Publication Ethics Policy
1. Commitment to Publication Ethics and Research Integrity
2. Scope
3. Core Principles of Publication Ethics
4. Authors' Ethical Responsibilities
5. Editors' Ethical Responsibilities
6. Reviewers' Ethical Responsibilities
7. Publisher's Ethical Responsibilities
8. Policies for Research and Publication Misconduct
9. Reporting Suspected Misconduct
10. Investigations, Corrections, Retractions, and Policy Review
11. Post-Publication Discussions
1. Commitment to Publication Ethics and Research Integrity
Journal of Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics, and Jurisprudence (JCDFJ), published by United Scholars Publishing, is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, research integrity, editorial independence, and responsible scholarly communication. The Journal promotes the publication of original, accurate, transparent, and ethically conducted research addressing cybersecurity, digital forensics, cybercrime, digital evidence, law, jurisprudence, privacy, data protection, technology regulation, and related interdisciplinary fields.
JCDFJ expects all authors, editors, reviewers, and other participants in the publication process to uphold principles of honesty, accountability, fairness, transparency, confidentiality, and respect for intellectual property
The Journal follows recognized international principles and best practices in scholarly publishing and takes appropriate measures to identify, investigate, and address concerns relating to research or publication ethics. Editorial decisions are based on the scholarly quality, originality, relevance, and integrity of submitted work and are made independently of commercial, financial, institutional, or personal interests..
Through these principles, JCDFJ aims to maintain the trust of authors, reviewers, readers, researchers, and the wider academic community while ensuring that its published content meets high standards of scholarly integrity and professional responsibility.
2. Scope
This Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to JCDFJ and governs the conduct of:
Authors and co-authors;
Corresponding authors;
Editors, including the Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor, Associate Editors, and Guest Editors;
Editorial Board members;
Peer reviewers;
The publisher and editorial office; and
Any other individual involved in the editorial, peer-review, or publication process.
Compliance with this policy is a condition of manuscript submission, editorial appointment, peer review, and publication.
3. Core Principles of Publication Ethics
The Journal is guided by the following fundamental principles.
3.1 Honesty and Accuracy
Research findings must be reported honestly, accurately, and completely. Authors should present their methods, analyses, results, and conclusions without fabrication, falsification, selective reporting, misleading statistical analyses, or inappropriate manipulation of images, documents, or other research materials.
3.2 Originality
Manuscripts submitted to the Journal must represent original scholarly work that has not been published previously or submitted simultaneously to another publication, except where special permission for disclosure of preprints has been obtained from the EiC. Authors must appropriately acknowledge the ideas, data, and intellectual contributions of others through accurate citation and referencing.
3.3 Transparency
Authors should disclose all information necessary for readers to assess the reliability and integrity of the research, including funding sources, competing interests, ethical approvals, data availability, use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technologies, and any limitations that may affect interpretation of the findings.
3.4 Accountability
All participants in the publication process share responsibility for protecting the integrity of the scholarly record and are expected to cooperate fully in addressing concerns relating to research integrity or publication ethics.
3.5 Fairness and Objectivity
Editorial decisions and peer-review evaluations shall be based solely on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the Journal's scope. The Journal does not discriminate on the basis of nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, religion, political beliefs, institutional affiliation, career stage, or any other characteristic unrelated to academic quality.
3.6 Confidentiality
Confidential information obtained during manuscript submission, peer review, or editorial handling shall be protected and used exclusively for legitimate editorial purposes. Editors and reviewers must not disclose, distribute, or use unpublished material for personal, professional, or commercial advantage.
3.7 Research Integrity
The Journal promotes responsible research conduct and expects all published work to comply with accepted ethical, scientific, legal, and professional standards relevant to the fields of illicit trade, financial crime, compliance, governance, criminology, law, public policy, economics, and related disciplines.
4. Authors' Ethical Responsibilities
Authors bear primary responsibility for ensuring the integrity, originality, accuracy, and ethical conduct of the research they submit. Submission of a manuscript confirms that all authors have read, approved, and agreed to the submitted version and accept responsibility for its content.
