Publication Ethics & Malpractice

Publication Ethics & Malpractice Policy

The Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Human Sciences (YZIB) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, fairness, accountability, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing.

The journal follows internationally recognized principles of publication ethics and considers the guidance and core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in addressing ethical issues arising before, during, and after publication.

This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and all individuals involved in the publication process.

1. General Principles

All manuscripts submitted to YZIB must:

  • represent honest and responsible scholarly work;

  • be original and appropriately referenced;

  • report methods, data, analyses, and findings accurately;

  • comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements;

  • respect intellectual property rights;

  • disclose relevant conflicts of interest and funding;

  • comply with the journal's authorship and contributorship requirements; and

  • not involve manipulation of the editorial, peer-review, citation, or publication process.

YZIB takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously regardless of whether they arise before or after publication.

2. Research Misconduct

Research misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

  • fabrication of data, results, sources, participants, or other research materials;

  • falsification or inappropriate manipulation of data, images, figures, methods, or results;

  • plagiarism;

  • redundant or duplicate publication;

  • inappropriate text recycling;

  • undisclosed simultaneous submission;

  • unethical research involving human or animal participants;

  • manipulation or misrepresentation of research records;

  • intentional omission or distortion of material findings;

  • misuse of confidential information; and

  • other practices that undermine the reliability or integrity of the scholarly record.

3. Plagiarism and Unattributed Use

Authors must appropriately acknowledge and cite the work, ideas, data, images, methods, and words of others.

Submitted manuscripts may be screened using similarity-detection software.

Similarity reports are used as an editorial aid and are not interpreted solely on the basis of a numerical similarity percentage. Editors evaluate the nature, extent, location, and context of any overlap.

Confirmed plagiarism may result in rejection, correction, retraction, or other appropriate editorial action.

4. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Manuscripts submitted to YZIB must not have been formally published elsewhere and must not be simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

Substantial reuse of previously published data, text, analyses, figures, or conclusions without appropriate disclosure and citation may constitute redundant publication.

Preprints are governed separately by the journal's Preprint Policy and are not considered prior journal publication when the requirements of that policy are met.

5. Citation Ethics and Citation Manipulation

References should be selected on the basis of their scientific relevance.

The journal does not permit:

  • unnecessary self-citation;

  • coercive citation;

  • excessive citation of an editor's or reviewer's publications;

  • citation cartels;

  • irrelevant references added solely to increase citation counts; or

  • other forms of citation manipulation.

Editors and reviewers must not require authors to add citations for personal or journal-level citation advantage when those references are not scientifically relevant.

6. Authorship and Contributorship

All listed authors must meet the journal's authorship criteria and must have made appropriate contributions to the work.

YZIB does not permit:

  • guest or honorary authorship;

  • ghost authorship;

  • purchased authorship;

  • fabricated authors;

  • unauthorized addition or removal of authors; or

  • deliberate misrepresentation of contributions.

Detailed requirements are provided in the journal's Authorship & Contributorship Policy.

7. Peer-Review Integrity

YZIB applies a double-blind peer-review process.

The journal does not tolerate:

  • fabricated reviewer identities;

  • fraudulent reviewer accounts;

  • reviewer impersonation;

  • manipulation of reviewer recommendations;

  • undisclosed reviewer conflicts of interest;

  • inappropriate use of confidential manuscript information;

  • coercive or discriminatory reviewer behavior; or

  • attempts by authors, reviewers, editors, or third parties to manipulate the peer-review process.

Suspected peer-review manipulation may result in suspension of the editorial process while the matter is investigated.

8. Human Participant Research

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical principles, institutional requirements, and national or international regulations.

Where required, authors must provide information concerning:

  • the approving ethics committee or institutional review board;

  • approval date;

  • approval or reference number; and

  • informed consent.

Where an exemption from ethical approval applies, authors should provide an appropriate explanation where necessary.

The rights, privacy, dignity, and confidentiality of research participants must be protected.

9. Informed Consent and Privacy

Where research involves identifiable individuals, authors must obtain appropriate informed consent for participation and, where applicable, consent for publication.

Personally identifiable information should not be published unless it is scientifically necessary and appropriate consent has been obtained.

Special care must be taken when research involves vulnerable individuals or populations.

10. Research Involving Animals

Research involving animals must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical requirements.

Where required, authors must obtain approval from an appropriate animal ethics committee and provide relevant approval information in the manuscript.

Authors should apply accepted principles for minimizing unnecessary harm and using appropriate research procedures.

11. Data Integrity and Availability

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, authenticity, and integrity of the data underlying their work.

Editors may request relevant raw data, analysis files, code, documentation, or other supporting materials when necessary to assess the reliability or integrity of a manuscript.

Fabrication, falsification, inappropriate manipulation, or intentional destruction of relevant research data is prohibited.

Data-sharing and reproducibility requirements are described in the journal's Research Data Policy.

