Publisher Policies

These policies govern how Futures Publishing operates as a publisher — our standards for editorial conduct, our obligations to authors, our approach to content, and the principles that guide every decision we make. They apply to all publications produced under the Futures Publishing name and all of its imprints.

These policies are reviewed annually and updated as necessary. The version on this page supersedes all previous versions. Last updated: May 2025.

1. Editorial Independence Policy

Futures Publishing is committed to the principle of editorial independence. Our publishing decisions are made solely on the basis of literary and intellectual merit, social relevance, and commercial viability. We do not accept payment for publication consideration, nor do we allow commercial, political, or personal relationships to influence editorial decisions.

What this means in practice

• No author, agent, or third party may pay to have a manuscript published, reviewed, or prioritised
• Advertising relationships with Futures Publishing have no bearing on our publishing or editorial decisions
• Commissioning editors declare conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from decisions involving personal relationships
• Authors are not required to purchase any service from Futures Publishing or its affiliates as a condition of publication

2. Peer Review Policy

For academic, scholarly, and research-based publications, Futures Publishing operates a rigorous peer review process. We are committed to the integrity, transparency, and fairness of this process.

Peer review model

Type of review	Double-blind peer review (standard); single-blind available on request for specific disciplines
Reviewers	Minimum two independent reviewers per submission, selected for subject expertise and absence of conflict of interest
Decision options	Accept as submitted · Accept with minor revisions · Revise and resubmit · Reject
Timeline	Authors receive a first decision within 8–12 weeks of submission acknowledgement
Appeals	Authors may appeal a rejection by writing to editorial@futurespublishing.com with detailed grounds within 30 days

Reviewer obligations

• Reviewers must declare any conflict of interest before accepting a review assignment
• Reviewer identities are kept confidential unless open review is requested
• Reviews must be conducted with objectivity, respect, and scholarly rigour
• Reviewers must not share, reproduce, or use unpublished manuscript content without the author’s written consent

3. Authorship & Originality Policy

Futures Publishing takes authorship integrity and the originality of published works seriously. The following standards apply to all submissions and publications.

Authorship criteria

To be named as an author, an individual must have made a substantial contribution to at least one of the following: the original conception or design of the work; the drafting or critical revision of the intellectual content; and the final approval of the version to be published.

Individuals who contributed in other ways — such as data collection, funding acquisition, or administrative support — should be acknowledged in the book’s Acknowledgements section, not listed as authors.

Originality requirements

• All submitted work must be the original creation of the named author(s)
• Work must not have been previously published in book form by another publisher without disclosure
• Plagiarism in any form — copying, close paraphrasing, or misrepresenting another’s ideas as one’s own — is grounds for immediate rejection and, if discovered post-publication, retraction
• Authors must disclose prior publication of any substantial portion of the work in any format

AI-generated content

The named authors of a work published by Futures Publishing must be human beings who can attest to the substantial original authorship of the work. Artificial intelligence tools may be used in an assistive capacity — for research, grammar checking, or translation support — but the primary creative and intellectual content must originate with the human author(s). Manuscripts determined to be primarily AI-generated will be rejected. Authors must declare any significant use of AI tools in the manuscript preparation process.

4. Content Standards Policy

Futures Publishing is committed to publishing work that meets high standards of accuracy, fairness, and responsibility. We do not publish content that is false, defamatory, harmful, or in breach of applicable law.

Standards we apply to all publications

• Factual claims must be accurate and, where appropriate, supported by cited evidence
• Historical, scientific, or professional claims must reflect current scholarly consensus or clearly present themselves as dissenting views
• Content must not defame or maliciously misrepresent any living or deceased individual
• Works featuring real people must distinguish clearly between fact and fiction, and between reported events and authorial opinion
• Content that incites hatred, violence, or discrimination against any individual or group on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, or other protected characteristics will not be published

Sensitive and difficult subject matter

We recognise that serious literature and scholarship frequently engages with disturbing, controversial, or morally complex material. We do not refuse to publish work solely because it deals with difficult subjects. However, such content must serve a legitimate artistic, academic, or journalistic purpose. We reserve the right to request revisions to content we consider gratuitous, harmful, or without clear justification.

5. Copyright & Intellectual Property Policy

All works published by Futures Publishing are protected by copyright. The ownership of copyright, and the rights granted to the publisher, are set out in each author’s publishing agreement.

Copyright ownership

Author copyright	Copyright in the work remains with the author unless otherwise agreed in writing. Futures Publishing is granted a licence to publish.
Publisher licence	The publishing agreement grants Futures Publishing exclusive rights to publish, distribute, and sublicense the work in agreed formats and territories.
Moral rights	Authors retain their moral rights — the right to be identified as the author and the right to object to derogatory treatment of the work.
Third-party material	Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions for any third-party material (quotations, images, data) included in their work.
Work made for hire	Content commissioned directly by Futures Publishing, where copyright is assigned to the publisher, will be stated explicitly in the commission agreement.

Permissions and reproduction

Requests to reproduce, translate, adapt, or sublicense content from Futures Publishing titles should be directed to rights@futurespublishing.com. We aim to respond to all rights requests within 15 working days.

6. Permissions Policy

Authors are responsible for clearing all permissions for third-party material included in their manuscript before the copy-editing stage. Futures Publishing will not proceed to typesetting until all permissions are confirmed in writing.

