Code of ethics

Code of Ethics and Good Editorial Practices

Emerging Trends in Education adheres to the principles and best practices promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (available at https://publicationethics.org ) to ensure integrity, transparency, impartiality, and quality of scholarly publications.

Authors, reviewers, and members of the Editorial Board are expected to act in accordance with internationally recognized ethical standards governing scholarly communication, avoiding conflicts of interest, fraudulent practices, data manipulation, plagiarism, and any conduct that may compromise the credibility of academic research.

In this context, the journal requires: (a) originality and authenticity from authors; (b) transparency, objectivity, and fairness from editors and reviewers throughout the peer-review process; and (c) commitment from all participants to uphold the highest standards of research integrity and avoid scientific misconduct.

 

Editorial Board

1.    Ensure transparency, impartiality, and academic quality throughout the submission, evaluation, selection, and publication processes of manuscripts submitted to the journal.

2.    Monitor and oversee compliance with the journal’s editorial policies, peer-review procedures, and ethical standards, ensuring the integrity and traceability of each stage of the editorial process.

3.    Promote academic freedom and scientific expression while respecting the principles of intellectual diversity, methodological pluralism, copyright protection, and intellectual property rights.

4.    Prevent, identify, and appropriately manage any conflicts of interest that may compromise the objectivity, impartiality, or credibility of the editorial process, whether involving authors, reviewers, editors, or members of the Editorial Board.

5.    Ensure compliance with the principles of research integrity, publication ethics, and good editorial practices in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other applicable international standards.

6.    Promote an editorial culture based on transparency, equity, inclusion, confidentiality, and mutual respect among all participants involved in the scientific publishing process.

 

Editors

1.    Promote the continuous improvement of the journal’s editorial quality standards by ensuring rigorous procedures for manuscript selection, reviewer assignment, and scientific evaluation. Editorial decisions should be based on scientific relevance, originality, methodological rigor, clarity of presentation, contribution to knowledge, and thematic relevance.

2.    Make editorial decisions regarding acceptance, rejection, or revision requests solely based on the academic and scientific merit of the manuscript, without influence from personal, institutional, commercial, or ideological interests.

3.    Safeguard the confidentiality of the peer-review process by protecting the identity of authors and reviewers in accordance with the review model adopted by the journal. Editors shall also protect all information contained in submitted manuscripts throughout the editorial process.

4.    Conduct editorial evaluations and communications with objectivity, professionalism, respect, and adherence to the principles of scientific integrity, ensuring fair treatment of all authors.

5.    Manage potential conflicts of interest in a transparent and timely manner, adopting appropriate measures to preserve the impartiality of editorial decisions.

6.    Oversee compliance with the journal’s editorial, ethical, and scientific integrity policies, including those related to plagiarism, redundant publication, authorship, conflicts of interest, artificial intelligence, and data protection.

7.    Conduct the peer-review and editorial decision-making processes without discrimination based on gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, institutional affiliation, or any other personal characteristic unrelated to the scientific quality of the manuscript.

8.    Investigate and resolve, in coordination with the Editorial Board and the Ethics Committee when appropriate, allegations of scientific misconduct, ethical violations, or disputes arising during the editorial process.

9.    Promote transparency, academic diversity, and inclusion in the selection of authors, reviewers, and published content, encouraging a plurality of perspectives and approaches in educational research.

  

Authors

1.    Submit original, unpublished, and scientifically rigorous manuscripts prepared with academic honesty and free from fabrication, falsification, data manipulation, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, redundant publication, or any other practice that compromises scientific integrity. Authorship shall be attributed exclusively to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work, in accordance with the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy).

2.    Properly acknowledge the scientific contributions of other researchers through accurate and complete citation of the original sources supporting the theoretical, methodological, and empirical foundations of the research.

3.    Ensure that the manuscript submitted for evaluation has not been previously published and is not simultaneously under review, consideration, or publication by another scientific journal, publisher, book, conference, or any other formal scholarly communication outlet. A manuscript shall be considered previously published when the complete text has been published, when substantial portions of previously published works are incorporated into the manuscript without providing significant original contributions, or when the work has been published in full conference proceedings, book chapters, or equivalent publications.

