Publication Ethics

The Journal of Sustainable Science and Education Innovation (JSSEI) is committed to maintaining integrity, transparency, objectivity, responsibility, confidentiality, editorial independence, and academic quality in every stage of scientific publishing. This commitment is implemented to ensure that the entire publication process takes place ethically, fairly, and accountably.

This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement explains the ethical principles and responsibilities of the parties involved in the publication of JSSEI, including authors, editors, reviewers, editorial boards, editorial staff, and journal managers.

In its implementation, JSSEI refers to internationally recognized principles of scientific publication ethics, including  the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing jointly developed by COPE, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

This policy applies to all scientific manuscripts and content submitted to or published by JSSEI, including research articles, conceptual articles, review articles, special edition articles, and notices and updates related to publications.

JSSEI applies the following principles in the implementation of scientific publications:

  1. Integrity. Each party is obliged to maintain honesty, accuracy of information, responsibility, and accountability in research and the publishing process.
  2. Justice. The assessment of the manuscript and the handling of ethical issues must be carried out objectively, consistently, and impartially.
  3. Editorial Independence. Editorial decisions must be free from undue pressure, whether from personal, institutional, financial, political, or commercial interests.
  4. Transparency. Policies, editorial procedures, ethical statements, and important information regarding publications must be clearly communicated.
  5. Confidentiality. Confidential manuscripts, review reports, data, and editorial communications must be protected from unauthorized access or use.
  6. Accountability. Each party is responsible for carrying out its duties in accordance with their respective roles and authorities in maintaining the quality of scientific publications.
  7. Accessibility and Inclusivity. JSSEI strives to create an open publication environment, respects diversity, and avoids unnecessary barriers to academic participation.

Editorial decisions are based on scientific quality, originality, relevance to the focus and scope of the journal, methodological accuracy, research integrity, and the contribution of the manuscript to the development of science. The assessment should not be influenced by the author's personal identity, background, institutional affiliation, or financial condition that is not related to the scientific quality of the manuscript.

Manuscripts that do not meet the writing guidelines, submission requirements, authorship requirements, mandatory statements, or JSSEI editorial policies may be returned for correction, asked for clarification, or rejected in accordance with the results of the editorial evaluation.

Authors are required to read and comply with the publication ethics policy and other applicable provisions at JSSEI. Authors must also complete a Statement of Manuscript Authenticity in accordance with the requirements for submitting manuscripts. If required in the journal procedure, the document along with the manuscript similarity check report can be used as part of the publication transparency documentation.

The results of the similarity check are not the only basis for determining the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript. Editors need to consider the source, context, type, scope, and degree of similarity before making a decision.


Duties of Editors

Publication Decision

The editor is responsible for evaluating the feasibility of the manuscript for publication in JSSEI. The assessment is carried out taking into account academic quality, novelty, relevance to the focus and scope of the journal, accuracy of methodology, clarity of presentation, results of peer review process, and adherence to research ethics.

If necessary, the editor may ask for consideration from other editors, reviewers, editorial board members, or experts who have competence in accordance with the field of manuscript study.

Editorial Independence

Editors are obliged to make decisions independently without undue intervention from journal managers, institutions, sponsors, authors, or other parties.

The decision to accept, deny, request revisions, make corrections, publish an expression of concern, or withdraw articles should be based on available evidence, scientific quality, review results, ethical considerations, and the need to maintain the reliability of the scientific record.

Since JSSEI does not charge for the submission or publication of articles, financial considerations should not be the basis for editorial decisions. Commercial interests or personal relationships should also not influence the decision-making process.

Fair and Non-Discriminatory Assessment

Editors should judge manuscripts based on their content and scholarly contributions without discriminating against authors based on nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, religion, political views, institutional affiliation, financial condition, or any other characteristic unrelated to the quality of the research.

JSSEI strives to implement fair editorial procedures and periodically evaluate its publishing practices to reduce unnecessary barriers.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff are obliged to maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript as well as all documents related to the publishing process. Information about the manuscript may only be provided to the authorities in accordance with their duties.

Manuscripts, reviewer reports, author responses, research data, images, supplementary files, and editorial communications should not be disseminated to unauthorized parties without a valid basis.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Editorial Process

Editors may use generative artificial intelligence technology or digital tools for supporting purposes permitted by JSSEI policies, such as assisting with administrative work, managing metadata, or developing communication templates.

