Publishing Ethics
AJET is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, fairness, and professionalism throughout the publication process. The journal expects all individuals involved in scholarly publishing—including authors, reviewers, editors, members of the Editorial Board, and the publisher—to act responsibly and in accordance with accepted principles of academic publishing.
The purpose of this policy is to promote ethical research practices, ensure confidence in published work, and protect the integrity of the scholarly record. Every manuscript submitted to AJET is expected to comply with these ethical principles throughout submission, peer review, publication, and post-publication.
The journal reserves the right to investigate any suspected breach of publication ethics and to take appropriate editorial action whenever necessary.
Responsibilities of Authors
Originality and Authenticity
Authors must submit original work that accurately reflects their own research. Manuscripts must not contain fabricated, falsified, manipulated, or misleading information. All data, figures, tables, images, and research findings should be presented honestly without alteration that could misrepresent the results.
Any material taken from previously published sources must be properly acknowledged through appropriate citation and, where necessary, permission from the copyright holder.
Multiple, Duplicate, and Concurrent Submission
A manuscript submitted to AJET must not have been published previously, except in the form of an abstract, conference presentation, thesis, or other publication specifically permitted by the journal.
Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to another journal while it is under consideration by AJET. If a manuscript is withdrawn from the journal, authors may submit it elsewhere only after receiving formal confirmation of withdrawal.
Duplicate publication or redundant publication of substantially similar work without proper disclosure is considered unethical and may result in rejection or other editorial action.
Data Accuracy and Research Integrity
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all research data are accurate, complete, and honestly reported. Research methods should be described clearly so that the work can be evaluated and, where appropriate, reproduced by other researchers.
Authors should retain the original research data and supporting documentation for a reasonable period after publication and provide them upon legitimate request by the journal when questions arise regarding the validity of the research.
Intentional manipulation, selective reporting, or concealment of research findings is regarded as a serious violation of publication ethics.
Authorship
Only individuals who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research should be listed as authors.
A person should normally qualify for authorship if they have made meaningful contributions to one or more of the following:
- Conceptualization or design of the study.
- Collection, analysis, or interpretation of data.
- Preparation or critical revision of the manuscript.
- Approval of the final version before submission.
- Acceptance of responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work.
Individuals who provided financial support, administrative assistance, language editing, technical services, or general supervision without making significant scholarly contributions should be acknowledged appropriately but should not be listed as authors.
The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all eligible contributors are included as authors, that no inappropriate individuals are listed, and that every author has reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Changes in Authorship
Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors after manuscript submission must be supported by a written explanation from the corresponding author together with written agreement from all authors involved.
The journal may request additional documentation before approving any authorship changes. Authorship modifications requested after acceptance will be considered only in exceptional circumstances.
Citation Practices
Authors should provide appropriate references for all ideas, data, methods, quotations, and previously published material that influenced their work.
References should accurately represent the cited literature and should not be included merely to increase citation counts or influence journal metrics. Excessive self-citation, unnecessary citation of particular journals, or citation manipulation in any form is considered unethical.
Acknowledgment of Funding and Contributions
Authors must disclose all sources of financial support received for the research and identify any organizations, institutions, or individuals that contributed to the study but do not meet the criteria for authorship.
The role of funding organizations in study design, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions should be clearly stated whenever applicable.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.
Potential conflicts of interest should be declared at the time of manuscript submission. If no conflicts exist, authors should state that they have no competing interests to declare.
Disclosure of a conflict does not necessarily prevent publication; however, failure to disclose relevant information may result in editorial action.
Research Involving Human Participants
Research involving human participants must comply with recognized ethical standards and applicable legal requirements.
Authors should confirm that appropriate ethical approval was obtained from the relevant ethics committee or institutional review board before the study commenced, where such approval is required.
Participation in research should be voluntary, and informed consent should be obtained from all participants. For individuals who cannot legally provide consent, permission must be obtained from an authorized representative.
Authors should protect the privacy, dignity, and confidentiality of research participants. Personal information that could identify an individual should not be published unless explicit written permission has been obtained.