4.1 Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must submit original work that has not been plagiarized or improperly derived from previously published material. Plagiarism includes verbatim copying, close paraphrasing, mosaic plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or the unauthorized use of another person's ideas, data, figures, tables, images, or other intellectual property without appropriate acknowledgment.
All submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism-detection software before peer review and at any stage of the editorial process. Evidence of substantial plagiarism may result in rejection of the manuscript, withdrawal of an accepted article, or retraction following publication.
4.2 Research Integrity and Data Accuracy
Authors must ensure that all research data, documentary evidence, case analyses, financial information, statistical results, figures, tables, images, and other materials accurately represent the research undertaken.
The Journal strictly prohibits:
fabrication of research data or evidence;
falsification or manipulation of data or research findings;
selective omission of material findings;
misleading statistical analyses;
inappropriate alteration of figures, documents, or images; and
any practice intended to misrepresent the results or conclusions of the research.
Authors should retain original research records and supporting documentation and make them available to the Journal upon reasonable request where verification of published findings is necessary.
4.3 Ethical Approval
Research involving human participants, interviews, surveys, questionnaires, behavioural studies, case studies containing identifiable personal information, or any other research requiring ethical oversight must have received approval from an appropriate Research Ethics Committee, Institutional Review Board (IRB), or equivalent ethics authority before the commencement of the research, where such approval is required.
The manuscript should identify the approving authority, clearly state that the approval was appropriately obtained and provide the ethics approval reference number where applicable. Where ethical approval was not required, authors should clearly explain the basis for exemption.
4.4 Informed Consent
Authors conducting research involving human participants must confirm that informed consent was obtained before participation in the study.
Personally identifiable information should not be published unless explicit written permission has been obtained. Where participants are minors or otherwise unable to provide legally valid consent, authorization should be obtained from a parent, guardian, or legally authorized representative.
If an ethics committee has formally waived the requirement for informed consent, this should be clearly stated in the manuscript.
4.5 Duplicate and Redundant Publication
Manuscripts submitted to the Journal must not have been published previously or be under consideration by another journal or publisher in any language, except where disclosure of preprints is specially permitted under the Journal's policies.
Authors should not submit substantially similar manuscripts to multiple journals or divide a single research project into multiple publications (Salami Publication) solely to increase publication output. Any overlap with previously published or concurrently submitted work must be fully disclosed during submission.
4.6 Policy on Salami Publication (Salami Slicing)
JCDFJ does not accept salami publication (salami slicing), the practice of inappropriately dividing a single research study into multiple manuscripts with overlapping data, methods, or findings to increase publication output.
Each submitted manuscript must represent a distinct, original, and scientifically meaningful contribution. Authors must disclose any closely related or overlapping publications or submissions and provide appropriate cross-references where applicable.
Suspected cases of salami publication will be assessed in accordance with COPE guidelines. Manuscripts found to involve unjustified fragmentation or redundant publication may be rejected, and published articles may be corrected or retracted when warranted.
4.7 Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the conception or design of the research, acquisition or analysis of data, interpretation of findings, drafting or critical revision of the manuscript, and approval of the final version.
The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all eligible contributors are appropriately listed as authors, their contribution mentioned in the submitted manuscript and that all authors have approved the submitted manuscript.
Individuals whose contributions do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately with their permission.
Guest authorship, honorary authorship, gift authorship, and ghost authorship are unacceptable and constitute publication misconduct.
4.8 Acknowledgements and Permissions
Authors should acknowledge individuals, institutions, organizations, funding bodies, and other contributors whose assistance does not qualify for authorship.
Where copyrighted materials—including figures, tables, photographs, maps, questionnaires, or other content—are reproduced or adapted from third-party sources, authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions before publication and providing appropriate acknowledgment.
4.9 Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose all financial, professional, institutional, personal, legal, or other relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the conduct, interpretation, or reporting of the research.
Where no competing interests exist, authors should include a statement declaring that they have no competing interests.
