Publication Ethics

Purpose and Ethical Foundations

Socio-Economic and Humanistic Aspects for Township and Industry is committed to the highest standards of scholarly integrity in fields spanning socio-economic analysis, humanistic inquiry, urban development, and industrial studies. The journal follows best practices from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and relevant international guidance on authorship, research integrity, and disclosure provided by the ICMJE and WAME. All editorial decisions are guided by scientific merit, originality, methodological rigor, and relevance to the journal’s aims and scope, independent of commercial or institutional influence.

Integrity, Originality, and Transparency

Submissions must be original, accurate, and presented with sufficient methodological detail to permit scrutiny and replication. Prior dissemination on reputable preprint servers is permitted, provided this is declared upon submission and updated with the article DOI after acceptance. The journal screens all manuscripts for text similarity; redundant publication, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, image manipulation, data fabrication, and salami publishing are strictly prohibited. Where applicable, authors should provide clear statements of study limitations, underlying assumptions, robustness checks, and context-specific constraints to enable responsible interpretation, especially for research that informs policy, labor conditions, or community outcomes.

Authorship, Contributions, Funding, and Competing Interests

Authorship is restricted to individuals who make substantial contributions to study conception or design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation, drafting or critically revising the manuscript, and approving the final version. Other contributions, including project administration, general supervision, technical assistance, language editing, or funding acquisition without intellectual input, must be acknowledged but do not by themselves confer authorship. Any changes to the author list after submission require written justification and agreement from all listed and proposed authors. All authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any actual or perceived competing interests—financial, professional, institutional, or personal—that could reasonably be seen to influence the work. Authors must clearly state funding sources and describe the sponsor’s role, if any, in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, writing, or the decision to submit.

Research Involving Humans, Communities, and the Environment

Studies that involve human participants, communities, or workplace and industrial settings must adhere to recognized ethical principles and obtain approval from a competent ethics committee or institutional review board. Informed consent procedures, privacy protections, data-protection compliance, and mechanisms to minimize risk must be described with clarity. Research in urban and industrial contexts must demonstrate sensitivity to cultural heritage, local identity, and community well-being, and disclose foreseeable risks along with mitigation strategies. Where environmental impacts are possible, authors should state the nature of these impacts and explain safeguards taken to prevent harm.

Data, Materials, Code, and Reproducibility

Authors should include a Data Availability Statement specifying whether and how data, materials, instruments, and code can be accessed. When open sharing is not possible due to privacy, cultural sensitivity, legal, or contractual restrictions, authors should explain the constraints and provide as much transparency as feasible, including metadata, analysis plans, or synthetic examples that do not compromise confidentiality. Descriptions of methods must be sufficiently detailed to permit replication or independent verification. Where appropriate, the journal encourages deposition of data and code in trusted repositories and citation of persistent identifiers.

Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence tools, including large language models and automated analytics, cannot be credited as authors. When AI is used for language editing, translation, summarization, exploratory analysis, visual rendering, or quality checks, authors must disclose the tool name and version, describe the scope of use, and accept full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all content. AI-generated text, images, or data must be unambiguously identified and must not be presented as empirical observations. The use of AI to fabricate citations, mimic identifiable authorial styles without consent, or manipulate data or images constitutes serious misconduct.

Editorial Independence, Peer Review, and Reviewer Conduct

The journal maintains editorial independence in all decisions, including those related to sponsored content, special issues, or institutional partnerships. Manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review to reduce bias. Identities of authors and reviewers are protected, and all materials received for review are treated as confidential. Reviews must be objective, evidence-based, and respectful. Reviewers must declare conflicts of interest and decline assignments outside their expertise or availability. Editors recuse themselves from handling submissions when conflicts arise and delegate to an appropriate editor to ensure impartiality and procedural fairness.

Misconduct, Corrections, and Retractions

Allegations of misconduct are evaluated promptly and fairly, following applicable COPE flowcharts. Editors may request underlying data, analysis scripts, ethics approvals, image originals, or other documentation to support assessment. Confirmed issues may lead to decisions ranging from requests for clarification or correction to rejection, retraction, or notification to relevant institutions. Minor errors not affecting conclusions may be addressed via corrigenda or errata; serious concerns about reliability may necessitate an expression of concern while an investigation proceeds. All post-publication notices are linked transparently to the original article.

Preprints, Licensing, and Open Access

The journal accepts submissions previously posted as preprints, provided disclosure occurs at submission and versions are updated upon acceptance. Accepted manuscripts may be deposited according to the journal’s archiving policy. Licensing, copyright, and open-access conditions are stated clearly on the journal website and must be honored by authors, including the acquisition of permissions for third-party content such as maps, images, or artistic and cultural materials.

Inclusivity, Equity, and Community Impact

In alignment with the journal’s mission, authors are encouraged to reflect on equity, inclusion, and social justice implications of their work, particularly where findings inform urban policy, industrial practices, or community livelihoods. Language should be precise, respectful, and inclusive. The journal strives for diversity across its editorial board, reviewer pool, and authorship, and welcomes scholarship that elevates under-represented voices and local knowledge within townships and industrial regions.

Fees, Transparency, Appeals, and Complaints

Article processing charges and any waivers or discounts are communicated transparently and have no bearing on editorial decisions. Authors may appeal editorial outcomes by submitting a reasoned statement with supporting evidence; appeals are reviewed by an editor not involved in the original decision. Complaints regarding editorial process, ethical conduct, or reviewer behavior are investigated impartially, with appropriate confidentiality and documentation, and outcomes are communicated in writing within a reasonable timeframe.

Contact for Ethics and Compliance

Queries regarding this policy, disclosures, or suspected misconduct should be addressed to the Editorial Ethics Office of Socio-Economic and Humanistic Aspects for Township and Industry. Communications are handled confidentially and in accordance with the principles of integrity, accountability, and due process.