Journal of Cyber Law

Publication Ethics

The journal is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and preserving the integrity of the academic record. All parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, are expected to follow ethical principles of scholarly publishing, transparency, accountability, and academic integrity.

This publication ethics statement is prepared in accordance with internationally recognized publication ethics principles, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or any other form of publication misconduct.

1. Authorship and Originality

• Submitted manuscripts must be original works of the author(s).
• The manuscript must not have been previously published and must not be under consideration by another journal.
• Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the research.
• All listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission for publication.
• Contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately.
• Any reuse of text, data, figures, tables, or other materials from previous publications must be properly cited and disclosed.

2. Plagiarism, Similarity, and Research Integrity

The journal takes plagiarism and research misconduct seriously. All submitted manuscripts may be checked using similarity-checking tools before or during the editorial process.

• Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited.
• Authors must present their data, findings, and analysis honestly and accurately.
• Data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, and misleading reporting are considered serious misconduct.
• Authors may be asked to provide supporting data, documentation, or clarification when necessary.
• Manuscripts with excessive similarity or ethical concerns may be rejected or returned to the authors for explanation.

3. Conflict of Interest

• Authors must disclose any financial, personal, institutional, or professional relationships that may influence the research or its interpretation.
• Reviewers must inform the editor if they have any conflict of interest that may affect their ability to review a manuscript objectively.
• Editors and section editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists.
• The editorial team will ensure that manuscripts are handled by editors and reviewers who can provide fair and independent evaluation.

4. Peer Review Policy

The journal applies a single-blind peer-review process. In this model, reviewers know the identity of the authors, but reviewer identities are not disclosed to the authors.

• Each manuscript that passes the initial editorial screening is reviewed by at least two independent reviewers.
• Reviewers are selected based on their expertise, academic background, and relevance to the manuscript topic.
• Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on originality, relevance, methodological quality, clarity, ethical compliance, and contribution to the field.
• Reviewer comments are forwarded to the authors as the basis for revision and improvement.
• The final publication decision is made by the editor based on reviewer recommendations, author revisions, and journal standards.

5. Duties of Authors

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscripts they submit to the journal.

• Authors must ensure that the manuscript is original and free from plagiarism.
• Authors must ensure that the manuscript is not submitted to more than one journal at the same time.
• Authors must report methods, data, results, and interpretations clearly and honestly.
• Authors must properly cite all sources used in the manuscript.
• Authors must disclose funding sources, institutional support, and potential conflicts of interest.
• Authors must obtain permission for copyrighted materials when required.
• Authors must promptly inform the editor if they discover significant errors in their published article.
• Authors must cooperate with the editor in issuing corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary.

6. Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers play an important role in maintaining the quality, credibility, and academic integrity of the journal.

• Reviewers must treat all manuscripts received for review as confidential documents.
• Reviewers must not share, copy, distribute, or use unpublished manuscript content without permission.
• Reviews should be objective, constructive, respectful, and supported by clear academic reasoning.
• Reviewers should only accept manuscripts that fall within their area of expertise.
• Reviewers should complete their reviews within the agreed timeframe.
• Reviewers must disclose any conflict of interest and decline the review when impartial evaluation is not possible.
• Reviewers should inform the editor of any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, data concerns, or ethical issues.

7. Duties of Editors and Section Editors

Editors and section editors are responsible for ensuring that the editorial and peer-review processes are fair, transparent, timely, and ethical.

• Editors must evaluate manuscripts based on academic merit, relevance, originality, methodological quality, and contribution to the journal's scope.
• Editorial decisions must not be influenced by authors' nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, religion, political views, or other personal characteristics.
• Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and reviewer identities.
• Editors must assign manuscripts to qualified reviewers with relevant expertise.
• Editors must avoid handling manuscripts where they have a conflict of interest.
• Editors must investigate suspected ethical violations, authorship disputes, plagiarism, or research misconduct fairly and carefully.
• Editors may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when necessary to maintain the integrity of the academic record.

8. Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants, personal data, interviews, surveys, experiments, or sensitive information must follow applicable ethical standards, institutional regulations, and national or international guidelines.

• Authors must obtain ethical approval when required by their institution, country, or research context.
• Manuscripts involving human participants should include information about ethics approval, including the name of the approving body and approval number when applicable.
• Authors must obtain informed consent from participants when required.
• Participant privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity must be protected.
• Identifying information, images, or personal data must not be published without explicit permission.
• Sensitive data must be handled securely and in accordance with applicable data protection regulations.

9. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

The journal is committed to correcting the scholarly record when errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication.

• A correction may be issued when an article contains errors that do not invalidate the main findings.
• A retraction may be issued in cases of serious misconduct, unreliable findings, plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, data falsification, or unethical research.
• An expression of concern may be issued when an investigation is ongoing and the reliability or integrity of an article is uncertain.
• Authors, readers, reviewers, or third parties may report concerns to the editorial office.
• All reported concerns will be reviewed carefully and handled according to publication ethics principles.

10. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may submit an appeal or complaint if they believe that an editorial decision, review process, or publication ethics issue requires reconsideration. Appeals must provide clear reasons and supporting evidence. The editorial team will evaluate appeals fairly, but submission of an appeal does not guarantee a change in editorial decision.

11. Publisher's Responsibilities

The publisher supports the editorial team in maintaining ethical publishing standards, preserving published content, and ensuring the accessibility of the journal. The publisher does not interfere with editorial decisions and supports appropriate actions when publication ethics issues arise.

12. Ethical Commitment

The journal is committed to promoting responsible research, transparent editorial practices, fair peer review, and the long-term reliability of the scholarly record. Authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher are expected to work together to uphold these principles throughout the publication process.