Proper citation and referencing are essential to maintaining the integrity and credibility of scholarly publishing.

All authors submitting to Chitkara University Journal must follow responsible citation practices that reflect academic honesty, transparency, and respect for intellectual contributions.
Every citation included in a manuscript must add substantive value to the argument, analysis, or context of the work. References should not be added merely to expand the bibliography or to influence citation metrics.

Purpose

This guidance defines the standards expected of authors when citing sources in manuscripts submitted to Chitkara University Journal. It applies to all categories of submissions -research articles, reviews, commentaries, and editorials.

Responsible Citation Practices

All manuscripts must cite appropriate and relevant literature in support of the claims made. The following practices are considered unethical and are strictly prohibited:

• Excessive self-citation or coordinated citation among a group of authors to inflate citation counts.
• Gratuitous citation of articles published in the same journal solely to increase visibility metrics.
• Citation manipulation of any kind.

Manuscripts engaging in such practices will be rejected.

Authors should also report any attempt by reviewers or editors to encourage these practices to the Editorial Office.

Author Responsibilities

When preparing manuscripts, authors should ensure:

• Any statement relying on external sources (not the authors’ own findings or general knowledge) is appropriately cited.
• Original works are cited instead of review articles that merely summarize them.
• Every cited reference must have direct relevance to the discussion and be explicitly connected to the content within the manuscript.
• All citations are accurate, relevant, and verifiable, and should directly support the point made.
• Authors should not cite sources that they have not read or personally verified.
• Authors should not use an excessive number of citations to support one point; references should be concise and meaningful.
• Citations should not disproportionately favour the authors’ own publications, those of colleagues, or their affiliated institutions.
• References should be diverse and international, avoiding geographic or institutional bias.
• Preferably, sources cited should have undergone peer review.
• Advertorial, promotional, or non-scholarly material should never be cited.

Predatory Journals and Questionable Sources

Authors must avoid citing materials from predatory or pseudo-academic journals that lack transparent editorial and peer-review processes.
Such sources compromise scholarly integrity and may lead to the rejection of the manuscript.

Authors should verify journal credibility using:

• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
• Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA)
• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)

Ethical Oversight

• All Chitkara University Journals adhere to internationally recognized standards of publication ethics.
• The Editorial Boards reserve the right to investigate suspected citation manipulation or unethical referencing.
• Authors, reviewers, and editors share the collective responsibility of upholding these ethical standards.

For queries or reporting ethical concerns, please contact the Editorial Office- journals@chitkara.edu.in