1. Data Sharing Policies

URDU requires the data generated (if any) by your research that supports your article to be made openly and publicly available upon publication of your article. Where it is not possible or viable to make data openly available (due to confidentiality or sensitivity issues), they should be shared through a controlled access repository. It is strongly encouraged that data generated by your research that supports your article be made available as soon as possible, wherever legally and ethically possible.

2. Intellectual property

Editors should be alert to intellectual property issues and work with their publisher to handle potential breaches of intellectual property laws and conventions.

3. Research Misconduct

1. Editors have a duty to act if they suspect misconduct or if an allegation of misconduct is brought to them. This duty extends to both published and unpublished papers.

2. Editors should not simply reject papers that raise concerns about possible misconduct. They are ethically obliged to pursue alleged cases.

3. Editors should follow the COPE flowcharts where applicable.

4. Editors should first seek a response from those suspected of misconduct. If they are not satisfied with the response, they should ask the relevant employers, or institution, or some appropriate body (perhaps a regulatory body or national research integrity organization) to investigate.

5. Editors should make all reasonable efforts to ensure that a proper investigation into alleged misconduct is conducted; if this does not happen, editors should make all reasonable attempts to persist in obtaining a resolution to the problem. This is an onerous but important duty.

1. Editors should encourage and be willing to consider cogent criticisms of work published in their journal.

2. Authors of criticised material should be given the opportunity to respond.

3. Studies reporting negative results should not be excluded.

4. Rejected Articles - Appeals

Authors whose articles have been rejected have the right to send a letter of appeal giving detailed explanations. This will be reviewed internally, and a decision will be taken accordingly. Revised articles will not be considered at this stage.

5. Conflict of Interest Policy

Editor will not edit any article which would have any conflict of interest. He / She is responsible to ask the reviewer also for disclosing any conflict of interest regarding the article to ensure the impartiality.

6. License Policy

URDU publishes its articles under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License (CC-BY-NC 4.0). It allows for the non-commercial reuse of the published paper so long as the published paper is fully attributed.