Editorial and Publication Ethics Policies
1. Authorship and Contributorship
2. Corresponding Author Responsibilities
3. Author Contributions Statement
4. Acknowledgements
5. Special Issues and Guest-Edited Collections
6. Editorial Responsibilities and Processes
7. Policy on Research and Publication Misconduct
8. Policy on Misconduct Investigations/Allegations
9. Peer Review Process
10. Editorial Independence
11. Confidentiality
12. Copyright and Licensing
13. Open Access Policy
14. Originality, Duplicate Publication, and Redundant Publication
15. Plagiarism and Text Recycling
16. Fabrication of Data
17. Falsification and Manipulation of Data, Images, and Figures
18. Human Research Ethics
19. Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Technologies
20. Research Data and Data Availability
21. Digital Preservation and Archiving
22. Self-Archiving
23. Conflict of Interest
24. Financial Support and Funding Disclosure
25. Post-Publication Discussions and Concerns
26. Appeals and Complaints
27. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
28. Advertising, Marketing, and Sponsorship
29. Integrity of the Scholarly Record/ Post-publication Actions
30. Disclaimer
Journal of Sustainable Smart Materials and Structural Systems is committed to maintaining high standards of scholarly integrity, editorial independence, transparency, and responsible research and publication practices. The Journal follows recognized principles of publication ethics and considers relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other established standards of scholarly publishing when developing and applying its policies.
These policies apply to authors, reviewers, editors, Guest Editors, Editorial Board members, and other individuals involved in the submission, review, publication, and post-publication processes. The Journal aims to ensure that editorial decisions are fair, independent, evidence-based, and consistent with the principles of research integrity.
1. Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship must accurately reflect substantial contributions to the research and manuscript. Individuals should be listed as authors only when they have made meaningful contributions to one or more substantive aspects of the work, such as the conception or design of the study; acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; development of essential software or research tools; drafting of the manuscript; or critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content.
All authors must have participated sufficiently in the work to take responsibility for their respective contributions and must approve the final version of the manuscript submitted for publication.
The Journal does not prescribe a particular order of authorship. Authors are responsible for determining the order of authors according to their respective contributions and relevant disciplinary practices. For collaborative, multi-institutional, or multi-regional research, authors should ensure that contributions and authorship are determined fairly and transparently.
Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the authorship criteria should be recognized in the Acknowledgements section, with their permission.
Submission of a manuscript confirms that all listed authors have approved the submitted version, agree with the authorship order, and consent to its submission to the Journal.
Any proposed change to the author list after submission, including the addition, removal, or rearrangement of authors, must be requested with a clear explanation and approved by all affected authors. The Journal may require written confirmation from all authors before considering such a request. Changes to authorship after acceptance will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.
The Journal does not adjudicate authorship disputes. Where a genuine dispute cannot be resolved among the authors, the Journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution or other appropriate authority and may suspend editorial consideration or publication until the matter has been resolved.
2. Corresponding Author Responsibilities
For multi-authored manuscripts, at least one author must be designated as the corresponding author. The corresponding author acts as the principal contact between the authors and the Journal and is responsible for coordinating communication with all co-authors.
The corresponding author must ensure that all individuals who qualify for authorship are appropriately included, that the author order has been agreed upon by all authors, and that all authors have approved the manuscript before submission.
Following acceptance, the corresponding author is responsible for coordinating communication regarding proofs, corrections, and publication matters. The corresponding author should carefully verify the final proofs, including author names, affiliations, contact information, text, figures, tables, and other publication details, and should ensure that any necessary corrections are communicated to the Journal before publication.
Being designated as the corresponding author does not imply seniority or greater contribution relative to the other authors. Following publication, the corresponding author normally serves as the primary contact for questions concerning the published article.
3. Author Contributions Statement
For multi-author manuscripts, the Journal requires an Author Contributions Statement describing the principal contributions of each author.
Depending on the nature of the research, contributions may include conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, formal analysis, validation, software development, resources, supervision, project administration, visualization, writing of the original draft, and review and editing.
Contribution statements must accurately reflect the work performed. They must not be used to confer authorship on individuals who do not meet the Journal's authorship requirements or to conceal the contributions of individuals who do.
4. Acknowledgements
The Acknowledgements section may be used to recognize individuals or organizations that made meaningful contributions to the research or preparation of the manuscript but do not qualify for authorship. Examples may include limited technical assistance, administrative support, language or editorial assistance, or other contributions that do not satisfy the authorship criteria.
