Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Frontier Advances in Applied Science and Engineering (FAASE) is committed to the highest standards of publication ethics and research integrity. This policy establishes mandatory duties for editors, reviewers, authors, and the publisher, and defines procedures for preventing, detecting, and resolving research and publication malpractice. The journal operates a double-blind peer review process; all parties must preserve anonymity throughout review and all subsequent review rounds.

1. Scope and Applicability

• This policy applies to all submissions, revisions, accepted articles, and post-publication updates.
• Compliance with this policy is a condition of submission, review participation, acceptance, and publication.
• Where national or institutional regulations impose stricter requirements, those stricter requirements prevail.

2. Definitions (Non-Exhaustive)

• Research misconduct: fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, reviewing, or reporting research.
• Publication malpractice: redundant or duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, unlawful data use, image manipulation, or citation manipulation.
• Undisclosed AI use: the use of generative AI for content creation (ideas, analyses, data, figures) without explicit disclosure and author oversight.

3. Roles and Responsibilities

4. Authorship, Contributorship, and Acknowledgements

• Authorship is limited to individuals who made substantial contributions to conception or design, data acquisition, analysis or interpretation, and drafting or critical revision, and who approved the final version and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
• The submission must include a CRediT-style contributorship statement for each author. Gift, ghost, or purchased authorship is prohibited.
• Acknowledgements must list individuals or organizations that provided support but do not meet authorship criteria, including professional writing or editing assistance.
• The corresponding author must confirm that all authors meet the criteria; changes to authorship after submission require written consent from all listed and proposed authors with justification.

5. Originality, Redundant Publication, and Prior Dissemination

• Submissions must be original and not under review elsewhere. Duplicate, redundant (“salami slicing”), or concurrent submissions are prohibited.
• Where prior dissemination exists (e.g., preprints, theses, registered reports), authors must disclose it at submission and ensure no copyright conflicts. The manuscript must present substantial novel content beyond any earlier version.

6. Data, Materials, and Reproducibility

• Authors must describe methods and analyses with sufficient detail to enable replication.
• Data, code, and materials underlying the results must be made available in a trusted repository or provided to editors/reviewers upon request, unless legal or ethical constraints apply; any restrictions must be justified in the manuscript.
• Image integrity is mandatory: adjustments must be linear and applied to the entire image without obscuring, introducing, or removing information; composite images must be clearly labeled.

7. Ethical Approvals and Participant Protection

• Studies involving humans or animals require prior approval from a recognized ethics committee and compliance with relevant regulations.
• Human studies require informed consent; vulnerable populations demand additional safeguards. Personal data must be de-identified and processed lawfully.
• Field and environmental studies must meet legal permits and minimize harm; safety and biosafety regulations must be followed.

8. Use of Generative AI and Automated Tools

• AI systems cannot be listed as authors. Authors are fully responsible for all content, including text, data, figures, and references.
• Permitted uses: language editing, grammar, and formatting assistance with explicit disclosure in the manuscript (Methods or Acknowledgements) and human verification of accuracy and citations.
• Prohibited uses: generating or altering data, images, or analyses; fabricating citations; undisclosed or unverified AI-generated content; delegating critical reasoning or reviewer-response generation without human oversight.
• All AI use must leave an auditable trail (tool names, versions, and prompts available upon request).

9. Conflicts of Interest (COI) and Funding Transparency

• All authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose financial, personal, academic, or ideological interests that could influence judgment.
• Funding sources, grant numbers, and the role of funders in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and publication decisions must be stated.
• Editors and reviewers with COI shall recuse themselves immediately; alternative qualified editors/reviewers will be assigned.

10. Plagiarism, Similarity, and Citation Integrity

• Similarity screening is mandatory for every submission and revision. Textual overlap must be limited to properly quoted and cited material.
• Patchwriting, self-plagiarism without citation, and translated plagiarism are prohibited.
• Citation manipulation is prohibited, including coerced citations, excessive self-citation, or irrelevant citations intended to influence metrics.

11. Allegations of Misconduct: Receipt, Investigation, and Outcomes

1. Intake (≤ 7 days): The Managing Editor logs the allegation, acknowledges receipt, and forwards it to the Editor-in-Chief (EiC).
2. Preliminary Assessment (≤ 14 days): The EiC evaluates evidence, consults an Associate Editor if necessary, and decides whether to proceed to a formal investigation.
3. Formal Investigation (≤ 30 days): The EiC forms an ad hoc panel (not involved in the case) to review materials; authors are invited to respond in writing within 14 days.
4. Determination and Action (≤ 14 days): The EiC issues a written decision and implements actions as applicable:
   • Correction or erratum for honest errors;
   • Expression of Concern when evidence is inconclusive but serious;
   • Retraction for confirmed fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, unethical research, or irreparable errors;
   • Submission bans (time-limited), reviewer/editor role removal, and notifications to institutions/funders when warranted.

Editors maintain a complete, confidential audit trail. When institutional inquiries are opened, the journal cooperates and may pause editorial processes until outcomes are available.

12. Corrections, Retractions, and Article Versioning

• Corrections/Errata: Issued for verified errors that do not invalidate findings. The corrected record clearly links versions.
• Retractions: Issued for unreliable findings, unethical research, or serious malpractice. Retraction notices state valid reasons, identify the affected article, and remain openly accessible.
• Expressions of Concern: Issued when investigations are ongoing or evidence remains inconclusive.

13. Confidentiality and Double-Blind Enforcement

• Manuscripts, reviewer reports, and correspondence are confidential. Editors and reviewers must not disclose or use information for personal advantage.
• All files sent to reviewers are anonymized; author identities are kept separate from review materials; communications occur within the journal system to preserve double blinding.

14. Appeals and Complaints

• Appeals: Authors may appeal editorial decisions within 14 days by submitting a detailed scientific rationale referencing specific points. An independent editor not involved in the original decision will assess the appeal and may seek external opinions. The outcome is final.
• Process/Ethics Complaints: Stakeholders may submit complaints through the journal contact channel. Complaints are logged and acknowledged within 7 days; a written outcome is provided after assessment.

15. Advertising, Sponsorship, and Editorial Independence

• Editorial decisions are independent of advertising, sponsorship, or commercial revenue.
• Sponsored supplements, if any, undergo the same ethical and peer-review standards and are clearly labeled.

16. Policy Review and Updates

• This policy is reviewed periodically by the editorial leadership. Substantive changes take effect upon public posting on the journal website.
• The version and effective date are indicated below.

Version: 1.0; Effective: Immediately upon publication