Publication Ethics

PUBLICATION ETHICS

Ethics Statement

Samarra Journal of Engineering Science and Research (SJESR) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. Our ethics policies are based on the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

SJESR expects all parties involved in the publication process—editors, reviewers, and authors—to adhere to these ethical standards to ensure the quality, validity, and integrity of published research.

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Editor's Responsibilities

The Editor-in-Chief and editorial team are accountable for all content published in SJESR and bear ultimate responsibility for maintaining the journal's integrity and reputation.

Editorial Duties and Standards

The Editor is responsible for:

Fair and Objective Evaluation

• Evaluating all submissions solely on their academic and scientific merit.
• Making editorial decisions without discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, ethnic or geographic origin, or institutional affiliation.
• Ensuring decisions are not influenced by commercial interests, personal relationships, or other conflicts of interest.
• Maintaining editorial independence from publishers, sponsors, and other external pressures.

Professional Communication

• Conducting all correspondence and communication professionally and courteously.
• Treating all authors, reviewers, and editorial board members with respect.
• Responding promptly to inquiries and complaints.
• Maintaining confidentiality of manuscripts and editorial processes.

Quality Assurance

• Implementing rigorous peer review processes.
• Ensuring reviewers are qualified and unbiased.
• Monitoring the quality and timeliness of peer reviews.
• Making final publication decisions based on reviewer recommendations and editorial judgment.

Ethical Compliance

• Assessing and verifying ethical approval for research involving human or animal subjects.
• Ensuring compliance with research ethics standards.
• Investigating allegations of research misconduct.
• Taking appropriate action when ethical concerns are identified.

Correction of the Scholarly Record

• Promptly correcting, clarifying, or retracting articles when errors, inaccuracies, or misconduct are identified.
• Publishing corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions as appropriate.
• Following COPE guidelines for handling corrections and retractions.
• Maintaining transparency in all corrections to the published record.

Complaint Handling

• Investigating all complaints against authors, reviewers, or published content.
• Using transparent, fair, and consistent procedures.
• Providing accused parties with the right to respond.
• Documenting all complaint investigations and resolutions.
• Following COPE guidance on handling complaints and appeals.

Journal Scope and Standards

• Defining and maintaining clear aims and scope for the journal.
• Ensuring all calls for papers and announcements are accurate and unambiguous.
• Establishing and enforcing submission guidelines.
• Maintaining consistency in editorial standards.

Editorial Board Management

• Appointing a diverse, international editorial board.
• Ensuring board members reflect the journal's mission and areas of expertise.
• Engaging board members as ambassadors, advisors, and peer reviewers.
• Regularly reviewing board composition and performance.

Guest and Special Issue Editors

Guest Editors and Special Issue Editors assume the same ethical responsibilities as the Editor-in-Chief during their term of editorship. They must:

• Maintain the same standards of fairness and objectivity.
• Follow the same ethical guidelines and procedures.
• Work under the oversight of the Editor-in-Chief.
• Disclose any conflicts of interest related to the special issue.

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Reviewer's Responsibilities

All manuscripts submitted to SJESR undergo rigorous double-blind peer review by independent external experts under the supervision of the editorial team. Reviewers play a critical role in maintaining publication quality and must adhere to the highest ethical standards.

Confidentiality

• Treat all manuscripts as confidential documents.
• Not share manuscripts or their contents with others without editorial permission.
• Not retain copies of manuscripts after completing the review.
• Not use information from manuscripts for personal advantage.
• Destroy or securely delete manuscript files after review.

Objectivity and Fairness

• Conduct reviews objectively, professionally, and constructively.
• Evaluate manuscripts based solely on scientific merit.
• Provide specific, evidence-based feedback.
• Distinguish between serious flaws and matters of personal preference.
• Avoid personal attacks or disrespectful language.
• Support criticisms with clear reasoning.

Timeliness

• Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe (typically 2–4 weeks).
• Notify the editor immediately if unable to complete the review on time.
• Decline review invitations if unable to meet deadlines or provide an objective assessment.