4.10 Respectful and Responsible Scholarly Communication
Authors should use objective, respectful, and inclusive language throughout their manuscripts. Descriptions relating to individuals, communities, organizations, or jurisdictions should be relevant to the research and free from discriminatory, defamatory, inflammatory, or prejudicial language.
4.11 Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted technologies must comply with the Journal's Artificial Intelligence Policy.
Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, legal compliance, interpretation, and scholarly quality of all submitted content, irrespective of any AI assistance used during manuscript preparation.
Artificial intelligence systems or generative AI tools shall not be listed as authors. Any substantive use of AI-assisted technologies must be disclosed transparently within the manuscript.
4.12 Reporting Errors after Publication
Authors have a continuing responsibility to maintain the accuracy of the scholarly record. If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in a published article, the corresponding author should promptly notify the Journal and cooperate fully with the editorial office in correcting the record.
Where appropriate, JCDFJ may publish a correction, corrigendum, expression of concern, or retraction in accordance with its Post-Publication Policies.
5. Editors' Ethical Responsibilities
Editors play a fundamental role in safeguarding the integrity, quality, fairness, and credibility of the Journal's publication process. The Editor-in-Chief, Guest Editors, and other editors entrusted with editorial responsibilities are expected to conduct their duties with professionalism, impartiality, transparency, and accountability while adhering to the highest standards of publication ethics.
5.1 Editorial Independence
At JCDFJ editors shall exercise complete editorial independence in evaluating and making decisions on submitted manuscripts. Editorial decisions shall be based exclusively on the scholarly merit of the manuscript, including its originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, scientific or professional contribution, clarity of presentation, and relevance to the aims and scope of the Journal.
Editorial decisions shall not be influenced by commercial interests, advertising, sponsorship, publication fees, institutional affiliations, political considerations, or personal relationships.
The Editor-in-Chief has ultimate responsibility for all editorial decisions and for maintaining the academic integrity and independence of the Journal.
5.2 Fairness, Impartiality and Decision-Making
Editors shall evaluate all manuscripts objectively ,fairly and scientifically rigorously without discrimination based on nationality; ethnicity; race; gender; religion; political or ideological beliefs; disability; age; institutional affiliation; geographic location; career stage; or any other characteristic unrelated to academic quality. All editors of JCDFJ are required to take their decisions based solely on scholarly excellence and relevance to the Journal, originality; significance and contribution to the field; methodological rigor; legal and ethical compliance; clarity and quality of presentation; validity of the findings. Reviewer recommendations are advisory while editors retain independent responsibility for all publication decisions. Where reviewer opinions differ substantially, editors may invite additional reviewers before reaching a final decision.
5.3 Confidentiality
Editors must maintain strict confidentiality throughout the editorial and peer-review process.
Editors shall not disclose information regarding submitted manuscripts to anyone other than individuals directly involved in the editorial process, including the authors; assigned reviewers; editorial staff; and the publisher where necessary.
Unpublished manuscripts, research data, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and confidential information must never be used for personal research, financial benefit, academic advantage, or commercial purposes. This obligation of confidentiality continues after the editorial process has concluded.
5.4 Peer Review Oversight
Editors are responsible for ensuring that the peer-review process is conducted fairly, objectively, confidentially, and efficiently.
Editors shall:
select reviewers with appropriate subject expertise;
avoid assigning reviewers with known conflicts of interest;
monitor the quality and timeliness of reviewer reports;
ensure that reviewer comments remain respectful and constructive;
safeguard the anonymity of the double-blind peer-review process;
seek additional reviews where necessary; and
make editorial decisions based on the totality of available evidence.
5.5 Conflicts of Interest
Editors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that may influence—or reasonably appear to influence—their editorial judgment.
Conflicts may include financial interests, employment, consultancy, institutional affiliations, research collaborations, personal relationships, legal involvement, academic competition, or any other circumstance that may compromise impartiality.
Editors with a conflict of interest shall immediately recuse themselves from handling the manuscript. In such cases, responsibility for editorial management shall be assigned to another qualified editor designated by the Editor-in-Chief.
