JCEP operates under the ethical oversight of COPE: The Committee on Publication Ethics (https://publicationethics.org) and expects all authors to adhere to the highest standards of integrity, transparency and reporting.
1. Originality, Plagiarism, and Duplicate Publication
Authors must ensure their work is completely original.
• Plagiarism: Presenting the work, data, text, or theories of others as one's own is unethical and unacceptable. This includes unauthorized copying, rewriting without citing the source, or claiming the results of someone else’s research. JCEP uses the Hamananjoo (https://tik.irandoc.ac.ir) to review all submitted articles.
• Proper Acknowledgement: If the words or work of others are used, this should be appropriately cited or quoted and permission should be obtained where necessary. Information obtained privately (e.g., correspondence or conversation) requires express written permission from the source.
• Multiple or Duplicate Publication: Authors should not publish articles that essentially describe the same research in more than one initial publication (duplicate publication). It is completely unethical and unacceptable to submit the same or essentially similar article to multiple journals simultaneously.
• Salami Slicing: A single study should not be inappropriately divided ("salami-slicing") into several smaller parts to increase the number of articles submitted.
• Permitted Reuse: Exceptions include preprints, abstracts, published lectures, or academic theses, provided these are disclosed at the time of submission. If previous work is reused, it must be properly cited and cross-referenced to avoid plagiarism or recycling.
2. Use and Disclosure of Generative AI
While generative AI tools can support authors, human accountability and transparency are of paramount importance.
|
AI Activity |
JCEP Policy |
|
Authorship |
Not allowed. AI Tools cannot be cited as authors. |
|
Content Production (Copywriting) |
Not allowed. Using artificial intelligence to create or draft major sections of the paper, including the abstract, literature review, or conclusions, is not allowed. |
|
Data Production |
Not allowed. Generating, manipulating, or reporting research data, results, or in-text statistics using AI is prohibited. |
|
Content Editing (Copy-Editing) |
Allowed. AI tools can be used to improve the clarity of language, grammar, style, or readability of an author’s existing original work. |
|
Image Production |
It is not permitted to create or modify documentary images, artistic renderings, cover designs or graphic abstracts. There is an exception if AI is part of the research methodology, which must be fully described. |
|
Disclosure |
Required for all uses of generative AI usage in manuscript preparation (name of tool, version, purpose). Disclosure should be in a separate statement before the reference list. Initial grammar/spelling checks that do not use generative AI do not need to be disclosed. |
Authors are responsible for carefully verifying the accuracy of all AI-generated output, including checking refrences, as AI-generated references can be inaccurate or fabricated. Authors must also ensure that the use of any tool preserves data privacy and intellectual property.
3. Ethical Research Procedures (Human/Animal Subjects)
When research involves human participants, animals or sensitive data, certain ethical and legal requirements must be observed and documented.
• Human Participants: Research should comply with relevant institutional and national guidelines. Authors should include a statement confirming that informed consent (https://www.apaservices.org/practice/business/management/informed-consent) and (https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/ethics/process-seeking-if-printing.pdf?sfvrsn=3fac5edb_4) was obtained from participants (or their legal representative) and describe how this was handled. Research should be conducted in accordance with guidelines such as the DoH (Declaration of Helsinki) (https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki).
• Ethical Approval: Where applicable, the article should provide an ethics statement confirming that the research has received institutional and national (or international) ethical approval. This statement should include the name and location of the review board, the approval number and the date of approval. Failure to provide appropriate ethical documentation may result in the work being returned or rejected.
• Animal Subjects: Research involving animals should follow the 3R principles: Replacement, Reduction, Refinement (https://nc3rs.org.uk/who-we-are/3rs). Procedures should comply with relevant guidelines, such as the ARRIVE guidelines (https://arriveguidelines.org). It is mandatory to provide an appropriate ethical statement confirming institutional approval.
• Hazards: If the work involves chemicals, procedures or equipment with unusual inherent hazards, these should be clearly identified.
4. Conflict of Interest (Competing Interests)
Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could improperly influence or direct their work (Competing Interests). This applies to interests that exist within the last three years of the start of the research or outside that time frame if they can reasonably be considered influential.
• Financial Interests: Examples include grants, employment, consulting, stock ownership, royalties, patent applications or funding.
• Non-Financial Interests: Examples include professional affiliations, personal relationships or ideological beliefs that could introduce bias.
• Disclosure Principle: Authors should ask themselves: "Is there an arrangement that would embarrass you or any of your co-authors if it were to be publicly disclosed after publication and you had not disclose it?".
• Declaration: Authors are required to complete and submit the official Declaration of Competing Interests Form (https://jcep.ut.ac.ir/data/jcep/news/%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B6_%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B9.doc) with their manuscript submission. In addition, a brief disclosure statement must be included in the manuscript in the designated section, providing a summary of the financial and non-financial interests of all authors.
5. Honesty and Errors
Authors have a fundamental obligation to present results clearly and honestly and to refrain from falsifying or distorting data or manipulating images.
• Error Correction: If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they should immediately notify the editor or publisher of the journal and, if necessary, cooperate in correcting or retracting the article.
• Image Integrity: Manipulation of images (e.g., enhancing, blurring, moving, or removing specific features) is not permitted, as it is considered scientific ethical abuse.