Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Journal of Inclusive Education and Digital Innovation (JIEDI) is committed to maintaining high standards of integrity, transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct throughout the scholarly publication process. This statement applies to authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher involved in the publication of manuscripts in JIEDI.

The journal’s editorial policies are guided by internationally recognised principles of publication ethics, particularly the guidelines and core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) . Reference to COPE indicates adherence to its ethical guidance and does not necessarily imply formal membership.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

2. Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving students, teachers, children, persons with disabilities, vulnerable groups, or other human participants must comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional requirements.

• Informed consent must be obtained from participants or their legal guardians where required.
• Research involving children and vulnerable participants must include appropriate safeguards and protection from harm.
• Personal identities, photographs, educational records, and other private information must be protected.
• Ethical approval information must be stated in the manuscript when approval from an institutional ethics committee is required.
• Authors must explain situations in which formal ethical approval was not required.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

• Editors evaluate manuscripts according to their academic merit, originality, relevance, methodological quality, and conformity with the journal’s focus and scope.
• Editorial decisions must not be influenced by nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, institutional affiliation, political belief, or personal background.
• Editors must protect the confidentiality of manuscripts, authors, reviewers, and editorial communications.
• Editors must disclose and manage potential conflicts of interest.
• Reviewers must be selected according to their expertise, independence, and ability to provide an objective evaluation.
• The final decision to accept, revise, or reject a manuscript remains the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief or authorised editor.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Reviewers must provide objective, constructive, respectful, and evidence-based assessments.
• Manuscripts and associated materials must be treated as confidential documents.
• Unpublished information obtained through peer review must not be used for personal research, personal advantage, or the disadvantage of others.
• Reviewers must disclose potential conflicts of interest and decline a review when impartiality cannot be maintained.
• Reviewers who cannot complete the review within the specified period should immediately inform the editor.
• Reviewers should identify relevant uncited works and report suspected plagiarism, duplication, data manipulation, or other misconduct.

5. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher supports the editorial independence of JIEDI and does not interfere with decisions based on scholarly merit. The publisher works with the editorial team to maintain publication integrity, safeguard journal records, respond to allegations of misconduct, and publish corrections, retractions, or other notices when necessary. Commercial considerations, sponsorship, and institutional relationships must not influence editorial decisions.

6. Research and Publication Misconduct

Publication misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

7. Use of Artificial Intelligence

• Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the integrity of a manuscript.
• Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, references, interpretations, and conclusions of their work.
• Substantive use of generative artificial intelligence in preparing text, images, code, analysis, or other content must be disclosed in the manuscript.
• Confidential, personal, sensitive, or copyrighted material must not be uploaded to artificial intelligence systems without appropriate authorisation.

8. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

JIEDI may publish a correction when an error affects the accuracy or interpretation of an article but does not invalidate its principal findings. An article may be retracted when its findings are unreliable, publication misconduct is confirmed, ethical requirements have been seriously violated, or substantially identical material has been published elsewhere without appropriate justification. An expression of concern may be issued while a serious allegation is being investigated. All notices will be clearly identified and linked to the original article.

9. Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, readers, and other parties may submit complaints or appeals concerning editorial procedures, publication decisions, ethical issues, or published content. The submission should clearly explain the issue and provide relevant evidence. Complaints and appeals will be considered fairly, confidentially, and independently by an editor or authorised party who was not directly involved in the disputed decision, wherever practicable.

Reporting Ethical Concerns

Suspected publication misconduct or other ethical concerns should be reported to the JIEDI Editorial Office through contact@vidyaalvira.com . Reports should contain sufficient information and supporting evidence to permit a fair assessment. The journal will examine allegations carefully and take appropriate action in accordance with recognised publication ethics principles.