Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

The NTU Journal of Engineering and Technology (NTU-JET) is a peer-reviewed journal, and it supports all themes of a respected knowledge transfer network. The journal publication's ethics and malpractice statement are primarily based on the Code of Conduct and Best-Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors (Committee on Publication Ethics, 2011), and that includes:

  1. The responsibility of the journal editors and their duties.
  2. The relations with authors, editors, editorial board, journal publisher, and reviewers.
  3. Individual data protection.
  4. Encouraging ethical research that includes humans and animals. 
  5. Dealing with possible misconduct.
  6. Secure the academic record integrity.
  7. Intellectual property.
  8. Conflicts of interest.

NTU-JET recommends authors, reviewers, and editors to read about conflicts of interest at the end of the current page.

  • Publisher’s Responsibilities

NTU-JET follows the Committee on Publication Ethics's (COPE)’s Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers (Core practices). The publisher is dedicated to support the vast efforts of the editors, the academic contributions of authors, and the respected volunteer work undertaken by reviewers. The publisher is also responsible for ensuring that the publication system works smoothly and that ethical guidelines are applied to assist the editor, author, and reviewer in performing their ethical duties.

  • Editor’s Responsibilities

NTU-JET follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. In addition:

  • The editor will acknowledge receipt of manuscript submissions within 2 business days and ensure an efficient, fair, and timely review process.
  • All submitted manuscripts will be processed confidentially, with content only shared with the corresponding author, reviewers, and publisher as appropriate.
  • The editor will recuse themselves from handling any manuscript where they have a conflict of interest with the authors or institutions involved.
  • The editor will not disclose the names or details of reviewers to any third party without the reviewers' permission.
  • The editor has final decision-making authority on manuscript acceptance or rejection, based on factors like significance, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal.
  • The editor will not pressure authors to cite the journal as a condition of acceptance.
  • The editor will not use unpublished data or work from submitted manuscripts for their own research.
  • The editor will promptly respond to and address any ethical complaints about submitted or published papers, potentially requiring a formal retraction or correction.

 

  • Reviewer’s Responsibilities

NTU-JET follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)'s Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. In addition:

  • Reviewers should promptly notify the editor if they feel unqualified to review the assigned manuscript or cannot meet the review deadline, and recuse themselves accordingly.
  • Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest, such as personal or academic relationships with the authors, and recuse themselves from reviewing those manuscripts.
  • Reviewers must maintain strict confidentiality, not disclosing or discussing the manuscript content with anyone except as authorized by the editor.
  • Reviewers must approach the peer review objectively, avoiding personal criticism of the authors.
  • Reviewers must not use any unpublished data or work from the manuscript for their own research.
  • Reviewers must immediately inform the editor of any suspected similarities between the manuscript and other published or under-review papers.
  • Reviewers must alert the editor to any instances of plagiarism or falsified data in the manuscript under review.
  • Author’s Responsibilities

Authors submitting papers to NTU-JET must adhere to strict guidelines regarding originality and transparency. They should not concurrently submit the same manuscript to multiple journals, nor resubmit previously published work, except in limited cases like clinical guidelines or translations where certain conditions are met. When reporting their research, authors must provide a precise, objective, and impartial account, and be willing to share their raw data upon request to facilitate editorial review and public access. Crucially, authors must guarantee the originality of their work and properly cite any use of others' content to avoid plagiarism, which is considered unethical publishing behavior. Additionally, authors are required to disclose all sources of research funding and declare any conflicts of interest. They should also ensure all significant contributors are properly acknowledged as co-authors who have approved the final manuscript. If an author becomes aware of an error in their published paper, they must promptly notify the editor and cooperate in issuing a retraction or correction. Overall, NTU-JET holds its authors to high standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability throughout the publication process.

  • Conflicts of interest

Conflict of interest exists when an author (or the author’s institution), reviewer, or editor has financial or personal relationships that inappropriately influence (bias) his or her actions (such relationships are also known as “dual commitments”, “competing interests" or “competing loyalties”).

  • Editor

Editors and editorial board members are prohibited from using any unpublished information or ideas from submitted manuscripts for their own research purposes, unless they have obtained the explicit written consent of the authors. They must maintain strict confidentiality and not take advantage of privileged information gained through handling the manuscripts. Editors are required to recuse themselves from considering any manuscripts where they have conflicts of interest. This includes conflicts arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships and connections with the authors, companies, or institutions involved with the paper. In such cases, the editor will assign the manuscript to another member of the editorial board to handle. The key principles are that editors must uphold confidentiality, avoid misusing unpublished information, and manage conflicts of interest transparently by recusing themselves when necessary. This ensures the integrity of the editorial process and protects the rights and interests of the authors.

  • Reviewers

Any invited peer reviewers who have conflicts of interest related to the manuscript or its authors, companies, or institutions must immediately notify the editors. This includes conflicts arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships and connections. Reviewers with such conflicts of interest must then decline the review invitation so that alternative reviewers can be assigned. Peer reviewers are strictly prohibited from using any unpublished information or ideas disclosed in the submitted manuscripts for their own research purposes, unless they have obtained the express written consent of the authors. Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and not take advantage of the privileged information accessed during the peer review process. This duty of confidentiality and prohibition on misusing unpublished information applies even to invited reviewers who ultimately decline to review the manuscript. The integrity and fairness of the peer review process must be upheld at all times.

In summary, the key requirements for peer reviewers are to manage conflicts of interest transparently, maintain strict confidentiality, and abstain from using unpublished materials for personal gain - even if they decline the review invitation.

  • Author

Authors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest at the earliest possible stage, generally by submitting a disclosure form along with their manuscript. This disclosure should cover any circumstances that could be perceived as influencing the results or interpretation presented in the paper. Examples of potential conflicts of interest that must be disclosed include financial ones, such as honoraria, grants, participation in speakers' bureaus, employment, stock ownership, patent-licensing, or other paid arrangements. Non-financial conflicts, like personal or professional relationships, affiliations, or beliefs relevant to the subject matter, should also be disclosed.

Additionally, authors must provide full disclosure of all sources of financial support for the research work, including any grant numbers or other reference information. The key principle is that authors must be proactive in identifying and transparently reporting any circumstances, whether financial or non-financial, that could be seen as potentially influencing the objectivity of their research and findings. This disclosure allows the journal editors and readers to evaluate the work in the appropriate context.