Highest standards for authors, reviewers & editors
Our ethics framework follows COPE, ICMJE, and WAME guidelines to protect the scholarly record.
Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
International Innovations & Scholarly Trends Journal (IISTJ) is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in academic publishing. This policy outlines our expectations for all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher.
Our publication ethics policy is based on the guidelines established by the
Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the
World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).
Author Responsibilities
Submit only original work — plagiarism in all its forms is unacceptable
Properly cite all references — acknowledge influential and privately obtained information
Declare any conflicts of interest — disclose financial or other substantive conflicts
List all contributing authors — authorship for significant contributors only
Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
Authors should not submit manuscripts describing essentially the same research to more than one journal or primary publication. Concurrent submission constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
Data Access and Retention
Authors may be asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review, and should be prepared to provide public access to such data, if practicable, and retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.
Fundamental Errors in Published Works
When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate to retract or correct the paper.
Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects
If the work involves chemicals, procedures or equipment with unusual hazards, the author must clearly identify these in the manuscript. Work involving animal or human subjects must include a statement that procedures complied with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that appropriate institutional committee(s) approved them.
Publication Ethics
Plagiarism Policy
All submissions are checked for plagiarism using specialized software. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate rejection and possible ban from future submissions.
Types of plagiarism we check for include:
Verbatim copying of text without proper attribution
Substantial copying of ideas, structure, or data from others
Self-plagiarism (reusing significant portions of one's own published work without citation)
Improper paraphrasing or inadequate citation
Research Misconduct
The journal takes research misconduct seriously. This includes:
Data fabrication: Making up data or results and recording or reporting them
Data falsification: Manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data
Image manipulation: Inappropriate enhancement, editing, or selective presentation of images
Misrepresentation: Deliberately misrepresenting research findings or methods
Any suspected misconduct will be thoroughly investigated following COPE guidelines.
Retractions and Corrections
The journal follows the COPE guidelines for retractions. Retractions are considered when:
There is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a result of misconduct or honest error
The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper cross-referencing, permission or justification
The paper constitutes plagiarism
The paper reports unethical research
Corrections will be published when errors do not fundamentally impact the findings or conclusions of the paper.
Peer Review Ethics
Double-blind peer review — reviewer and author identities remain concealed
Confidentiality — manuscripts must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor
Fair and unbiased evaluation — personal criticism of authors is inappropriate
Promptness — reviewers who cannot review promptly should excuse themselves
Conflicts of interest — privileged information must not be used for personal advantage
Editorial Responsibilities
Publication Decisions
The editor is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published, guided by editorial board policies and legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
Fair Play
An editor should evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
Confidentiality
The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.