The use of such technology should not replace human academic judgment, ethical considerations, research integrity checks, conflict of interest assessments, or final decisions regarding publications.

The editor remains solely responsible for any evaluations and editorial decisions. Unpublished manuscripts, reviewer reports, data, and other confidential documents should not be put into public or insecure AI systems that do not have adequate protections.

Further provisions regarding the use of such technology are regulated in the JSSEI Generative Artificial Intelligence Use Policy.

Conflict of Interest

The editor is obliged to disclose and manage relationships or interests that have the potential to affect his/her objectivity, including personal, financial, academic, institutional, collaborative, and commercial interests.

Editors who have a conflict of interest that cannot be adequately managed should not handle the relevant manuscript. Handling should be transferred to another editor who is competent and does not have a similar conflict of interest.

If the conflict of interest involves the Editor-in-Chief, the handling of the manuscript or case must be handed over to another appropriate and independent party.

Complaints and Appeals

JSSEI provides a mechanism to handle complaints and appeals related to editorial decisions, review processes, editor or reviewer behavior, publication ethics, conflicts of interest, and other issues directly related to journal publishing activities.

Complaints should be submitted in writing to the editorial office with adequate information and evidence. Anonymous complaints may be considered if they contain specific, relevant, and reliable information.

The party that is the subject of the complaint may not determine the results of the examination of the complaint. If the complaint is related to the Editor-in-Chief or the party who has authority in the case, the handling needs to be transferred to another party that is quite independent.

An appeal of an editorial decision must explain substantial reasons, such as procedural errors, factual errors, or conflicts of interest that could affect the decision. Disagreement with a reviewer's comments alone is not automatically a sufficient basis for granting an appeal.

Complaints that contain threats, intimidation, or harassment should not affect editorial decisions. However, any academic or ethical issues presented with adequate evidence still need to be considered proportionately.


Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review helps editors determine the feasibility of publication and provides input to authors to improve the quality, clarity, validity, and scientific contribution of manuscripts.

Reviewers are expected to provide an objective, constructive, courteous, timely, and supported evaluation by clear academic reasons.

Promptness and Competence

Reviewers who feel they do not have appropriate expertise, have a conflict of interest, are unable to conduct an objective assessment, or are unable to complete a review within a reasonable time should notify the editor immediately and decline the review invitation.

Manuscript Confidentiality

Manuscripts accepted for review are confidential documents. Reviewers may not disseminate, show, upload, or discuss manuscripts with unauthorized parties.

Unpublished information, ideas, methods, data, and findings may not be used for the purposes of research, publication, teaching, or personal gain of the reviewer or other parties.

Use of Generative AI in Peer Review

Reviewers are not allowed to use generative AI to replace personal judgment in evaluating, analyzing, interpreting, or compiling review reports on manuscripts submitted to JSSEI.

Assessments should be made by designated reviewers based on their own competence, academic considerations, and ethical responsibilities. Manuscripts, tables, images, data, reports, and other confidential documents should not be uploaded to public AI systems or systems that do not have adequate confidentiality protections.

Full provisions regarding the use of AI in the review process follow the JSSEI generative AI policy.

Reviewer Identity and Delegation

Reviewers may not assign review assignments to others without the editor's consent. If the editor allows the involvement of other experts, that party must comply with applicable confidentiality, conflict of interest, and publication ethics requirements.

Standars of Objectivity

The reviewer's comments should focus on the scientific quality of the manuscript, not attacking or demeaning the author's personality. Criticism and suggestions need to be conveyed clearly, politely, and accompanied by justifiable reasons.

Acknowledgment of Sources and Citation Ethics

The reviewer should indicate relevant literature that has not been referenced if the literature is important for the evaluation of the manuscript. The reviewer should not request the addition of citations just to increase the number of citations against himself, his colleagues, the journal, or a particular institution.

Reviewers should also notify the editor if they find any indication of plagiarism, repeated publications, citation manipulation, or other ethical violations.

Conflict of Interest

Reviewers are required to disclose any relationships or interests that may affect the objectivity of the review. If a conflict of interest has the potential to interfere with the independence of the review, the reviewer must reject or terminate the review after coordinating with the editor.


Duties of Authors

Reporting Standards and Accuracy

The author is obliged to present the research process and results in an honest, accurate, and accountable manner. Information regarding methods, data, analysis, results, images, tables, and references must be reported correctly.

Data or research results must not be fabricated, falsified, manipulated, or misrepresented. The information presented must be sufficient for the reader to understand and evaluate the research.

