Publication Ethics

The International Journal of Computational Intelligence (IJCI), published by Flux Academic, is committed to maintaining research integrity, responsible authorship, fair peer review, editorial independence, and an accurate scholarly record. This statement defines the ethical expectations of authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher.

1. Principles of Publication Integrity

IJCI expects all participants in the publication process to act honestly, transparently, and responsibly. The journal's publication practices are guided by originality, accuracy, confidentiality, impartiality, accountability, and respect for the integrity of scholarly research.

2. Author Conduct

Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts represent genuine scholarly work and that all information, data, results, and references are presented accurately. Authors must obtain the approval of all listed contributors before submission and must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to another journal.

Authors are responsible for acknowledging relevant sources, obtaining permissions for third-party material, and declaring information that may affect the interpretation or evaluation of their research.

3. Originality and Plagiarism

Manuscripts submitted to IJCI must be original. Plagiarism includes presenting another person's words, ideas, data, figures, software, or other intellectual work as one's own without appropriate acknowledgement.

The journal may use appropriate similarity-detection methods during editorial assessment. Substantial plagiarism or unattributed overlap may result in rejection and, where appropriate, further investigation.

4. Duplicate Publication

Authors must not submit substantially identical or overlapping manuscripts to multiple publication venues at the same time. Redundant publication or substantial reuse of previously published work must be appropriately disclosed and justified.

5. Authorship

Authorship should reflect meaningful scholarly contribution to the research and manuscript. Guest, honorary, and gift authorship are not acceptable. Individuals who have made qualifying contributions should not be improperly excluded from authorship.

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission may require written confirmation from all affected authors and approval by the editorial office.

6. Research Data and Reproducibility

Authors should maintain appropriate records supporting their research and should be able to provide reasonable clarification or supporting information when questions arise concerning published findings.

Where feasible and ethically permissible, authors are encouraged to share datasets, source code, algorithms, and supplementary materials to support transparency and reproducibility.

7. Artificial Intelligence

IJCI recognizes that artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies may be used during research and manuscript preparation. Such tools must be used responsibly and must not compromise the accuracy, originality, integrity, or ethical standards of the work.

AI systems cannot be listed as authors. Human authors retain full responsibility for the submitted manuscript, including its content, data, analysis, references, conclusions, and ethical compliance.

Material use of AI-assisted technologies should be disclosed where required by the nature of the contribution or the journal's applicable policy.

8. Ethical Research

Research involving human participants, personal information, animals, or other ethically sensitive materials must comply with applicable institutional and legal requirements.

Where relevant, authors should provide information concerning ethics approval, informed consent, data protection, or other applicable safeguards.

9. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial board members should disclose financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could reasonably affect their impartiality.

Where a conflict may compromise independence, the journal may take appropriate measures, including reassignment of editorial or reviewing responsibilities.

10. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively and confidentially. Editorial decisions should be based on scholarly quality, originality, methodological soundness, relevance, and ethical considerations rather than commercial or personal interests.

Editors must manage conflicts of interest appropriately, protect confidential information, appoint suitable reviewers, and respond responsibly to credible concerns regarding research or publication misconduct.

11. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers should provide independent, constructive, and evidence-based assessments. They must maintain confidentiality and should decline a review when a conflict of interest could affect their impartiality.

Reviewers should identify significant methodological, ethical, or originality concerns where reasonably possible and must not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal benefit.

12. Research and Publication Misconduct

Potential misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

• Plagiarism and inappropriate text reuse
• Fabrication or falsification of research data
• Improper manipulation of research images or results
• Duplicate or redundant publication
• Improper authorship or contribution practices
• Citation manipulation
• Peer-review manipulation
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest

When credible concerns are identified, the journal may request explanations, supporting documentation, or additional information and may consult appropriate experts or institutions when necessary.

13. Corrections and Retractions

IJCI is committed to maintaining a reliable scholarly record. When a published article contains a significant error or a substantiated integrity concern, the journal may take appropriate corrective action.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or removal where required by legal or exceptional circumstances. Notices relating to published articles will be appropriately connected to the affected publication.

14. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision by providing a clear explanation and relevant evidence supporting reconsideration. Appeals will be reviewed by appropriate editorial personnel who were not directly responsible for the original decision whenever reasonably possible.

Complaints concerning editorial conduct, peer review, or publication ethics will be handled confidentially and considered without prejudice.

15. Confidentiality

Manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and unpublished research information must be treated as confidential throughout the publication process. Such information must not be disclosed or used for personal or professional advantage without appropriate authorization.

16. Maintaining the Scholarly Record

IJCI may review published content when credible concerns arise regarding its accuracy or integrity. The journal will take reasonable and proportionate action to correct the scholarly record and maintain transparency for readers and researchers.

17. Policy Review

This statement may be reviewed periodically to reflect developments in research integrity, computational intelligence, responsible use of artificial intelligence, and scholarly publishing practice. Any substantive revisions will be made available through the journal website.