The International Journal of Science and Technology (IJST) is committed to maintaining high standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. The journal follows internationally accepted principles of publication ethics and good editorial practice. Authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher are expected to uphold ethical standards throughout the publication process.
Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
1. Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must submit original work that has not been published previously and is not under consideration by another journal. Any ideas, words, data, figures, or other material taken from existing sources must be properly acknowledged and cited.
Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, redundant publication, data fabrication, and data falsification are considered serious forms of academic misconduct. If such misconduct is identified before or after publication, appropriate editorial action may be taken, including rejection, correction, withdrawal, or retraction of the article.
2. Accurate Reporting of Research
Authors must present their research accurately, honestly, and objectively. Data and results must not be fabricated, falsified, manipulated, or intentionally misrepresented. Authors should provide sufficient information about the methods and procedures used so that the research can be understood and, where appropriate, reproduced or verified.
3. Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the research.
All listed authors must review and approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission for publication. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate contributors are included and that no individual who does not qualify for authorship is listed.
4. Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial, personal, professional, institutional, or other relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research, interpretation of results, or publication of the manuscript.
5. Acknowledgment of Sources and Funding
Authors must appropriately acknowledge all sources of information and previous work relevant to their research. Financial support, institutional assistance, grants, or other sources of funding related to the research should also be disclosed where applicable.
6. Ethical Oversight
Research involving human participants, personal or sensitive data, animals, or other activities requiring ethical approval must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical standards.
Where required, authors should obtain appropriate ethical approval, informed consent, permissions, or other necessary authorization before conducting and reporting the research.
Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
1. Confidentiality
Reviewers must treat manuscripts received for review as confidential documents. Information or material obtained through peer review must not be disclosed, shared, or used for personal advantage.
2. Objective and Constructive Review
Reviews should be conducted objectively, fairly, and professionally. Reviewers should provide clear and constructive comments that help authors improve their manuscripts. Personal criticism, offensive language, or inappropriate remarks are not acceptable.
3. Timeliness
Reviewers should accept a review assignment only when they have sufficient expertise and can complete the review within the requested or mutually agreed time. If a reviewer is unable to complete the review promptly, the editor should be informed as soon as possible.
4. Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers must disclose any potential conflict of interest involving the authors, institutions, research, or subject matter of the manuscript. Where a conflict could affect impartiality, the reviewer should decline the review assignment.
Ethical Responsibilities of Editors
1. Fair and Objective Decision-Making
Editors must evaluate manuscripts solely on their academic quality, originality, scientific or scholarly significance, relevance to the journal’s scope, and compliance with journal policies.
Editorial decisions must not be influenced by an author’s nationality, gender, religion, ethnicity, institutional affiliation, political views, or other personal characteristics.
2. Confidentiality
Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and information relating to authors and reviewers. Such information should be disclosed only to persons directly involved in the editorial and publication process where necessary.
3. Publication Decisions
Editors are responsible for deciding whether a manuscript should be accepted, revised, or rejected. Decisions should be based on academic quality, originality, relevance, ethical compliance, and peer-review reports.
4. Handling Ethical Concerns
Editors should investigate credible allegations of research or publication misconduct fairly, promptly, and confidentially. Where necessary, authors, reviewers, institutions, or other relevant parties may be contacted to clarify the matter.
Depending on the outcome of an investigation, appropriate action may include rejection of a manuscript, publication of a correction or clarification, withdrawal, retraction, or other measures necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.
Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher
1. Support for Publication Ethics
The publisher supports the editorial team in maintaining high standards of academic integrity, transparency, and ethical publishing practices.
2. Protection of the Scholarly Record
The publisher works with editors to address credible concerns relating to plagiarism, research misconduct, authorship disputes, copyright issues, unethical publication practices, or other matters that may affect the integrity of published content.
3. Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions should be based on academic and ethical considerations and should remain independent of commercial or other inappropriate influence.
4. Post-Publication Oversight
If a significant ethical concern is identified after publication, the publisher and editorial team will review the matter and take appropriate action in accordance with the journal’s policies and accepted publication-ethics practices.
Complaints and Appeals
Authors, reviewers, readers, or other concerned parties may raise complaints regarding editorial decisions, peer-review procedures, publication ethics, or other matters related to the journal.
Complaints should be submitted with sufficient information and supporting evidence so that the matter can be reviewed fairly. The editorial team will consider complaints objectively and may seek clarification from the parties involved where necessary.
Authors may also request reconsideration of an editorial decision if they believe that a significant factual, procedural, or ethical issue affected the decision. An appeal does not guarantee that the original editorial decision will be changed.
Where a complaint or appeal involves a conflict of interest, it should be reviewed by an appropriate editor or other responsible person who was not directly involved in the original decision.
Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions
If significant errors, ethical concerns, or evidence of misconduct are identified after an article has been published, IJST will assess the matter carefully and take appropriate action.
Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, the journal may publish a correction, clarification, expression of concern, withdrawal notice, or retraction.
Any such action will be taken transparently and with the objective of maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.
The International Journal of Science and Technology (IJST) is committed to promoting responsible research, ethical publication practices, transparency, and academic integrity in the fields of science and technology.