Publication Ethics

Editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly or artistic quality, originality, relevance, ethical integrity, and contribution of the manuscript.

Decisions must not be influenced by an author’s:

• Nationality or geographic location; 
• Race, ethnicity, religion, or cultural identity; 
• Gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation; 
• Age or disability; 
• Institutional affiliation; 
• Academic rank or professional status; 
• Political or theoretical position; 
• Financial circumstances; or 
• Ability to pay publication charges. 

Because the journal follows a diamond open-access model, financial considerations do not influence manuscript assessment, peer review, acceptance, or publication.

All parties must act honestly, respectfully, confidentially, and without discrimination. The journal may consult recognized publication-ethics guidance and independent experts when investigating complex cases.

Authors must ensure that their submission is accurate, original, ethically conducted, and appropriately documented.

By submitting a manuscript, the authors confirm that:

• The manuscript is their original work; 
• The work has not been published in substantially the same form; 
• The manuscript is not being considered by another journal; 
• All authors have approved the submitted version; 
• All individuals who qualify for authorship have been included; 
• All sources have been properly acknowledged; 
• Data, quotations, references, images, recordings, and other materials are authentic; 
• Required ethical approvals and informed consent have been obtained; 
• Copyright permissions have been secured; 
• Funding and conflicts of interest have been disclosed; 
• Substantive use of generative artificial intelligence has been declared; and 
• The authors will cooperate with editorial enquiries concerning the integrity of the work. 

Authors must not submit the same or substantially similar manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.

A manuscript derived from a thesis, conference paper, preprint, report, or earlier publication must be disclosed in the cover letter. The submitted article must contain sufficient new analysis, interpretation, evidence, or creative contribution.

Authors must promptly notify the journal if they discover an important error in a submitted or published article.

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual, scholarly, analytical, methodological, creative, or interpretive contributions to the work.

Each author should normally have:

• Contributed substantially to the conception, design, research, analysis, creative practice, or interpretation; 
• Participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript; 
• Approved the final version; 
• Agreed to be accountable for their contribution; and 
• Agreed to cooperate in resolving questions about the integrity of the work. 

The following practices are prohibited:

• Gift authorship: Listing a person who made no substantial contribution; 
• Honorary authorship: Adding a senior or influential person solely because of their position; 
• Ghost authorship: Excluding a person who made a substantial contribution; 
• Purchased authorship: Buying or selling authorship positions; 
• Unauthorized authorship: Listing an individual without their knowledge or consent; and 
• Misrepresentation of contributions: Providing inaccurate statements about who performed the work. 

Individuals who contributed but do not qualify for authorship should be acknowledged with their permission.

The corresponding author is responsible for confirming that all authors approved the manuscript and its submission.

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors after submission must include:

• A clear explanation; 
• Written agreement from all authors; 
• Written agreement from any author being added or removed; and 
• Updated contribution and conflict-of-interest statements. 

Authorship changes after acceptance will be permitted only in exceptional and properly documented circumstances.

Generative artificial intelligence systems cannot be listed as authors or contributors because they cannot accept responsibility, approve the final work, disclose conflicts, or enter into publishing agreements.

The journal does not tolerate research, publication, or creative misconduct.

Prohibited conduct includes:

• Plagiarism;  
• Self-plagiarism or inappropriate text recycling; 
• Duplicate or redundant publication; 
• Simultaneous submission; 
• Fabrication or falsification of data; 
• Invented quotations, interviews, references, or archival sources; 
• Manipulation of images, recordings, scores, or audiovisual evidence; 
• Citation manipulation; 
• Peer-review manipulation; 
• Undisclosed authorship changes; 
• Misrepresentation of research methods; 
• Unauthorized use of confidential information; 
• Copyright infringement; 
• Concealment of relevant conflicts of interest; 
• False claims about ethical approval or informed consent; and 
• Deceptive use of generative artificial intelligence. 

All quotations, ideas, arguments, musical analyses, translations, images, scores, recordings, and other materials derived from another source must be properly cited.

Limited reuse of an author’s previously published methodological or descriptive language may be acceptable when unavoidable, clearly acknowledged, and not presented as a new contribution. Substantial duplication without disclosure is not acceptable.

The journal may use similarity-checking software and other integrity-screening methods. A similarity percentage alone does not determine misconduct. Editors examine the source, extent, context, and significance of the overlap.

Citation practices must be academically justified. Authors must not:

• Add irrelevant references to increase citation counts; 
• Cite sources they have not examined; 
• Fabricate DOI numbers or publication details; 
• Misrepresent the content of cited sources; 
• Use excessive self-citation without scholarly justification; or 
• Participate in coordinated citation-exchange arrangements. 

Reviewers and editors must not pressure authors to cite irrelevant work, including their own publications or publications from the journal.

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable institutional, national, and disciplinary ethical standards.

This requirement may apply to research involving:

• Performers;  
• Singers and musicians; 
• Actors and dancers; 
• Directors and production personnel; 
• Students and teachers; 
• Interview participants; 
• Survey respondents; 
• Audiences;  
• Community groups; 
• Workshop participants; 
• Identifiable individuals; 
• Personal records; or 
• Sensitive cultural information. 

