Publisher Ethics

Asian Journal of Arts and Culture (AJAC) recognizes and emphasizes the importance of publication ethics by adhering to the international standards established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Therefore, AJAC has established international publication ethics standards for editors, reviewers, and author(s). These standards encompass areas such as human research ethics, plagiarism prevention, and the use of AI tools in research studies within the fields of humanities within the Asian region. The details are as follows: 

1. Publication Ethics for Journal Editor

  • Peer Review: The AJAC editors will be responsible for selecting at least three external and independent reviewers specializing in the fields of humanities within the Asian region. The editors shall avoid selecting peer reviewers who have co-authored with any of the submitting parties for any manuscript within the past 5 years and shall also avoid cases where the reviewers and authors may have potential conflicts of interest, such as ownership of research funding sources. In addition, the editor will assign significant importance to the evaluation results of the reviewers, especially in instances where the reviewers' comments are submitted with unusual rapidity or are excessively positive and superficial. In such cases, the editor will consider inviting additional reviewers.
  • Confidentiality:   AJAC implements a double-blinded peer review process in which the editors will not disclose any information about the authors or reviewers to third parties. All materials submitted to the journal, including texts, figures, and tables, as well as all communications with reviewers, are strictly protected by the editors. Information or ideas disclosed during the manuscript review process will be treated with strict confidentiality by the editors and must not be used for personal advantage or gain.
  • Fair Evaluation: The editors of AJAC ensure that the journal's evaluation policies are clear, comprehensive, and transparent, in alignment with international standards. Manuscripts are assessed based on their completeness and academic contribution to the humanities within the Asian region, disregarding gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, or ethnic origin of the author(s). The editors will ensure that peer reviewers and author(s) have a clear understanding of what are expected from them.
  • Protecting the Published Record Integrity: AJAC is committed to protecting the published record integrity. The editors will investigate any reported or suspected misconduct related to the research and/or publication. If there are any convincing evidence of misconduct, editors will take appropriate actions, including requesting detailed explanations from the authors, correcting the manuscript, retracting the publication, and convening the editorial board to determine an appropriate and fair resolution.
  • Publication Decision: AJAC will publish only manuscripts that have not been previously published elsewhere, are not under consideration by other journals, and have a plagiarism or similarity check result of no more than 30%. Editors are responsible for deciding which manuscripts will be published in the journal. These decisions are made in consultation with the editorial board and by considering relevant legal requirements, including copyright infringement and plagiarism. 

2.Publication Ethics for Peer Reviewers

  • Contribution to Editorial Decisions: AJAC reviewers are required to review manuscripts based on content, methodology, and scholarly value within the fields of Asia n humanities. Reviewers must conduct a rigorous examination of manuscripts, irrespective of the author’s gender, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic beliefs, and affiliation or country of origin. Additionally, reviewers are expected to provide constructive feedback that supports further revisions and aids the editor in making decisions regarding the manuscript.
  • Disclosure and conflict of interest: Reviewers must not disclose any information obtained during the manuscript peer review process or use it for personal gain. If a reviewer identifies a potential conflict of interest-such as involvement with the author or the work through research collaboration, affiliation, or other connections that could influence the peer review process-they must promptly consult with the editor before agreeing to review the submitted manuscript.
  • Confidentiality:  Reviewers must recognize and uphold the confidentiality of all information, comments, and communications related to the manuscript. Such information must not be disclosed to anyone. Even if the submitted manuscript is not published, reviewers are strictly prohibited from using any part of its content for research or personal gain. 

3. Publication Ethics for Author

  • Authorship: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.
  • Reporting standards: Authors should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an intended discussion of its significance. A manuscript should contain sufficient details, features, and references to allow others to replicate the work. False or inaccurate statements are unethical and unacceptable.
  • Confidentiality:  Information such as refereeing manuscripts or grant applications that are provided as confidential service, must not be used without permission of the author of the work.
  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All authors are required to disclose all sources of financial support and identify any potential conflicts of interest. Manuscript submissions must include a statement disclosing any relationships or circumstances that could be perceived as potential conflicts of interest.
  • Originality and plagiarism: Authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works. It has neither been published previously nor is under consideration for publication elsewhere. If copyrighted images, graphics, or photographs are reproduced, authors must provide approval or evidence of permission to include such content in the manuscript. Furthermore, private information, communications, or discussions obtained from third parties must not be used without explicit written consent from the source.
  • Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication: Upon submission, the author(s) must acknowledge that the manuscript is their original work. The manuscript must not have been submitted to any other publications and/or is not currently under consideration or review by any other publications.
  • Fundamental errors in published works: When an author discovers any significant errors or inaccuracy in their published work, it is their responsibility to promptly notify the journal editor. Authors must cooperate with the editor to determine an appropriate resolution, in accordance with the journal's policies. 

4. Human Research Ethics
AJAC adheres to established ethical standards for human research, including approval by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or ethics committee and compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki. For research involving participants or volunteers, authors must ensure that all procedures comply with applicable laws and institutional guidelines. Authors are required to include a statement in the manuscript specifying that any experiments or clinical trials involving humans received ethics committee approval. The approval code or reference must also be clearly provided in the manuscript to ensure transparency and adherence to ethical standards. 

5. Publication Ethics for Plagiarism
AJAC places great importance on addressing plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, and has established a publication ethics for plagiarism. AJAC considers plagiarism or self-plagiarism to be unacceptable in academic publications and a violation of academic ethics. When referencing the work of others or one’s own previous work, it is essential to clearly distinguish the referenced material from the original text by using appropriate formatting, such as indentation, quotation marks, and proper citation of the source. If plagiarism is detected in a submitted manuscript, AJAC will take the following actions: 

  • If plagiarism is detected at the initial stage of manuscript submission (the similarity percentage is 30%), the editor will notify the author of the issue directly. The manuscript will be returned to the author for clarification and appropriate correction before proceeding to peer review. If the similarity percentage exceeds 30%, the manuscript will be immediately rejected.
  • If plagiarism and misconduct are detected during the publication process, the editor will notify the author of the issue directly and request an explanation and additional details in cases where the similarity percentage exceeds 30%. The editor will convene a meeting with the editorial board to review the matter following the journal's publication ethics. If plagiarism or a violation of publication ethics is confirmed, the article will not be published, but withdrawn from publication process.
  • If plagiarism and misconduct are detected after publication, the editor and the editorial team will conduct a preliminary investigation. The following actions will be taken based on the level of violation or plagiarism. In case of plagiarism, if the similarity percentage exceeds 30%, the article will be retracted but remain appear on the journal website. A notice will be added indicating that the article has been found to contain plagiarized content or misconduct. The notice will state that the responsibility for the plagiarism lies solely with the author(s).  

Self-Plagiarism: AJAC acknowledges that some cases of self-plagiarism may occur. When self-plagiarism is detected, our editorial team will take appropriate steps to address self-plagiarism. Author(s) may submit additional conference papers to AJAC; however, the title, text, and content of the submitted manuscript must differ from those of the published proceedings. If the manuscript is identical to the published paper, it must require to be properly cited. 

6. Publication Ethics for the Use of AI Tools
Authors bear full responsibility for ensuring the originality and integrity of the content they submit for publication. The authors are expected to adhere strictly to the journal's editorial policies concerning authorship and publishing ethics. This entails a careful review of the outputs produced by such AI tools to confirm the accuracy and appropriateness of the content. Furthermore, authors must transparently declare their use of Generative AI tools, providing proper acknowledgment and citations in accordance with the journal's guidelines.