Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

BC Studies has adopted the publishing ethics guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and based our policies on their guidelines and core practices. Authors, editors, reviewers, and the journal must comply with the following ethical standards and best practices in scholarly publishing.

ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT

BC Studies adheres to the highest standards of academic editorial integrity. Any allegation of misconduct will be investigated thoroughly and fairly, in a timely manner. The following practices are considered unethical and unacceptable: plagiarism, self-plagiarism without appropriate disclosure, undeclared AI content, data fabrication or falsification, undisclosed conflicts of interest, improper authorship attribution, peer-review manipulation, and ethical approval fraud.

AUTHORSHIP AND CONTRIBUTORSHIP

Making a submission to BC Studies implies a commitment to publish in this journal. Authors and/or creators of submissions, reviews, and other materials accepted for publication in BC Studies are required to sign a Publication Agreement that grants the journal non-exclusive rights to distribute the work and stipulates that only original submissions will be accepted for publication. Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal or publication simultaneously. Manuscripts that have been previously published or are under consideration elsewhere will not be considered. Authors must identify the role of each contributing author, determine the author order, and ensure that the final manuscript has been approved by all co-authors prior to publication.

COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS

We take allegations regarding misconduct in the publication of BC Studies seriously. Complaints related to plagiarism, disputed authorship, concurrent publication, research errors, reviewer bias, or undisclosed conflicts of interest will be assessed by the Editor-in-Chief and editorial board on a case-by-case basis. All complaints and appeals will be processed following the by COPE to ensure transparency, accountability and fairness.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST/COMPETING INTERESTS

Authors and reviewers must clearly state any conflicts of interests. Authors must disclose any financial, personal, institutional, or other relationships that could influence the interpretation of their work. Any competing interest conflicts that arise that compromise the objectivity of the research or peer review process will be addressed by the Editor-in-Chief who will seek guidance from for handling COIs. 

DATA AND REPRODUCIBILITY

Researchers must ensure their work represents accurate, reproducible data and that sources for all figures are provided and cited correctly. Data fabrication, falsification, or unauthorized image manipulation is not permitted.

ETHICAL OVERSIGHT

BC Studies enforces ethical oversight policies that align with COPE to ensure that all published material is conducted responsibly, legally, and ethically. Research should follow ethics guidelines including institutional approval, informed consent, and privacy and confidentiality. Research must not exploit the vulnerability of any population or community and must respect local laws, customs and intellectual property rights of any given group.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

As of 2027, BC Studies is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, which allows readers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for non-commercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. Authors may enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the subsequent non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of their work (for example, to post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book) with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

JOURNAL MANAGEMENT

BC Studies uses Open Journal System (OJS) for submissions, peer review, and publication. As of 2027, content published in BC Studies will be diamond open access and no fees will be applied to authors or readers, with the exception of subscribers who wish to continue receiving print copies. The journal will be published online on OJS, and on the Érudit platform. Aggregators that collect BC Studies include Ebsco, Proquest, Gale Cengage, and H.W. Wilson.

BC Studies editors and associate editors expand the journal’s interdisciplinary and inter-institutional reach and support our ability to publish novel genres of peer-reviewed scholarship. Our editorial board members are recognized experts in their field(s) of study. The journal strives to maintain a diverse editorial board that represents every public university in the province, as well as institutions across Canada and internationally.  Our board members engage in disciplinary and interdisciplinary practices that fit BC Studies’ content and mandate, employ varied theoretical approaches, and have diverse positionalities. The publication team also includes our managing editor and journal assistant.

PEER REVIEW PROCESSES

BC Studies uses OJS to manage our submissions and peer-review process. Manuscripts that are deemed suitable for review by the Editor-in-Chief or relevant Associate Editor undergo our rigorous double-blind review process (which we also apply to special issues) begins with two (and sometimes three) assessments by reviewers with scholarly expertise in the relevant area chosen by the Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editor as appropriate. (Note: Podcasts are reviewed single-blind because the medium prevents double-blind review). When the reviewers’ reports are received, they are considered by the Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editor responsible. When the readers’ reports are in obvious conflict an additional reviewer will be sought (often from the Editorial Board). When an editorial decision has been reached, the manuscript is returned to the author along with the readers’ reports and editor's comments (often accompanied by detailed annotations on the manuscript). The author is informed either that the piece will be accepted; that it will be accepted upon revision as specified by the editor; that it may be revised (along the lines indicated) and resubmitted for review; or that it is rejected.

Editors are responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts should be published, based on scholarly merit, originality, significance, methodological rigor, and relevance to the publication's scope. Manuscripts will be evaluated without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, religion, political beliefs, institutional affiliation, or other personal characteristics.

To ensure the integrity of the blind peer-review process for submission to this journal, every effort should be made to prevent the identities of authors and reviewers from being known to each other. This requires authors, editors, and reviewers (who upload documents as part of their review) to take the steps to delete or remove identities from their text and the document properties. Reviewers must treat manuscripts received for review as confidential and must not share, discuss, or upload them without authorization. Reviews should be conducted objectively and professionally, providing constructive feedback to authors.

POST-PUBLICATION DISCUSSIONS AND CORRECTIONS

Authors are required to notify the Editor-in-Chief if a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered in their published work and cooperate in correcting or retracting the publication when necessary. BC Studies will publish any corrections, clarifications, retractions, and/or apologies as required.