Authors should obtain permission from individuals before naming them in the Acknowledgements section. Individuals who qualify for authorship should not be listed solely in the Acknowledgements.
Funding and financial support should be disclosed separately in the appropriate Funding or Financial Support statement.
5. Special Issues and Guest-Edited Collections
The Journal may publish Special Issues/Thematic Issues/Guest-Edited Collections addressing emerging, significant, or specialized topics within the scope of Journal of Sustainable Smart Materials and Structural Systems.
Guest Editors may be selected from the Journal's Editorial Board or appointed from among recognized experts in the relevant field. Their responsibilities may include developing the theme, soliciting submissions, coordinating peer review, and preparing an introductory Editorial.
All manuscripts submitted to a Special/Thematic Issue are subject to the same standards of editorial assessment, peer review, research integrity, and publication ethics that apply to regular submissions. Inclusion in a Special Issue does not guarantee acceptance or publication.
Special Issues are open to submissions from researchers worldwide, provided that submitted manuscripts are relevant to the stated theme and fall within the scope of the Journal. Guest Editor’s own submissions will be peer reviewed by external reviewers.
Guest Editors must comply with all Journal policies and must declare and appropriately manage any competing interests. They must not participate in editorial decisions involving manuscripts with which they have a conflict of interest. The Journal's Editor-in-Chief and in-house editorial team retain ultimate responsibility for editorial standards and may assume responsibility for any aspect of a Special Issue whenever necessary to safeguard editorial independence, research integrity, or publication quality.
6. Editorial Responsibilities and Processes
Editors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts are evaluated fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with the Journal's editorial and ethical standards.
Editors should select reviewers with appropriate subject expertise and should take reasonable steps to identify and manage conflicts of interest. They should ensure that peer review is conducted objectively and that submitted manuscripts and associated information remain confidential.
Editors may seek advice from other Editorial Board members or independent experts when dealing with complex scientific, ethical, or procedural matters.
Where an unusual or complex publication-ethics issue cannot be resolved internally, the Editor-in-Chief may seek advice from appropriate external experts or consult relevant COPE guidance.
7. Policy on Research and Publication Misconduct
The Journal takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously. Misconduct may include, but is not limited to, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate image manipulation, duplicate or redundant publication, inappropriate authorship practices, citation manipulation, peer-review manipulation, undisclosed competing interests, unethical research practices, misuse of confidential information, and other conduct that materially compromises the integrity of the scholarly record.
The Journal distinguishes between honest errors, legitimate differences in interpretation, and deliberate or reckless misconduct. Not every error, disagreement, or similarity detected in a manuscript constitutes research or publication misconduct. Where concerns arise, the Journal will assess the available information and determine an appropriate course of action in accordance with the seriousness and reliability of the concern.
8. Policy on Misconduct Investigations/Allegations
The Journal is committed to handling allegations of misconduct through a fair, confidential, proportionate, and evidence-based process. Concerns may arise before publication, during peer review, after acceptance, or following publication.
When a credible concern is brought to the Journal's attention, the relevant editor will conduct an initial assessment to determine whether the concern warrants further inquiry. The Journal may contact the authors and request an explanation, supporting documentation, original data, research records, or other relevant evidence.
Where the concern cannot be satisfactorily resolved through the initial assessment, the Journal may undertake a formal editorial investigation or refer the matter to the appropriate institution, employer, funder, regulatory body, or research-integrity authority.
The Journal recognizes that institutions are generally best placed to investigate allegations concerning research conduct because they may have access to laboratory records, institutional files, participant information, research data, and other evidence that may not be available to the Journal. Accordingly, the Journal may request institutional investigation where appropriate.
Authors will normally be given an opportunity to respond to allegations concerning their work. However, the Journal may take immediate protective measures where necessary to protect the integrity of the peer-review process or published scholarly record.
Investigations will be conducted as confidentially as reasonably possible. Information will be shared only with individuals who have a legitimate need to know, subject to applicable legal and ethical requirements.
The Journal will avoid treating an allegation as an established finding of misconduct until sufficient evidence has been assessed. Where an institutional or regulatory investigation is undertaken, the Journal may consider the findings of that investigation when determining appropriate editorial action.
Possible editorial outcomes include rejection of a manuscript, withdrawal of acceptance, publication of a correction or clarification, publication of an Editor's Note or Editorial Expression of Concern, retraction, removal in exceptional circumstances, or notification of an appropriate institution or authority.
