The IJSSR is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical publishing in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) core practices and the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity.
1. For Editors
Editors adhere to the principles of independence and integrity in the decision-making process. All manuscripts are subject to rigorous peer review. Editors shall not participate in the processing of articles in which they have a conflict of interest. The editorial decision-making process is based exclusively on the merit and relevance of the submitted content, without prejudice towards the authors, their affiliations, or their origin.
For detailed information on editorial decision-making and independence, see the IJSSR Editorial Policy.
2. For Authors
Authorship: At the time of submission, the list of authors must include all eligible authors in the correct order, with consensus from all co-authors. For detailed authorship criteria and prohibited practices, see the IJSSR Authorship Policy.
Originality: Manuscripts must be original and must not have been previously published. Simultaneous submission to multiple journals is not allowed.
Data Integrity: Authors must ensure the accuracy and integrity of all data presented. Fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of data is strictly prohibited.
Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest at the time of submission. For detailed information on disclosure requirements and procedures, see the IJSSR Conflict of Interest Policy.
Ethics Approval: Research involving human participants must have obtained ethics approval from the appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee.
3. For Reviewers
Reviewers must provide objective, constructive, and timely feedback. All manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and decline to review if they cannot provide an unbiased assessment.
4. Ethical Oversight
The IJSSR follows COPE guidelines for handling suspected misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate publication, and undisclosed conflicts of interest. Allegations of misconduct will be investigated promptly and thoroughly.
5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy
AI tools and technologies may be used to assist in research and manuscript preparation, subject to the following conditions:
- AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.
- Authors must declare the use of AI tools in the designated section of the manuscript.
- Reviewers are prohibited from using AI tools to process or analyse manuscripts under review.
- The omission of AI usage acknowledgement is considered a lack of transparency and may lead to rejection.
6. Retractions and Corrections
The IJSSR will retract articles that are found to contain unreliable findings, plagiarism, or unethical research. Corrections (errata) will be published for errors that do not affect the overall integrity of the work. All retractions and corrections follow COPE retraction guidelines.