Publication Ethics

JISD Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Journal of Infrastructure and Sustainable Development (JISD) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity in scholarly publishing. JISD publishes original research articles, review papers, technical notes, and other scholarly works in the field of infrastructure and sustainable development. All submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration by any other journal.

This statement outlines the ethical responsibilities of authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, and is developed with reference to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Duties of Authors

Authors are expected to present their work honestly, accurately, and clearly. Manuscripts must contain sufficient detail, appropriate references, and original content. Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate submission, and redundant publication are considered unethical and are strictly prohibited.

Authors must properly acknowledge the work of others, disclose all relevant funding sources and conflicts of interest, and ensure that all listed authors have made significant contributions to the manuscript. Authors are also responsible for ensuring that the manuscript has been approved by all co-authors prior to submission.

If the research involves humans, animals, hazardous materials, or sensitive data, authors must clearly state this in the manuscript and provide ethical approval where required. If a significant error is discovered before or after publication, authors must promptly inform the editor and cooperate in correcting or retracting the work when necessary.

2. Duties of Editors

Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based on the scholarly merit, originality, relevance, and clarity of the manuscript. Editorial decisions must be made fairly and without discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, political belief, or other personal characteristics of the authors.

Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not use unpublished material for their own research without the author’s written consent. Editors are also responsible for managing the peer-review process fairly, transparently, and objectively by selecting qualified reviewers with relevant expertise and no conflicts of interest.

3. Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers assist editors in making editorial decisions and help authors improve the quality of their manuscripts. Reviews must be conducted objectively, professionally, and within a reasonable timeframe. Reviewers should provide clear comments supported by academic reasoning and should avoid personal criticism.

All manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not use unpublished materials for personal benefit and must declare any conflict of interest that could affect their judgment. Reviewers should also identify relevant published works not cited by the authors and report any suspicion of plagiarism or substantial similarity to other publications.

4. Publication Misconduct

Publication misconduct includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, citation manipulation, duplicate submission, and improper authorship. When misconduct is suspected, the editorial team will investigate the matter in accordance with journal policies and ethical guidelines. Manuscripts found to involve misconduct will be rejected. If misconduct is identified after publication, JISD may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

5. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission. Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately.

JISD encourages transparency in authorship and contributorship. Any dispute related to authorship may result in editorial review, rejection, or retraction where necessary.

6. Complaints and Appeals

JISD provides a mechanism for handling complaints and appeals related to editorial decisions, peer review, publication ethics, or journal management. All complaints will be evaluated fairly, carefully, and confidentially, with reference to COPE principles where appropriate.

7. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, or personal relationships that may influence their judgment. If there is no conflict of interest, this should be clearly stated in the manuscript.

8. Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants, animals, hazardous substances, confidential data, or other ethically sensitive materials must comply with applicable ethical and legal standards. Authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary ethical approvals and providing appropriate statements in the manuscript.

9. Intellectual Property

JISD respects intellectual property rights and expects all submitted works to comply with applicable copyright and publication requirements. Authors may be required to complete publication-related forms as part of the submission and publication process.