The Journal reserves the right to take proportionate action when misconduct is established or when the integrity or reliability of the scholarly record has been materially compromised.
9. Peer Review Process
The Journal uses a double-blind peer-review process, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are normally concealed from one another during review.
Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial assessment and are considered suitable for peer review will normally be evaluated by at least two independent reviewers. Reviewers are selected on the basis of subject expertise, relevant experience, availability, and absence of inappropriate conflicts of interest.
Peer-review reports should provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based assessments of the manuscript. Reviewers should identify significant methodological, ethical, interpretive, or presentation-related concerns and should distinguish essential revisions from recommendations that are primarily discretionary.
Reviewers are normally asked to submit their reports within two weeks. Extensions may be granted where requested in advance.
Detailed expectations concerning reviewer conduct and responsibilities are provided in the Journal's Guidelines for Reviewers.
10. Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions are based on the scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigor, relevance, ethical compliance, and contribution of a manuscript.
Editors must exercise independent professional judgment and must not allow commercial interests, financial considerations, institutional relationships, personal relationships, political considerations, or other inappropriate influences to affect editorial decisions.
The handling editor is responsible for the editorial decision concerning a manuscript, taking into account the peer-review reports and applicable Journal policies. The Editor-in-Chief may be consulted where appropriate but should not improperly influence the independent judgment of the handling editor.
Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have a conflict of interest.
11. Confidentiality
Manuscripts submitted to the Journal, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and other materials associated with the editorial process are confidential.
Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff must not disclose information concerning a manuscript to unauthorized individuals. They must not use unpublished information, ideas, methods, data, or findings obtained through the editorial process for personal or professional advantage.
Reviewers must treat manuscripts as privileged communications and must not copy, distribute, publicly discuss, or otherwise use manuscript content without authorization.
If a reviewer wishes to consult another qualified individual during the review process, prior permission should be obtained from the handling editor. Any approved consultant must maintain the same standards of confidentiality.
Reviewer reports and confidential editorial correspondence must not be publicly disclosed without appropriate authorization.
Confidentiality obligations continue after the completion of peer review and, where applicable, after publication.
12. Copyright and Licensing
Articles published by the Journal are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. This license permits users to share, copy, distribute, adapt, and reproduce the work for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate attribution is given to the original author(s) and source of publication, the journal and the publisher, and that the relevant article and DOI are properly identified. Commercial reuse of the published material by third parties requires prior written permission from the copyright holder, i.e. authors.
Authors retain copyright of their work published by Journal of Sustainable Smart Materials and Structural Systems. By publishing their work, authors grant the journal and Open Horizon Global a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual license to publish, reproduce, distribute, archive, preserve, index, and promote the article in print, electronic, and other media, and to identify the Journal as the original publisher.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts do not infringe the copyright, intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or other legal rights of third parties.
Where previously published figures, tables, images, substantial text, or other protected material are reproduced, authors must obtain the necessary permission and provide appropriate attribution.
13. Open Access Policy
The Journal operates under an open-access publishing model. Published articles are made freely accessible online without subscription or institutional-login requirements.
The Journal supports open access as a means of promoting the broad dissemination, accessibility, and reuse of scholarly research and facilitating the international exchange of knowledge.
Articles remain subject to the applicable copyright and licensing terms specified above.
14. Originality, Duplicate Publication, and Redundant Publication
Manuscripts submitted to the Journal must be original and must not be under consideration by another journal.
Authors must not submit the same or substantially overlapping manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal. Any related manuscripts that have been published, accepted, or submitted elsewhere must be disclosed to the Journal at the time of submission.
Authors should avoid duplicate or redundant publication and should not unnecessarily divide one research project into multiple manuscripts (salami publications) merely to increase publication output.
Where several publications arise from the same research project and are scientifically justified, authors must clearly disclose the related publications and explain the distinct contribution of each manuscript.
Meeting abstracts may be published or presented before submission of a full article, provided that relevant details are disclosed to the Journal.
Where previously published material is reused, appropriate citation, attribution, and permission must be provided where required.
15. Plagiarism and Text Recycling
The Journal considers plagiarism to include the unattributed use of another person's words, ideas, data, images, results, or other intellectual material in a manner that presents it as the author's own work.
Plagiarism may include substantial copying of text, inappropriate paraphrasing without attribution, misrepresentation of another person's ideas or findings, and unauthorized reuse of previously published material.
