Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

1. Plagiarism Policy

IJKPS is committed to upholding the highest standards of research and publication ethics. We do not tolerate plagiarism or any form of unethical research practices. Authors are required to submit original work, and any form of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or data manipulation is strictly prohibited. Submitted manuscripts may be subject to plagiarism detection software.

• Corrections and Retractions

IJKPS  follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines regarding corrections and retractions. If errors or ethical breaches are identified after publication, appropriate actions, such as corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern, will be taken.

1.1 Ethical Guidelines for Authors

Authors wishing to publish their papers in The International Journal of Knowledge Processing Studies (IJKPS) must abide by the following:

• All and only those who qualify for authorship should be included as authors, and their contribution given in the manuscript.
• Any facts that might be perceived as a possible conflict of interest of the author(s) must be disclosed in the paper prior to submission.
• Simultaneous submission of manuscripts to more than one journal is not permitted.
• Original research results must be novel and not previously published, including being previously published in another language.
• For any content previously published content (including quotations, figures, or tables), any necessary permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder.
• Errors and inaccuracies found after publication must be promptly communicated to the Editorial Office.
• Those who contributed to the work but do not qualify for authorship should be listed in the acknowledgments.
• Editors of the IJKPS are permitted to submit to the journal; however, they will not be involved in the editorial process and are not permitted to make final decisions on their own work or those of close colleagues.

• We have zero tolerance for plagiarism in the IJKPS. Plagiarism includes copying text, ideas, images, or data from another source, even from your own publications, without giving credit to the original source.
• Reuse of text that is copied from another source must be between quotation marks and the original source must be cited. If a study's design or the manuscript's structure or language has been inspired by previous studies, these studies must be explicitly cited.
• The IJKPS editors use The Similarity Check software (Irandoc), Ithenticate, Samim, Hamanandjoo, and other systems to check for text duplications.
• In the IJKP, copyright is retained by the authors. Anyone may download and read the paper for free. The article may be reused and quoted provided that the original published version is cited. These conditions allow for maximum use and exposure of the work while ensuring that the authors receive proper credit. In exceptional circumstances, articles may be licensed differently. If you have a specific condition (such as one linked to funding) that does not allow this license, please mention this to the Editorial Office of the journal at submission. Exceptions will be granted at the discretion of the publisher.
• Authors must identify and declare any personal circumstances or interests that may be perceived as inappropriately influencing the representation or interpretation of the reported research results. If there is no conflict of interest, please state, "The authors declare no conflict of interest".

This list is not exhaustive, and authors should be aware of local regulations and accepted norms within academic publishing.

1.2. Authorship and Contributorship

Authors must meet the criteria for authorship, as outlined in the journal's author guidelines. All listed authors should have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research. Authors are responsible for providing accurate and complete authorship information, including disclosures of conflicts of interest.

1.3 Data and Image Manipulation

Authors are responsible for providing accurate data and images. Any manipulation or falsification of data or images is considered unethical and may result in the rejection or retraction of the manuscript. Proper citations and permissions for the use of copyrighted materials must be provided.

1.4 Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence their objectivity. Conflicts of interest may include financial interests, personal relationships, or institutional affiliations that could be perceived as bias.

1.5 Research Ethics and Animal/Human Subjects

Authors conducting research involving human subjects or animals must adhere to ethical guidelines and obtain the necessary approvals. Details of ethical approvals and informed consent should be provided in the manuscript.

1.6 Data Availability and Reproducibility

Authors should be prepared to provide access to raw data and materials used in their research, as well as detailed descriptions of methods and procedures to facilitate reproducibility and transparency.

2. Peer Review

Peer review is an integral part of the publication process. IJKPS follows a double-blind peer review process to ensure impartial evaluation of submitted manuscripts. Reviewers are expected to provide constructive, fair, and timely feedback on manuscripts and declare any conflicts of interest.

2.1 Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers

• We ask reviewers to inform the journal editor if they hold a conflict of interest that may prejudice the review report, either in a positive or negative way. The Editorial Office will check as far as possible before the invitation; however, we appreciate the cooperation of reviewers in this matter. Reviewers who are invited to assess a manuscript they previously reviewed for another journal should not consider this as a conflict of interest in itself.
• Reviewers must keep the content of the manuscript, including the abstract, confidential. They must inform the Editorial Office if they would like a student or colleague to complete the review on their behalf.
• The IJKPS operates single or double-blind peer review. Reviewers should be careful not to reveal their identity to the authors, either in their comments or in metadata for reports submitted in Microsoft Word or PDF format.
• The IJKPS offers authors the possibility to publish review reports with their paper and for reviewers to sign their open review reports but will not reveal the reviewer's name until publication and only with their explicit agreement.

3. Editorial Independence

The editorial decisions of [Journal Name] are based on the quality and integrity of the research, without influence from external factors or pressure. Editors and editorial board members are expected to make unbiased decisions in the best interest of the journal and its readers.

3.1 Ethical Guidelines for Academic Editors

Along with the Editorial Office, Editors-in-Chief, Editorial Board Members, and Guest Editors take responsibility for overseeing the integrity of The International Journal of Knowledge Processing Studies (IJKPS) editorial process. The following provides details on specific ethical aspects of their role:

• If the academic editor has ethical concerns about a manuscript sent for review or decision or receives information about a possible ethical breach after publication, they must contact the Editorial Office as soon as possible. Our Editorial Office will then conduct an investigation according to our guidelines.
• To support academic editors, checks are made by Managing Editors and Assistant Editors. However, editors should still report any concerns on any aspect. Checks include

1. Ethical approval and permissions for research.
2. Plagiarism, duplicate publication, and the necessary permission from the copyright holder to include already-published figures or images.
3. Author background and qualification.

• When making a final acceptance decision on a manuscript, academic editors should consider the following:

1. Any facts that might be perceived as a possible conflict of interest of the author(s) must be disclosed in the paper prior to submission.
2. Authors must accurately present their research findings and include an objective discussion of the significance of their findings.
3. Data and methods used in the research need to be presented in sufficient detail in the paper so that other researchers can replicate the work.

4. Reporting Concerns

IJKPS takes concerns regarding publication ethics seriously. If you have concerns about ethical issues related to published content, please contact the editorial office at knowledgeprocessingstudies2020@gmail.com