Theory and Practice of Public Administration is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity and adheres to the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The Journal unequivocally condemns any form of research misconduct and seeks to ensure the originality, reliability, and ethical soundness of all published work. Authors are expected to produce high-quality research while complying with ethical guidelines. Before submission, authors must carefully review the Journal’s Instructions for Authors and Ethical Policies. In pursuit of research integrity, the Journal actively identifies and addresses various forms of research misconduct, including but not limited to:

1. Authorship Misconduct
• All individuals who have made substantial contributions to a study must be listed as authors and acknowledged in the manuscript. Minor contributions (e.g., technical assistance or editing) should be acknowledged separately.
• Ghost authorship (excluding qualified contributors) or honorary authorship (including unqualified contributors) is strictly prohibited.
2. Data Fabrication and Falsification
• Fabricating or manipulating research data, results, or bibliographic references is prohibited.
• Altering experimental or observational data to produce desired outcomes is not allowed.
3. Citation Manipulation
• Excessive self-citation or citation of articles from the same journal to artificially inflate metrics is prohibited.
• “Honorary” or unwarranted citations intended to manipulate impact or reputation are not permitted.
4. Other Forms of Misconduct
• Concealing or suppressing research findings, allowing undue sponsor influence, misrepresenting the significance of results, or obstructing the work of other researchers are unacceptable.
• Establishing or supporting journals without proper quality control (“predatory journals”) is considered a violation of research ethics.