Where formal ethics approval was required, the manuscript must state:

• The name of the approving institution or committee; 
• The approval number, where available; 
• The approval date, where appropriate; and 
• Confirmation that the research followed the approved procedures. 

Authors must obtain informed consent for participation and, where applicable, separate consent for publication of identifiable:

• Names;  
• Images;  
• Photographs;  
• Voices;  
• Audio recordings; 
• Video recordings; 
• Interview quotations; 
• Biographical details; or 
• Performance documentation. 

Consent for participation does not automatically constitute consent for publication.

When formal ethics approval was not required, authors should provide a clear explanation in the manuscript.

Research involving Indigenous, traditional, sacred, community-owned, culturally sensitive, or restricted knowledge must respect:

• Community protocols; 
• Cultural ownership; 
• Access restrictions; 
• Appropriate attribution; 
• Collective consent; 
• Restrictions on reproduction; and 
• Relevant expectations concerning benefit, representation, and interpretation. 

The journal may request supporting evidence of ethical approval, participant consent, or community authorization.

Authors must present research data, archival evidence, interviews, field notes, musical analyses, performance documentation, and other supporting materials honestly and accurately.

Authors must not:

• Fabricate data or evidence; 
• Remove inconvenient findings without explanation; 
• Alter recordings in a misleading manner; 
• Manipulate images beyond acceptable technical adjustment; 
• Misrepresent historical or archival sources; 
• Present simulated performances as authentic documentation; 
• Invent interview responses; 
• Alter quotations in a manner that changes their meaning; or 
• Conceal methodological limitations that materially affect the conclusions. 

Adjustments to images, audio, video, musical notation, or other media must not obscure, remove, introduce, or misrepresent significant information.

Where alteration is necessary for analysis or presentation, it should be disclosed in the caption, methodology, or supplementary documentation.

Authors should include an appropriate Data Availability Statement. Supporting material may be:

• Deposited in a recognized repository; 
• Included as supplementary material; 
• Made available upon reasonable request; 
• Restricted because of privacy, consent, copyright, contractual, cultural, or security concerns; or 
• Declared not applicable when no new data were created or analysed. 

Editors may request:

• Original datasets; 
• Interview transcripts; 
• Source recordings; 
• Unedited images; 
• Archival references; 
• Permissions;  
• Analysis files; 
• Computer code; 
• Musical source material; or 
• Other documentation needed to assess integrity. 

Failure to provide reasonable supporting information may delay review or result in rejection.

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose relationships or interests that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their judgment.

Conflicts may be:

• Financial;  
• Professional;  
• Institutional;  
• Academic;  
• Personal;  
• Political;  
• Creative;  
• Competitive; or 
• Intellectual.  

Authors must disclose:

• Research funding; 
• Grants and sponsorship; 
• Employment relationships; 
• Consultancy work; 
• Paid performances or commissions; 
• Ownership or commercial interests; 
• Institutional support; 
• Personal relationships relevant to the work; and 
• Other interests that could affect interpretation. 

When no conflict exists, authors should include:

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Funding sources must be identified by name, together with grant numbers where applicable. Authors should also state whether a funder influenced:

• Research design; 
• Data collection; 
• Analysis;  
• Interpretation;  
• Manuscript preparation; 
• Submission; or 
• Publication decisions. 

Reviewers must decline or disclose assignments involving significant conflicts.

Editors must not handle manuscripts involving their own work, close collaborators, students, supervisors, relatives, institutional colleagues, or other relationships that could compromise independence. Such submissions must be reassigned to an independent editor.

Reviewers support the journal by providing independent, constructive, evidence-based, and timely assessments.

Reviewers must:

• Accept assignments only within their expertise; 
• Complete reviews within the agreed period; 
• Maintain confidentiality; 
• Disclose conflicts of interest; 
• Assess manuscripts fairly and objectively; 
• Provide specific and constructive comments; 
• Identify relevant ethical or integrity concerns; 
• Avoid personal criticism; 
• Avoid discriminatory or disrespectful language; 
• Distinguish essential revisions from optional suggestions; 
• Support recommendations with clear reasoning; and 
• Refrain from contacting authors directly. 

Under the journal’s single-blind system, reviewers know the authors’ identities, but reviewers’ identities remain confidential.

Reviewers must not:

• Share the manuscript with unauthorized individuals; 
• Use unpublished ideas, data, music, images, recordings, or creative materials;  
• Request irrelevant citations; 
• Delay review for competitive advantage; 
• Delegate the review without editorial permission; 
• Reveal their identity within the report unless authorized; 
• Upload the manuscript to an unauthorized artificial-intelligence platform; or 
• Use generative artificial intelligence to replace their own expert evaluation.  

A reviewer who identifies possible plagiarism, fabrication, copyright infringement, unethical research, manipulated material, or another serious issue should notify the editor confidentially and provide supporting details where possible.

The reviewer’s recommendation is advisory. The final decision remains with the editor.