Submitted manuscripts may be screened using recognized similarity-detection tools. A similarity score is not, by itself, evidence of plagiarism. Editors will consider the nature, source, extent, and context of identified similarities before determining whether further action is necessary.
Authors are responsible for providing appropriate attribution for material derived from other sources. Direct quotations should be clearly identified and appropriately referenced.
Text recycling or reuse of an author's own previously published material should also be appropriately disclosed and cited where relevant. Substantial undisclosed reuse may constitute redundant publication or another form of publication malpractice.
Where plagiarism is established after publication, the Journal may issue a correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction depending on the seriousness and consequences of the misconduct.
16. Fabrication of Data
Fabrication is the deliberate invention of data, observations, participants, experiments, results, references, or other research information that did not actually exist. Fabricated information must not be submitted to the journal.
Where credible evidence of fabrication is identified, the Journal may suspend editorial consideration, reject the manuscript, withdraw an accepted article, refer the matter to an appropriate institution or authority, or retract a published article.
17. Falsification and Manipulation of Data, Images, and Figures
Falsification involves deliberately altering, omitting, manipulating, or misrepresenting research materials, procedures, data, images, results, or analytical processes in a manner that creates a misleading representation of the research.
Authors must not selectively add, remove, alter, duplicate, or obscure research information in a manner that changes or misrepresents the underlying evidence.
Legitimate technical processing or enhancement may be acceptable where it does not alter the interpretation of the original evidence and is consistent with accepted disciplinary practice. Material adjustments should be appropriately disclosed where required.
The Journal may request original data, image files, laboratory records, analytical outputs, or other supporting documentation when concerns regarding research or image integrity arise.
Serious or deliberate falsification or manipulation may result in rejection, withdrawal, retraction, and/or referral to the appropriate institution or authority.
18. Human Research Ethics
Research involving human participants or other sensitive materials must comply with applicable ethical standards, institutional requirements, and relevant laws and regulations.
Where required, authors must obtain approval from an appropriate research ethics committee or institutional review body before conducting the research.
Ethical violations may include conducting research without required approval, failure to obtain appropriate informed consent, misuse of confidential or personal information, or other serious violations of recognized research-ethics requirements.
Where an ethical concern is identified, the Journal may request documentation of ethical approval, consent, or compliance. Depending on the circumstances, the Journal may reject the manuscript, suspend consideration, request clarification or correction, publish an Expression of Concern, retract the article, or notify an appropriate institution or authority.
19. Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Technologies
The Journal recognizes the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in scholarly communication and will review this policy as relevant technologies and publication-ethics standards evolve.
Authors may use AI-assisted tools for limited purposes such as language improvement, grammar, spelling, and readability, provided that the authors remain fully responsible for the submitted content.
AI systems and large language models cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility, accountability, or legal and ethical obligations associated with authorship.
Authors must critically evaluate and verify any AI-assisted output. They remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and appropriate attribution of all content submitted to the Journal.
Where AI or AI-assisted technologies have materially contributed to manuscript preparation, authors should disclose their use in the manuscript or in another appropriate disclosure statement, as applicable.
AI-generated text must not be used to fabricate references, data, results, citations, quotations, or other scholarly information.
The use of generative AI to create figures, images, or other visual material for manuscripts is not permitted under the Journal's current policy, except where the creation or analysis of such material is itself the subject of the research. Any permitted use must be transparently disclosed.
Editors and editorial staff may use AI-assisted technologies only where appropriate and where their use does not compromise confidentiality, editorial independence, or the integrity of the editorial process. AI systems must not independently determine whether a manuscript is accepted, rejected, or sent for revision. Editorial decisions must remain the responsibility of qualified human editors.
Confidential manuscript content, unpublished research, personal information, reviewer reports, or other protected material must not be entered into external AI systems where doing so could compromise confidentiality or data protection.
20. Research Data and Data Availability
Authors are encouraged to make research data underlying their published findings available whenever ethically, legally, and practically possible.
Data sharing can facilitate transparency, reproducibility, verification, and further research. Where appropriate, authors should deposit datasets in recognized repositories and provide persistent identifiers such as DOIs or accession numbers.
Where data cannot be made publicly available because of ethical, legal, privacy, confidentiality, contractual, or other legitimate restrictions, authors should provide a clear explanation in the Data Availability Statement.
