Publication Ethics

The Insights Sustainable Engineering Practices Journal (ISEP) is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct in academic publishing. This Publication Ethics Policy outlines the responsibilities of authors, reviewers, and editors involved in the publishing process to ensure the integrity, transparency, and quality of research published in the journal.

Key Aspects of the Publication Ethics:

1. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors:

   • Originality: Authors must submit only original work. Manuscripts should not have been previously published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere. If parts of the manuscript have been previously published or presented, proper citation and permissions must be provided.
   • Authorship: All individuals who have made significant contributions to the research should be listed as authors. The order of authorship should reflect the contributions made by each individual. The final manuscript should be approved by all authors before submission.
   • Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, such as financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence the manuscript's content or interpretation.
   • Ethical Approval: Research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must have obtained the necessary ethical approval from an appropriate review board or committee. Authors must ensure that informed consent was obtained from participants if applicable.
   • Data Integrity: Authors must ensure the accuracy and integrity of the data presented in their manuscript. Fabrication or manipulation of data is strictly prohibited. If errors are identified after submission, authors must promptly inform the journal and correct them.
   • Citations: Authors must properly cite all sources, data, and ideas that are not their own. This includes citing the original authors and sources of research findings, data sets, and ideas used in the manuscript.

2. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers:

   • Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents. The manuscript and its contents should not be shared or discussed with others outside the peer review process.
   • Objectivity: Reviews should be impartial and based solely on the scientific merit of the manuscript. Reviewers should provide constructive, evidence-based feedback and avoid personal biases or conflicts of interest.
   • Timeliness: Reviewers should complete their reviews within the agreed-upon timeline. If unable to review the manuscript within the specified time frame, reviewers should inform the editorial team as soon as possible.
   • Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could affect their impartiality. If such conflicts exist, the reviewer should recuse themselves from the review process.
   • Constructive Feedback: Reviewers should provide detailed, helpful feedback that assists authors in improving the manuscript. Reviews should be professional, specific, and based on the content of the manuscript.

3. Ethical Responsibilities of Editors:

   • Fairness: Editors are responsible for making unbiased decisions based on the scientific quality and relevance of the manuscript. Manuscripts will be evaluated without regard to the authors’ identities, affiliations, or reputations.
   • Confidentiality: Editors must maintain the confidentiality of all manuscripts under review. Details about the manuscript or its review process must not be disclosed to unauthorized individuals.
   • Decision Making: Editors make the final decision on whether a manuscript will be accepted, revised, or rejected. Editors should base their decisions on reviewer feedback, manuscript quality, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
   • Conflict of Interest: Editors must declare any conflicts of interest and should recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where such conflicts exist. Editors should not handle manuscripts in which they have personal or professional interests.
   • Ethical Oversight: Editors should take appropriate action when ethical violations are detected, including investigating allegations of misconduct such as plagiarism, data falsification, or conflicts of interest.
   • Publication Ethics: Editors should ensure that all published content complies with ethical research standards and follows appropriate guidelines for authorship, data presentation, and citation.

4. Handling of Ethical Violations:

   • Plagiarism: If plagiarism is detected during the submission or review process, the manuscript will be rejected, and the author will be informed of the violation. If plagiarism is found after publication, the article will be retracted, and a retraction notice will be issued.
   • Data Fabrication and Falsification: If a manuscript is found to include fabricated or falsified data, it will be rejected. If such issues are discovered after publication, the article will be retracted, and a retraction notice will be published.
   • Duplicate Publication: Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously or reusing content from previous publications without proper citation is prohibited. Manuscripts found to violate this policy will be rejected.

5. Corrections, Retractions, and Updates:

   • Corrections: If a significant error is found in a published article, the author should notify the journal, and a correction or erratum will be issued. The correction will be clearly linked to the original article.
   • Retractions: In cases of serious ethical violations, such as plagiarism or data falsification, the article will be retracted, and a retraction notice will be issued with a clear explanation of the reason for the retraction.
   • Updates: If an article requires updates or additional findings after publication, a supplementary file or addendum may be issued, and the updated version will be linked to the original article.

6. Commitment to Open Access and Transparency:

   • ISEP is an open-access journal, meaning that all published articles are freely available to readers around the world. Authors retain the copyright to their work and grant the journal a license to publish it under a Creative Commons license (usually CC BY).
   • By adhering to open-access principles, ISEP ensures that research is freely accessible, promotes the sharing of knowledge, and encourages global collaboration in the field of sustainable engineering.

By adhering to these publication ethics, Insights Sustainable Engineering Practices Journal ensures that the research it publishes meets the highest academic standards, fostering an environment of trust, transparency, and integrity within the scientific community.