5.6 Allegations of Research Misconduct
Editors are responsible for responding promptly and appropriately to allegations or evidence of research or publication misconduct. Potential concerns include, but are not limited to:
plagiarism;
duplicate or redundant publication;
data fabrication/falsification;
image manipulation;
citation manipulation;
authorship disputes;
undisclosed conflicts of interest;
unethical research practices;
peer-review manipulation;
paper mill activity;
falsified ethical approvals; and
any other breach of publication ethics.
Editors shall conduct preliminary assessments confidentially and fairly and, where necessary, seek clarification from the authors or their institutions. Investigations shall be conducted in accordance with the Journal's policies and internationally recognized publication ethics guidance.
5.7 Corrections to the Scholarly Record
Editors are responsible for maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the published literature. Where necessary, editors shall initiate appropriate corrective actions, including corrections; expressions of concern; retractions; or article withdrawal before publication, depending upon the nature and severity of the issue identified.
Any post-publication action shall be transparent, appropriately documented, and permanently linked to the original publication where applicable.
5.8 Editorial Conduct
Editors shall demonstrate professionalism, courtesy, integrity, and respect in all interactions with authors, reviewers, Editorial Board members, and readers.
Editors should communicate editorial decisions clearly and respectfully; avoid abusive or inappropriate language; provide timely responses; maintain professional independence; protect confidential information; and promote an inclusive and respectful scholarly environment.
5.9 Editors as Authors
Editors, Editorial Board members, and Guest Editors may submit manuscripts to the Journal. However, to preserve editorial independence and avoid competing interests:
editors shall have no involvement whatsoever in the editorial handling of their own submissions;
the manuscript shall be assigned to an independent editor with no competing interests;
peer review shall be conducted under the Journal's standard double-blind review process;
the submitting editor shall have no access to reviewer identities, reviewer reports prior to editorial release, or editorial decision-making; and
all editorial decisions shall be made independently.
5.10 Guest Editors
Guest Editors are expected to adhere to the same ethical standards as permanent editors. They shall:
oversee Special Issue submissions fairly and objectively;
ensure that all manuscripts undergo the Journal's standard peer-review process;
avoid conflicts of interest;
maintain confidentiality;
recommend editorial decisions based solely on scholarly merit; and
consult the Editor-in-Chief whenever ethical concerns arise.
Where Guest Editors submit manuscripts to the Special Issue they are editing, those manuscripts shall be handled independently by another editor appointed by the Editor-in-Chief.
5.11 Use of Artificial Intelligence by Editors
Editors must not upload confidential manuscripts, reviewer reports, unpublished research data, or any proprietary information to publicly accessible artificial intelligence platforms or generative AI systems that may retain, store, or use submitted content for model training or other purposes.
Artificial intelligence may be used only for limited administrative or language-support purposes where manuscript confidentiality, intellectual property, and editorial independence are fully protected. Editors remain solely responsible for every editorial decision and shall not delegate editorial judgment, manuscript evaluation, peer-review assessment, or publication decisions to artificial intelligence systems. Generative AI tools shall not be used to prepare editorial decision letters or to evaluate the scientific merit of unpublished manuscripts without substantive human editorial oversight and verification.
5.12 Duty to Promote Research Integrity
Editors share collective responsibility for protecting the integrity of the scholarly record. They shall actively promote:
ethical research practices;
responsible authorship;
transparency in reporting;
rigorous peer review;
editorial independence;
compliance with publication ethics;
correction of the scholarly record where necessary; and
continuous improvement of editorial standards in accordance with internationally recognized best practices.
6. Reviewers' Ethical Responsibilities
Peer reviewers play a vital role in maintaining the scholarly quality, credibility, and integrity of the Journal. Through objective and constructive evaluation, reviewers assist editors in making informed editorial decisions and help authors improve the quality, clarity, and scientific value of their manuscripts. Reviewers are expected to conduct all reviews professionally, objectively, confidentially, and in accordance with internationally recognized standards of publication ethics.
