Publication Ethics
GUIDELINES FOR ETHICAL PUBLISHING PRACTICES IN jSEL
The publication of articles should contribute to a reliable and respected body of knowledge by promoting honesty and integrity among authors, editors, peer reviewers, publishers, and institutions. The guidelines set out below are an integral part of our commitment to achieving these goals, and while they are most transparent when it comes to research articles, they are equally important when considering the other types of paper jSEL publish.
EDITOR’S DUTIES IN MAINTAINING ETHICAL STANDARDS:
Originality and Integrity: The Editor ensures that all published articles are original works of the author(s), and that they do not include any instances of plagiarism or fraudulent data.
Fair and Unbiased Submission Handling: The Editorial Team treats all submissions in a fair and unbiased manner, without regard to the author's race, gender, religion, nationality, or institutional affiliation. jSEL uses a standard electronic submission system for all journal communications, which encourages transparency and trustworthiness from submission to final decision. The Editor has established, along with the Editorial Team, a transparent mechanism for appeal against editorial decisions.
Confidentiality of Submissions: The Editorial Team respects the confidentiality of all submissions and will not disclose any information regarding the manuscript to any unauthorized persons. This requirement extends to all communications about the manuscript, which includes notifications or updates, invitations to reviewers, decision letters, and requests for revisions. This also means that no member of the Editorial Team should upload any communications that contain confidential information into an AI tool, even if it is for the sole purpose of improving language and readability. Furthermore, unpublished materials disclosed in a submission must never be used in any of the Editorial Team’s own research without first seeking the express written consent of the submission’s author(s). Moreover, any privileged information obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.
Peer Review: It is the Editor’s job to ensure an anonymous, fair, timely, and unbiased peer review process. Thus, in selecting reviewers, the Editor shall seek individuals who are suitably qualified and experienced, while also considering the need for an appropriate, inclusive and diverse representation. The Editor shall also consider any disclosures related to potential conflicts of interest and review any instances where reviewers have made suggestions for self-citations.
Ethical Standards Compliance: The Editorial Team ensures that all published articles meet the ethical standards of the journal, including the avoidance of conflicts of interest and the protection of participants in research.
Manuscript Rejection Policy: The Editorial Team can reject a manuscript at any stage of the submission process if the author(s) violates any of the author ethics listed below. The Editor may confer with other editors or reviewers in making these decisions but will maintain the standards set out above.
The Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Editorial Process
To maintain confidentiality, proprietary rights, and data privacy rights, no member of the Editorial Team shall upload a submitted manuscript or any part of it into an AI tool. Moreover, because the true abilities of current AI models have not been empirically validated, they should not be used by any member of the Editorial Team in the evaluation or decision-making process of a manuscript. Ultimately, the Editor is solely responsible and accountable for the editorial process, the final decision, and any communications related to a submission.
AUTHOR(S)’S DUTIES IN MAINTAINING ETHICAL STANDARDS:
Authorship of the paper
Authorship should be limited to significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the submission. Conversely, individuals who have not contributed to the research should be acknowledged but not be listed as authors. Specifically, if there are others who have been involved in certain substantive aspects of the submission, such as unpaid language editing, they should be recognised in the acknowledgements section.
Authors must consider and agree upon the order of all authors and provide the definitive list at the time of the original submission. Only in exceptional circumstances will the Editor consider (at their discretion) the addition, deletion, or rearrangement of authors after the initial submission. All authors must agree with any such addition, deletion, or rearrangement.
The corresponding author is responsible for the inclusion all appropriate co-authors and acknowledgments. They are also responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have seen and approved the definitive version of the paper and have agreed to its submission to jSEL.
Articles must be written in English and not include libelous or defamatory material.
Malpractice in Academic Authorship
jSEL is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and ethics in academic publishing. Any form of malpractice in authorship is prohibited and will be addressed with utmost seriousness. Malpractice in academic authorship includes, but is not limited to, the following item:
Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that all submitted work is original and properly cites the work of others. Plagiarism in any form, including verbatim copying, paraphrasing without acknowledgment (including AI-generated content), and presenting someone else's work as one's own, is unacceptable.
Acknowledgement of Sources: Authors must properly cite and acknowledge the works of others used in their research and must not engage in any form of plagiarism. If your manuscript contains excerpts from other work, particularly Figures, Tables, literary extracts, etc., please contact the original authors/publishers before submitting the definitive version to seek permission to use their work.
Falsification and Fabrication: Authors must accurately present their research findings. Fabrication, which involves making up data or results, and falsification, which involves manipulating research materials, equipment, processes, or changing or omitting data or results, are serious offenses.
Duplicate Submission: Authors must not submit the same manuscript, in the same or different languages, to more than one journal concurrently. Duplicate submission is a breach of ethical standards.
Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that might affect the interpretation of their results. This includes financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence their research.
