Publication Ethics Statement
JPSE (Journal of Physical Science and Engineering) and its editorial board are fully committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. All parties involved in the publishing process — authors, editors, and reviewers — are expected to adhere to the ethical standards outlined below, which are based on the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Duties of Editors
Publication Decisions
The Editor-in-Chief of JPSE, in consultation with the editorial board, holds sole responsibility for deciding which submitted manuscripts will be accepted for publication. These decisions are guided by the scholarly merit of the work, the outcomes of the peer-review process, and compliance with applicable legal requirements, including those pertaining to defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. All manuscript evaluations are conducted impartially, based exclusively on academic quality and relevance to the journal's scope, without regard to authors' nationality, institutional affiliation, ethnicity, gender, political views, race, or religion.
Confidentiality
Editors must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Information about a manuscript under review must not be disclosed to anyone beyond the corresponding author, assigned reviewers, potential reviewers, and relevant members of the editorial team. Unpublished data, arguments, or interpretations obtained through the editorial process must not be used by editors for their own research without the explicit written permission of the author(s).
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, financial, or personal relationships with any of the authors or institutions involved. In such cases, another qualified member of the editorial board will be assigned to oversee the review process. The journal has established clear procedures to manage submissions from editorial board members and to preserve the integrity of editorial decisions.
Author Relations
Editors are committed to ensuring that the peer-review process is conducted in a fair, objective, and timely manner. Clear guidelines on authorship criteria are provided to authors to ensure that all listed contributors meet appropriate standards of scholarly responsibility. Editors must investigate allegations of research misconduct thoroughly and take appropriate action in accordance with COPE guidelines, which may include issuing corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions.
Quality Assurance
Editors are responsible for maintaining the quality and integrity of all content published in JPSE. Where research involves human participants or sensitive data, editors must verify that appropriate ethical approval has been obtained from the relevant institutional or national review body. Editors must also monitor for issues related to intellectual property rights and collaborate with the publisher to address any suspected violations of legal or ethical standards. Identified errors, inaccuracies, or misleading statements must be corrected promptly and transparently to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.
Duties of Reviewers
Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer reviewers assist the editorial board in making well-informed publication decisions and support authors in improving the quality of their manuscripts. Reviews must be conducted objectively and professionally. Evaluations should be substantive, constructive, and clearly reasoned. Personal criticism of the authors is not appropriate; all comments must be directed at the content and methodology of the work.
Qualification and Timeliness
Reviewers who feel insufficiently qualified to evaluate a submitted manuscript, or who are unable to complete their review within the stipulated timeframe, must notify the editor promptly and withdraw from the assignment. Reviewers are responsible for disclosing any potential conflicts of interest — whether competitive, collaborative, financial, or personal — that may affect their ability to provide an objective evaluation.
Confidentiality
All manuscripts received for peer review are confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, discuss, or disclose the content of a manuscript to any third party without the explicit authorization of the editor. Privileged information or ideas encountered during the review process must not be used for personal or professional advantage.
Acknowledgment of Sources and Misconduct
Reviewers are expected to identify relevant published works that have not been appropriately cited by the authors and to bring these to the editor's attention. Reviewers should also alert the editor to any substantial similarity between the manuscript under review and any other published or submitted work they are aware of. Any suspected ethical violations — including data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or redundant publication — must be reported to the editor immediately.
Duties of Authors
Reporting Standards
Authors must present an accurate and honest account of the research conducted, together with an objective discussion of its significance. Data must be reported truthfully and without manipulation or selective omission. Authors may be required to provide the raw data underlying their findings and are expected to retain such data for a reasonable period following publication, typically a minimum of two years. Fabrication, falsification, or deliberate misrepresentation of data constitutes serious research misconduct and is strictly unacceptable.
Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that submitted work is entirely original. All sources, ideas, and expressions drawn from the work of others must be properly acknowledged through accurate and complete citation. Any form of plagiarism — including verbatim copying, paraphrasing without attribution, or the appropriation of others' data or concepts — is considered a serious ethical violation and will result in immediate rejection or retraction of the manuscript.
Multiple and Redundant Submission
Submitting the same manuscript, or substantially similar manuscripts, to more than one journal simultaneously constitutes unethical publishing practice and is strictly prohibited. Authors must submit their work exclusively to JPSE and must not resubmit it elsewhere until a final editorial decision has been communicated. Redundant publication of previously published results, without appropriate disclosure and justification, is equally unacceptable.
Authorship and Contributor Roles
Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made a genuine and substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. The corresponding author bears responsibility for ensuring that all appropriate co-authors are included and that no individuals who do not meet authorship criteria are listed. All co-authors must review and approve the final version of the manuscript prior to submission. The journal encourages the use of the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) to clearly specify each author's contribution (e.g., conceptualization, methodology, data curation, writing, supervision), promoting transparency, accountability, and proper attribution of individual roles within the research team.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose all financial relationships, affiliations, or other interests that could be perceived as influencing the conduct or reporting of the research. All sources of funding — including grants, institutional support, and industry sponsorship — must be explicitly acknowledged in the manuscript. The role of any funder in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or publication decision must also be clearly stated.
Fundamental Errors in Published Works
If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in a published article, they are obligated to notify the Editor-in-Chief without delay and to cooperate fully in the issuance of a correction, retraction, or expression of concern, as deemed appropriate. Prompt and transparent correction of the scholarly record is a fundamental responsibility of all authors.