Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement

CodeTech: Journal of Computer Science & Emerging Technologies is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal expects all authors, editors, reviewers, and other participants involved in the publication process to follow responsible and ethical practices.

This statement outlines the ethical responsibilities of authors, editors, and reviewers and provides a framework for addressing suspected publication malpractice.

1. Editorial Responsibility

The editorial team is responsible for maintaining the academic quality and integrity of the journal. Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts objectively and make publication decisions based on the manuscript's academic quality, originality, relevance, and contribution to the field.

Editorial decisions should not be influenced by an author's gender, nationality, institutional affiliation, personal characteristics, political views, or other irrelevant factors.

Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and should not disclose information about a manuscript to anyone other than those directly involved in the evaluation and publication process.

2. Authors' Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted work is original, accurate, and ethically conducted.

Authors must:

Submit original work that has not been published elsewhere.
Ensure that the manuscript is not simultaneously submitted to another journal.
Properly acknowledge the work and ideas of other researchers through appropriate citations.
Report research findings honestly and accurately.
Avoid fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and other forms of research misconduct.
Provide appropriate information regarding research methods and sources where required.
Declare any relevant conflicts of interest.
Ensure that all listed authors have made meaningful contributions to the research.
Obtain appropriate permissions for copyrighted material used in the manuscript.
Cooperate with the editorial team if questions arise regarding the integrity of the submitted or published work.

3. Plagiarism

CodeTech does not accept plagiarism in any form. Plagiarism includes presenting another person's words, ideas, data, images, results, or other intellectual work as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment.

Manuscripts may be checked for plagiarism or substantial text similarity during editorial screening or at other stages of the publication process.

If plagiarism is identified, the journal may reject the manuscript or take appropriate corrective action if the article has already been published.

4. Fabrication and Falsification

Authors must not fabricate or falsify research data, results, methods, images, references, or other research information.

Fabrication refers to making up data, results, or research information that did not exist.

Falsification refers to manipulating research materials, data, procedures, images, or results in a way that misrepresents the research.

Suspected cases may be investigated and appropriate action may be taken based on the circumstances.

5. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Authors should not submit or publish substantially the same research in more than one journal without appropriate justification and disclosure.

Duplicate publication, redundant publication, and inappropriate fragmentation of research findings may be considered publication misconduct.

6. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the research and manuscript.

All listed authors should have participated sufficiently in the work, approved the final version of the manuscript, and accepted responsibility for the integrity of the work.

Guest authorship, gift authorship, and ghost authorship are not acceptable.

Changes to authorship after submission or acceptance should be properly justified and approved by all affected authors and the editorial team.

7. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors should disclose any financial, personal, professional, or institutional interests that could influence or appear to influence the research, review, or editorial decision.

Editors may take appropriate steps to manage disclosed conflicts to ensure an impartial publication process.

8. Reviewers' Responsibilities

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly, and confidentially.

Reviewers should:

Maintain confidentiality of the manuscript.
Provide constructive and unbiased comments.
Identify relevant published work that has not been appropriately cited where applicable.
Report suspected plagiarism or other forms of misconduct to the editor.
Decline the review if a conflict of interest could affect their impartiality.
Not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage.

9. Editorial Independence and Fairness

Editorial decisions should be based on academic and scholarly considerations. The journal seeks to maintain editorial independence and fairness throughout the review and publication process.

Editors should not reject or accept manuscripts based on factors unrelated to academic quality and journal scope.

10. Research and Publication Misconduct

The journal considers the following activities to be potential forms of research or publication misconduct:

Plagiarism
Data fabrication
Data falsification
Image manipulation
Duplicate or redundant publication
Simultaneous submission
Improper authorship
Ghost, guest, or gift authorship
Citation manipulation
Undisclosed conflicts of interest
Misrepresentation of research results
Manipulation of the peer-review process
Other serious violations of academic integrity

11. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

When the journal receives a credible allegation of research or publication misconduct, the editorial team may conduct an initial assessment of the concern.

Where appropriate, the journal may request clarification or supporting information from the authors and may contact the relevant institution or organization responsible for investigating research conduct.

The journal will seek to handle allegations fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with applicable publication-ethics principles.

12. Corrections and Retractions

If an error or ethical issue is identified after publication, the journal may publish an appropriate correction, clarification, expression of concern, or retraction depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue.

Corrections and retractions are intended to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

13. Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their submitted manuscripts.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used for appropriate purposes such as language improvement, grammar correction, translation, formatting, or technical assistance, where permitted by the journal.

AI tools should not be listed as authors. Authors should disclose relevant use of generative AI when required by the journal's applicable AI policy.

14. Ethical Treatment of Research Participants

Where research involves human participants, personal data, or other potentially sensitive information, authors are responsible for ensuring that the research complies with applicable ethical requirements and that appropriate approvals, consent, and privacy protections have been obtained where required.

15. Commitment to Academic Integrity

CodeTech: Journal of Computer Science & Emerging Technologies is committed to protecting the integrity of the scholarly record and promoting responsible research and publication practices.

The journal expects all participants in the publication process to act honestly, transparently, respectfully, and responsibly. Suspected ethical violations will be taken seriously and may result in appropriate editorial or corrective action.

The journal may update this statement when necessary to reflect developments in scholarly publishing ethics and recognized best practices.