The publication of an article in this publisher is an essential building block in the development of a coherent and respected network of knowledge. It is a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. It is therefore important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behaviour for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the authors, the journal editors, the peer reviewers, the publisher, and the society. This involves all parties interacting with one another in a manner that is respectful and dignified, free from discrimination, harassment, bullying, or retaliation [1], [2].
Every author, editor, reviewer, publisher, and institution must take responsibility for preventing publication malpractice [1], [3]. This statement is based on major publishers, guidelines from the publication ethics and malpractice statement (PEMS), the declaration on research assessment (DORA), and industry organizations such as:
Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science (IAES) as publisher takes its duties of guardianship over all stages of publishing extremely seriously and we recognize our ethical and other responsibilities. We are committed to ensuring that advertising, reprinting, or other commercial revenue has no impact or influence on editorial decisions. In addition, the IAES and Editorial Board will assist in communications with other journals and/or publishers where this is useful and necessary.
Safeguard editorial independence
We are committed to ensuring that the potential for advertising, reprint or other commercial revenue has no impact or influence on editorial decisions [3], [4].
Collaborate to set industry best practice
We promote best practice by offering editors membership of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and providing editors with Crossref Similarity Check reports for all submissions to our editorial systems.
Provide editors with technical, procedural & legal support.
We support editors in communications with other journals and/or publishers where this is useful to editors and are prepared to provide specialised legal review and counsel if necessary.
Educate researchers on publishing ethics
We also provide extensive education and advice on publishing ethics standards, particularly for early career researchers [5].
We encourage responsible authorship practices and the provision of information about the specific contributions of each author.
Publication decisions
The editors of the IAES journals are responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers must always drive such decisions. The editors may be guided by the policies of the journal’s editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The editors may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.
Fair play
An editor at any time evaluates manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors [1], [2].
Confidentiality
The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.
Disclosure and conflicts of interest
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author.
Complaints and Appeals
This journal has a clear procedure for handling complaints against the journal, editorial staff, editorial board, or publisher. Respected personnel will clarify the complaints based on the specific case. The scope of complaints encompasses all aspects of journal business processes, such as editorial processes, citation manipulation, unfair editor/reviewer practices, and peer-review manipulation, among others. We will process the complaint cases in accordance with COPE guidelines. You should send the complaint cases by email to info@iaesjournal.com.
Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Reviewers assist the editor in making editorial decisions. Generally, the editor asks reviewers to treat authors and their work with the respect they deserve and to adhere to proper reviewing etiquette. Peer review is an essential component of formal scholarly communication and lies at the heart of the scientific method. Editorial communications can also aid the author in enhancing the paper.
Promptness
Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse himself from the review process.
Confidentiality
Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.
Standards of Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
Alertness to Ethical Issues.
The reviewer is expected to remain vigilant regarding potential ethical issues in the manuscript and promptly bring them to the editor’s attention, including any significant similarities or overlap with other published works of which the reviewer is personally aware. Any assertion that an observation, derivation, or argument has been previously reported must be substantiated with the appropriate citation.
Acknowledgement of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor’s attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.
Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.
The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the journal peer review process
When reviewing a manuscript, researchers must treat it as confidential. Uploading the manuscript or any part of it into generative AI tools can violate authors’ confidentiality, proprietary rights, and potentially data privacy laws if the paper contains personally identifiable information.
This confidentiality extends to the peer review report itself. Even if used for language improvements, reviewers should avoid uploading their review into AI tools, as the report may contain sensitive information about the manuscript or its authors.
It is mandatory maintains high standards for peer review integrity. Reviewing a paper requires human judgment, as generative AI lacks the critical thinking and original assessment necessary. AI tools may generate incorrect or biased conclusions, and reviewers are responsible for their review’s content.
While authors can use generative AI for writing assistance, this must be disclosed as per Elsevier’s guidelines. Reviewers can find such disclosures at the paper’s end, before the references.
Elsevier also uses AI tools that adhere to its Responsible AI Principles, ensuring author confidentiality and compliance with data privacy standards. These tools help in plagiarism checks, completeness evaluations, and identifying suitable reviewers.
Reporting standards
Authors of reports of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
Data Access and Retention
Authors are asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review and should be prepared to provide public access to such data (consistent with the ALPSP-STM Statement on Data and Databases), if practicable, and should in any event be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.
Originality and Plagiarism
The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited or quoted.
Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
Acknowledgement of Sources
Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.
Authorship of the Paper
Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.
Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects
If the work involves chemicals, procedures or equipment that have any unusual hazards inherent in their use, the author must clearly identify these in the manuscript.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed [6].
Fundamental errors in published works
When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.
The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in writing for publication
Authors are required to disclose the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in their manuscript, and a corresponding statement will be included in the published work to promotes transparency and trust among authors, readers, reviewers, editors, and contributors, while also ensuring compliance with the terms of use for the relevant tools or technologies.
Authors should not list AI and AI-assisted technologies as an author or co-author, nor cite AI as an author.
[1] COPE DOAJ OASPA WAME, “Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing,” Jan. 2014. doi: 10.24318/cope.2019.1.12.
[2] Elsevier Policies, “Publishing ethics,” Elsevier, 2025. https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/publishing-ethics (accessed Feb. 26, 2025).
[3] DORA, “San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment,” 2025. https://sfdora.org/read/ (accessed Feb. 26, 2025).
[4] Elsevier Policies, “Editorial independence,” Elsevier, 2025. https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/editorial-independence (accessed Feb. 26, 2025).
[5] Elsevier, “Ethics in Research & Publication.” ethics.elsevier.com, 2017, [Online]. Available: https://researcheracademy.elsevier.com/uploads/2018-02/ethics_a5_booklet_update260617_web.pdf.
[6] Elsevier Policies, “Article Correction, Retraction and Removal Policy,” Elsevier, 2025. https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/article-withdrawal (accessed Feb. 26, 2025).