Conflicts of Interest

• Decline to review manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist, including:
  • Recent collaboration with authors (within the past 3 years).
  • Current or recent institutional affiliation with authors.
  • Financial interest in research outcomes.
  • Personal relationships with authors.
  • Professional competition with authors.
  • Any other circumstances that could affect objectivity.

Reporting Misconduct

• Alert editors to any suspected research misconduct, including:
  • Plagiarism or duplicate publication.
  • Data fabrication or falsification.
  • Unethical research practices.
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
  • Image manipulation.
  • Any other integrity concerns.

Ethical Guidelines

• Adhere to the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.
• Follow journal-specific reviewer guidelines.
• Maintain professionalism in all communications.

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Author's Responsibilities

Authors bear primary responsibility for the integrity, accuracy, and ethical conduct of their research. By submitting a manuscript to SJESR, authors agree to adhere to the following standards:

Originality and Ownership

Original Work:

• Ensure that the submitted work is entirely original.
• Confirm that all content is the authors' own work or properly attributed.
• Not submit manuscripts that have been previously published.
• Not submit manuscripts that are under consideration at other journals.
• Disclose any prior presentation of the work (e.g., conference abstracts, preprints).

Copyright and Permissions:

• Obtain written permission to reproduce any copyrighted materials from other sources, including:
  • Figures, tables, or images.
  • Substantial text excerpts or quotes.
  • Data or datasets.
• Ensure all third-party materials comply with CC BY 4.0 licensing requirements.
• Properly attribute all reproduced materials with citations and acknowledgments.

Research Ethics

Human Subjects Research:

• Obtain required ethical approval from recognized ethics committees.
• Secure written informed consent from all human research participants (or legal guardians for minors).
• Include consent for publication of research results and any identifying information.
• State ethical approval details in the manuscript (committee name, approval number).
• Protect participant privacy and confidentiality.

Animal Research:

• Obtain Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval.
• Follow national and international guidelines for animal welfare.
• State care and use guidelines followed in the manuscript.
• Minimize animal suffering and use appropriate anesthesia/euthanasia methods.

Legal Compliance:

• Ensure research complies with all applicable national and institutional laws and regulations.
• Obtain necessary permits for field research, sample collection, or access to protected areas.
• Confirm that no illegal materials or methods were used.

Data Integrity

Accurate Reporting:

• Present research data accurately and honestly.
• Report results completely, without selective omission of inconvenient findings.
• Acknowledge limitations and uncertainties in the research.
• Not fabricate, falsify, or manipulate data or images.
• Retain raw data for verification and potential sharing.

Reproducibility:

• Provide sufficient methodological detail to allow replication.
• Make data, code, and materials available when reasonably requested.
• Deposit data in appropriate repositories when applicable.

Authorship

Authorship Criteria:

• Ensure all listed authors meet established authorship criteria (ICMJE guidelines):
  1. Substantial contributions to conception, design, data acquisition, or analysis.
  2. Drafting or critically revising the manuscript.
  3. Final approval of the version to be published.
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
• Include all individuals who meet these criteria as authors.
• Not include individuals who do not meet criteria ("guest" or "gift" authorship).

Author Agreement:

• Obtain approval from all co-authors before submission.
• Ensure all authors agree to authorship order.
• Confirm all authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
• Notify all authors of acceptance or rejection decisions.

Conflict of Interest

Disclosure Requirements:

• Declare all potential conflicts of interest, including:
  • Financial relationships with interested parties.
  • Employment or consultancy arrangements.
  • Research funding sources.
  • Stock ownership or equity interests.
  • Patents or patent applications.
  • Personal relationships.
• If no conflicts exist, state clearly: "The authors declare no conflict of interest."

Citation and Acknowledgment

Proper Attribution:

• Cite all sources of ideas, methods, data, or text.
• Provide complete and accurate references.
• Acknowledge all contributors who do not meet authorship criteria.
• Acknowledge funding sources and material support.

Content Standards

Appropriate Content:

• Ensure the manuscript contains no libelous, defamatory, or obscene material.
• Ensure content does not violate laws or ethical standards.
• Verify that all statements of fact are accurate.
• Base conclusions on accepted research practices and sound evidence.