6.1 Acceptance of Review Assignments
Reviewers should accept invitations to review only when:
they possess appropriate expertise relevant to the manuscript;
they are able to provide an objective and impartial assessment;
they have sufficient time to complete the review within the requested timeframe; and
they have no actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.
If reviewers are unable to complete the review or believe that they lack the necessary expertise, they should promptly decline the invitation so that an alternative reviewer may be appointed.
6.2 Confidentiality
All manuscripts received for peer review are confidential documents. Reviewers shall:
treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential;
not share manuscripts or supplementary materials with unauthorized individuals;
not disclose or discuss the manuscript with others without prior permission from the editor;
not use unpublished information for personal, academic, financial, legal, or commercial advantage; and
securely dispose of manuscript files after completing the review, unless instructed otherwise by the Journal.
The obligation of confidentiality continues even after the review process has concluded.
6.3 Objectivity and Constructive Evaluation
Reviewer reports should be objective, balanced, evidence-based, and constructive. Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts with respect to originality and novelty; significance and contribution to the field; methodological rigor; legal and ethical compliance; validity and reliability of findings;
clarity of presentation; quality of analysis and interpretation; relevance to the aims and scope of the Journal; and appropriateness of references and supporting evidence.
Criticism should be directed toward the scholarly content of the manuscript rather than the authors personally. Reviewers should provide sufficient explanation to support their recommendations.
6.4 Identification of Ethical Concerns
Reviewers should remain alert to potential concerns relating to publication ethics and research integrity. They should promptly notify the handling editor if they identify or reasonably suspect plagiarism; duplicate or redundant publication; fabricated or falsified data; image or document manipulation; citation manipulation; paper mill activity; authorship concerns; unethical research involving human participants; undisclosed conflicts of interest; misuse of confidential information; or any other form of research or publication misconduct.
Reviewers should not conduct independent investigations but should communicate their concerns confidentially to the editor.
6.5 Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest before accepting a review assignment. Conflicts may arise from:
recent collaboration with the authors;
institutional affiliation;
financial relationships;
consultancy;
legal involvement;
academic competition;
personal relationships; or
any circumstance that could reasonably affect impartiality.
Where such conflicts exist, reviewers should inform the Handling editor who will then decide to maintain or change the reviewer based on the nature and severity of competing interest.
6.6 Citation Recommendations
Reviewers may recommend additional references only where they are directly relevant and genuinely improve the scholarly quality, completeness, or contextual understanding of the manuscript. Reviewers must not request citations solely to increase their personal citation counts; benefit colleagues or institutions; influence journal metrics; or promote unnecessary self-citation. Citation recommendations should always be academically justified.
6.7 Timeliness
Reviewers are expected to complete their reviews within the agreed timeframe. If unforeseen circumstances prevent timely completion, reviewers should inform the editorial office promptly so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
6.8 Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Because submitted manuscripts contain confidential and unpublished scholarly work, reviewers must not upload manuscripts or any part of their contents to publicly accessible generative artificial intelligence systems or other AI platforms that may retain, process, or use submitted material for model training or other purposes. Limited use of AI-assisted tools for language editing or administrative support may be acceptable only where manuscript confidentiality, intellectual property, and data security are fully protected.
Reviewers remain entirely responsible for the content, accuracy, independence, and scholarly judgment reflected in their review reports. Review reports generated primarily by artificial intelligence or submitted without meaningful human evaluation are not acceptable and may be disregarded by the Journal.
6.9 Professional Conduct
Reviewers should maintain the highest standards of professionalism throughout the review process. They should:
communicate respectfully;
avoid discriminatory or inappropriate language;
provide fair and unbiased recommendations;
preserve confidentiality; and
support the integrity and quality of scholarly publishing.
Reviewer recommendations are advisory only. Final publication decisions remain the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief or the designated handling editor.
7. Publisher's Ethical Responsibilities
The publisher, United Scholars Publishing, is committed to supporting responsible scholarly publishing and maintaining the highest standards of editorial independence, publication ethics, transparency, and research integrity.
The United Scholars Publishing works collaboratively with the Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board, reviewers, and authors of JCDFJ to ensure that the Journal operates according to internationally recognized publishing standards.
