Publication Ethics

AICA Journal: Artificial Intelligence, Computing, and Application is committed to maintaining high standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing.

All parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, are expected to uphold responsible research and publication practices. AICA Journal takes allegations of research or publication misconduct seriously and will investigate concerns fairly and appropriately.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts submitted to AICA Journal represent original, accurate, and ethically conducted research.

Authors are expected to:

• submit original work that has not been published previously and is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal;
• accurately present the methods, data, results, and conclusions of their research;
• properly acknowledge and cite the work of others;
• identify all individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research as authors or contributors;
• disclose any financial, personal, institutional, or other conflicts of interest that could influence the research;
• obtain appropriate ethical approval when research involves human participants, personal or sensitive data, or animals;
• preserve relevant research data and provide supporting information when reasonably requested by the journal; and
• promptly inform the editor if a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered in a submitted or published article.

Authors must not engage in plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, inappropriate manipulation of research results, duplicate publication, or other forms of academic misconduct.

2. Originality and Plagiarism

All manuscripts submitted to AICA Journal must be original.

Authors must appropriately acknowledge ideas, text, data, figures, methods, and other materials originating from other sources. Direct quotations must be clearly identified and properly cited.

Plagiarism, including the use of another person's work without appropriate acknowledgment, is considered a serious violation of publication ethics.

AICA Journal may use plagiarism-detection software or other methods to evaluate the originality of submitted manuscripts.

If plagiarism is identified before publication, the manuscript may be rejected. If plagiarism or substantial unattributed material is discovered after publication, the journal may issue a correction, retraction, or other appropriate editorial action depending on the circumstances.

3. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Manuscripts submitted to AICA Journal must not be simultaneously submitted to or under consideration by another journal.

Authors must not publish substantially the same research in multiple publications without appropriate justification, disclosure, and citation.

If a manuscript builds upon previously published work by the same authors, the previous work must be clearly cited and the new manuscript must provide a substantial and identifiable contribution beyond the earlier publication.

4. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research and preparation of the manuscript.

All listed authors should have participated sufficiently in the work to take responsibility for their respective contributions and should approve the final version of the manuscript before submission.

Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged.

Practices such as guest authorship, honorary authorship, and ghost authorship are not acceptable.

Any dispute or request for changes in authorship may require written agreement from all authors and will be evaluated by the editorial team.

5. Research Data Integrity

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the data presented in their manuscripts.

Fabrication, falsification, selective manipulation, or intentional misrepresentation of research data, experimental results, images, or other research materials is prohibited.

Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to maintain the data, code, experimental configurations, or other materials necessary to support the reproducibility and verification of their research.

The journal may request supporting research materials when questions arise regarding the validity or integrity of a submitted or published study.

6. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their judgment or decisions.

Conflicts of interest may include financial relationships, professional collaborations, institutional relationships, personal relationships, academic competition, or other circumstances that could affect impartiality.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not automatically prevent publication or participation in the editorial process. However, relevant conflicts must be disclosed and appropriately managed.

7. Ethical Oversight of Research

Research involving human participants, personal information, sensitive data, or animals must comply with applicable ethical standards, institutional requirements, and relevant regulations.

Where required, authors must obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board before conducting the research.

Authors should clearly state relevant ethical approval and informed consent procedures in their manuscripts when applicable.

Particular care should be taken when research involves confidential information, personally identifiable information, vulnerable populations, or sensitive datasets.

8. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an important role in maintaining the academic quality and integrity of AICA Journal.

Reviewers are expected to:

• evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly, and constructively;
• provide comments based on academic and scientific considerations;
• maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and review materials;
• complete reviews within the agreed review period whenever possible;
• disclose any potential conflicts of interest;
• decline a review when they do not have appropriate expertise or cannot provide an impartial evaluation; and
• identify relevant published work that may not have been appropriately acknowledged by the authors.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal research, professional advantage, or the disadvantage of others.

9. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair, independent, and academically responsible editorial process.

Editorial decisions should be based on the manuscript's originality, academic quality, methodological soundness, relevance to the journal's scope, and contribution to the field.

Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not use unpublished information obtained through the editorial process for personal benefit.

Editors should disclose and appropriately manage any conflicts of interest. When an editor has a conflict involving a manuscript, responsibility for handling that manuscript should be assigned to another qualified editor.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by an author's nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, seniority, personal background, or other characteristics unrelated to academic merit.

10. Research and Publication Misconduct

AICA Journal takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously.

Potential misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

• plagiarism;
• fabrication or falsification of data;
• manipulation of research results;
• duplicate or redundant publication;
• inappropriate authorship;
• undisclosed conflicts of interest;
• unethical research practices;
• manipulation of the peer-review process; and
• deliberate misrepresentation of research findings.

When suspected misconduct is identified, the editorial team will evaluate the available evidence and may request clarification or supporting information from the individuals involved.

Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, editorial actions may include rejection of the manuscript, correction of the published article, retraction, expression of concern, or notification of the relevant institution when appropriate.

11. Corrections and Retractions

AICA Journal recognizes the importance of maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

When an error is identified in a published article that does not invalidate the overall findings, the journal may publish an appropriate correction.

A published article may be retracted when there is reliable evidence that its findings are substantially unreliable due to misconduct or significant error, when plagiarism or duplicate publication is confirmed, or when serious ethical violations are identified.

Corrections and retractions will be clearly identified and linked to the original publication to maintain transparency in the scholarly record.

12. Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, readers, and other parties may raise concerns regarding editorial decisions, publication procedures, ethical issues, or published content.

Complaints and appeals will be evaluated fairly and objectively by the editorial team. When appropriate, a matter may be reviewed by an editor who was not directly involved in the original decision.

An appeal should provide a clear explanation and supporting evidence regarding the issue being contested. Submission of an appeal does not automatically result in a change to the original editorial decision.

13. Confidentiality

Manuscripts submitted to AICA Journal are treated as confidential documents.

Editors and reviewers must not disclose information concerning submitted manuscripts to individuals who are not directly involved in the editorial or peer-review process.

Information, data, ideas, or findings obtained through the review process must not be used for personal or professional advantage before the work has been publicly published.

Commitment to Publication Integrity

AICA Journal is committed to promoting responsible research and maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. Ethical concerns may be evaluated both before and after publication, and appropriate editorial action will be taken when credible evidence of misconduct or significant error is identified.

The journal encourages authors, reviewers, editors, and readers to contribute to a scholarly publishing environment based on integrity, transparency, fairness, accountability, and respect for academic standards.