarism, unethical practices, or data fabrication to editors.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Decline review if personal, professional, or financial conflicts exist.
  • Respectful Feedback: Avoid offensive or unprofessional comments; feedback should be supportive.
  • Non-Usage of Data: Do not use unpublished data or ideas from manuscripts for personal advantage.

Peer-Review Model at Maxosmith Publications

  • All journals follow double-blind peer review (both author and reviewer identities are concealed).
  • At least two reviewers are assigned per manuscript.
  • Final decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief, considering reviewer recommendations.

4. Publisher Responsibilities (Maxosmith Publications)

As the publisher, Maxosmith Publications ensures a robust infrastructure, compliance with global ethics, and dissemination of high-quality research.

Publisher Responsibilities

  • Ethics Enforcement: Ensure adherence to COPE, ICMJE, and DOAJ standards.
  • Transparency: Maintain clear policies on plagiarism, ethics, APCs, open access, and corrections.
  • Indexing & Archiving: Work towards indexing in DOAJ, Google Scholar, UGC-CARE, Scopus, etc. Ensure digital archiving (e.g., LOCKSS/CLOCKSS).
  • Copyright & Licensing: Provide clear copyright transfer/licensing options (preferably CC-BY Open Access).
  • Financial Integrity: Charge only transparent fees (plagiarism check/DOI/APC if applicable).
  • Author Support: Provide technical support for submission, publication, and dissemination.
  • Quality Control: Implement plagiarism screening, editorial checks, and language review.