Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics

Journal of Civil Engineering, Environment and Architecture (JCEEA) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and research integrity. The journal follows the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and expects authors, reviewers and editors to adhere to recognised standards of responsible scholarly publishing.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy and integrity of their work. Manuscripts submitted to JCEEA must:

  • present original work that has not been published previously and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere;
  • properly acknowledge and cite the work and contributions of others;
  • accurately present research methods, data, results and conclusions;
  • disclose all sources of research funding;
  • disclose any financial, personal or professional conflicts of interest that could influence the research or its interpretation;
  • include as authors only persons who have made a substantial contribution to the work.

Plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, fabrication or falsification of data, duplicate publication, ghost authorship and guest or gift authorship are considered forms of research or publication misconduct and are not accepted by the journal.

Authors should promptly inform the Editorial Team if they discover a significant error or inaccuracy in a submitted or published article and cooperate in correcting or retracting the publication when necessary.

Authorship and Contributions

Authorship should be limited to persons who have made a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work; acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data; or preparation and critical revision of the manuscript.

All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission and publication.

Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to provide a statement describing their individual contributions to the work.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers and editors must disclose any relationships or circumstances that could constitute, or reasonably be perceived as, a conflict of interest.

Editors and members of the Editorial Board must not participate in editorial decisions concerning manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest. In such cases, responsibility for the manuscript will be assigned to another qualified editor.

Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants, personal data, or other activities requiring ethical approval must comply with applicable ethical standards and legal requirements. Where appropriate, authors should provide information on approval by the relevant ethics committee or institutional review body and on informed consent. The Editorial Team may request supporting documentation when necessary.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers should evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly and confidentially. Reviews should be based on scientific merit and provide constructive arguments supporting the reviewer's assessment.

Reviewers should:

  • accept assignments only when they have appropriate expertise;
  • maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts;
  • disclose any potential conflict of interest;
  • not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal advantage;
  • identify relevant published work that has not been appropriately acknowledged;
  • inform the Editorial Team of suspected plagiarism, data manipulation or other research misconduct.

Submitted manuscripts and their contents must not be uploaded to generative AI or AI-assisted services where this could compromise confidentiality, intellectual property or data protection.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editorial decisions are based on the scientific quality, originality, validity and relevance of manuscripts to the scope of JCEEA, without discrimination based on authors' nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, beliefs or other personal characteristics.

Editors are responsible for:

  • ensuring a fair and independent peer-review process;
  • maintaining the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts;
  • avoiding and managing conflicts of interest;
  • protecting the integrity of the scholarly record;
  • responding appropriately to allegations of research or publication misconduct;
  • taking appropriate post-publication action when justified, in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics policy and COPE guidelines..

Commercial considerations or the institutional affiliation of authors must not influence editorial decisions.

Plagiarism and Research Misconduct

JCEEA does not tolerate plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, data fabrication, data falsification, inappropriate image manipulation, duplicate publication or other forms of research misconduct.

Where misconduct is suspected, the Editorial Team will investigate the matter in accordance with relevant COPE guidance. Authors may be asked to provide explanations, source data or other documentation necessary to clarify the case.

Depending on the outcome, appropriate action may include rejection of the manuscript, publication of a Correction, retraction of a published article or other appropriate post-publication action and, where justified, notification of the authors' institution or other relevant bodies.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence and AI-assisted tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot take responsibility for the content of a scholarly work.

Generative AI or AI-assisted tools must not be cited as primary sources of scientific information.

Authors who use generative AI or AI-assisted tools in preparing a manuscript should disclose their use when such tools have materially contributed to the content of the manuscript. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity and appropriate attribution of all submitted content.

AI or AI-assisted tools must not be used to fabricate, falsify or manipulate research data or results.

Editors and reviewers must not upload submitted manuscripts or confidential information from the editorial or peer-review process to generative AI systems where doing so could compromise confidentiality, copyright, intellectual property or personal data.

Research Data and Reproducibility

Authors are expected to retain the data underlying their published research and, where appropriate and legally permissible, make them available to support verification and reproducibility of the reported results.

Where research data cannot be shared because of confidentiality, legal, ethical or contractual restrictions, authors should state the reason.

Post-publication Discussion

JCEEA welcomes scientifically substantiated comments and concerns regarding articles published in the journal. Such matters may be submitted to the Editorial Team. The Editorial Team will assess the concerns raised and, where appropriate, contact the authors and take further action in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics policy and COPE guidelines.

Corrections and Retractions

When an error is identified in a published article that affects its content or interpretation but does not invalidate its main findings, JCEEA may publish a Correction linked to the original article. The Correction will clearly identify the article concerned and describe the nature of the correction.

In cases of serious errors or concerns regarding the integrity or reliability of published work, the journal may issue a retraction or take other appropriate action in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Reporting Ethical Concerns

Concerns regarding suspected publication misconduct, conflicts of interest, plagiarism, authorship disputes or other ethical issues related to submitted or published articles should be reported to the Editor-in-Chief or the Editorial Team.

All allegations will be considered carefully and handled in accordance with relevant guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Further information on publication ethics and COPE guidance is available from the Committee on Publication Ethics.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a reasoned request to the Editor-in-Chief. The appeal should clearly indicate the grounds for reconsideration and, where appropriate, address the comments provided during the editorial or peer-review process. Appeals are considered by the Editor-in-Chief or, in cases involving a potential conflict of interest, by another member of the Editorial Team who was not involved in the original decision.

Complaints concerning the journal's editorial process, policies, or publication ethics may be submitted to the Editorial Team. All complaints and appeals are handled fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with COPE guidelines.