Post-Publication Responsibilities

Error Correction:

• Promptly notify the editor if significant errors or inaccuracies are discovered after publication.
• Cooperate in publishing corrections, clarifications, or retractions as appropriate.
• Respond to editorial inquiries about published work.

Responding to Questions:

• Respond promptly to reader inquiries about published work.
• Provide clarification when requested.
• Make data available for verification when reasonably requested.

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Authorship Policy

Before publication, all authors must complete SJESR's Declaration and Copyright Transfer Form confirming that:

• The submission is original and has not been previously published.
• The manuscript is not under consideration at any other journal.
• The manuscript does not infringe upon the rights or copyrights of others.
• All statements of fact are accurate and based on accepted research practices.
• Each listed author has made significant contributions to the research, analysis, or writing.
• All authors have reviewed and approved the final submitted version.
• Authors agree to transfer copyright to SJESR upon acceptance.
• Authors consent to publication under CC BY 4.0.

The form must be signed by the corresponding author on behalf of all co-authors.

Changes to Authorship

After submission, any changes to authorship (additions, deletions, or reordering) require:

• Written explanation from the corresponding author.
• Written agreement from all current and former authors.
• Approval from the Editor-in-Chief.

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Plagiarism

Definition

Plagiarism is the use of others' work, words, ideas, or data without proper attribution. Forms of plagiarism include:

• Copying text without quotation marks or citation.
• Paraphrasing without citation.
• Using figures, tables, or data without permission or attribution.
• Self-plagiarism (republishing one's own previously published work).
• Mosaic plagiarism (mixing copied and original content).

Detection

• All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection software.
• Reviewers and editors are alert to suspected plagiarism.
• Anyone may report suspected plagiarism to the editorial office.

Action

SJESR follows COPE guidelines for handling plagiarism in both submitted and published manuscripts.

For Submitted Manuscripts:

• Manuscripts with significant plagiarism (>20% similarity) are desk-rejected.
• Authors are notified and may be banned from future submissions.
• Institutions may be notified in serious cases.

For Published Articles:

• Investigation conducted following COPE flowcharts.
• Authors given the opportunity to respond.
• If confirmed:
  • Retraction notice published.
  • Article marked as "RETRACTED."
  • Original publication notified (if duplicate publication).
  • Author's institution notified.
  • Possible ban from future submissions.

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Retraction and Correction

To maintain the integrity of the scholarly record, SJESR reserves the right to correct or retract articles when necessary.

Corrections (Errata/Corrigenda)

Published for honest errors that:

• Do not fundamentally alter the conclusions.
• Do not compromise research integrity.
• Are limited in scope.

Process:

• Correction notice published and linked to the original article.
• Original article updated with a link to the correction.
• Correction clearly identifies what was corrected and why.

Retractions

Published when articles contain:

• Unreliable findings due to misconduct (fabrication, falsification, plagiarism).
• Unreliable findings due to honest error or flawed methodology.
• Duplicate publication (redundant or overlapping publication).
• Unethical research (lack of ethical approval, informed consent violations).
• Copyright infringement or plagiarism.

Retraction Process:

1. Allegation or concern identified.
2. Investigation conducted following COPE guidelines.
3. Authors given the opportunity to respond.
4. Decision made based on evidence.
5. If retraction is warranted:
   • Retraction notice published openly and prominently.
   • Original article clearly marked as "RETRACTED."
   • Retracted article remains online (for the record) but is excluded from searches.
   • Notice states the reason for retraction and who is retracting (authors, editor, or publisher).
   • Original article linked to the retraction notice.

SJESR adheres to the COPE Retraction Guidelines: https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines

Expressions of Concern

Published when:

• An investigation is ongoing.
• Evidence is inconclusive.
• Concerns exist but cannot be fully resolved.

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Commitment to Ethical Publishing

SJESR is committed to:

• Maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics.
• Following COPE guidelines and best practices.
• Protecting the integrity of the scholarly record.
• Ensuring fair treatment of all authors, reviewers, and editors.
• Acting promptly and transparently when concerns arise.
• Continuous improvement of ethical policies and procedures.

Resources

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): https://publicationethics.org/
• COPE Flowcharts: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts
• ICMJE Recommendations: http://www.icmje.org/

Last Updated: 24/02/2026