A Data Availability Statement is required whenever research data have been generated, collected, or analyzed. Suitable statements may include: “The datasets generated and/or analyzed during this study are available in the [NAME] repository at [DOI/PERSISTENT LINK/DATA ACCESSION NUMBER]” or “The datasets generated and/or analyzed during this study are not publicly available due to [REASON], but may be obtained from the corresponding author on reasonable request, subject to applicable restrictions” or “The data generated and/or analyzed during this study are available as supplementary material accompanying this article.”
Authors should take appropriate steps to protect confidential, personal, or identifying information before sharing research data.
21. Digital Preservation and Archiving
Journal of Sustainable Smart Materials and Structural Systems recognizes the importance of maintaining long-term access to published scholarly content.
Published content is intended to be preserved through appropriate digital archiving arrangements, including LOCKSS through the PKP Preservation Network.
22. Self-Archiving
Authors may self-archive their accepted manuscripts in appropriate institutional, disciplinary, or other recognized repositories in accordance that the archived version clearly identifies Journal of Sustainable Smart Materials and Structural Systems as the original source of publication and, provides a link to the version of record and its DOI.
Self-archiving must not misrepresent the repository version as a separate publication or otherwise compromise the integrity of the official publication record.
23. Conflict of Interest
Journal of Sustainable Smart Materials and Structural Systems recognizes that competing interests may influence, or appear to influence, scholarly judgment and editorial decision-making.
Authors, reviewers, editors, Guest Editors, and Editorial Board members must disclose relationships or circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as relevant to their involvement in the publication process.
For authors, competing interests may include financial relationships, research funding, employment, consultancy, patents or intellectual property interests, institutional affiliations, advisory positions, or significant personal or professional relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation.
Authors should provide competing-interest disclosures at submission and update them if relevant circumstances change.
Where no competing interests exist, authors may state:
“The authors declare that they have no competing interests.”
Editors and reviewers must likewise disclose relevant competing interests and should decline participation where a conflict could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, independent judgment.
A disclosed competing interest does not automatically prevent publication. The Journal will assess the nature and significance of the interest and may implement appropriate safeguards, including reassignment of the editor or reviewer, additional independent review, or publication of a disclosure statement.
Where a previously undisclosed competing interest is identified after publication, the Journal may issue a correction or clarification or take other proportionate action necessary to protect the transparency and reliability of the scholarly record.
24. Financial Support and Funding Disclosure
Authors must disclose financial support received for the research and/or publication of the article.
Funding statements should identify the funding organization and, where applicable, the grant or award number. Authors should also disclose the role of the funder in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication where relevant. Examples include “[Author initials] received research support from [Funder] [grant number], while [Author initials] received publication support from [Funder] [grant number]” and, “This research and/or publication was supported by [Funder] [grant number].”
25. Post-Publication Discussions and Concerns
The Journal welcomes responsible post-publication discussion concerning the accuracy, interpretation, methodology, ethics, or integrity of published research.
Concerns may be raised by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, or other appropriate parties. The Journal will assess credible concerns and may contact authors for clarification or supporting evidence. Authors are expected to cooperate with reasonable post-publication inquiries and may be asked to provide original data, research records, or other relevant information.
Depending on the nature and seriousness of the concern, the Journal may issue a correction, Addendum, Editor's Note, Editorial Expression of Concern, or retraction, or may refer the matter to an appropriate institution or authority.
26. Appeals and Complaints
Authors may appeal an editorial decision where they believe that a significant procedural error, factual misunderstanding, or other substantive issue materially affected the decision. Appeals should clearly explain the grounds for reconsideration and provide relevant supporting information. An appeal should not simply repeat arguments already considered during the original editorial assessment. The Journal will review appeals as resources permit and may seek advice from another editor or independent expert where appropriate. The outcome may be confirmation of the original decision, further assessment, or reconsideration of the manuscript where justified.
Complaints concerning editorial procedures, peer review, communication, delays, or other aspects of the Journal's operations may be submitted through the Journal's designated contact channel. Complaints will be handled as fairly and confidentially as reasonably possible. Where a complaint identifies a genuine procedural weakness, the Journal will seek to take appropriate corrective action and improve its editorial processes.
27. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Journal is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive, and equitable scholarly publishing environment.
Editorial and peer-review decisions are based on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, relevance, research integrity, and ethical standards. The Journal does not discriminate on the basis of personal characteristics, nationality, geographical location, institutional affiliation, academic status, or other characteristics unrelated to the quality and integrity of the scholarly work. All participants are expected to communicate professionally and to avoid discriminatory, harassing, threatening, or exclusionary conduct.