Editors are responsible for protecting editorial quality, independence, fairness, confidentiality, and the integrity of the published record.

Editors must:

• Evaluate submissions without discrimination; 
• Base decisions on scholarly and artistic merit; 
• Protect confidential information; 
• Select qualified and independent reviewers; 
• Examine reviewer reports critically; 
• Remove inappropriate or abusive comments; 
• Identify and manage conflicts of interest; 
• Investigate integrity concerns fairly; 
• Provide authors with clear decisions; 
• Maintain accurate editorial records; 
• Correct the published record when necessary; and 
• Ensure that funding does not influence editorial decisions. 

Editors must not:

• Use unpublished content for personal or professional benefit; 
• Assign manuscripts to conflicted reviewers; 
• manipulate peer review; 
• Suppress valid findings for personal reasons; 
• Accept manuscripts without appropriate assessment; 
• Request unnecessary citations to increase journal metrics; 
• Retaliate against authors or reviewers; 
• Share confidential manuscripts with unauthorized parties; or 
• upload manuscripts to unauthorized generative artificial-intelligence systems. 

Submissions from editors, editorial board members, or journal staff may be considered, but they must be managed independently. The submitting editor must have no role in reviewer selection, access to confidential review information, or decision-making.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by the journal’s monthly publication schedule or desire to increase article numbers.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce third-party material, including:

• Musical scores; 
• Lyrics and libretti; 
• Dramatic scripts; 
• Choreography;  
• Archival documents; 
• Production photographs; 
• Costume and stage designs; 
• Artwork and illustrations; 
• Audio recordings; 
• Video recordings; 
• Screenshots;  
• Interview material; and 
• Images or recordings of identifiable individuals. 

Permissions must cover open-access online publication and any reuse permitted by the article’s licence.

Published articles are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0). However, third-party material is covered by that licence only when this is expressly stated.

Material excluded from the CC BY 4.0 licence must include an appropriate credit line or rights statement.

Authors retain copyright in their original work and grant the journal the right of first publication.

Copyright complaints will be investigated. The journal may temporarily remove, replace, restrict, or correct material when a credible legal or ethical concern is raised.

Substantive use of generative artificial intelligence must be disclosed transparently.

Disclosure is required when artificial intelligence has contributed to:

• Drafting or substantially rewriting text; 
• Generating arguments or interpretations; 
• Translating substantial content; 
• Analysing data; 
• Producing computer code; 
• Creating images or illustrations; 
• Composing or arranging music; 
• Producing synthetic voices; 
• Generating audio or video; 
• Developing scripts or libretti; 
• Simulating performances; 
• Creating stage or costume designs; or 
• Transcribing or summarizing research material. 

Authors remain responsible for verifying all AI-assisted content.

Artificial intelligence must not be used to:

• Fabricate evidence; 
• Invent references or quotations; 
• Create false participant statements; 
• Present synthetic media as authentic documentation; 
• Imitate an identifiable person without permission; 
• conceal plagiarism; 
• Generate deceptive research findings; or 
• Process confidential material without authorization. 

AI-generated or AI-modified music, images, audio, video, or performance materials must be clearly identified. The relationship between human creative decisions and machine-generated output should be explained.

Routine spelling, grammar, formatting, and reference-management tools do not normally require disclosure when they do not generate substantive scholarly content.

The journal may request prompts, outputs, source files, editing records, or other documentation when necessary. Artificial-intelligence detection tools may assist screening, but their results will not be treated as conclusive evidence without human assessment.

The journal is committed to correcting the scholarly record when significant errors or misconduct are identified.

Possible post-publication actions include:

Correction: Issued when an error affects part of an article but does not invalidate its principal findings or argument.

Editorial Correction: Issued when an error was introduced during editing, typesetting, or production.

Author Correction: Issued when authors identify a significant error for which they are responsible.

Expression of Concern: Issued when serious concerns exist but an investigation remains incomplete or inconclusive.

Retraction: Issued when findings are unreliable because of misconduct or major error, when substantial plagiarism or duplicate publication is confirmed, or when serious ethical or legal violations occurred.

Removal: Considered only in exceptional circumstances involving legal requirements, serious privacy violations, immediate safety risks, or unlawful content.

Retraction notices should clearly identify the article, explain the reason for retraction, and distinguish misconduct from honest error where possible. The retracted article will normally remain accessible as part of the scholarly record but will be clearly marked as retracted.

When misconduct is suspected, the journal may:

1. Conduct a preliminary assessment; 
2. Request an explanation from the authors; 
3. Request original evidence or documentation; 
4. Suspend peer review or production; 
5. Consult independent experts; 
6. Contact an institution, funder, ethics committee, archive, or rights holder where justified; 
7. Provide affected parties a reasonable opportunity to respond; and 
8. Take appropriate editorial action based on the available evidence. 

Investigations will be conducted confidentially, impartially, and without presuming misconduct before the evidence has been evaluated.

Complaints or appeals concerning editorial decisions, peer review, ethical conduct, copyright, discrimination, conflicts of interest, or published material should be submitted in writing to the editorial office.