Publication Ethics Policy

Journal of Circular Economy Innovations (JCEI)

The Journal of Circular Economy Innovations (JCEI) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics, research integrity, transparency, and responsible scholarly communication. The journal follows ethical publishing principles to ensure fairness, accountability, reliability, and trust throughout the submission, review, publication, and post-publication processes.

JCEI follows internationally recognized publication ethics principles, including the ethical practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), where applicable. All authors, reviewers, editors, and publishing partners involved in the journal’s activities are expected to maintain responsible research and publishing practices.

The journal is committed to protecting the integrity of the scholarly record through original research publication, transparent editorial decisions, confidential peer review, responsible correction of published information, and appropriate action in cases of ethical concerns or research misconduct.

1. Principles of Ethical Publishing

JCEI considers integrity, originality, transparency, accountability, fairness, confidentiality, and responsibility as fundamental principles of scholarly publishing.

The journal is committed to:

  • Publishing original, reliable, and academically valuable research contributions.
  • Ensuring independent and unbiased editorial decision-making.
  • Maintaining confidentiality during manuscript evaluation.
  • Ensuring transparency regarding authorship, funding, conflicts of interest, and research support.
  • Addressing ethical concerns and allegations of misconduct through fair investigation procedures.
  • Maintaining an accurate scholarly record through corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions whenever required.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to JCEI must ensure that their research and manuscripts comply with ethical and academic standards.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

  • The submitted manuscript represents original research and has not been published elsewhere.
  • The manuscript is not simultaneously submitted to another journal.
  • Research methods, data, analysis, and findings are reported accurately and transparently.
  • All sources, concepts, datasets, and previous research contributions are properly acknowledged.
  • All listed authors have made significant intellectual contributions to the research.
  • All authors approve the final submitted version.
  • Appropriate ethical approval and consent information are provided where required.
  • Funding sources and potential conflicts of interest are disclosed.
  • Any significant errors discovered after publication are immediately communicated to the journal.

Authors must not submit fabricated, falsified, manipulated, misleading, or unethical research findings.

3. Authorship and Contributorship Policy

Authorship should represent genuine intellectual contributions to the research and manuscript preparation.

Eligible authorship contributions may include:

  • Research conception and design.
  • Development of methodology.
  • Data collection, analysis, or interpretation.
  • Manuscript preparation or critical revision.
  • Approval of the final published manuscript.

JCEI does not permit:

  • Guest authorship.
  • Honorary authorship.
  • Ghost authorship.
  • Misrepresentation of contributor roles.

Any authorship change after submission requires written agreement from all authors and appropriate justification.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors of JCEI are responsible for maintaining academic quality, fairness, and integrity throughout the editorial process.

Editors shall:

  • Evaluate manuscripts based on academic merit, originality, relevance, and methodological quality.
  • Ensure fair decisions without discrimination based on nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, or personal relationships.
  • Maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
  • Select qualified reviewers according to subject expertise.
  • Manage conflicts of interest appropriately.
  • Investigate ethical concerns related to submitted or published manuscripts.
  • Publish corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions whenever necessary.

Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly quality and journal policies and are not influenced by commercial or external pressures.

5. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers contribute to maintaining publication quality through objective and confidential evaluation.

Reviewers should:

  • Provide unbiased and constructive evaluations.
  • Maintain confidentiality of manuscript information.
  • Identify methodological weaknesses, ethical concerns, and originality issues.
  • Declare conflicts of interest before accepting review assignments.
  • Avoid using unpublished information for personal benefit.
  • Provide clear academic justification for recommendations.

6. Plagiarism and Similarity Screening Policy

JCEI does not accept plagiarism, duplicate publication, or inappropriate reuse of published content.

Plagiarism includes:

  • Direct copying without proper acknowledgement.
  • Self-plagiarism.
  • Duplicate submission or duplicate publication.
  • Unethical reuse of figures, tables, data, or research ideas.
  • Misrepresentation of previous work.

All submitted manuscripts undergo similarity screening before final acceptance. Similarity reports are evaluated by editors considering the context, extent, and academic relevance of identified similarities.