7.1 Editorial Independence
United Scholars Publishing respects the complete editorial independence of its journals. Editorial decisions regarding manuscript acceptance, rejection, correction, or retraction are made solely by the Editor-in-Chief and designated editors based on scholarly merit and ethical considerations without any influence of commercial interests, advertising, sponsorship, publication fees, institutional affiliations, or financial considerations.
7.2 Support for Ethical Publishing and Transparency
United Scholars Publishing is committed to maintain clear publication ethics policies; support editors in resolving ethical concerns; facilitate investigations of research misconduct; cooperate with authors, institutions, and editors where necessary; implement corrective actions when appropriate; and promote responsible research and publication practices.
United Scholars Publishing is also devoted to maintaining transparency regarding journal ownership; editorial governance; peer-review procedures; publication policies; Article Processing Charges (where applicable); copyright and licensing; open-access policies; archiving arrangements; and digital preservation. All relevant policies are publicly accessible through the Journal's website.
7.3 Confidentiality
United Scholars Publishing ensures that confidential information relating to manuscript submissions, peer review, editorial correspondence, reviewer identities, and unpublished research is protected throughout the publication process. Personal information is handled responsibly and used only for legitimate publishing purposes.
7.4 Integrity of the Scholarly Record
United Scholars Publishing supports the long-term preservation, accessibility, and integrity of published research. Where appropriate, the United Scholars Publishing shall work with the Editor-in-Chief to publish: corrections (Errata -for publisher-introduced errors, Corrigenda – for author-introduced errors, Addenda – for important supplementary information that does not correct an error.); expressions of concern; and article retractions; in order to maintain an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record.
7.5 Publication Quality
United Scholars Publishing provides the editorial, technical, and production support necessary to ensure:
rigorous editorial management; efficient manuscript processing; high-quality copyediting and proofreading; DOI registration; accurate metadata; digital archiving; indexing support; and timely publication of accepted articles.
7.6 Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence
United Scholars Publishing ensures that artificial intelligence technologies are used responsibly in editorial and production workflows. AI systems shall not replace independent editorial judgment or decision-making. The Publisher implements appropriate safeguards to protect confidential manuscripts, reviewer reports, personal information, and intellectual property from unauthorized disclosure through AI systems.
7.7 Commitment to Continuous Improvement
United Scholars Publishing is committed to continuously reviewing and improving editorial policies, ethical standards, publishing practices, and technological infrastructure in response to developments in scholarly communication and internationally recognized best practices. The Publisher cooperates fully with editors, reviewers, authors, institutions, and relevant organizations to promote integrity, transparency, accountability, and public confidence in scholarly publishing.
8. Policies for Research and Publication Misconduct
Commitment to Research Integrity
Community Dynamics: an international and interdisciplinary Journal(JCDFJ) is committed to preserving the integrity, credibility, and reliability of the scholarly record. The Journal expects all participants in the publication process to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, transparency, accountability, and responsible research conduct. As research and publication misconduct undermines scientific progress, public trust, and academic integrity, JCDFJ takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and investigates them in accordance with its editorial policies and internationally recognized best practices. Where appropriate, the Journal follows the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other internationally accepted ethical frameworks when assessing allegations and determining appropriate corrective actions.
8.1 Forms of Research and Publication Misconduct
The following practices constitute research or publication misconduct. The examples listed below are illustrative and are not exhaustive.
8.1.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's words, ideas, data, methods, analyses, images, figures, tables, or other intellectual contributions as one's own without proper acknowledgment.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
- verbatim copying without quotation or citation;
- close paraphrasing without attribution;
- mosaic plagiarism;
- appropriation of research ideas;
- unauthorized reproduction of figures, tables, or images;
- translation plagiarism;
- source concealment; and
- submission of another person's work under one's own authorship.
All submissions may be screened using plagiarism-detection software before or after peer review and, where necessary, after publication.