Research Involving Animals
Research involving animals should be conducted in accordance with accepted ethical principles and applicable institutional and national regulations.
Authors should ensure that animals are treated humanely, unnecessary suffering is minimized, and appropriate care is provided throughout the research process.
Where applicable, manuscripts should include details of ethical approval and confirm compliance with relevant animal welfare requirements.
Confidentiality
Authors should respect confidentiality during the submission and peer review process.
Information obtained through editorial correspondence or peer review should not be disclosed publicly without permission from the journal.
Similarly, confidential information relating to research participants or collaborating institutions should be protected unless disclosure is legally required or explicitly authorized.
Corrections After Publication
Authors have a continuing responsibility to ensure the accuracy of their published work.
If an author discovers a significant error or omission after publication, the journal should be informed promptly so that appropriate corrective action can be taken. Depending on the circumstances, this may include the publication of a correction, clarification, expression of concern, or retraction.
Authors are expected to cooperate fully with the journal during any post-publication investigation.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Peer review is a fundamental component of scholarly publishing. Reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the quality, credibility, and integrity of published research. Individuals who accept a review invitation are expected to conduct their evaluations fairly, objectively, and within the agreed timeframe.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review are confidential documents. Reviewers must not disclose, discuss, copy, distribute, or use any part of the manuscript for personal, professional, or financial benefit before publication.
Confidential information obtained during the review process must not be shared with any third party without prior authorization from the journal.
Objectivity
Reviews should be based solely on the scholarly quality of the manuscript. Personal opinions regarding the authors, their institutions, nationality, gender, religion, political beliefs, or other unrelated characteristics must not influence the review.
Reviewers should provide constructive, evidence-based comments that help authors improve their work. Criticism should address the content of the manuscript rather than the individuals involved.
Competence
Reviewers should accept review assignments only when they possess appropriate expertise in the subject area. If a reviewer believes that the manuscript falls outside their area of competence or cannot be reviewed adequately, the invitation should be declined promptly.
Timeliness
Reviewers are expected to complete evaluations within the timeframe established by the journal. If circumstances prevent completion of the review on time, reviewers should notify the editorial office as soon as possible.
Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could influence their judgment.
Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts when conflicts arise from financial interests, institutional relationships, collaborative activities, personal relationships, academic competition, or any other circumstance that may compromise impartiality.
Identification of Ethical Concerns
Reviewers are encouraged to inform the editors if they identify possible ethical issues, including plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, image manipulation, inappropriate citation practices, or other forms of research misconduct.
Where possible, reviewers should provide supporting information to assist the editorial assessment.
Responsibilities of Editors
Editors are responsible for ensuring that editorial decisions are made fairly, consistently, and independently while maintaining the integrity of the publication process.
Editorial Decisions
Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on their scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, clarity, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's scope.
Editorial decisions must not be influenced by the authors' nationality, ethnicity, institutional affiliation, gender, religious beliefs, political opinions, or commercial interests.
Fair and Impartial Evaluation
Editors should provide every manuscript with an unbiased evaluation and ensure that all submissions receive equal consideration.
Any manuscript presenting a potential conflict of interest for an editor should be reassigned to another qualified editor.
Confidentiality
Editors must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts throughout the editorial and peer review process.
Information regarding submitted manuscripts should be disclosed only to individuals directly involved in the editorial process and only when necessary.
Conflicts of Interest
Editors must not use unpublished information obtained during manuscript handling for personal research or professional advantage.
Editors who have conflicts of interest with a manuscript must withdraw from the editorial process and allow another editor to manage the submission.
Addressing Ethical Concerns
Editors are responsible for investigating suspected breaches of publication ethics in a fair, objective, and timely manner.
Where concerns arise, editors may request explanations, supporting documentation, or institutional clarification before reaching a decision.
If misconduct is confirmed, appropriate editorial actions may include rejection, correction, retraction, publication of an editorial notice, or notification of relevant institutions where appropriate.
