Our ethical guidelines are informed by COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.
Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication
The publication of an article in the TK TechForum Journal, a peer-reviewed journal, represents a commitment to advancing knowledge and upholding the integrity of the scientific and technical community. It reflects the quality of work conducted by the authors and their supporting institutions. Peer-reviewed articles embody the scientific method, making it crucial to establish standards of ethical behavior for all parties involved in the publishing process: authors, editors, reviewers, publishers, and the academic community.
Duties of Authors
Reporting Standards
Authors are expected to present an accurate account of their research work and an objective discussion of its significance. All data should be accurately represented in the manuscript. A paper should contain enough detail and references to allow replication of the work by others. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements are deemed unethical and unacceptable. Review articles and opinion pieces should also be accurate and objective.
Data Access and Retention
Authors may be asked to provide raw data related to their manuscript for editorial review and should retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.
Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. If any part of the work or words of others are used, proper citation or quotation is required. Plagiarism, including presenting another’s work as one’s own, copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another’s work without attribution, or claiming results from others’ research, is considered unethical.
Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
Authors should not publish manuscripts describing the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously constitutes unethical behavior. Previously published papers should not be submitted to other journals.
Acknowledgment of Sources
Authors must give proper acknowledgment to the work of others that has influenced their research. All influential publications should be cited. Private information obtained through conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties should not be used or reported without explicit permission. Information from confidential services such as refereeing manuscripts should not be used without explicit permission.
Authorship of the Paper
Authorship should be limited to those who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. All individuals who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Those who participated in certain aspects of the research should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission.
Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects
If the research involves chemicals, procedures, or equipment with unusual hazards, the author must identify these in the manuscript. For research involving animal or human subjects, the author should ensure compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that appropriate institutional committee approvals are in place. The manuscript should include a statement of informed consent for experimentation with human subjects, and privacy rights must be observed.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed. Potential conflicts of interest, including employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants, should be disclosed as early as possible.
Fundamental Errors in Published Works
If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate to retract or correct the paper. If the editor or publisher learns of a significant error from a third party, the author must promptly retract or correct the paper or provide evidence of its accuracy.
Duties of Editors
Publication Decisions
The editor is responsible for deciding which articles to publish, guided by the work’s validity and relevance to researchers and readers. Editorial decisions are made based on the journal’s policies and legal requirements, such as libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. Editors may consult other editors or reviewers in making decisions.
Fair Play
Editors evaluate manuscripts based on intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.
Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Unpublished materials disclosed in a manuscript must not be used in the editor’s own research without consent. Information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential. Editors should recuse themselves from considering manuscripts where they have conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors or institutions.
Involvement and Cooperation in Investigations
Editors should take responsive measures when ethical complaints are presented, including contacting the author and considering the complaint, communicating with relevant institutions if necessary, and publishing corrections, retractions, or other relevant notes if the complaint is upheld.
Duties of Reviewers
Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer review supports the editor in making editorial decisions and assists authors in improving their papers. Reviewers play a crucial role in scholarly communication and should share the responsibility of reviewing.
Promptness
Reviewers should notify the editor if they are unqualified to review the manuscript or if a prompt review is not possible.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and should not be shared or discussed except with authorized individuals.
Standards of Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively, with personal criticism of the author being inappropriate. Reviewers should support their views with arguments.
Acknowledgment of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant unpublished work that has not been cited by the authors. Any previously reported observations, derivations, or arguments should be cited. Reviewers should also alert the editor to any significant similarity between the manuscript and other published papers.
Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
Unpublished materials in a manuscript must not be used in the reviewer’s own research without consent. Privileged information from peer review must be kept confidential. Reviewers should not review manuscripts with which they have conflicts of interest.