8.1.2 Self-Plagiarism and Redundant Publication
Authors of JCDFJ should not substantially reuse their own previously published work without proper citation, justification, and transparency. Examples of this include duplicate publication; redundant publication; salami publication; recycling of text, data, figures, or analyses without disclosure; and simultaneous submission of substantially similar manuscripts to multiple journals. Any overlap with previously published work must be disclosed at the time of submission.
8.1.3 Data Fabrication and Falsification
Data Fabrication refers to the intentional creation or invention of research data, evidence, observations, interviews, case studies, documents, or results that were never actually obtained or conducted. Fabrication represents a serious breach of research integrity and may result in manuscript rejection, article retraction, and notification of the relevant institutions by JCDFJ where appropriate.
Data Falsification involves manipulating research materials, equipment, processes, analyses, or data in ways that intentionally misrepresent research findings. Examples of such practices include altering datasets; selective omission of observations; manipulating statistical analyses; changing dates or records; modifying documentary evidence; altering financial records used in research; changing research outcomes; or presenting misleading interpretations that are unsupported by the underlying evidence.
8.1.4 Image and Document Manipulation
Authors submitting their manuscript to JCDFJ are not permitted to manipulate photographs, figures, diagrams, charts, scanned documents, forensic evidence, maps, or other visual materials in ways that misrepresent the underlying research. Adjustments made for clarity must not alter the scientific meaning or evidential value of the material. Any digitally enhanced images should accurately represent the original data.
8.1.5 Citation Manipulation
References should be included solely on the basis of their academic relevance. JCDFJ considers the following practices unethical:
- excessive self-citation;
- coercive citation requested by editors or reviewers without scholarly justification;
- citation cartels(A coordinated arrangement between two or more individuals, journals, or groups to artificially increase citation counts by systematically citing each other's work);
- citation stacking (The practice of excessively citing articles from a particular journal, author, or group to inflate citation metrics.);
- inclusion of irrelevant references solely to influence citation metrics; and
- deliberate omission of important relevant literature.
Editors and reviewers of JCDFJ will not request citations primarily for personal benefit or to improve journal metrics.
8.1.6 Authorship Misconduct
All listed authors must satisfy the Journal's authorship criteria. Practices of gift or honorary authorship; guest authorship; ghost authorship; omission of eligible contributors; unauthorized inclusion of individuals as authors; misrepresentation of author contributions; and submission without the knowledge or consent of all listed authors, constitute authorship misconduct. Any changes to authorship after submission must comply with the Journal's Authorship Policy and require written agreement from all authors.
8.1.7 Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest
Failure to disclose financial, professional, institutional, personal, legal, political, or other competing interests that could reasonably influence the research, peer review, or editorial decision-making process constitutes unethical conduct. All manuscripts should include a statement declaring presence or absence of any conflict of interest. JCDFJ may request additional disclosures whenever necessary.
8.1.8 Ethical Approval and Human Participant Violations
Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional requirements. Misconduct in this regard includes:
conducting research without required ethics approval;
falsifying ethics approval documentation;
failure to obtain informed consent where required;
exposing participants to unnecessary risk;
publishing identifiable participant information without appropriate authorization; and
misrepresenting ethical oversight within the manuscript.
8.1.9 Peer Review Manipulation
JCDFJ understands that the integrity of peer review is fundamental to scholarly publishing. The Journal considers the following practices to constitute serious misconduct:
submission of fabricated reviewer identities;
use of false reviewer email addresses;
reviewer impersonation;
coordinated manipulation of reviewer recommendations;
interference with editorial decisions;
undisclosed reviewer conflicts of interest;
unauthorized disclosure of confidential manuscripts; and
attempts to influence reviewers or editors improperly.
Any evidence of peer-review manipulation may result in immediate rejection or retraction.
8.1.10 Paper Mills and Fraudulent Research
JCDFJ does not tolerate submissions originating from paper mills or involving fraudulent research practices. Indicators may include: fabricated authorship, datasets, references; falsified affiliations; manipulated peer review; purchased manuscripts; or coordinated publication fraud. Where evidence suggests organized publication fraud, JCDFJ may notify relevant institutions, publishers, or other appropriate authorities.
