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Policies

Policies

JAIS follows the guidelines put on by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Manuscripts submission by one, joint or multiple authors indicate that manuscripts’ contents have been reviewed and consented to by all authors and that the work observes to the policies set forth by the journal.

Advertisements

JAIS does not accept adverts and commercials from third parties. However, promoting AUIB programs and facilities as well as services provided by AUIB parent and sister associations and companies may occur, but for informational and awareness purposes.

Affiliations

Affiliations must be a true and honest reflection of where the study was conducted or supported. Misrepresentation of affiliation is a form of misconduct. If you do not have a current relevant institutional affiliation, you should state your independent status. Change of affiliation alone is not a valid reason to remove an author from a publication if he or she meets the authorship criteria.

Appeals and complaints

JAIS follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines on appeals and complaints. The managing Editor and the Editorial Board do not expect frequent appeals due to the journal’s strong and unswerving peer reviewing process. However, all appeals, complaints, and concerns regarding authorship matters, the peer review process, and post publication related issues should be addressed to the managing editor. In cases where appeals or complaints connect to a pre-publication issue, submission may be halted in the review or publication process until the issue is resolved. In situations where the managing editor is involved in the complaint, the Editorial Board members, led by the most senior member, investigate the claims and propose a course of action.

Acknowledgement

Individuals who participate in the development of a manuscript but do not qualify as an author should be acknowledged. Such individuals may contribute to the general supervision of the research, in the acquisition of funding, in the study design, in the data collection, in the data analysis, in the technical assistance, in a formatting-related writing assistance, or in the scholarly discussions which significantly contribute to developing the research articles, etc. Also, the organizations that provide support in terms of funding and/or other resources should also be acknowledged.

Authorship

It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that all the appropriate co-authors are included in the paper and that all co-authors have approved the final version of the research paper and have agreed to its submission for publication. Only those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Each contributor should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content of the manuscript. Others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project should be acknowledged or listed as contributors.

The order of naming the contributors should be based on the relative contribution of the contributor towards the study and writing the manuscript. Once submitted the order cannot be changed without the written consent of all the contributors. The journal prescribes a maximum number of authors for manuscripts depending upon the type of manuscript, its scope, and the number of institutions involved (vide infra). The authors should provide a justification if the number of authors exceeds these limits.

Citations

Research must cite relevant, timely, and verified literature to support any claims made in the article. Authors ought to avert excessive and inappropriate self-citation or prearrangements among author groups to inappropriately cite each other’s work, as this can be considered a form of misconductcalled citation manipulation. Read the COPE guidance on citation manipulation.The research references should not be unfairly biased toward or influenced by a particular research group, specific academic or research institution, particular journal and organization.

Corrections, expressions of concern

Occasionally, it may be necessary to make a change to an edited published version of research. This will be conducted after a careful consideration by the Managing Editor who is also supported by the Editorial Board members to ensure any necessary changes are carried out in relevance with the guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Any necessary changes will be accompanied by a permanent post-publication notice which will be permanently linked to the original article. This can be in the form of a Correction notice (Corrigendum or Erratum), an Expression of Concern. The purpose of this mechanism of making changes that are permanent and transparent is to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record.

A Correction notice will be issued when it is necessary to correct an error which can affect the understanding of the research, but where the scholarly integrity of the study remains intact. Examples include mislabeling of a figure, or missing information on funding. The correction notice may be issued by the author or by the journal editorial board.

In some cases, an Expression of Concern notice may be considered where concerns of a major nature have been raised (e.g. serious research or publication misconduct), but where the outcome of the investigation is inconclusive or where due to various complexities the investigation will not be complete for a considerable time. When the investigation has been completed a Retraction or Correction notice may follow the Expression of Concern, and alongside the original article, all will remain part of the permanent published record.

Retraction and Removal

A Retraction notice will be issued where a major error (e.g. in the analysis or methods) invalidates the conclusions in the article, or where research misconduct or publication misconduct has taken place (e.g. research without required ethical approvals, fabricated data, manipulated images, plagiarism, duplicate publication etc.). The decision to issue a retraction for an article will be done in accordance with COPE guidelines. Authors and institutions may also request the retraction of their articles if their reasons meet the criteria for retraction. The purpose of a retraction is to correct the literature and ensure the integrity of the publication record.

A Removal notice will be issued in very rare circumstances where the problems cannot be addressed by a Retraction or Correction notice. Examples include where the content in the article is defamatory or infringes on other legal rights or is subject to a court order. In the rare case of an article being removed from the journal Online, a notice will be issued in its place.

Data Sharing Policy

JAIS aims to foster and facilitate the sharing of research data among researchers. We encourage researchers to share their data promptly and appropriately. The journal strives to standardize the author data guidelines to provide clarity on data storage and sharing options, thus promoting optimal access and reuse. At JAIS we advocate for proper data citation practices to ensure due credit for data sharing efforts. Collaborating closely with the concerned editors and reviewers, we seek to establish robust data review practices to validate and facilitate the reuse of published research data. Furthermore, we advocate for the publication of research data as separate, peer-reviewed outputs to enhance reusability and provide additional recognition for authors.