Originality, Plagiarism, and Similarity

The submitted manuscript must be an original scientific work. The use of other parties' ideas, writings, data, methods, instruments, images, tables, or materials must be accompanied by acknowledgment of the appropriate source and permission to use if necessary.

Plagiarism, improper reuse of text, manipulation of citations, and misleading presentation of previous material are violations of publication ethics.

Similarity checks are used as an initial screening tool. Determining whether or not a violation is still required an evaluation of the source, context, type, and degree of similarity found.

Further provisions are listed in the JSSEI Plagiarism Policy.

Multiple, Redundant, and Concurrent Submission

Authors may not submit the same or substantially similar manuscripts to more than one journal at the same time.

Overlapping publications must be explained openly and accompanied by references to relevant previous works. Authors are also required to inform previous publications that are closely related to the manuscript being submitted.

Acknowledgment of Sources and Citation Ethics

Authors must list sources that contribute significantly to the research, methods, interpretations, and discussions.

Manipulation of citations, the inclusion of irrelevant references to increase the number of citations, the deliberate omission of important sources, and the practice of unreasonable exchanging citations are unacceptable.

Authorship and Contributorship

The inclusion of the author's name must reflect a tangible scientific contribution as well as a willingness to take responsibility for the content of the publication.

All listed authors must approve the submitted manuscript and provide contribution information in accordance with the journal's requirements. Individuals who contribute but do not meet the authorship criteria may be listed in the acknowledgment section if appropriate.

Changes in order, additions, deletions, or changes in authorship information must follow the procedures set by JSSEI. Authorship disputes that require institutional scrutiny need to be resolved by relevant parties and/or authorized institutions.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Authors may use generative AI and other assistive technologies in accordance with the provisions of the JSSEI policy. The uses that are required to be disclosed must be transparently described, including the name of the tool and the purpose for which it is used.

The author remains responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, authenticity, and final content of the manuscript. AI technology should not replace the scientific contributions, critical reasoning, analysis, interpretation, and conclusions that the author is responsible for.

Generative AI cannot be listed as an author or co-author because it cannot assume scientific responsibility and accountability for publication.

Conflict of Interest and Funding Disclosure

The author is obliged to submit information regarding financial interests, personal relationships, institutional support, commercial interests, or other relationships that may reasonably be considered to affect his research or publication.

Sources of funding, grants, sponsorships, and material support related to the research must also be disclosed in accordance with the requirements of the journal.

Data Availability and Reproducibility

The author is responsible for adequately keeping research records, including the data, materials, instruments, methods, procedures, and analyses underlying the research results.

If necessary for editorial checks or verification of research integrity, editors may request supporting data and relevant documentation. The provision or sharing of data must still take into account the provisions of ethics, law, privacy, confidentiality, security, and the rules of institutions and funders.

The provisions regarding data availability statements, data access, data sharing restrictions, and reproducibility are described inthe JSSEI Data Availability Policy.

Research Ethics and Ethical Approval

Research involving humans, students, teachers, schools, communities, vulnerable groups, personal data, confidential institutional information, animals, or other activities that require ethical oversight must comply with ethical standards and applicable legal provisions.

The author is obliged to obtain and submit ethical consent, participant consent, institutional permission, research permit, or other documents if required.

The identity, privacy, confidentiality, rights, safety, and well-being of participants must be protected during research and publication.

Further provisions are set out inthe JSSEI Research Ethics Policy.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

If the author finds a substantial error in the published article, the author must immediately contact the editorial office. The author must work with the editor to assess the error and determine appropriate actions to maintain the accuracy of the scientific record.


Research Misconduct

JSSEI takes seriously any alleged violations of research and publication ethics. Violations can be data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, citation manipulation, manipulation of the review process, manipulation of data or images, unethical authorship practices, undisclosed conflicts of interest, repeated publications, double submissions, and other forms of violations contrary to scientific integrity.

Alleged violations can be reported before or after the article is published. Reports can come from authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, or other parties who have relevant information. Anonymous reports can be considered if they are accompanied by information that is specific enough and verifiable.

In handling alleged violations, JSSEI may conduct a preliminary investigation, request clarification and supporting evidence, request an independent expert opinion, and contact the relevant institution or ethics committee if necessary. The editorial or publication process may be temporarily suspended if there is a serious problem that requires further investigation.

