Publication Ethics

Journal of Sustainable Smart Technologies (JSST)

Commitment to Ethical Publishing

The Journal of Sustainable Smart Technologies (JSST) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, transparency, integrity, and responsible research practices. The journal follows internationally recognized ethical guidelines and promotes honesty, accountability, fairness, and academic excellence throughout the publication process.

JSST expects editors, authors, reviewers, and publishers to adhere to ethical principles that ensure the quality, reliability, and credibility of published research.

Ethical Standards

JSST is committed to:

  • Maintaining academic integrity and research excellence.
  • Ensuring transparency throughout the publication process.
  • Preventing plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and unethical research practices.
  • Supporting fair and unbiased peer review.
  • Promoting responsible authorship and publication practices.
  • Protecting intellectual property rights.
  • Upholding confidentiality and professional conduct.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to JSST must ensure that:

Originality

Submitted work must be original and must not have been published previously or be under consideration by another journal.

Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that manuscripts are free from plagiarism. All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection software.

The journal generally expects similarity levels to remain within acceptable academic limits. Manuscripts exhibiting significant plagiarism may be rejected without review.

Data Integrity

Authors must present accurate data and research findings. Fabrication, falsification, manipulation, or selective reporting of data is considered unethical.

Multiple Submissions

Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals is prohibited.

Authorship

Only individuals who have made significant intellectual contributions to the research should be listed as authors.

All authors must:

  • Approve the final manuscript.
  • Agree to its submission.
  • Accept responsibility for the content.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that may influence the research findings.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Authors must appropriately cite all relevant sources and acknowledge contributions from individuals, institutions, and funding agencies.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play a critical role in maintaining publication quality.

Reviewers are expected to:

Confidentiality

Treat all manuscripts as confidential documents.

Objectivity

Provide fair, constructive, unbiased, and evidence-based evaluations.

Timeliness

Complete reviews within the stipulated review period and promptly notify editors if unable to do so.

Conflict of Interest

Decline review assignments when conflicts of interest exist.

Identification of Ethical Issues

Report suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, unethical practices, or significant overlap with previously published work.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair and transparent editorial process.

Editors shall:

Editorial Independence

Make publication decisions solely on the basis of scholarly merit, originality, relevance, and scientific quality.

Fair Evaluation

Evaluate manuscripts without discrimination regarding nationality, ethnicity, gender, institutional affiliation, religion, or political beliefs.

Confidentiality

Protect the confidentiality of authors, reviewers, and submitted manuscripts.

Conflict of Interest

Recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.

Ethical Oversight

Investigate allegations of misconduct and take appropriate corrective actions when necessary.

Peer Review Policy

JSST follows a Double-Blind Peer Review Process.

Under this process:

  • Authors remain anonymous to reviewers.
  • Reviewers remain anonymous to authors.
  • Manuscripts are evaluated by at least two independent experts.
  • Editorial decisions are based on reviewer recommendations and editorial assessment.

Possible decisions include:

  • Accept
  • Minor Revision
  • Major Revision
  • Reject

Research Misconduct

The journal considers the following as research misconduct:

  • Plagiarism
  • Self-plagiarism
  • Data fabrication
  • Data falsification
  • Citation manipulation
  • Image manipulation
  • Duplicate publication
  • Unauthorized authorship
  • Peer review manipulation

Confirmed cases may result in:

  • Manuscript rejection
  • Retraction of published articles
  • Notification to affiliated institutions
  • Temporary or permanent submission restrictions

Retraction Policy

JSST may retract published articles when:

  • Research misconduct is confirmed.
  • Significant errors invalidate conclusions.
  • Ethical violations are discovered.
  • Duplicate publication is identified.

Retraction notices will remain permanently linked to the affected article.

Corrections and Errata

Where appropriate, the journal may publish:

  • Corrections
  • Errata
  • Corrigenda
  • Expressions of Concern

to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy

Authors using Artificial Intelligence tools during manuscript preparation must disclose such usage within the manuscript.

AI systems:

  • Cannot be listed as authors.
  • Cannot assume responsibility for published content.
  • Must be used in compliance with academic integrity principles.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy and originality of submitted work.

Sustainable Research Commitment

As a journal dedicated to sustainable technologies and innovation, JSST encourages ethical research practices that contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly:

  • SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
  • SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
  • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
  • SDG 13: Climate Action

Contact for Ethical Concerns

Questions regarding publication ethics, misconduct allegations, conflicts of interest, or ethical complaints may be directed to:

Editor-in-Chief
Journal of Sustainable Smart Technologies (JSST)
Website: https://jsstjournal.com
Email: editor@jsstjournal.com