Responsibilities of the Publisher
The publisher supports the journal's commitment to ethical publishing by providing the resources necessary for transparent editorial management and long-term preservation of published content.
The publisher does not interfere with editorial decisions regarding manuscript acceptance or rejection.
The publisher works with the editorial team to maintain publication quality, preserve the scholarly record, and address ethical issues when they arise.
Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions are made independently by the editorial team based solely on academic and ethical considerations.
Commercial interests, sponsorship, advertising, institutional relationships, or financial considerations shall not influence editorial judgments.
Editors retain full authority over manuscript evaluation, peer review, acceptance, rejection, corrections, and retractions.
Complaints and Appeals
Authors who disagree with an editorial decision may submit a written appeal explaining the reasons for their request and providing any additional supporting information.
Appeals are reviewed independently by the Editor-in-Chief or another editor who was not directly involved in the original decision. Additional expert opinions may be obtained when appropriate.
The outcome of the appeal will be communicated to the author after the review has been completed. The journal's decision following the appeal is considered final.
Complaints relating to editorial conduct, peer review, publication ethics, or procedural matters will be investigated carefully and handled confidentially.
Research Misconduct
The journal considers research misconduct to include, but not be limited to:
- Fabrication of data or research findings.
- Falsification or manipulation of research materials or results.
- Plagiarism in any form.
- Duplicate or redundant publication.
- Improper authorship practices.
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
- Manipulation of citations.
- Peer review manipulation.
- Submission of false ethical approval or consent documentation.
- Deliberate concealment of significant errors.
Allegations of misconduct are evaluated carefully, and individuals involved are given an opportunity to respond before any editorial action is taken.
Corrections
When a published article contains an error that does not invalidate its findings, the journal may publish a correction to ensure the accuracy of the scholarly record.
Corrections may be initiated by authors, editors, or readers after appropriate verification.
Expressions of Concern
Where credible concerns exist regarding the integrity of a published article but available evidence is insufficient to reach a final conclusion, the journal may publish an Expression of Concern while an investigation is ongoing.
Such notices are intended to inform readers without reaching premature conclusions.
Retractions
Articles may be retracted when their findings are shown to be unreliable due to research misconduct or significant error.
Retraction may also be appropriate in cases involving plagiarism, duplicate publication, unauthorized use of copyrighted material, unethical research practices, fabricated data, falsified results, or other serious violations of publication ethics.
Retracted articles will remain part of the scholarly record but will be clearly identified as retracted to preserve transparency.
Article Withdrawal
In exceptional circumstances, a manuscript may be withdrawn before publication if substantial legal, ethical, or procedural concerns are identified.
Withdrawal requests initiated by authors after acceptance will be considered only when justified by valid reasons and approved by the editorial office.
Ethical Oversight
The journal maintains procedures for evaluating ethical issues that arise during submission, peer review, publication, and post-publication.
Where necessary, editors may request evidence such as ethics approval documents, informed consent statements, original research data, or institutional confirmation before making editorial decisions.
Post-Publication Discussions
The journal welcomes responsible scholarly discussion regarding published articles.
Readers who identify significant errors, ethical concerns, or scientific issues are encouraged to communicate with the editorial office.
All concerns will be assessed carefully, and appropriate editorial action will be taken where justified.
Sanctions for Ethical Violations
When violations of publication ethics are confirmed, the journal may take one or more of the following actions, depending on the seriousness of the matter:
- Reject the manuscript.
- Suspend editorial consideration of current submissions.
- Retract published articles.
- Publish corrections or editorial notices.
- Inform the authors' affiliated institutions or funding organizations where appropriate.
- Restrict future submissions from individuals responsible for serious or repeated misconduct.
The journal seeks to ensure that any action taken is proportionate, fair, and supported by available evidence.
Policy Review and Amendments
This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Policy is subject to periodic review to ensure that it remains consistent with internationally accepted standards of scholarly publishing and current best practices.
The journal reserves the right to revise or update this policy whenever necessary. The most recent version published on the journal's website shall be regarded as the official policy governing ethical conduct for all submissions and published articles.
