Publication Ethics

The Journal of Smart Algorithms and Applications (JSAA) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and research integrity. The journal follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and internationally recognized ethical publishing standards. Authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher are expected to uphold these principles throughout the editorial and publication process.

Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the reported study.

All listed authors must:

  • Have made a significant scholarly contribution to the work.
  • Participate in drafting or critically revising the manuscript.
  • Approve the final version of the manuscript before submission.
  • Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the published work.

The order of authors should accurately reflect the relative scientific contributions of each author and must be agreed upon by all co-authors before submission.

Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately with their permission.

For manuscripts derived primarily from a student's thesis or dissertation, the student is normally expected to be listed as the first author.

Changes to authorship (including adding, removing, or reordering authors) after submission require the written consent of all authors and approval by the Editor-in-Chief.

Acknowledgements

Individuals or organizations that contributed to the research but do not qualify for authorship should be recognized in the Acknowledgements section.

Examples include technical assistance, language editing, statistical consultation, administrative support, funding support, or general supervision.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from all acknowledged individuals before publication.

Similarity Policy

To ensure the originality and integrity of all published work, every submitted manuscript is screened using professional plagiarism detection software before entering the peer-review process.

The editorial office evaluates both the overall similarity index and the nature of the matched content. Similarity arising from references, standard methodological descriptions, commonly used technical terminology, or legally quoted material is assessed separately and does not necessarily constitute plagiarism.

The journal generally follows the following guidelines:

  • Similarity Index below 15%: The manuscript is normally considered acceptable and may proceed to the editorial assessment and peer-review process.

  • Similarity Index between 15% and 25%: The manuscript may require revision. Authors may be asked to revise the overlapping text and provide appropriate citations before the review process continues.

  • Similarity Index above 25%: The manuscript undergoes a detailed editorial evaluation. It may be returned to the authors for substantial revision or rejected if the overlap indicates plagiarism, duplicate publication, or other forms of unethical publication practices.

The final decision is made solely by the Editorial Office based on the quality, context, and source of the overlapping content, rather than the similarity percentage alone.

Authors are expected to submit only original work and to properly acknowledge all sources in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics and COPE principles.

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Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Smart Algorithms and Applications (JSAA) maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism and all forms of academic misconduct. Ensuring the originality and integrity of published research is a fundamental principle of the journal's editorial process.

All submitted manuscripts are routinely screened using plagiarism detection software before entering the peer review process. Similarity reports are carefully evaluated by the editorial office, as a high similarity score does not necessarily indicate plagiarism; legitimate overlaps, such as references, standard methodological descriptions, or properly quoted material, are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Copying text, ideas, or data without appropriate citation or acknowledgment.
  • Self-plagiarism or redundant publication.
  • Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals.
  • Duplicate publication of previously published work.
  • Unattributed reproduction of figures, tables, images, or other copyrighted materials.
  • Inappropriate paraphrasing or misrepresentation of previously published content.

If unacceptable similarity or evidence of plagiarism is identified, the editorial office may request clarification or revision from the authors, reject the manuscript, or take other appropriate editorial actions depending on the severity of the case.

If plagiarism or other forms of publication misconduct are identified after publication,  Journal of Smart Algorithms and Applications (JSAA) will take appropriate corrective measures, including publishing a correction, issuing an expression of concern, or retracting the article, in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and the journal's publication ethics policy.

Conflict of Interest Policy

The  Journal of Smart Algorithms and Applications (JSAA) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and impartiality throughout the editorial and peer-review process. All participants involved in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, and editors—must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence the evaluation, interpretation, or publication of a manuscript.

Conflict of Interest for Authors

Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, personal, or professional relationships that could influence the research, its interpretation, or the presentation of the results. Sources of funding, sponsorship, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, patents, paid expert testimony, or any other relevant interests should be clearly declared at the time of submission.

If no conflicts of interest exist, authors should include the following statement:

"The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest."

Conflict of Interest for Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively and confidentially. A reviewer must decline the invitation to review a manuscript if any conflict of interest exists, including but not limited to:

  • Personal or professional relationships with any of the authors.

  • Collaborative research or institutional affiliation with the authors.

  • Financial interests related to the manuscript.

  • Any circumstance that could compromise impartiality.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained during the review process for personal or professional advantage.

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Conflict of Interest for Editors

Editors must make editorial decisions solely based on the scientific merit, originality, and relevance of the submitted work. Editors must recuse themselves from handling any manuscript in which they have a conflict of interest, including:

  • Personal or professional relationships with the authors.

  • Current or recent research collaborations.

  • Institutional affiliations that may affect impartiality.

  • Financial or commercial interests related to the manuscript.

In such cases, the manuscript will be assigned to another editor with no competing interests.

Editorial Responsibility

The Editorial Office reserves the right to request additional information regarding potential conflicts of interest at any stage of the editorial process. Failure to disclose relevant conflicts may result in manuscript rejection, publication of a correction, or retraction of the published article, where appropriate.

