DIS Journals – General Publication Ethics and Editorial Policies

1. Publication Ethics

DIS Journals is committed to maintaining high ethical standards in scholarly publishing. All parties involved—authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers—must adhere to principles of honesty, transparency, fairness, and academic integrity.

We follow internationally recognized best practices aligned with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

Any form of fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or unethical research conduct is strictly prohibited.

(COPE, 2023)

2. Peer Review Process

All submissions undergo a double-blind peer review process, ensuring that both author and reviewer identities remain confidential.

  • Initial editorial screening is conducted before peer review.
  • At least two independent reviewers evaluate each manuscript.
  • Final decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief based on reviewer recommendations.

Review outcomes include:

  • Accept
  • Minor Revision
  • Major Revision
  • Reject

(Elsevier, 2024)

3. Plagiarism and Similarity Screening

All manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection tools prior to review.

  • Submitted manuscripts must demonstrate originality.
  • Similarity reports are assessed contextually by editors.
  • Proper citation and quotation are required for all borrowed ideas.

High levels of unattributed overlap may result in rejection or retraction.

(WAME, 2023)

4. AI Use and Disclosure Policy

Authors must disclose any use of generative AI tools in manuscript preparation.

  • AI tools may assist with language editing, formatting, or idea refinement.
  • AI tools cannot be listed as authors.
  • Authors remain fully responsible for accuracy, originality, and integrity of content.

Undisclosed or misleading AI use may result in rejection.

(Nature Editorial Policy, 2023)

5. Research Ethics Policy

Research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must comply with ethical standards.

  • Ethical approval must be obtained where required.
  • Informed consent must be documented.
  • Participant confidentiality must be protected.

Studies lacking ethical clearance may be rejected.

(World Medical Association, Declaration of Helsinki, 2013)

6. Authorship Criteria

Authorship must reflect meaningful intellectual contribution.

An author must meet all of the following:

  • Significant contribution to conception, design, data, or analysis
  • Drafting or critically revising the manuscript
  • Final approval of the submitted version
  • Accountability for all aspects of the work

Guest, ghost, or honorary authorship is not permitted.

(ICMJE, 2024)

7. Conflict of Interest Policy

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

Conflicts may include:

  • Financial relationships
  • Institutional affiliations
  • Personal or professional relationships

Undisclosed conflicts may result in rejection or retraction.

(ICMJE, 2024)

8. Data Availability Policy

Authors are encouraged to provide transparency regarding research data.

  • Data availability statements are required for empirical studies.
  • Data may be:
    • Publicly available
    • Available on request
    • Restricted due to ethical/legal concerns

Where possible, data sharing is strongly encouraged.

(UNESCO Open Science Recommendation, 2021)

9. Open Science Policy

DIS Journals supports open science principles to enhance transparency and reproducibility.

Authors are encouraged to:

  • Share datasets
  • Provide research instruments
  • Upload supplementary materials
  • Make code available where applicable

Open access to research outputs is strongly encouraged.

(UNESCO, 2021)

10. ORCID Policy

To enhance author identification and academic transparency:

  • Authors are encouraged to provide a valid ORCID iD.
  • ORCID ensures correct attribution of scholarly work.
  • Corresponding authors should ideally register with ORCID.

(ORCID, 2024)

11. SDG Alignment Statement

DIS Journals encourages authors to identify the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relevant to their research.

Authors should indicate:

  • Which SDG(s) their work addresses
  • How the research contributes to sustainable development

This strengthens global relevance and policy impact.

(United Nations SDG Framework, 2015)

12. Corrections and Retractions Policy

DIS Journals maintains a transparent correction system.

  • Minor errors will be corrected via errata.
  • Major errors affecting results may require retraction.
  • Retractions will be clearly marked and publicly accessible.
  • Editorial decisions prioritize research integrity and transparency.

(COPE Retraction Guidelines, 2023)