12. Artificial Intelligence and Research Integrity

The use of artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies must comply with YZIB's AI Policy.

Artificial intelligence cannot be listed as an author.

AI must not be used to:

  • fabricate data or references;

  • generate deceptive scientific evidence;

  • conceal plagiarism;

  • manipulate images or research results in a misleading manner;

  • compromise peer-review confidentiality; or

  • substitute for the scholarly accountability of human authors, reviewers, or editors.

Substantive use of AI must be disclosed where required by the journal's AI Policy.

13. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose relevant financial and non-financial competing interests.

Potential conflicts must be managed in a manner that preserves independent editorial and scholarly judgment.

Detailed requirements are provided in the journal's Conflict of Interest Policy.

14. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for:

  • ensuring the originality and integrity of their work;

  • providing accurate data and references;

  • complying with ethical approval and consent requirements;

  • declaring funding and conflicts of interest;

  • ensuring that all authorship information is accurate;

  • responding appropriately to reviewer and editor queries;

  • informing the journal promptly if a significant error is discovered; and

  • cooperating with legitimate research-integrity investigations.

15. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must:

  • evaluate manuscripts objectively and professionally;

  • maintain confidentiality;

  • review only within their areas of competence;

  • disclose conflicts of interest;

  • avoid using unpublished information for personal advantage;

  • provide constructive and evidence-based comments;

  • avoid discriminatory, insulting, or inappropriate language; and

  • inform the editor if they identify possible ethical or research-integrity concerns.

16. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must:

  • make decisions on the basis of scholarly merit, relevance, methodological quality, and ethical compliance;

  • ensure appropriate and independent peer review;

  • protect the confidentiality of manuscripts and reviewers;

  • manage conflicts of interest;

  • investigate credible allegations of misconduct;

  • avoid discrimination and inappropriate external influence;

  • protect editorial independence; and

  • take appropriate action when concerns arise regarding published or unpublished work.

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a relevant conflict of interest exists.

17. Allegations of Misconduct

Concerns regarding possible misconduct may be reported to the journal by authors, reviewers, readers, institutions, or other parties.

Reports should contain sufficient information or evidence to allow the matter to be assessed.

YZIB will consider credible allegations whether they are identified before or after publication.

Anonymous allegations may also be considered when they contain specific and verifiable evidence.

18. Investigation of Ethical Concerns

When a credible concern is raised, YZIB may:

  1. conduct an initial assessment;

  2. request an explanation from the relevant author, reviewer, or editor;

  3. request underlying data, documentation, ethical approvals, correspondence, or other evidence;

  4. consult independent experts or editorial board members where necessary;

  5. contact the relevant institution, ethics committee, research-integrity office, or funding organization where appropriate; and

  6. take editorial action based on the available evidence.

Investigations will be conducted as confidentially, fairly, and objectively as reasonably possible.

The existence of an allegation does not in itself establish misconduct.

19. Editorial Actions and Sanctions

Depending on the nature and severity of an ethical problem, YZIB may:

  • request clarification or correction;

  • reject a manuscript;

  • suspend peer review or publication;

  • replace a reviewer or editor;

  • issue a warning;

  • publish a correction;

  • publish an Expression of Concern;

  • withdraw an accepted manuscript;

  • retract a published article;

  • inform relevant institutions or authorities; or

  • take other appropriate action necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Any action will be proportionate to the available evidence and seriousness of the issue.

20. Post-Publication Concerns

Ethical responsibility does not end when an article is published.

Credible concerns raised after publication will be evaluated and, where necessary, addressed through the journal's Corrections, Retractions & Withdrawals Policy.

The purpose of post-publication action is to maintain an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record.

21. Complaints and Appeals

Complaints concerning the journal, its editors, reviewers, procedures, or editorial decisions will be handled under the Complaints & Appeals Policy.

Individuals directly involved in a complaint or conflict will not determine the outcome of that matter where impartial alternative handling is possible.

22. Confidentiality and Whistleblowers

YZIB will seek to protect the confidentiality of individuals who raise research-integrity concerns in good faith, to the extent reasonably possible.

The journal will not disregard a credible allegation solely because it has been submitted anonymously.

Knowingly false or malicious allegations may themselves constitute inappropriate conduct.

23. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently of commercial, personal, political, institutional, or other inappropriate external influences.

The academic status, institutional affiliation, nationality, reputation, or personal relationships of authors must not determine publication decisions.

24. Related Policies

This policy should be read together with YZIB's:

  • AI Policy;

  • Research Data Policy;

  • Authorship & Contributorship Policy;

  • Conflict of Interest Policy;

  • Corrections, Retractions & Withdrawals Policy;

  • Complaints & Appeals Policy;

  • Preprint Policy;

  • Peer Review Process; and

  • Copyright and Open Access policies.

25. Policy Updates

YZIB reserves the right to review and update this policy in response to developments in research integrity, publication ethics, scholarly communication, and internationally recognized ethical standards.