 Journal of Smart Algorithms and Applications (JSAA) follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and is committed to ensuring fairness, transparency, and ethical publishing practices for all submitted manuscripts.

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Use of Third-Party Materials

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce any copyrighted material that they do not own.

This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Figures
  • Tables
  • Graphs
  • Photographs
  • Illustrations
  • Multimedia
  • Extensive excerpts of copyrighted text

All third-party materials must be appropriately acknowledged, and the necessary permissions must be obtained before publication.

Research Data Policy

The Journal of Smart Algorithms and Applications (JSAA) encourages authors to make the research data supporting their published findings openly available whenever possible, in accordance with ethical, legal, and privacy considerations.

Authors are encouraged to:

  • Deposit datasets, source code, and supplementary materials in recognized public repositories.

  • Include a Data Availability Statement in their manuscripts describing where the supporting data can be accessed.

  • Clearly explain any restrictions on data sharing resulting from privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property, or legal obligations.

Where data cannot be shared, authors should provide a clear justification within the manuscript.

The Editorial Office may request access to the underlying data during the peer-review or post-publication process to verify the validity of the reported results.

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Manuscript Withdrawal Policy

Submission Withdrawal

Authors may request withdrawal of a submitted manuscript before peer review begins by submitting a written request to the Editorial Office. The request should clearly explain the reason for withdrawal.

Withdrawal During Peer Review

Withdrawal requests submitted after peer review has started will be considered only under exceptional circumstances. The Editorial Office reserves the right to decline withdrawal requests if substantial editorial and reviewer resources have already been invested.

Withdrawal Before Publication

A manuscript that has been accepted but has not yet been published may be withdrawn only with the approval of the Editor-in-Chief. All co-authors must agree to the withdrawal request.

After publication, manuscripts cannot be withdrawn. Any necessary corrections will be handled through Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction in accordance with the journal's Retraction Policy and COPE recommendations.

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Reporting Ethical Concerns

 Journal of Smart Algorithms and Applications (JSAA) investigates all allegations of publication misconduct in accordance with COPE recommendations.

Ethical concerns may include, but are not limited to:

  • Plagiarism
  • Data fabrication or falsification
  • Duplicate publication
  • Authorship disputes
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • Ethical issues involving human or animal research
  • Citation manipulation
  • Peer review manipulation

Concerns may be reported confidentially to the editorial office at:

Email:  editorial.jsaa@scientificirg.com

All reports will be investigated fairly, objectively, and confidentially.

Post-Publication Corrections

JSAA is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

Where necessary, the journal may publish one of the following:

Erratum

Issued when an error introduced during publication does not affect the scientific validity of the article.

Corrigendum

Issued when authors identify errors in their published work that require correction but do not invalidate the study's findings.

Editorial Expression of Concern

Published when serious concerns exist regarding the integrity of a published article while an investigation is ongoing.

Retraction Policy

JSAA may retract a published article when there is clear evidence of:

  • Research misconduct.
  • Data fabrication or falsification.
  • Plagiarism.
  • Duplicate publication.
  • Serious errors that invalidate the results or conclusions.
  • Unethical research practices.
  • Major violations of the journal's publication policies.

Retraction Procedure

  1. Concerns may be raised by authors, readers, reviewers, or editors.
  2. The editorial office conducts a thorough investigation in accordance with COPE guidelines.
  3. Authors are given an opportunity to respond before a final decision is made.
  4. If retraction is warranted, a formal retraction notice is published and permanently linked to the original article.
  5. The original article remains accessible online with a clear indication that it has been retracted, thereby preserving the integrity of the scholarly record.

Retraction decisions are made transparently, fairly, and independently by the editorial team in accordance with international best practices.

Reporting Errors After Publication

Authors and readers who identify errors in published articles are encouraged to notify the editorial office promptly.

Requests should be sent to:

Email:  editorial.jsaa@scientificirg.com

Each case will be evaluated individually, and appropriate corrective action will be taken where necessary.

Appeals and Complaints Policy

 Journal of Smart Algorithms and Applications (JSAA) provides authors with a fair and transparent mechanism for appealing editorial decisions and submitting complaints regarding the editorial process.

Appeals

Authors who believe that an editorial decision was based on factual errors or misunderstandings may submit a written appeal to the Editorial Office within 30 days of receiving the decision.

Appeals should include:

  • A detailed explanation of the reasons for the appeal.

  • Scientific evidence supporting the request.

  • A point-by-point response addressing the editorial comments, where applicable.

Appeals are evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief or an independent editor who was not involved in the original decision. The decision reached after the appeal is considered final.

Complaints

Complaints concerning publication ethics, editorial conduct, peer review, conflicts of interest, or publication procedures should be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office.

The journal aims to:

  • Acknowledge receipt of complaints within 5 working days.

  • Complete the initial assessment within 15 working days whenever reasonably possible.

  • Resolve complaints fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with COPE guidelines.

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Compliance with COPE Principles

JSAA is committed to upholding the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and continually reviews its editorial and publication policies to ensure compliance with internationally accepted standards of ethical scholarly publishing.