Based on the results of the examination and the status of the article, actions that can be taken include rejection of the manuscript, withdrawal of the manuscript before publication, issuance of corrections, erratum, corrigendum, Expression of Concern, retraction of articles, deletion of articles, replacement of articles, or submission of cases to the authorized institutions.

Actions taken must consider the evidence, the seriousness of the violation, the impact on the reliability of the research results, and the need to protect the scientific record.


Post-Publication Updates and Scholarly Discussion

JSSEI strives to maintain the accuracy, traceability, and integrity of articles after publication. If important errors or integrity issues are found, journals may publish corrections, erratums, corrigendums, expressions of concern, or retraction of articles according to the nature and impact of the problems found.

Updates that impact the understanding or reliability of the article should be communicated transparently. If necessary, the journal may publish a separate editorial notice and link it to the original article. Articles and related notices should be managed so that readers can clearly see the status of the publication.

Comments and Criticism

JSSEI supports responsible scientific discussion of published articles. Comments and criticisms may address methods, statistical analysis, interpretation of results, theoretical foundations, research limitations, reproducibility, or other relevant scientific aspects.

If deemed necessary, the author of the article that is the object of discussion may be given the opportunity to submit a response. However, allegations of serious violations such as fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or ethical violations should be reported directly and confidentially to the editorial office for examination before being declared as fact in a public forum. 


Intellectual Property, Copyright, Licensing, and Open Access

Authors, editors, reviewers, and journal managers are obliged to respect the copyrights, intellectual property rights, license terms, use permissions, and proper attribution of other parties' material.

The provisions regarding copyright ownership, author rights, use licenses, open access, reuse of articles, and storage of manuscripts in repositories are described in the JSSEI Open Access and Copyright Policy.

Information about the copyright holder and the applicable license must be clearly stated in the published article in accordance with the journal's policies.


Responsibilities of the Publisher

The JSSEI manager is responsible for supporting a transparent, independent, accessible, and integrity scientific publishing environment.

In carrying out these responsibilities, the journal manager must:

  1. Respect the independence of the Editor-in-Chief and editorial team in making decisions.
  2. Not to intervene unnecessarily in the decision on a particular manuscript.
  3. Supports manuscript management, publishing, metadata management, archiving, and article access.
  4. Assisting in handling ethical, legal, and research integrity issues that require special attention.
  5. Ensure that financial and commercial interests do not dictate the outcome of the review or editorial decision.
  6. Support the issuance of corrections and other actions necessary to maintain the reliability of scientific records.
  7. Maintain or support appropriate digital preservation and archiving mechanisms.
  8. Provide information about journal management in a transparent manner.
  9. Supporting fair, inclusive, and accessible publishing practices.
  10. Regularly review policies to stay relevant to the development of scientific publication standards and applicable regulations.


Publication Fees and Commercial Practices

JSSEI does not charge manuscript submission fees, article processing fees, or publication fees. Readers can also access published articles without subscription fees or access fees.

The no-cost policy does not reduce the standards of scientific assessment applied. Editorial decisions remain based on manuscript quality, academic relevance, review results, and compliance with publication ethics.

Promotional, cooperative, or commercial activities that may be related to the journal must not influence editorial decisions. Information about the journal, services, scope, publishing process, and costs must be presented accurately and not misleading.

Invitation to submit manuscripts made on behalf of JSSEI must be delivered professionally and using correct information. Journals must not promise acceptance or publication of articles without going through scientific evaluation and applicable editorial procedures.


Policy Review

JSSEI regularly reviews the Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Policy to maintain its conformity with the development of publication ethics standards, scientific publishing practices, technology, and relevant legal provisions.

Reviews may consider guidelines from COPE, DOAJ, and other relevant scientific publication organizations. If there are issues that have not been specifically addressed in journal policies, editors and managers may consider available evidence, independent expert opinions if necessary, and the principles of fairness, transparency, confidentiality, editorial independence, and the protection of scientific records.

Policy changes take effect after being officially reviewed and approved. The applicable version of the policy must be available through the official JSSEI website.


Related Policies

This Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Policy needs to be read together with other JSSEI policies, including:

  1. Peer Review Process
  2. Authorship and Contributorship Policy
  3. Conflict of Interest Policy
  4. Anti-Plagiarism Policy
  5. Generative AI Utilization Policy
  6. Data Availability and Reproducibility Policy
  7. Research Ethics Policy
  8. Open Access and Copyright Policy
  9. Archiving and Repository
  10. Publication Fees Policy


References and Standards