The publication of research works in a peer-reviewed journal contributes to the communication of knowledge produced in the concerned scientific community. This process, and in particular, the use of peer-review, reflects the quality of the authors' scientific work, that of their affiliate institution, and that of the journal.

This requires the respect of ethical standards by all the stakeholders in the act of publication: the authors, the publisher, the reviewers, and the journal’s institution.

In fact, the Journal of Musical Traditions (RTM) adheres to the mission of the Antonine University (UA) and the values it puts forward, to the Charter of Ethical Principles for Scientific Research in Lebanon (http://www.cnrs.edu.lb/charter-of-ethics-of-scientific-research-in-lebanon), promulgated by the National Council for Scientific Research in Lebanon (CNRS-L), and signed by the Lebanese universities on 15 July 2016. The Journal also adheres to the UA Anti-plagiarism and anti-falsification policy and Policy inherent in Research involving human participants.

Consequently, the publication of each research work is subject to specific ethical rules that avoid plagiarism, falsification of research, and conflicts of interest, and that confirms respect for race, age, gender, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.

The following standards are based on Elsevier recommendations and COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the instructions provided by the National Council for Scientific Research in Lebanon (CNRS-L) of the Lebanese Scientific Journal’s website (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).

Duties of Authors

• Reporting Standards
  The authors should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the submitted manuscript. An article should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
• Data Access and Retention
  The authors may be asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review, and should, in any event, be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Originality and Plagiarism
  Plagiarism: any act consisting of "stealing ideas, results, and sentences of others without acknowledging their contribution" (Charter of Ethical Principles for Scientific Research in Lebanon, http://www.cnrs.edu.lb/charter-of-ethics-of-scientific-research-in-lebanon).
  
  “The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited or quoted” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Anti-plagiarism Commitment
  I, undersigned …………………………………………………………… certify that I am the (main) author of the article entitled…………………………………………………………………………… submitted to the Journal of Musical Traditions (RTM) and that everything which has been borrowed is attributed to its source and properly referenced.
  The non-respect of this engagement makes me liable to prosecution before the UA Disciplinary Council and/or a fine equivalent to double the publishing costs of the RTM issue concerned.
  Signature:
• Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
  “An author should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. In general, an author should not submit a previously published paper for consideration in another journal” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Acknowledgement of Sources
  “Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work. Information obtained privately, for example in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must not be used or reported without explicit, written permission from the source. Information obtained in the course of confidential services, such as refereeing manuscripts or grant applications, must not be used without the explicit written permission of the author of the work involved in these services” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Authorship of the Article
  “Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects
  “If the work involves the use of human or animal subjects, the author should ensure that the manuscript contains a statement that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that they have been approved by the appropriate institutional committee(s). Authors should include a statement in the manuscript that informed consent was obtained for experimentation with human subjects” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Declaration of Interest
  “All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed. Examples of potential conflicts of interest which should be disclosed include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed at the earliest stage possible” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
  
  The authors must include in a document accompanying the manuscript a summary declaration of interest statement, which forms part of the journal's official records. If there are no interests to declare authors state this: “Declarations of interest: none”.
• Fundamental Errors in Published Works
  “When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper. If the editor or the publisher learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error, it is the obligation of the author to promptly retract or correct the paper or provide evidence to the editor of the correctness of the original paper” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Respect of Diversity
  Submitted manuscript should:
  - contain nothing which might imply that one individual is superior to another on the grounds of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship or political philosophy;
  - use inclusive language throughout, or insert this declaration at the first page of the article:
  In this document, the masculine form refers, as appropriate, to both women and men. The use of the masculine is for the sole purpose of facilitating the reading of the text and has no discriminatory intent.

Duties of Editors

• Publication Decisions
  “The editor of a peer-reviewed journal is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers must always drive such decisions. The editor may be guided by the policies of the journal’s editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The editor may confer with other editors or reviewers (or society officers) in making this decision” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Fair Play
  “An editor should evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship or political philosophy” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Confidentiality
  “The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, other editorial advisers or the publisher, as appropriate” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
  “Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Editors should recuse themselves" (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).

Duties of Reviewers

• Contribution to Editorial Decisions
  Peer-review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may assist the author in improving the paper. Peer review is an essential component of formal scholarly communication, and lies at the heart of the scientific method” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Promptness
  “Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse him/herself from the review process” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Confidentiality
  “Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Standards of Objectivity
  “Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Acknowledgement of Sources
  “Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor’s attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).
• Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
  “Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies or institutions connected to the papers” (http://lsj.cnrs.edu.lb/publication-ethics/).