Publication Ethics and Integrity of Hydrometallurgy of China

To strengthen the academic integrity of Hydrometallurgy of China and standardize manuscript writing, submission, review, and publication processes while preventing academic misconduct, this journal adheres to recognized publication ethics guidelines. Based on the principles outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and tailored to our journal’s practices, we hereby establish the Publication Ethics and Misconduct Statement for Hydrometallurgy of China. Below are key ethical principles and guidelines for authors, reviewers, and editors.

1. Authorship Ethics

Authors must avoid the following misconduct:

1. Originality: Submitted work must be original (except for review articles), free from fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism, and must not involve confidentiality breaches or intellectual property infringement.
2. Duplicate Submission: Manuscripts must not be submitted to multiple journals concurrently or published elsewhere in any language. Authors must wait for formal rejection before submitting elsewhere.
3. Authorship Integrity: All listed authors must have made significant contributions to the research and approved the final manuscript. Misrepresentation of authorship undermines credibility.
4. Citation Standards: Proper attribution must be given to all referenced works, with complete citations listed in the bibliography.
5. Copyright Transfer: Authors must sign a copyright agreement granting Hydrometallurgy of China exclusive publishing rights.

2. Reviewer Ethics

Hydrometallurgy of China employs a triple-blind peer-review system (editorial pre-review, external expert review, and editor-in-chief decision). Reviewers must:

1. Objectivity: Evaluate manuscripts impartially, assessing scientific merit, novelty, logic, and compliance with standards without disclosing confidential content.
2. Conflict of Interest: Disclose any competing interests (e.g., personal, professional, or financial ties) and recuse themselves if necessary.
3. Constructive Feedback: Avoid unsubstantiated criticism or bias, especially when reviewing work similar to their own research.
4. Timeliness: Submit reviews promptly or notify the editorial office to recommend alternate reviewers if unable to comply. Delegation of review duties is prohibited without editorial consent.

3. Editorial Ethics

Editors must uphold the following:

（1）    Fairness: Adhere to national laws and academic publishing standards, ensuring unbiased decisions based on novelty and scholarly value. Expedite the review and production process for accepted manuscripts.

（2）    Confidentiality: Protect author and reviewer identities, research data, and interim review materials. Mediate disputes between authors and reviewers, replacing conflicted reviewers as needed.

（3）    Misconduct Handling: Investigate and address allegations of misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, duplicate submission):

          i.              Pre-acceptance: Reject the manuscript and issue a warning.

        ii.              Post-acceptance (unpublished): Retract acceptance and archive the case.

      iii.              Post-publication: Issue a retraction notice, remove the article from all platforms, and notify the author’s institution. Legal recourse may be pursued for damages.

       iv.              Repeat offenders will be barred from future submissions.

（4）    Transparency: Provide detailed revision/rejection feedback without personal remarks. Prohibit commercial influence or unethical exchanges.

（5）    Author Engagement: Respect authors’ writing style and seek approval for substantive changes. Share final proofs for verification before publication.

4. Copyright Policy

Authors retain copyright but assume full responsibility for content. Hydrometallurgy of China is indexed in:

• CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure)
• VIP (Chinese Scientific Journals Database)
• Wanfang Data
• Chaoxing Journal Database
• Titan Academic Platform
• China Post Reading Network
• Bokan Network
• CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service)

·               EBSCO
  By submitting, authors consent to digital reproduction and distribution via these platforms. Article fees cover all indexing services.