4.    Acknowledge that all manuscripts will be screened using similarity-detection software, including iThenticate or equivalent tools. The journal reserves the right to reject, suspend the editorial process, or retract publications in which plagiarism, self-plagiarism, redundant publication, citation manipulation, or other forms of scientific misconduct are identified.

5.    Comply with the ethical principles applicable to research and scholarly publishing. When a study involves human participants, authors must ensure informed consent data confidentiality, and compliance with applicable ethical regulations. Whenever institutional, governmental, or other approvals are required, they must be obtained in advance and explicitly reported in the manuscript.

6.    Respond to comments, corrections, and recommendations issued by reviewers and the editorial team in a timely, respectful, and well-supported manner. In cases of disagreement, authors must provide clear and evidence-based academic justification.

7.    Strictly adhere to the editorial policies, submission requirements, and Author Guidelines established by the journal, and comply with the deadlines defined throughout the editorial process.

8.    Explicitly disclose any financial, academic, institutional, professional, or personal conflict of interest that could influence the interpretation, evaluation, or publication of the results presented. Authors must also identify all funding sources related to the research.

9.    Ensure that all necessary permissions have been obtained for the use, reproduction, or adaptation of any copyrighted material included in the manuscript. Authors assume full responsibility for the content, opinions, findings, and interpretations presented in their work.

10.  Accept responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, reliability, and traceability of the information reported. Authors must verify the authenticity and accuracy of all cited references by consulting the original sources.

11.  Transparently disclose any use of Generative Artificial Intelligence tools during the preparation of the manuscript, in accordance with the journal’s Artificial Intelligence Policy. The use of such tools does not exempt authors from responsibility for the content submitted.

12.  Ensure that all co-authors have made significant contributions to the research, critically reviewed the manuscript, and approved the final version submitted for publication.

13.  Authors have the right to appeal when they believe that an editorial decision has been made incorrectly or unjustifiably. Appeals must be supported by detailed justification and will be reviewed by the Editorial Board. When deemed necessary, independent reassessment may be requested. The decision issued by the Editorial Board following the appeal process shall be final.

14.  Cooperate with the journal when errors, inaccuracies, or potential ethical concerns are identified after publication, contributing promptly to the issuance of corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, or retractions when appropriate.

 

Reviewers

1.    Conduct objective, rigorous, constructive, and impartial evaluations of assigned manuscripts, providing comments based on scientific, methodological, and ethical criteria. Reviews should be respectful, professional, and aimed at improving the academic quality of the manuscript. Reviewers must also complete the evaluation forms through the journal’s OJS platform within the established deadlines.

2.    Maintain strict confidentiality regarding manuscripts, supplementary materials, and all information obtained during the review process. Submitted materials may not be disclosed, shared, or used for personal, academic, professional, or commercial purposes before publication.

3.    Promptly inform the Editor of any indication of scientific misconduct identified during the review process, including plagiarism, self-plagiarism, redundant publication, data manipulation, authorship disputes, inappropriate use of artificial intelligence, fabricated references, or other practices contrary to research integrity.

4.    Immediately disclose any real, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that could compromise objectivity or impartiality. In such cases, reviewers must decline the review assignment.

5.    Accept only those manuscripts that fall within their area of expertise and for which they can provide a high-quality review within the journal’s established timeframe.

6.    Based their recommendations solely on scientific merit, originality, methodological rigor, academic relevance, and contribution to the field of education, without discrimination based on nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs, or any other personal characteristic of the authors.

7.    Refrain from using **Generative Artificial Intelligence** tools to analyze, summarize, evaluate, or process manuscripts submitted for review. The use of such tools may compromise confidentiality, integrity, and protection of information by allowing storage, processing, or reuse outside the journal’s controlled editorial environment.

8.    Notify the Editor promptly if they are unable to complete the review within the established deadline or if they lack the expertise necessary to adequately evaluate the manuscript.

9.    Contribute to strengthening the scientific, ethical, and editorial quality of *Emerging Trends in Education* by acting in accordance with the principles and recommendations established by the **Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)** and other international standards governing peer review.