Relational accountability, in the context of an academic journal dedicated to Indigenous and non-dominant rights and realities, refers to the ethical responsibility of researchers, authors, and the journal itself to maintain respectful and reciprocal relationships with the communities and individuals represented in their work.

This involves acknowledging the interconnectedness of all parties and ensuring that research and publications do not exploit, misrepresent, or harm the communities they engage with. It also means recognizing and honoring the knowledge, perspectives, and experiences of Indigenous and non-dominant groups, and ensuring they are accurately and respectfully represented.

In practice, relational accountability might involve collaborative research practices, community review of articles, transparent communication, and ongoing engagement with the communities beyond the publication process. It’s about building trust, respect, and mutual benefit into every stage of the academic process. This approach aligns with the broader goals of a more inclusive academy and decolonization with in academia. It’s not just about what is studied, but how it’s studied and shared. This is the essence of relational accountability.

Open Access differs from traditional methods of publishing papers. In our Open Access publication model neither authors nor readers are charged for access to articles or other resources. Users are free to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles for any non-commercial purpose without requiring a subscription to the journal in which these articles are published. We consider it an ethical choice to make research freely available, funded by the institutions that can afford to do so in the knowledge that it reflects well on their standing in the research community.

LD&C follows this ‘platinum’ Open Access model which allows LD&C, and thus ILR&R,  to make valuable published materials freely accessible to all interested online visitors, especially to researchers and young scholars from developing countries.

ILR&R takes its duties of guardianship over all stages of publishing extremely seriously and we recognise and expect ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer, the publisher and sponsors of the journal.

• Acknowledge and respect the knowledges  of Indigenous and non-dominant communities that are shared and disseminated through ILR&R.
• Ensure that all contributions honor the cultural, spiritual, and intellectual traditions of these communities.

• Submissions should be sensitive to the cultural protocols and traditions of the Indigenous and non-dominant communities they discuss. This includes respecting sacred and private knowledge and ensuring that such knowledge is not disclosed without permission.
• Avoid harmful narratives, generalizations, stereotypes, misrepresentation, as well as misappropriation of Indigenous and non-dominant peoples, knowledges, cultures, and languages.

• Obtain free, prior, and informed consent from all participants involved in the research.
• Clearly explain the purpose, methods, and potential impacts of the research to the community.
• Any use of Indigenous and non-dominant knowledge or cultural expressions should be done with the explicit permission of the Indigenous and non-dominant community or individual from whom it originates.

•  The privacy of Indigenous and  non-dominant individuals and communities should be respected. Unless explicit permission is given, identifying details should be anonymized to protect the privacy of individuals and communities.

• All sources, especially those from Indigenous and non-dominant  communities or individuals, should be properly acknowledged. This includes oral histories, traditional knowledge, and cultural expressions.

• Engage in community-led, -driven, and -centered collaborative research practices with Indigenous and non-dominant communities as equal partners.
• Ensure that the research benefits the community and addresses their needs and priorities.

• Maintain transparency in all stages of the research and publication process.
• Be accountable to the communities involved and provide them with access to the research findings and publications.

• Any benefits arising from the research, such as publications, should be shared with the Indigenous community involved. This could be in the form of co-authorship, acknowledgements, or other forms of recognition.
• Foster reciprocal relationships that go beyond the research project.

• Adhere to ethical standards set by both the academic institution and the community.
• Acknowledgement of ethical review approval by academic and/or community-centered review boards

• Ensure accuracy and integrity in reporting research findings.
• Avoid plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification of data.

• Prioritize the use of Indigenous and non-dominant languages in publications.
• Provide translations and interpretations as needed to ensure accessibility.

• Commit to long-term engagement with the community beyond the duration of the research project.
• Support the community in using the research findings for their own purposes.

These guidelines aim to foster ethical, respectful, and mutually beneficial research and publication practices that honor the contributions, rights, and knowledges of Indigenous and non-dominant communities.\We trust that all contributors will adhere to these guidelines in the spirit of respect and reciprocity. We look forward to your valuable contributions to our shared understanding of Indigenous and non-dominant language rights and realities.

Authors of reports of original research 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 paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. Review and professional publication articles should also be accurate and objective, and editorial ‘opinion’ works should be clearly identified as such. LD&C and ILR&R takes very seriously the need to cite data properly, and to archive it with appropriate licencing in a suitable repository to allow it to be accessed (See the Austin principles on data citation).

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 archive such data with a relevant language archive.

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. Plagiarism takes many forms, from ‘passing off’ another’s paper as the author’s own paper, to copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another’s paper (without attribution), to claiming results from research conducted by others. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

An author should not in general 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 for consideration  a previously published paper or a paper that is under review in another publication.

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, as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must not be used or reported without explicit, documented 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.

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.

If the work involves the use of human subjects, the ILR&R assumes the author has complied with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that the appropriate academic and/or community-centered review board(s) has approved them. The privacy rights of human subjects must always be observed.

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.

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.

The editor(s) of a peer-reviewed journal is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published often working in conjunction with the ILR&R Advisory Circle. The validation of the work in question and its importance to communities, 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 in making this decision.

An editor should evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

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 (i.e. should ask a co-editor, associate editor or other member of the editorial board instead to review and consider) from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or (possibly) institutions connected to the papers. Editors should require all contributors to disclose relevant competing interests and publish corrections if competing interests are revealed after publication. If needed, other appropriate action should be taken, such as the publication of a retraction or expression of concern. It should be ensured that the peer-review process for sponsored supplements is the same as that used for the main journal. Items in sponsored supplements should be accepted solely on the basis of academic merit and interest to readers and not be influenced by commercial considerations. Non-peer reviewed sections of their journal should be clearly identified.

An editor should take reasonably responsive measures when ethical complaints have been presented concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper, in conjunction with the publisher (or society). Such measures will generally include contacting the author of the manuscript or paper and giving due consideration of the respective complaint or claims made, but may also include further communications to the relevant institutions and research bodies, and if the complaint is upheld, the publication of a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other note, as may be relevant. Every reported act of unethical publishing behavior must be looked into, even if it is discovered years after publication.

Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also 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. LD&C shares the view of many that all scholars who wish to contribute to publications have an obligation to do a fair share of reviewing.

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 themselves from the review process.

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.

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

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.

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. 

(adapted from http://www.ijlll.org/list-28-1.html)