Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

Sensors and Machine Learning Applications (SMLA) Journal’s Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement is based on the guidelines and standards developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The relevant duties and expectations of authors, reviewers, editors and publisher of the journal are presented below:

Responsibilities of the Editor and Editorial Board of SMLA

To decide which submitted manuscripts should be published based on the policies of the journal and by legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism;
To ensure the unbiased double-blind peer review process of the manuscripts and that all required information is kept confidential. They also ensure that both authors’ and reviewers’ identities are protected;
To provide guidance on the requirements for new board members, guest editors, authors and reviewers;
To ensure that appropriate reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the manuscript’s research topic;
To develop and maintain a database of suitable reviewers and updates on the basis of reviewers' performance;
To evaluate manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their academic and intellectual merit, without regard to the author(s)’ race, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnic origin, religious belief, citizenship, political orientation or social class;
To publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies whenever necessary;
To ensure that unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript are not used in an editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author;
To take reasonable responsive measures when ethical complaints are presented concerning a submitted or published manuscript. In cases of suspected misconduct, they will follow the COPE flowcharts;

Responsibilities of the Guest Editors

To provide clear guidelines to authors regarding the topic and boundaries of their contributions;
To define the research matter and role of every article in a thematic issue;
To ensure in collaboration with the editorial board, that appropriate reviewers are selected for all the manuscripts submitted;
To establish a timeline for draft paper submission, peer review, revision and final paper submission with the editorial board, and to ensure that all deadlines are met;

Responsibilities of the Authors

To present the original manuscripts with an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the manuscript. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable;
To not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one publication at a time. This constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable;
To ensure that authors have written original works and that any work or words of other authors, contributors or sources have been appropriately credited and referenced;
To submit the author's works to this journal for publication as original articles confirm that the submitted works represent their own contributions and have not been copied or plagiarised in whole or in part from other works without clearly citing the source.
Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable;
To ensure that the manuscript has not been published elsewhere;
It is the authors responsibility to notify the journal's editor, if a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work is identified;
The authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. Others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project should be acknowledged;
The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included in the author's list of the manuscript, and that there is a full consensus of all co-authors in approving the final version of the paper and its submission for publication;
To disclose financial or other conflicts of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support should be disclosed;

Responsibilities of the Reviewers

Any invited reviewer should notify the editor if he/she believes that they are not unqualified to review the manuscript or knows that the timely review will be impossible;
Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents;
Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage;
Reviewers must report to the editor of this journal, if they are aware of copyright infringement and plagiarism on the author’s part;
Reviews should be conducted objectively, and observations should be formulated clearly with supporting arguments, so that authors can use them for improving the manuscript;
Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on content without regard to the authors’ race, age, gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, citizenship, political orientation or social class;
Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the manusctipt.

Responsibilities of the SMLA's Publisher

To provide practical support to the editor and editorial board of SMLA so that they can follow the COPE Code of Conduct for Journal;
To ensure the autonomy of editorial decisions;
To protect intellectual property and copyright;
To ensure that good practice is maintained to the standards defined above.

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