Publication Ethics Policy
The Journal of Sustainable Civil Engineering & Technology (JSCET) is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and professionalism in scholarly publishing. JSCET aspire to become a scientific publication platform that adheres to a process where publication ethics are highly practiced, as stated by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) ( http://publicationethics.org). This is to ensure that the process follows a high level of professional conduct to meet the aim of positive contribution towards knowledge enhancement. The code of ethics to be followed by all personnel involved in the publishing process of JSCET are as stated. The journal follows the standard best practices and expects all parties involved in the publication process (authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher) to adhere to these ethical standards at every stage.
This policy aims to ensure the credibility of published research, prevent misconduct, and promote responsible academic communication within the civil engineering and sustainability research community.
Responsibilities of Authors
Authors submitting manuscripts to JSCET must adhere to the following ethical principles:
- Originality and Exclusivity
• Manuscripts must be original and must not have been published previously or be under consideration by another journal at the same time.
• Submissions must not contain plagiarism, redundant publication, or fabricated data.
• If the manuscript is derived from a thesis, conference paper, or prior work, this must be clearly disclosed in the cover letter with supporting documentation. - Authorship Criteria
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work. Each listed author must have:
• Contributed significantly to the research design, data collection, analysis, or interpretation.
• Participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript.
• Approved the final version to be submitted.
• Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.Individuals who contributed but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.
- Data Integrity and Reporting Standards
• Authors must present accurate, honest, and verifiable data.
• Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data is strictly prohibited.
• Authors should retain raw data and be prepared to provide it if requested by the editorial team. - Citation and Plagiarism
• Proper citation of sources is mandatory (American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition referencing and citation style).
• All borrowed ideas, text, or data must be appropriately acknowledged.
• Excessive self-citation or bulk referencing intended to manipulate metrics is unacceptable. - Corresponding Author Responsibilities
• One author must be designated as the corresponding author.
• The corresponding author is responsible for:
o Managing all communication with the journal.
o Ensuring all co-authors approve the submission.
o Coordinating responses to reviewer comments. - Copyright and Permissions
• Authors must comply with copyright laws and obtain permission for any copyrighted material used.
• A signed Copyright Transfer Agreement must be submitted before publication. - Corrections and Retractions
• Authors must promptly notify the editor if any significant error is discovered in a published article.
• Authors must cooperate with the editorial office in issuing corrections, retractions, or updates. - Ethical Compliance in Research
Where applicable, authors must:
• Comply with the ethical standards and policies of JSCET, including originality of work, proper citation, conflict of interest disclosure, funding transparency, clear authorship contributions, responsible use of AI, data availability, and copyright compliance as stated in the manuscript guideline.
• Obtain the necessary approvals for research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data.
• Declare any potential conflicts of interest and funding sources.
• Include a mandatory Ethics Statement in the manuscript.
• Select and adapt the appropriate ethics declaration based on the nature of the study.
For studies that do not involve human or animal subjects, authors must include a statement such as:
“The authors declare that this research did not involve human or animal subjects. All experimental procedures were performed in accordance with the institutional Safety, Health, and Environmental (SHE) protocols of [Insert Institution Name].”
For studies involving human participants, animals, bio-engineering, toxicity testing, or social surveys, authors must include a statement such as:
“This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of [Insert Institution Name] (Approval No: XXXX/202X). All procedures involving human participants/animal subjects were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. Informed consent was obtained from all participants, and data anonymity was strictly maintained throughout the study.”
Failure to include an appropriate Ethics Statement may result in the manuscript being returned to the authors for correction before the review process.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers play a critical role in maintaining the scientific quality and credibility of the journal.
- Confidentiality
• Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents.
• Reviewers must not share or discuss the manuscript with others without permission from the editor. - Objectivity and Professionalism
• Reviews must be conducted objectively, fairly, and constructively.
• Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate. - Conflict of Interest
• Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest.
• If a conflict exists or the reviewer is unqualified, they must decline the review promptly. - Timeliness
• Reviewers are expected to complete their evaluations within the timeframe specified in the journal’s editorial policy. For JSCET, the first round of the double-blind review process is normally allocated 14 days from the date the manuscript is assigned to the reviewer.
• If a second round of review is required following authors’ revisions, reviewers are generally given a shorter review period of 7 days to reassess the manuscript.
• Reviewers should adhere strictly to these timelines to ensure an efficient editorial process and timely publication decisions.
• If a reviewer anticipates any delay or is unable to meet the assigned deadline, they must inform the editor immediately so that alternative arrangements, such as deadline extensions or reassignment to another reviewer, can be made.
Prompt and timely reviews are essential to maintain the journal’s publication schedule, uphold editorial standards, and provide authors with fair and efficient feedback. - Ethical Vigilance
Reviewers should:
• Identify possible plagiarism, redundant publication, or data falsification.
• Report any ethical concerns directly to the editor.
• Refrain from using unpublished material for personal research.
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Responsibilities of Editors
Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair, transparent, and ethical editorial process.
- Editorial Decision-Making
• Decisions to accept or reject manuscripts must be based on:
o Originality
o Scientific merit
o Clarity
o Relevance to the journal scope
• Decisions must not be influenced by:
o Authors’ race, gender, nationality, or institutional affiliation. - Confidentiality
• Editors must maintain confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts.
• Information about submissions must not be disclosed to anyone except relevant stakeholders. - Conflict of Interest
• Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist. - Reviewer Selection
• Editors must assign qualified and unbiased reviewers.
• The review process must be fair, timely, and transparent. - Handling Ethical Issues
Editors must:
• Respond promptly to allegations of misconduct.
• Investigate cases of plagiarism, data fabrication, or authorship disputes.
• Work with the publisher and authors to resolve issues appropriately.
Editors must not use unpublished data from submitted manuscripts for their own research.
Responsibilities of the Publisher
The publisher supports the ethical integrity of the journal by:
- Policy Enforcement
• Ensuring that all stakeholders follow established ethical policies.
• Supporting the editorial team in maintaining high publication standards. - Integrity of the Publication Process
• Verifying publication rights and licensing agreements.
• Facilitating indexing, dissemination, and archiving of published articles. - Addressing Misconduct
• Investigating suspected cases of:
o Plagiarism
o Fraudulent research
o Ethical violations
• Working closely with the Chief Editors to resolve issues. - Non-Discrimination and Inclusivity
JSCET and its publisher:
• Do not discriminate based on age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or any personal characteristic.
• Promote inclusive and equitable scholarly communication. - Policy Review and Updates
• The publisher is responsible for periodically reviewing and updating journal policies to reflect evolving ethical standards.
