Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Dyke 

The Dyke is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical behaviour in all stages of the publication process. This statement outlines the ethical principles, responsibilities, and malpractice protocols adhered to by the journal, its editorial team, authors, and reviewers. We follow the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

General Principles

• The journal promotes academic integrity, editorial transparency, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing.
• All parties involved in the publication process, authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers, must act with honesty, accountability, and respect.

Publication Malpractice and Misconduct

The Dyke considers the following actions as malpractice:

• Plagiarism (including self-plagiarism)
• Data fabrication or falsification
• Unethical research or lack of ethical approval
• Duplicate or redundant publication
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest
• Improper authorship practices (e.g. ghost or honorary authorship)

Handling Allegations

• All allegations of misconduct are taken seriously and investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines.
• If misconduct is confirmed, actions may include: manuscript rejection, retraction of published work, notification of the author’s institution or funders, and a ban on future submissions.

Retraction and Correction Policy

• Retractions are issued in cases of major ethical breaches, errors that invalidate findings, or proven misconduct.
• Corrections are issued when minor errors are identified that do not affect the study’s integrity or findings.
• All retractions and corrections will be clearly labelled and linked to the original article.

For further information or to report a suspected breach of ethics, contact the editorial office at editorinchief@thedyke.msu.ac.zw 

The Dyke is committed to ethical publishing that fosters trust, transparency, and scholarly excellence.