Transparency & Ethical Publishing Policy

At SERN, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of transparency, integrity, and ethical publishing. Our approach ensures:

• Open-Access & Low-Cost Publishing – We prioritize accessibility, removing financial barriers to publishing while maintaining high academic standards.

• Indexing & Visibility – SERN hosts journals that are indexed in various databases such as Google Scholar, DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals), OpenAIRE, SCI (Science Citation Index), Scopus, and other major academic databases.

• ORCID iD & Researcher Verification – All authors must provide an ORCID iD, ensuring proper authorship attribution and research integrity.

• Transparent Peer Review Process – We use a rigorous yet fair double-blind peer-review system, ensuring unbiased feedback and enhancing research credibility.

• Data Availability & Ethical Standards – Authors are encouraged to provide datasets, methodologies, and supplementary materials, promoting research reproducibility and ethical accountability.

• Editorial Board & Conflict of Interest Policy – Our editors and reviewers adhere to strict ethical guidelines, ensuring no conflicts of interest and upholding research neutrality.

1. Open-Access & Low-Cost Publishing

SERN follows a fully open-access model, ensuring that research is available to students, professionals, and policymakers worldwide without paywalls. Unlike traditional publishers with high article processing charges (APCs), SERN maintains low-cost publication fees to support equitable knowledge dissemination.

2. Indexing & Academic Visibility

We are committed to ensuring all SERN journals are available across multiple platforms and as such, all journals hosted are strongly encouraged to index in known databases for increased visibility and discoverability of research.  These databases include but are not limited to:

• Google Scholar – Enhancing discoverability in academic search engines.

• DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) – Recognized for indexing high-quality, peer-reviewed open-access journals.

• OpenAIRE – Supporting European and global research accessibility.

• Science Citation Index (SCI) & Scopus – Ensuring our journals meet global research excellence standards.

By partnering with journals that are indexed, we ensure that SERN-published research is widely recognized, cited, and accessible to the global research community.

3.ORCID iD Requirement & Researcher Verification

To maintain research integrity, all submitting authors must register and include their ORCID iD. This ensures:

• Accurate authorship tracking across multiple journals and platforms.

• Prevention of author misattribution or ethical violations.

• Stronger academic credibility through a verified researcher profile.

To register, visit: ORCID Registration

4. Peer Review & Editorial Standards

SERN follows a double-blind peer-review system, ensuring:

• Author anonymity (reviewers do not see author names).

• Reviewer anonymity (authors do not see reviewer identities).

• Fair & unbiased assessment based on research merit, originality, and contribution to sustainability.

Each manuscript undergoes thorough evaluation by domain experts, and review timelines are transparent, preventing unnecessary delays.

5. Ethical Standards & Conflict of Interest Policy

SERN enforces strict ethical guidelines in publishing, ensuring:

• No predatory practices or undisclosed fees.

• Clear author guidelines on ethical citations, plagiarism policies, and research misconduct.

• Editorial and peer-review board members disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

By prioritizing openness, fairness, and academic integrity, SERN ensures that published research remains credible and widely respected.