The journal upholds the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing. All participants in the publication process—authors, reviewers, editors, and the Editorial Office—are expected to adhere to internationally recognized ethical principles. The journal’s practices align with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in scholarly communication.
Principles of Ethical Publishing
Every manuscript must represent original work that has not been published or submitted elsewhere. Plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, image manipulation, duplicate publication, and citation manipulation are considered serious violations of publication ethics. The Editorial Office employs similarity-checking software during submission to identify potential overlap or misuse of previously published material.
Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their work. When errors or inconsistencies are identified, authors must cooperate fully with the Editorial Office to issue appropriate corrections or retractions. Reviewers and editors are equally responsible for reporting suspected ethical breaches encountered during the review process.
Plagiarism and Redundant Publication
Plagiarism includes copying text, ideas, data, or figures from another source without proper attribution. The journal is committed to upholding high ethical standards and addresses any plagiarism concerns through careful editorial review in line with COPE guidance. Submissions with significant overlap—whether from the authors’ own previous work (self-plagiarism) or from external sources—will be rejected. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the article may be retracted following COPE guidelines.
Redundant or duplicate publication occurs when authors submit similar work with overlapping content to multiple journals or divide a single study into several papers. Such practices distort the scientific record and are considered unethical and subject to rejection or retraction in accordance with COPE guidelines.
All submissions are screened for similarity using iThenticate software prior to peer review. The journal does not rely solely on numeric similarity scores; editors carefully evaluate each report to distinguish legitimate overlap (e.g., references, methods, or previously published conference abstracts) from potential plagiarism or self-plagiarism.
As a general guideline, manuscripts showing a high overall similarity level or a notable amount of overlap from a single source may be returned to authors for revision or clarification.
The final decision on acceptability is made by the Editorial Office after manual assessment of the similarity report.
Data Integrity and Research Misconduct
Authors must ensure that all data presented in their manuscripts are accurate, complete, and derived from legitimate research practices. Fabrication and falsification are serious forms of research misconduct. When concerns arise, the Editorial Office may request access to raw data for verification and will determine appropriate action, including correction, rejection, or retraction, in accordance with COPE procedures.
Conflicts of Interest
All parties involved in the editorial process must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence their judgment. This includes employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, patents, or other competing interests. The Editorial Office ensures that manuscripts are handled by editors and reviewers with no conflicts of interest related to the work under consideration.
Citation and Reference Integrity
All authors, editors, and reviewers must uphold responsible citation practices. References should be relevant, accurate, and selected solely for their scholarly contribution. Editors and reviewers must not request citations to their own work or to the journal as a condition of acceptance unless scientifically justified. The Editorial Office monitors citation patterns and reserves the right to investigate irregularities following COPE guidelines.
Human and Animal Research Ethics
Studies involving human participants or animals must comply with recognized ethical standards and be approved by appropriate institutional review boards or ethics committees. Authors must state the name of the ethics committee, approval number (if applicable), and confirm adherence to relevant ethical frameworks such as the Declaration of Helsinki or the ARRIVE Guidelines.
Allegations of Misconduct and Investigation Procedures
All allegations of research or publication misconduct are handled according to COPE’s flowcharts and best practices. When a credible concern is raised, the Editorial Office conducts a preliminary review and, if necessary, contacts the authors for clarification. If misconduct is confirmed or cannot be resolved, the case may be referred to the author’s institution or funding body for formal investigation. Depending on the outcome, appropriate actions—such as rejection, correction, retraction, or expression of concern—will be taken to safeguard the integrity of the scholarly record.
Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern
The journal is committed to maintaining an accurate and trustworthy academic record. If significant errors or ethical breaches are identified after publication, the Editorial Office will issue a correction, retraction, or expression of concern in accordance with COPE retraction guidelines. All such notices will be linked to the original article and made freely available to ensure full transparency.
By enforcing these principles, the journal promotes honesty, rigor, and responsibility in research and publishing—ensuring that every article contributes reliably to the advancement of science and engineering.