The APHTN-HAN Proceeding is a double blind peer-reviewed proceeding committed to uphold the highest standards of publication ethics. In order to provide our readers with a proceeding of highest quality, we state the following principles of Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement based on Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE) standards.

All articles not in accordance with these standards will be removed from the publication at any time even after publication. In accordance with the code of conduct, we will report any cases of suspected plagiarism or duplicate publishing to the relevant authorities. The Proceeding reserves the right to use plagiarism-detecting software to screen submitted papers at all times.

The publication of an article in the APHTN-HAN Proceeding is one of the important aspects in the development of a coherent and respected network of knowledge. A publication is a reflection of the quality of the work of the authors together with the institutions which support them.

Therefore, to provide readers with high quality articles, the APHTN-HAN Proceeding provides principles of Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement. It is expected that all parties involved in this proceeding such as authors, editors, peer reviewers, publishers, and the association or sponsored proceedings, comply with the standards established by the APHTN-HAN Proceeding. Articles that are not in line with these standards will be removed from the publication at any time.

In addition, the APHTN-HAN Proceeding plays a role in monitoring all stages of the publication process and recognizes its ethical responsibilities. We assure that all stages in the publication process such as advertising, reprints, or other commercial revenue do not impact or influence editorial decisions.

Moreover, the Editorial Board will assist communication between the proceeding and other parties if required by the editors.

In relation to the Ethics and Malpractice Statement, the APHTN-HAN Proceeding formulates the following standards:

• The authors need to assure that the article is original.
• The authors need to assure that all citations in the manuscript have been cited, credited, and referenced properly.
• The authors need to assure that the manuscript has not been published elsewhere.
• The authors need to be responsible for checking and editing the language used in the manuscript before submission.
• The authors need to report any errors found in the manuscript to the APHTN-HAN Proceeding.
• The authors need to agree to sign the agreement before submitting the article.

• The editorial board needs to assure a fair peer-review process for submitted articles.
• The editorial board needs to disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
• The editorial board needs to assure the confidentiality of any information contained in the manuscript before publication.
• The editorial board needs to evaluate and supervise the results of the reviewed manuscript.
• The Editor-in-Chief will supervise and coordinate all editors involved in the publication process.

• The reviewers will evaluate manuscripts based on the content without considering gender, sexual preference, religious belief, citizenship, ethnic origin, or political philosophy of the authors.
• The reviewers need to assure the confidentiality of the information contained in the manuscript.
• The reviewers need to report to the Editor-in-Chief if they find any violation in the manuscript.
• The reviewers need to evaluate the manuscripts as objectively as possible, and the results of the review must represent their professional opinion on the work.
• The reviewers who feel unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript, or who know that prompt review will be impossible, should notify the Editor-in-Chief and excuse themselves from the review process.