Research Ethics: If human or animal subjects are involved, authors must ensure that their research complies with ethical standards, including obtaining informed consent and institutional approval where necessary.
Correction of Errors: If authors discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their published work, they must promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.
jSEL will take appropriate action, including retraction of published articles, in cases where malpractice is identified. Authors found to be in violation of these standards may be barred from future submissions to the journal.
The Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies by Authors
jSEL does not prohibit the use of AI tools in all instances, but there are limits and caveats to their use. If an author chooses to use generative AI and/or AI-assisted tools to draft their manuscript, their use should be limited to improving the readability of the manuscript only. This can include seeking guidance on language choices, paragraph organization, plain language usage, as well as the selection of keywords and informative headings. Authors should not use AI to generate text or ideas, paraphrase text, or analyze data. This is because (a) using generated content from AI would be a form of plagiarism, and (b) current AI models are prone to giving hallucinations, which are authoritative-sounding content that can be incorrect, incomplete, or biased. Because of these restrictions, the author(s) should not list AI and/or AI-assisted technologies as an author or co-author, nor cite AI as an author. Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans. Thus, the author(s) should bear sole responsibility and accountability for the contents of their work.
If AI has been used in polishing the presentation of a manuscript, the author(s) should disclose this by including a statement in the declarations section of their published work.
The Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Tools in Figures, Images, and Artwork
jSEL does not permit the use of Generative AI or AI-assisted tools to alter figures, images, or artwork that were not created by the Author(s). This may include enhancing, obscuring, moving, removing, or introducing a specific feature within an image or figure.
Authors may include AI-generated figures if the AI is a part of the research design or research methods (such as in AI-assisted imaging approaches to generate or interpret research data, as in FMRI brain scans). In such cases, the author(s) must ensure replication of the figure by explaining what model or tool was used, how it was used, and ensure correct content attribution.
Authors may include AI-generated images or artwork only in instances where absolutely necessary, and only when they do not violate proprietary rights. Permission to use an AI-generated image or artwork will only be given by the journal editor and publisher, if the author(s) can demonstrate that all necessary rights have been cleared for the use of the material, that there is correct content attribution, and that the image or artwork contributes to the significance of the work.
REVIEWER’S DUTIES IN MAINTAINING ETHICAL STANDARDS:
Reviewers assist the Editorial Team in making decisions to accept, revise, or reject submissions. Through editorial communications, they should also help the author improve the paper, even when a rejection is recommended. Thus, reviewers are asked to treat authors and their work as they would like to be treated themselves and to observe good reviewing etiquette.
Confidentiality: Reviewers must maintain confidentiality of the manuscript and must not disclose any information regarding the manuscript to persons outside the Editorial Team. Unpublished materials or information contained in the manuscript they are asked to review must not be used in a reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.
Fair and Unbiased Evaluation: Reviewers must provide a fair, unbiased, and constructive evaluation of the manuscript, without regard to individual opinions on issues such as race, religion, gender, sexuality, etc. Comments should be constructive and directed to matters of content and scientific rigor and not authorial voice or prescriptivist matters related to language choices (these are issues that the Editorial Team will comment on).
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that may interfere with their ability to objectively review the manuscript.
Respect for Intellectual Property: Reviewers must respect the intellectual property of the author(s) and must not use any information from the manuscript for their own research without permission from the author(s).
The Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Review Process
To maintain confidentiality, proprietary rights, and data privacy rights, a reviewer must not upload a submitted manuscript or any part of it into an AI tool. This directive extends to the peer review report, as it may contain confidential information about the manuscript and/or the authors, even if it is just for the purpose of improving language and readability. Moreover, because the true abilities of current AI models have not been empirically validated, they should not be used by the Reviewer in the evaluation or decision-making process of a manuscript. Ultimately, the Reviewer must be responsible and accountable for any comments, recommendations, and communications related to the review of a submission.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATION AND INVESTIGATION IN MANUSCRIPT PUBLICATION
When the journal receives complaints or suspects ethical misconduct, it conducts a thorough and fair investigation, following guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The investigation process includes the following steps:
• Appointing an investigation committee without conflicts of interest related to the manuscript.
• Using plagiarism detection software and carefully analyzing suspicious content to identify unethical behavior.
• Conducting a detailed assessment of the evidence to thoroughly examine the allegations.
• Giving the accused author a chance to respond to the allegations.
• Keeping the investigation confidential to ensure fairness for all parties involved.
• Taking appropriate action if misconduct is found, such as suspending or retracting the publication, in line with COPE guidelines. https://publicationethics.org/resources/code-conduct
• Informing all concerned parties of the results if the allegations are not substantiated.
• Monitoring and addressing misconduct complaints throughout the entire manuscript process, from submission to post-publication. If there are any concerns, the editor will consult with the editorial board for further action.