Ethical Standards and Publication Policies

International Journal of Computing, E-Learning & Application (IJCEA) will adhere to the highest standards of research integrity and publication ethics.

Key Guidelines: (Aligned with COPE Core Practices)

1. Authorship
  • All authors must meet ICMJE authorship standards—substantial contribution to conception/design, drafting, or critical revision of the work.
  • ORCID iDs are mandatory for all authors.
  • Contributions must be specified using the CRediT taxonomy (e.g., Software Development, Data Curation).
  • Corresponding Author Statement:
    • “All co-authors approve the manuscript and agree to be accountable for their contributions.”
2. Originality & Plagiarism
  • Screening: All submissions undergo plagiarism checks (iThenticate/Turnitin). A similarity index ≥20% triggers desk reject.
  • Text Recycling: Follows COPE Text Recycling Guidelines.
  • Prior Publication: Conference abstracts permitted; full papers must have <30% overlap with any prior work.
3. Data and Code Integrity

 

Requirements Policy
Reproducibility Mandatory sharing of data/code in trusted repositories (e.g., Zenodo, Figshare, GitLab).
FAIR Compliance De-identification protocols required; public sharing only with explicit consent.
Sensitive Data De-identification protocols required; public sharing only with explicit consent.

 

4. Conflicts of Interest
  • Authors: Must disclose funding sources, patents, and consultancy relationships.
  • Reviewers/Editors: Excluded from handling manuscripts if they are recent collaborators (past 3 years), institutional affiliates, or direct competitors.
  • Publication: Conflict of interest statements will appear with all articles.
5. Human and Animal Research Ethics
  • Approval: Provide IRB/REC/IACUC reference numbers.
  • Consent: Manuscripts must state:
    “Participants consented to data publication where applicable.”
  • Vulnerable Groups: Require additional ethics committee justification.
    6. AI/ML-Specific Ethics
    • LLM Use Disclosure:
      [SAMPLE Statement] “This study utilised [Tool Name] for [Purpose]. Outputs were validated by [Method].”
    • Bias Mitigation: Provide fairness metrics (e.g., demographic parity difference ≤0.1) using tools such as AIF360 or Fairlearn.
    • Generative AI: Prohibited in manuscript writing unless explicitly disclosed as a methodological tool.
        7. Misconduct Handling
        • Process:
          1. Initial Assessment – Editor-in-Chief + two editors review evidence.
          2. Investigation – Institution contacted per COPE flowcharts.
        • Possible Actions:
          • Correction – Minor errors.
          • Retraction – Fraud or significant harm.
          • Blacklisting – Serious violations.
        • Appeals: 30-day window; reviewed by a new editorial panel.
            8. Computing-Specific Provisions
            • Algorithmic Impact Assessments: Required for research affecting health, justice, or employment.
            • Security Disclosures: Vulnerability studies must follow responsible disclosure protocols.
            • Dual-Use Research: Must include mitigation strategies for potential misuse.