Ethics, Misconduct, Erratum, and Retraction Policy

In addition to the duties of editors, reviewers, and authors already described in the "Publication Ethics" section, Intercom adopts specific procedures for handling misconduct identified before or after publication, following the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

When reviewers identify relevant content already published previously — by the authors themselves or by third parties, whether as statements, arguments, or reproduced passages — they must inform the editorial team directly; the authors must then provide the appropriate bibliographic reference, indicating its origin. Likewise, where there is substantial similarity or evidence that the article under review has already been published in another journal, reviewers must alert the editorial team that the article violates the journal's ethical principles. Cases and deviations not covered by this policy must be reported to the Editors-in-Chief, who will take appropriate action.

• Erratum: if a significant error is identified after publication, the authors must notify the journal immediately. An erratum will be published as soon as possible, detailing the corrections and preserving the accuracy of the scientific record.

• Plagiarism and self-plagiarism (text recycling): strictly prohibited. Self-plagiarism occurs when authors reuse significant portions of their own previously published work without proper citation. Manuscripts with recycled text will be rejected and may result in sanctions from the Editorial Board.

• Duplicate and redundant publication: it is not permitted to submit the same study to multiple journals simultaneously, nor to split the results of a single study into multiple articles ("salami publication"). Violations will result in rejection or retraction, with possible sanctions from the Editorial Board.

• Data fabrication and falsification: fraud such as image manipulation, data fabrication, or falsification will result in immediate removal of the manuscript from the review process, with possible sanctions from the Editorial Board.

• Corrections and retractions: in cases of serious error or confirmed scientific misconduct (such as plagiarism or data falsification), retraction of the article may be necessary. The decision rests with the Editors-in-Chief, following careful investigation and, where appropriate, consultation with external experts. The retraction is clearly identified as such and remains linked to the original article on the journal's website, preserving the transparency of the academic record.