Publication Ethics & Malpractice

1. Ethical Standards and Principles

      Journal of Tropical Science and Engineering (JTSE) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and scholarly integrity. The journal adheres to internationally recognized ethical guidelines and best practices in academic publishing.

      JTSE follows the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and expects all parties involved in the publication process—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—to uphold these standards.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

      2.1. Authorship and Contribution

      Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to:

  • The conception or design of the work;
  • Data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation;
  • Drafting or critically revising the manuscript;
  • Approval of the final version for publication.

      All listed authors must agree on the order of authorship and take collective responsibility for the content of the manuscript.

      2.2. Originality and Plagiarism

      Authors must ensure that:

  • Submitted manuscripts are original and have not been published elsewhere;
  • All sources are appropriately cited;
  • Any form of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism or redundant publication, is strictly avoided.

      Manuscripts may be screened for plagiarism using appropriate tools.

      2.3. Data Integrity and Reproducibility

      Authors are responsible for:

  • The accuracy and integrity of the data presented;
  • Ensuring that data have not been fabricated, falsified, or inappropriately manipulated;
  • Retaining original data and making them available upon reasonable request.

      2.4. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

      Authors should not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal or publish substantially similar work in multiple venues without proper disclosure and justification.

      2.5. Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

      All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation of the research. If no conflicts exist, authors should explicitly state this.

      2.6. Ethical Approval for Research Involving Humans or Animals

      Research involving human participants or animals must:

  • Comply with relevant institutional, national, and international ethical regulations;
  • Include a clear statement of ethical approval and informed consent where applicable.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

      Editors are responsible for:

  • Making publication decisions based solely on the scientific merit of the manuscript;
  • Ensuring a fair, unbiased, and timely peer-review process;
  • Maintaining confidentiality of submitted manuscripts;
  • Managing conflicts of interest and recusing themselves when necessary.

      Editorial decisions are independent of the journal’s publisher or sponsoring institution.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

      Reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations;
  • Maintain confidentiality of the manuscripts under review;
  • Declare any conflicts of interest that could affect their impartiality;
  • Refrain from using unpublished material for personal advantage.

      Peer review is considered a scholarly contribution performed on a voluntary basis.

5. Peer Review Integrity

      JTSE operates a double-blind peer review system to ensure impartial evaluation.

  • At least two independent reviewers are assigned to each manuscript;
  • Editorial decisions are based on reviewers’ reports and editorial judgment;
  • All submissions, including those from the publisher’s own institution, are treated equally under the same review standards

6. Handling of Misconduct and Ethical Complaints

      6.1. Allegations of Misconduct

Allegations of research or publication misconduct may include, but are not limited to:

  • Plagiarism;
  • Data fabrication or falsification;
  • Inappropriate authorship practices;
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest.

6.2. Investigation Procedures

      When misconduct is suspected:

  1. The editorial office will conduct a preliminary assessment;
  2. Authors may be contacted for clarification or explanation;
  3. If necessary, the matter will be escalated following COPE guidelines;
  4. Appropriate actions will be taken based on the findings.

      6.3. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

      JTSE may issue:

  • Corrections for minor errors that do not invalidate the findings;
  • Retractions for serious ethical breaches or unreliable results;
  • Expressions of concern when investigations are ongoing.

      All such notices will be clearly linked to the original article.

7. Ethical Oversight of Sponsored or Funded Research

      The source of funding must be clearly disclosed. Funding organizations must not influence:

  • Study design;
  • Data analysis;
  • Editorial decisions;
  • Interpretation or reporting of results.

8. Open Access Ethics

      As a fully open-access journal, JTSE ensures that:

  • Editorial decisions are not influenced by financial considerations;
  • No article processing charges (APC) are imposed on authors;
  • All content is published under transparent licensing terms.

9. Compliance with International Indexing Standards

      This publication ethics policy is designed to comply with the ethical requirements of major international indexing and evaluation systems, including:

  • DOAJ
  • Scopus

10. Updates to the Ethics Policy

       JTSE reserves the right to revise and update this ethics policy as needed to reflect changes in international standards and best practices.