The Journal encourages broad participation in its editorial and reviewer communities and seeks, where practicable, to promote diversity in the composition of its Editorial Board and reviewer pool. Concerns regarding discrimination, inequitable treatment, harassment, or inappropriate conduct may be reported to the editorial office and will be addressed confidentially and appropriately.
28. Advertising, Marketing, and Sponsorship
The Journal does not currently publish advertisements or accept sponsored content that could compromise editorial independence.
If advertising, marketing, or sponsorship activities are introduced in the future, they will be managed separately from editorial decision-making and will not influence the selection, review, acceptance, rejection, or publication of scholarly content. Any future commercial arrangements will be subject to appropriate transparency and ethical safeguards.
29. Integrity of the Scholarly Record/ Post-publication Actions
The Journal is committed to maintaining an accurate, reliable, and transparent scholarly record.
Authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher share responsibility for identifying and addressing significant errors, ethical concerns, and integrity issues that may affect published content.
Where a problem is identified, the Journal will take proportionate action in accordance with the nature of the concern and applicable publication-ethics principles. Such action may include correction, Addendum, Editor's Note, Editorial Expression of Concern, retraction, removal in exceptional circumstances, or referral to an appropriate institution or authority.
The Journal will seek to ensure that post-publication actions are clearly documented and linked to the affected article so that readers can understand the status and reliability of the published record.
29.1 Corrections and Amendments
Authors have a responsibility to notify the Journal promptly if they identify a significant error in their published work that affects the accuracy, interpretation, or reliability of the article. The Journal will assess the significance of the error and determine whether a correction, Addendum, or other action is appropriate.
An Author Correction may be issued where an error originated with the authors while a Publisher Correction may be issued where an error was introduced during editorial processing, production, or publication.
Where feasible, the corrected version of the article will be linked to a clearly identified correction notice. The correction notice will describe the original error and the amendment made.
29.2 Addenda
An Addendum may be published when important additional information becomes available after publication and is necessary for the proper understanding of the article. An Addendum does not replace the original article but is linked to it and becomes part of the permanent publication record.
29.3 Editor's Notes and Editorial Expressions of Concern
An Editor's Note may be published when the Journal needs to inform readers that an inquiry or assessment concerning a published article has been initiated. An Editorial Expression of Concern (EEoC) may be published when substantial concerns have been raised regarding the reliability, integrity, or ethical basis of a published article but the investigation has not yet reached a final conclusion. An Expression of Concern does not itself establish misconduct. It alerts readers to a significant unresolved issue while the Journal or an appropriate external body continues its assessment.
Following completion of an investigation, the Journal may publish a correction, Addendum, retraction, or other appropriate notice.
29.4 Retraction
The Journal may retract an article when serious problems are identified that substantially affect its reliability, integrity, or ethical acceptability.
Grounds for retraction may include fabricated or falsified data, serious plagiarism, duplicate publication, major undisclosed errors that invalidate the conclusions, serious ethical violations, inappropriate authorship practices, or other circumstances that materially undermine the integrity of the published work. A retracted article will normally remain part of the scholarly record and will be clearly marked as “Retracted.” A retraction notice explaining the reason for the action will be linked to the original article.
Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record and ensure that readers are clearly informed that the article, or specified aspects of it, should no longer be relied upon.
29.5 Article Removal
Removal of a published article is reserved for exceptional circumstances in which continued availability of the article creates serious legal, ethical, privacy, or immediate public-health or safety risks that cannot appropriately be addressed through correction or retraction. Such circumstances may include serious infringement of legal or privacy rights, unlawful content, or a valid order from a competent court or authority.
Where an article is removed, the Journal will normally retain its bibliographic metadata and publish a notice explaining the reason for removal to the extent legally permissible.
30. Disclaimer
The Journal strives to ensure that published content meets appropriate standards of academic quality, accuracy, research integrity, and ethical publishing. However, the views, interpretations, findings, methods, and conclusions expressed in published articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Journal, its editors, Editorial Board members, or publisher.
Publication of an article does not constitute an endorsement by the Journal or publisher of the methods, products, services, organizations, or opinions discussed by the authors. Readers should exercise their own professional and scholarly judgment when evaluating or applying information published in the Journal. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Journal and its publisher are not responsible for loss, damage, or other consequences arising from the use, application, or interpretation of information contained in published articles.