8.1.11 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Misuse
Artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies must be used responsibly and transparently. The following practices are considered unacceptable:
listing AI systems as authors;
generating fabricated data, references, citations, legal authorities, or research findings using AI;
using AI to produce misleading analyses or interpretations;
submitting AI-generated content without appropriate human verification;
failing to disclose substantive AI assistance where disclosure is required under the Journal's AI Policy; and
using AI to manipulate or compromise the peer-review or editorial process.
Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, legality, and integrity of all submitted work, regardless of any AI assistance used during manuscript preparation. Similarly, reviewers and editors are solely responsible for their comments, recommendations and decisions respectively.
8.1.12 Defamation, Harassment, and Unethical Scholarly Conduct
JCDFJ expects all participants in the publication process to engage respectfully and professionally. Defamatory statements; discriminatory or hateful language; harassment or intimidation; malicious accusations without evidence; abuse directed toward editors, reviewers, authors, or readers; and any behavior that undermines the integrity of scholarly communication are unacceptable conducts at JCDFJ.
8.1.13 Other Forms of Misconduct
Other practices that may constitute publication misconduct at JCDFJ include, but are not limited to:
falsification of author affiliations or credentials;
falsification of funding information;
misuse of confidential information obtained through peer review;
deliberate obstruction of misconduct investigations;
breach of copyright or licensing obligations;
submission of forged documents;
violation of legal or regulatory requirements applicable to the reported research; and
any conduct that intentionally compromises the integrity of the scholarly record.
9. Reporting Suspected Misconduct
Allegations of research or publication misconduct may be raised by authors, reviewers, editors, readers, institutions, publishers, or other interested parties. Individuals reporting suspected misconduct are encouraged to provide sufficient supporting evidence to enable an appropriate assessment. JCDFJ will treat all allegations confidentially, fairly, and impartially and will not discriminate against individuals who raise concerns in good faith. Submission of an allegation does not automatically imply that misconduct has occurred. All concerns will be evaluated objectively before any decision is made.
10. Investigations, Corrections, Retractions, and Policy Review
10.1 Investigation of Ethical Concerns
JCDFJ takes all ethical concerns and allegations of research or publication misconduct seriously. Concerns may be raised by authors, reviewers, editors, readers, institutions, or other stakeholders.
All allegations will be assessed fairly, confidentially, and impartially. Where necessary, the Journal may request explanations or supporting documentation from the authors or consult relevant institutions before reaching a decision. Investigations will be conducted in accordance with the Journal's policies and, where appropriate, internationally recognized publication ethics guidance. Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, the editors of JCDFJ may take one or more of the following actions:
request clarification or additional information from the authors;
require revision or correction of the manuscript;
reject the manuscript;
suspend editorial processing while an investigation is ongoing;
publish a correction, corrigendum, or erratum;
issue an Expression of Concern;
retract a published article; or
notify the authors' institution or other appropriate authorities where serious misconduct has been established.
All editorial actions shall be proportionate, evidence-based, and intended to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.
10.2 Corrections and Retractions
JCDFJ is committed to maintaining an accurate and reliable scholarly record. Where errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the Journal may publish:
Correction (Erratum/Corrigendum): for errors that do not invalidate the main findings of the article.
Expression of Concern: where serious concerns exist but an investigation has not yet been concluded.
Retraction: where findings are unreliable because of misconduct, major error, duplicate publication, plagiarism, or other serious ethical violations. Retraction notices will remain permanently linked to the original article to ensure transparency and preserve the publication record.
10.3 Policy Review
This Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy is reviewed periodically to ensure continued alignment with internationally recognized standards, developments in scholarly publishing, and evolving best practices in publication ethics and research integrity. Revisions may be made as necessary to strengthen the Journal's commitment to ethical, transparent, and responsible scholarly publishing.
11. Post-Publication Discussions
JCDFJ welcomes legitimate post-publication comments or concerns regarding published articles. Substantive concerns relating to the accuracy, integrity, or ethical conduct of published research will be evaluated and, where appropriate, may result in editorial action or authors’ reply in accordance with this policy.
