PUBLICATION ETHICS

Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

Publishing articles in a peer-reviewed AIJIT Journal is fundamental to building a coherent and respected knowledge network. It reflects the quality of authors' work and the support of their affiliated institutions. Peer-reviewed articles uphold and embody the scientific method. Hence, it is imperative to establish standards for ethical conduct for all parties involved in the publication process: authors, journal editors, peer reviewers, publishers, and societies.

The publisher of AIJIT Journal oversees all publication stages seriously and acknowledges its ethical responsibilities. We ensure that advertising, reprints, or commercial interests do not influence editorial decisions.

Publication Decisions

The AIJIT Journal editor determines which submitted articles should be published. The decision should be based on validating the work's quality and significance to researchers and readers. Editors follow the journal's editorial board policies and adhere to legal requirements related to libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. Consultation with other editors or reviewers may occur during this decision-making process.

Fair Play

Editors must evaluate manuscripts based solely on their intellectual content, irrespective of authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political affiliations.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff are obligated to maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts. They must not disclose information to anyone except the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisors, and the publisher, as necessary.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Editors must not use unpublished material from submitted manuscripts for their research without explicit written consent from the author.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review assists editors in making editorial decisions and can help authors improve their manuscripts through constructive feedback.

Promptness

Reviewers must promptly inform the editor if they feel they need to be more qualified to review a manuscript or if they cannot complete the review promptly.

Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents and should not share or discuss them with unauthorised individuals.

Standards of Objectivity

Reviews should be conducted objectively, and personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work not cited by the authors and bring any substantial similarities between the manuscript under review and other published papers to the editor's attention.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Reviewers should not use privileged information or ideas obtained during the peer review for personal gain. Reviewers should also decline to review manuscripts with conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the papers.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

If an author identifies a substantial error or inaccuracy within their previously published work, they must promptly inform the journal editor or publisher. Furthermore, the author should actively collaborate with the editor to retract or rectify the paper.

Duties of Editors

Equity

Editors are obligated to assess the intellectual content of manuscripts without any bias related to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic background, nationality, or political stance.

Privacy

Editors and their editorial staff must maintain strict confidentiality regarding the submitted manuscript details. As appropriate, information about a manuscript should only be shared with the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisors, and the publisher.

Transparency and Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

Editors must only utilise unpublished materials from a submitted manuscript in their research by obtaining written consent from the author.

Publication Decisions

The journal's editorial board determines which submitted articles should be published. The primary considerations for such decisions should always be the validity of the work and its significance to researchers and readers. Editors may take guidance from the journal's editorial policies and must adhere to legal regulations concerning issues like libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism that are in effect at the time. Editors may also consult with other editors or reviewers during this decision-making process.

Manuscript Review

Editors should ensure that each manuscript is initially assessed for its originality. They should employ peer review methods fairly and judiciously. Editors must clearly outline their peer review procedures in the author guidelines and specify which journal sections undergo peer review. When selecting peer reviewers for papers being considered for publication, editors should choose individuals with the necessary expertise and avoid those with conflicts of interest.

Duties of Author(s)

Authors of original research reports must accurately describe their research and unbiasedly discuss its significance. The underlying data must be faithfully represented in the paper. Sufficient details and references should be included to allow others to replicate the study. Deliberate or knowingly false statements are considered unethical and unacceptable behaviour.

Authenticity and Avoiding Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. If authors have incorporated the work or words of others, proper citation or quotation should be used.

Publication in Multiple Outlets

Authors should avoid publishing manuscripts describing the same research in multiple journals or primary publications. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously is considered an unethical and unacceptable publishing practice.

Acknowledgment of External Sources

Authors must always provide proper acknowledgement of the work of others. Publications that have influenced the reported research should be cited.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship should be restricted to individuals who have contributed substantially to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. All significant contributors should be listed as co-authors. Individuals participating in specific substantive aspects of the research project should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that appropriate co-authors are included, inappropriate co-authors are not added, and all co-authors have reviewed and approved the paper's final version and consented to its submission for publication.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial or significant conflicts of interest in their manuscript that could be perceived as influencing the results or interpretation of their work. All sources of financial support for the project should be revealed.

Correction of Substantial Errors in Published Works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they are responsible for promptly informing the journal editor or publisher and collaborating with the editor to retract or correct the paper.