Consent for Publication

To include any precise information or visuals pertaining to an individual in a research paper, it is obligatory to obtain written informed consent from the concerned individual. For minors under the age of 18, consent should be requested from their parents or legal guardian. To publish their details under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, it is imperative to obtain their authorization, ensuring that their information will be freely accessible on the internet. In the event of an individual's demise, it is imperative to secure approval from their closest living relative for the purpose of publication. It is imperative that the text incorporates a declaration indicating that written informed consent for publishing was procured. Authors have the option to utilize a consent form to acquire consent for publishing. Alternatively, they may choose to employ a consent form provided by their respective institution or location, if deemed suitable. The consent form should explicitly indicate that the specific facts and visuals will be made accessible on the internet without any restrictions, allowing them to be viewed by individuals in the public. The consent form should be sent to JAIS Managing Editor upon request and will be handled in a confidential manner.

Confidentiality

It is a requirement to maintain confidentiality and integrity of the peer review and editorial decision-making process at all stages, complying with data protection regulations (including GDPR). The invited reviewer should declare any competing interest before submitting their report to the journal. If they wish to involve a colleague as a co-reviewer for an article, they should ask the journal editorial office before sharing the manuscript and include their names, affiliation, and any relevant competing interests in the comments for Editors when they return their report.

In the process of investigating an ethical query, the submitted manuscript, author, reviewer, and any other person (including whistleblowers) involved will be treated confidently. During an investigation, it may be necessary for the Editor to share information with third parties, such as the ethics committee and/or the authors’ institution.

Images and figures

Authors should only use images and figures in their research papers if they are valuable to the reported results and discussion. Refrain from adding purely illustrative content and does not add value to the scholarly work. Images or figures which have been obtained from another published source can only be re-used if the authors have obtained the appropriate permissions for re-use from the copyright owner. A statement to confirm this must be included within the legend. The original source of the image must be cited, even in cases where the image or figure is not under copyright, or if re-use is allowed under a license that permits unrestricted re-use.

Misconduct

JAIS totally forbids all forms of misconduct. The Editorial Board will take up all the necessary procedures to keep the integrity of the scholarly record, following COPE guidelines. Misconduct may include affiliation misrepresentation; image, data and citation manipulation or fabrication; duplicate submission; plagiarism and misuse of copyrighted materials…etc.

Publication Ethics

JAIS and its editorial board fully adhere to and comply with the policies and principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in the Journal publication. We rely on the editors, the reviewers, and the authors to comply with publication ethics, rules, and legislation while executing their duties throughout the validation, reviewing, and the publication processes and procedures.

Peer Review Process

JAIS submitted manuscripts are all subject to peer review and are anticipated to meet the standards of academic excellence. All the submissions will be considered by the Editorial Borad before getting to the peer reviewers, whose identities will remain anonymous to the authors and vice versa. The decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript is the responsibility of the editorial board and is based on the recommendations of the reviewers.

The Editorial Board may consult with experts and academics before deciding on appropriate actions, including not limited to recruiting reviewers with specific expertise, assessment by additional editors, and declining to further consider a submission.

Plagiarism

JAIS follows a strict policy against plagiarism, where the journal does not tolerate using others’ ideas, words, or work without acknowledgment. The journal uses plagiarism-checking to screen all the submitted manuscripts and will deal with cases of plagiarism according to COPE guidelines.

Submissions with plagiarism in whole or part, duplicate (excluding the Preprint Archive) and redundant publication, or self-plagiarism, regardless of the publication language, will be rejected. The corresponding author is responsible for the manuscript with the authority to act on behalf of all the co-authors. All submitted manuscripts are checked for plagiarism using professional plagiarism-checking software. The Manuscripts with an unacceptable similarity index resulting from plagiarism are rejected immediately. This applies to data, images, words or ideas taken from any materials in electronic or print formats without sufficient attribution.

Preprints policy

Preprints can be shared anywhere at any time. If accepted for publication, the authors are required to link from the preprint to their formal publication using the Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Authors can update their preprints on arXiv or RePEc, etc. with their accepted manuscript.

Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in Writing

This policy only refers to the writing process and has nothing to do with the use of AI tools to evaluate and to draw perceptions from data as part of the research process. Authors who incorporate AI and AI-assisted technologies into their writing process should do so with the intention of enhancing readability and language, rather than substituting essential authoring or research tasks such as generating scientific or pedagogic insights, or portraying scientific conclusions, or offering any recommendations. The use and the application of AI technologies should always be under human oversight, and all work should undergo careful review and editing. JAIS compels authors to openly reveal their use of AI technologies in their manuscripts, and a statement to this effect will be included in the published work. Such transparency fosters trust among authors, readers, reviewers, editors, and contributors and ensures compliance with the terms of use for the relevant tools or technologies.

Authorship entails responsibilities and tasks that can only be fulfilled by humans. Each author is responsible for addressing inquiries regarding the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work and for approving the final version of the work and consenting to its submission. The authors also have a duty to ensure the originality of the work, that the stated authors meet the criteria for authorship, and that the work does not infringe upon the rights of third parties. Authors should refrain from attributing authorship to AI or listing AI as a co-author.

Publication Timing & Review Process

JAIS Special Issues

JAIS may publish special issues on observance of certain Scientific or universal occasions. The topics for such occasions are selected by the editorial Board in association with the editor in chief and the managing editor. The submissions for the special issues follow the same regular submission process and adhere to the same author guidelines. Usually, a call for submissions will be released with the announcement of the special issue. The JAIS special issues are integrated into the journal regular enumeration.

Use of Third-Party Material

Authors are imperatively required to obtain the necessary permission to reuse third-party material in their research papers. Such materials may consist of various forms, such as text, data, audio recordings, video footage, illustrations…etc. If authors wish to include any material in their paper for which they do not hold copyright, and which is not covered by this informal agreement, they will need to obtain written permission from the copyright owner prior to submission.