Publication Ethics

Overview

The Journal of Smart Systems and Computing (JSSC) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, and responsible scholarly communication. The journal follows internationally recognised principles of ethical publishing and promotes transparency, honesty, fairness, and accountability throughout the publication process.

All authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members are expected to adhere to ethical standards and professional responsibilities to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to the Journal of Smart Systems and Computing must ensure that their work meets the following ethical requirements:

Originality and Plagiarism

  • Authors must submit original research that has not been published previously.
  • Manuscripts must not contain plagiarised content, including copied text, ideas, data, images, or results without proper acknowledgment.
  • All sources must be appropriately cited and referenced.
  • Any use of previously published material must obtain necessary permissions and provide appropriate attribution.

Authorship and Contributions

  • Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the research.
  • All listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript before submission.
  • Authors must agree on the order of authorship before submission.
  • Individuals who contributed to the research but do not qualify for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged.

Data Integrity and Research Transparency

Authors must:

  • Present accurate and reliable research findings.
  • Avoid fabrication, falsification, manipulation, or misrepresentation of data.
  • Provide sufficient information about methods and procedures to support reproducibility.
  • Maintain research data and supporting records where applicable.
  • Correct errors identified after publication.

Duplicate Submission and Redundant Publication

Authors must not:

  • Submit the same manuscript simultaneously to multiple journals.
  • Publish substantially similar research in more than one publication without proper justification.
  • Divide research findings into multiple publications inappropriately.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Authors must disclose:

  • Financial relationships
  • Institutional affiliations
  • Personal relationships
  • Funding sources
  • Any circumstances that could influence the research or publication process

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

Editors of the Journal of Smart Systems and Computing are responsible for ensuring a fair, transparent, and ethical editorial process.

Editors must:

  • Evaluate manuscripts based on academic merit, originality, and relevance.
  • Ensure that editorial decisions are independent and unbiased.
  • Maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
  • Select qualified reviewers based on subject expertise.
  • Manage conflicts of interest appropriately.
  • Protect the integrity of the published academic record.
  • Address ethical concerns, complaints, and allegations of misconduct.

Editors must not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for personal research or professional advantage.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an important role in maintaining the quality of the journal.

Reviewers must:

  • Provide objective, constructive, and unbiased evaluations.
  • Maintain confidentiality of manuscript information.
  • Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe.
  • Identify relevant published work that has not been cited.
  • Report possible ethical issues or research misconduct.
  • Disclose any conflict of interest before accepting a review assignment.

Reviewers should evaluate manuscripts based on scientific quality rather than personal, institutional, or geographical considerations.

Peer Review Integrity

JSSC follows a rigorous peer-review process to ensure:

  • Independent evaluation of submitted manuscripts.
  • Fair and unbiased editorial decisions.
  • Protection of confidential information.
  • Improvement of manuscript quality through constructive feedback.

The journal does not allow authors, reviewers, or editors to manipulate the peer-review process.

Research Misconduct Policy

The journal does not tolerate any form of research misconduct, including:

  • Plagiarism
  • Data fabrication
  • Data falsification
  • Image manipulation
  • Duplicate publication
  • Unethical authorship practices
  • Citation manipulation
  • Peer-review manipulation

Suspected cases of misconduct will be investigated carefully and appropriate action will be taken.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI Policy

The Journal of Smart Systems and Computing recognises the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence tools in research and manuscript preparation.

Authors using AI tools must:

  • Use AI responsibly and transparently.
  • Verify the accuracy and originality of AI-assisted content.
  • Disclose significant use of AI tools where applicable.
  • Remain fully responsible for the submitted manuscript.

AI systems and tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot take responsibility for research content.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

JSSC is committed to maintaining the accuracy and reliability of the published scholarly record.

The journal may publish:

Corrections

Corrections are issued when minor errors are identified that do not affect the overall conclusions of the article.

Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be published when serious issues are identified but require further investigation.

Retractions

Articles may be retracted when findings are found to be unreliable due to:

  • Research misconduct
  • Significant errors
  • Ethical violations
  • Data integrity issues

Retractions are handled transparently to preserve trust in scholarly communication.

Handling Complaints and Appeals

The journal provides a transparent process for handling:

  • Author complaints
  • Reviewer concerns
  • Editorial disputes
  • Ethical allegations

All complaints are reviewed objectively by the editorial management team, and appropriate actions are taken based on evidence and established ethical guidelines.

Confidentiality Policy

All manuscript submissions, reviewer reports, editorial discussions, and related communications are treated as confidential.

Information obtained during the review process must not be disclosed or used for purposes unrelated to editorial evaluation.

Conflict of Interest Policy

All participants in the publication process must disclose potential conflicts of interest.

Conflicts may include:

  • Financial relationships
  • Employment relationships
  • Academic competition
  • Personal relationships
  • Institutional affiliations

The journal ensures that conflicts are managed appropriately to protect editorial independence.

Ethical Oversight

Where research involves:

  • Human participants
  • Medical or healthcare data
  • Personal information
  • Animal studies

authors must provide evidence of appropriate ethical approval and follow applicable regulations and institutional guidelines.

Commitment to Ethical Publishing

The Journal of Smart Systems and Computing (JSSC) is dedicated to promoting responsible research practices, transparency, and integrity in scholarly publishing.

By following ethical publishing principles, JSSC aims to provide a trusted international platform for researchers, academicians, and industry professionals to share innovative contributions in smart systems and computing.