A similarity percentage alone does not determine misconduct; editorial judgment and academic assessment are applied.

7. Research Misconduct Policy

JCEI considers the following practices as serious violations of research integrity:

  • Fabrication of data or research outcomes.
  • Falsification or manipulation of research information.
  • Unethical alteration of images, datasets, or results.
  • Citation manipulation.
  • False authorship claims.
  • Duplicate publication.
  • Misrepresentation of research findings.

8. Procedure for Handling Research Misconduct Allegations

When an ethical concern or misconduct allegation is received, JCEI follows a transparent investigation procedure:

Initial Assessment

The editorial team reviews the allegation and determines whether sufficient information exists for further investigation.

Investigation Process

The journal may:

  • Request clarification or supporting information from authors.
  • Consult reviewers, editors, or relevant experts.
  • Evaluate available evidence.
  • Maintain confidentiality throughout the investigation.

Final Decision

Based on the investigation outcome, the journal may:

  • Reject the manuscript.
  • Request corrections.
  • Publish an expression of concern.
  • Retract published articles.
  • Notify relevant institutions where appropriate.

9. Conflict of Interest Policy

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that may influence the publication process.

Editors must avoid handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists.

Reviewers must decline review assignments when impartial evaluation may be affected.

10. Funding Disclosure Policy

Authors must disclose all financial support, grants, institutional assistance, or other resources that contributed to the research.

Funding statements should clearly identify:

  • Funding organization.
  • Grant details where applicable.
  • Institutional support.
  • Role of funders in the research process.

11. Data Availability and Research Transparency

Authors should provide accurate information regarding research data availability.

Where applicable:

  • Data sources should be clearly described.
  • Ethical restrictions on data sharing should be disclosed.
  • Participant privacy must be protected.
  • Data availability statements should explain access conditions.

12. Research Ethics Approval

Research involving humans, animals, personal information, or sensitive data must comply with applicable ethical standards.

Authors should provide:

  • Ethics committee or institutional review approval details where required.
  • Informed consent information where applicable.
  • Confidentiality protection measures.

13. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Manuscript Preparation Policy

JCEI recognizes the use of artificial intelligence tools in academic workflows but requires responsible and transparent use.

Authors must ensure that:

  • AI tools are not listed as authors.
  • Authors remain responsible for accuracy and originality.
  • AI-generated information is verified before submission.
  • Confidential research information is not shared with AI systems.
  • Appropriate disclosure of AI assistance is provided where required.

14. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

JCEI maintains the accuracy and reliability of the scholarly record.

Corrections may be published when errors are identified that do not invalidate the research findings.

Expressions of concern may be issued when serious questions exist but sufficient evidence for immediate retraction is unavailable.

Articles may be retracted when evidence confirms:

  • Major research errors.
  • Fabricated or falsified data.
  • Plagiarism.
  • Duplicate publication.
  • Serious ethical violations.

Retraction notices will clearly explain the reason for retraction and remain linked with the original publication record.

15. Complaints and Appeals Policy

JCEI provides a transparent mechanism for handling complaints related to:

  • Editorial decisions.
  • Peer-review concerns.
  • Authorship disputes.
  • Ethical issues.
  • Published articles.

The journal follows the following process:

  • Complaints are acknowledged within a reasonable timeframe.
  • Initial assessment is conducted by the editorial team.
  • Additional information may be requested from concerned parties.
  • Final decisions are communicated after appropriate evaluation.

All complaints are handled confidentially and fairly.

16. Post-Publication Discussion Policy

JCEI recognizes responsible scholarly discussion after publication.

Readers may submit concerns, comments, or corrections regarding published articles through official editorial channels.

Post-publication concerns are evaluated according to established correction, investigation, and retraction procedures.

Commitment to Research Integrity

The Journal of Circular Economy Innovations (JCEI) is committed to responsible scholarly publishing through transparent policies, ethical research practices, independent editorial decisions, and protection of the integrity of the academic record.

All participants involved in the publication process share responsibility for maintaining research integrity and supporting trustworthy scholarly communication.