What requires a permission

• Quotations from copyrighted literary, academic, or journalistic works exceeding fair dealing thresholds
• Photographs, illustrations, maps, charts, tables, or other visual material not created by the author
• Song lyrics, poems, or other short-form copyright works (any reproduction requires permission)
• Data sets or statistical tables reproduced from third-party sources
• Extracts from unpublished materials such as letters, diaries, or archival documents

When in doubt about whether permission is required, seek it. Futures Publishing accepts no liability for permissions that were the author’s contractual responsibility and were not obtained.

7. Corrections, Retractions & Errata Policy

Futures Publishing is committed to the accuracy and integrity of its published works. We take all reports of errors, misconduct, and disputed content seriously and respond in a timely and transparent manner.

Corrections (errata)

Significant factual errors discovered after publication will be corrected through a published erratum attached to the relevant title. Minor typographical errors are corrected in subsequent printings without notation. Authors and readers may report errors to editorial@futurespublishing.com.

Retractions

A published work may be retracted in the following circumstances:

• The work is found to contain fabricated or falsified data, images, or information
• The work has been plagiarised from another source
• The work was published without the knowledge or consent of a co-author
• The work infringes the copyright or other intellectual property rights of a third party
• A court order requires withdrawal of the work

Retracted works remain listed in our catalogue with a clear retraction notice. The physical removal of a retraction notice or its suppression from records is not permitted.

Disputes

Where a correction or retraction is disputed by the author(s), Futures Publishing will appoint an independent editorial board member to review the case. The outcome of this review is binding.

8. Conflict of Interest Policy

Futures Publishing requires all parties involved in the publication process — editors, reviewers, and publishing staff — to disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest.

What constitutes a conflict of interest

Financial interest	A financial relationship with an author, competitor, or subject matter of a work (e.g. consultancy, equity, grants)
Personal relationship	A close personal or family relationship with an author or subject of a publication
Academic rivalry	A significant professional dispute or ongoing rivalry with an author in the same field
Prior collaboration	Recent (within 3 years) joint authorship, grant application, or institutional employment with an author

Where a conflict of interest is declared, the relevant party will be recused from the editorial decision-making process for that title. Undisclosed conflicts of interest discovered after publication may result in review of the publication decision.

9. Data Integrity & Research Ethics Policy

For works involving primary research, empirical data, or human subjects, Futures Publishing applies the following standards.

Research ethics

• Research involving human subjects must have received approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board prior to publication
• Authors must confirm that research involving human participants was conducted with informed consent where required
• Research involving animals must comply with applicable national and institutional guidelines
• Clinical trials must be registered in a recognised public registry prior to the commencement of patient enrolment

Data availability

Authors of data-driven works are encouraged to make their underlying datasets publicly available in an appropriate repository. Where data cannot be shared (for reasons of confidentiality, legal restriction, or commercial sensitivity), authors must state this clearly in the published work.

10. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Policy

Futures Publishing believes that a diverse publishing list makes better books and serves more readers. We are committed to publishing authors from a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and communities — and to working practices that are inclusive and equitable.

Our commitments

• We actively seek submissions from authors who are underrepresented in mainstream publishing
• We do not discriminate against authors on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic
• Our editorial team receives regular training on unconscious bias and inclusive commissioning
• We review the demographic profile of our published authors annually and publish a summary of our findings
• We pay all authors according to the same contractual terms and rates, without differentiation by identity

We welcome feedback on our diversity and inclusion practices. If you have a concern, please write to editorial@futurespublishing.com and your message will be reviewed by a senior member of the editorial team.

11. Complaints Policy

Futures Publishing takes all complaints seriously and is committed to resolving them fairly, transparently, and in a timely manner. This policy applies to complaints from authors, readers, reviewers, and the public.

How to make a complaint

Step 1: Contact us	Write to editorial@futurespublishing.com with a clear description of your complaint, the publication or process it relates to, and the outcome you are seeking.
Step 2: Acknowledgement	We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and provide a named point of contact for your case.
Step 3: Investigation	Your complaint will be investigated by a senior editorial staff member not directly involved in the matter. We aim to provide a full response within 20 working days.
Step 4: Escalation	If you are not satisfied with our response, you may request that your complaint be reviewed by the Editorial Director. This review will be completed within 15 working days.
Step 5: External recourse	If the complaint concerns potential legal matters (defamation, copyright infringement), you may wish to seek independent legal advice.

12. Environmental & Sustainability Policy

Futures Publishing is committed to minimising the environmental impact of its publishing activities. We recognise that book production has a carbon and resource footprint, and we are committed to reducing it over time.

• We print on paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or equivalent
• We actively promote digital editions to reduce physical print runs where feasible
• We work with printers and distributors who hold recognised environmental certifications
• We avoid overprinting and aim for print-run accuracy to reduce waste
• We assess and aim to offset the carbon emissions associated with our printing and distribution

Our Environmental Policy is reviewed annually. We publish an annual sustainability report summarising our environmental performance. Last report: January 2025.

13. Questions & Policy Contacts

If you have a question about any of these policies, or wish to report a concern, please use the contact details below:

Editorial policies & complaints	editorial@futurespublishing.com
Peer review queries	editorial@futurespublishing.com
Copyright & permissions	rights@futurespublishing.com
Diversity & inclusion concerns	editorial@futurespublishing.com
Data integrity & research ethics	editorial@futurespublishing.com
Environmental policy	admin@futurespublishing.com
Legal matters	contracts@futurespublishing.com

These Publisher Policies were adopted by Futures Publishing in January 2024 and are reviewed annually. The current version supersedes all prior versions. Futures Publishing reserves the right to amend these policies at any time. Material changes will be communicated to contracted authors directly.