CPLT Publishing Ethics & Policies
The Journal of Creative Practices in Language Learning and Teaching (CPLT) is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing. These policies apply to all authors, reviewers, and editors involved in the submission, review, and publication processes.
1. Authorship and Contributorship
CPLT requires that all individuals listed as authors have made substantial scholarly contributions to the research and writing of the manuscript. Authors must agree on the order of authorship prior to submission. Those who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria (such as providing feedback, technical assistance, translation, or administrative support) should be appropriately acknowledged. CPLT encourages authors to include a contributorship statement detailing each author’s specific roles—for example, conceptualisation, data collection, data analysis, drafting, and revision.
2. Conflicts of Interest / Competing Interests
All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the interpretation or handling of the submitted work. A Conflict of Interest Statement is required upon submission. Disclosed conflicts will be published together with the accepted article when relevant. If a conflict of interest emerges after publication, CPLT will issue a correction or take appropriate action to maintain transparency and editorial integrity.
3. Data Sharing and Reproducibility
CPLT supports transparency and the reproducibility of research findings. Authors are required to clearly state in their manuscripts whether the data supporting their findings are available and, if so, where the data can be accessed. Authors are encouraged to deposit datasets, instruments, and supplementary materials in reputable open repositories. If data cannot be shared due to confidentiality requirements, legal restrictions, or ethical considerations, authors must provide a justification in a Data Availability Statement. Manuscripts should provide sufficient methodological detail to allow replication or verification of results.
4. Ethical Oversight
Research involving human participants, vulnerable populations, sensitive information, or institutional permissions must comply with recognised ethical standards. Authors should indicate in their manuscript whether approval was obtained from a relevant ethics committee and whether informed consent was secured from all participants. The Editorial Office may request documentation of ethics approval. CPLT reserves the right to reject or retract manuscripts that do not comply with established ethical requirements.
5. Complaints, Appeals, and Post-Publication Corrections
CPLT is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. Readers may submit formal comments or concerns regarding published articles to the Editorial Office. The Chief Editor will review complaints and determine appropriate action, which may include consultation with reviewers or the editorial board. If errors, omissions, or ethical issues are identified after publication, the journal will issue corrections, errata, clarifications, or retractions in line with international best practices. All updates will be linked to the original article.
6. Peer Review Process
CPLT employs a double-blind peer-review process. Both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the review period. Reviewers must provide fair, objective, and timely evaluations. They are prohibited from using any unpublished material in a submitted manuscript for personal advantage. The final decision on publication rests with the Chief Editor, based on the reviewers’ reports and the manuscript’s contribution to the field.
7. Intellectual Property and Licensing
CPLT is an open-access journal and publishes all articles under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence. Authors retain copyright ownership of their work but grant CPLT the right to publish and disseminate the article. Any reuse of copyrighted materials, such as images or figures belonging to third parties, must include proof of permission from the copyright holder.
8. Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct
All submissions are screened using plagiarism-detection software. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarised content, falsified data, duplicate submissions, or other forms of academic misconduct will be rejected. In cases where misconduct is detected after publication, CPLT will issue a retraction or correction as appropriate.
9. Article Processing and Publication Fees
CPLT is a fully open-access journal that does not charge any Article Processing Charge (APC), submission fee, or publication fee. All stages of the submission and review process are provided at no cost to authors. Readers may also access, download, and share all published articles freely under the journal’s open-access licence. CPLT is committed to supporting equitable access to academic publishing, particularly for early-career researchers, educators, and scholars in language learning and teaching.
10. Fair Play
The CPLT Chief Editor and editorial team are responsible for evaluating all submitted manuscripts solely based on their academic merit, without discrimination based on the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, nationality, or ideological position. All assessments must prioritise scholarly quality, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope. Authors are expected to acknowledge any funding bodies, sponsors, or individuals whose support contributed to the completion of the manuscript.
11. Confidentiality
The CPLT Chief Editor and editorial staff must maintain strict confidentiality regarding all submitted manuscripts. Information about a submission may only be shared with the corresponding author, assigned reviewers, potential reviewers, members of the editorial advisory team, and the publisher, when appropriate. Except for designated editors, members of the editorial board and reviewers are prohibited from communicating directly with authors. The journal always upholds a strict double-blind peer-review process to ensure impartiality and integrity.
