Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The International Journal of Education and Skills for the Green Economy is committed to integrity, transparency, accountability and responsible scholarly communication throughout the publication process.

Ethical framework

The International Journal of Education and Skills for the Green Economy (IJESGE) applies high standards of publication ethics to protect the credibility of the scholarly record and the rights of authors, reviewers, editors, research participants and readers.

This statement applies to all manuscripts submitted to the journal and to all individuals participating in its editorial and publication processes. The responsibilities described below are informed by internationally recognized principles of research integrity and publication ethics, including guidance developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) .

Reference to COPE guidance does not imply organizational membership unless such membership is explicitly stated by the journal.

Responsibilities of authors

Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts represent original scholarly work and provide an accurate account of the research undertaken. The presentation of fabricated, falsified, manipulated or knowingly misleading information constitutes serious misconduct.

• Submit original work that has not been published previously.
• Avoid simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to another journal.
• Provide appropriate citations for all ideas, data, methods and wording derived from other sources.
• Retain and provide underlying research data when legitimately requested.
• Identify all funding sources and institutional support.
• Disclose financial, professional, institutional and personal competing interests.
• Obtain all necessary ethical approvals and participant permissions.
• Include as authors only individuals who meet the journal’s authorship requirements.
• Inform the journal promptly about material errors discovered after submission or publication.
• Cooperate fully with editorial enquiries concerning research integrity.

Authorship and contributorship

Authorship must reflect a meaningful intellectual contribution to the submitted work. Every listed author should have contributed substantially to the conception, design, methodology, data acquisition, analysis, interpretation or preparation of the manuscript; approved the submitted version; and accepted responsibility for their contribution.

Guest, honorary, gift and ghost authorship are prohibited. Individuals who provided technical, administrative, linguistic, financial or other support without meeting the authorship criteria should be recognized in the acknowledgements, subject to their permission.

Requests to add, remove or rearrange authors after submission must be supported by a written explanation and confirmation from all affected authors. The journal may reject authorship changes that cannot be adequately justified.

Responsibilities of editors

Editors are responsible for maintaining the quality, independence and integrity of the editorial process. Decisions must be based on the manuscript’s academic merit, relevance to the journal’s scope, originality, methodological quality and contribution to knowledge.

• Treat authors fairly without discrimination based on identity, nationality, institutional affiliation or personal characteristics.
• Select qualified and independent reviewers with relevant academic expertise.
• Protect confidential information contained in submitted manuscripts.
• Refrain from using unpublished material for personal or professional benefit.
• Declare competing interests and withdraw from decisions where impartiality may be compromised.
• Investigate credible allegations of misconduct fairly and consistently.
• Protect the scholarly record by issuing corrections, retractions or other notices when necessary.
• Ensure that commercial considerations and publication charges do not influence editorial decisions.

Responsibilities of reviewers

Peer reviewers contribute to editorial decisions and assist authors in improving their manuscripts. Reviews must be objective, constructive, evidence-based and expressed in respectful academic language.

• Accept assignments only when they possess appropriate expertise and sufficient time.
• Treat manuscripts, review reports and related correspondence as confidential.
• Identify relevant published work that has not been appropriately cited.
• Avoid personal criticism and unsupported or discriminatory statements.
• Declare any competing interest before accepting a review assignment.
• Do not use unpublished information obtained through peer review.
• Report suspected plagiarism, data manipulation or other misconduct confidentially to the editor.
• Do not upload confidential manuscripts to unauthorized artificial intelligence systems.

Originality, plagiarism and duplicate publication

IJESGE does not tolerate plagiarism, self-plagiarism, text recycling without disclosure, duplicate publication, redundant publication or the inappropriate appropriation of another individual’s ideas, methods, data, images or wording.

Submitted manuscripts may be screened using similarity-detection software. A similarity report is interpreted by an editor and is not treated as an automatic determination of misconduct. The nature, extent, location and academic context of any similarity will be considered.

Manuscripts containing unacceptable overlap may be returned for correction, rejected or investigated further. Confirmed plagiarism in a published article may result in correction, retraction and notification of relevant institutions where appropriate.

Research involving human participants

Research involving students, teachers, children, vulnerable groups or other human participants must comply with applicable ethical, institutional and legal requirements. Authors must identify the approving ethics committee or institutional body when ethical approval was required.

Informed consent must be obtained when required. Additional safeguards are expected for research involving minors or vulnerable participants. Personally identifiable information, images, records and quotations must not be published without appropriate authorization.

When formal ethical approval was not required, authors should explain the legal or institutional basis for the exemption. Editors may request supporting documentation before making a publication decision.

Data integrity and research records

Data, figures, tables, survey results, interview materials and statistical outputs must be reported accurately. Fabrication, falsification, selective manipulation, inappropriate image alteration and deliberate omission of material findings are prohibited.

Authors should retain research records for a reasonable period and provide access to underlying data when ethically, legally and practically possible. Restrictions arising from privacy, confidentiality, participant protection or third-party ownership must be clearly disclosed.

Conflicts of interest

Authors, reviewers and editors must disclose relationships or circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their work or judgment. Competing interests may be financial, personal, professional, academic, political or institutional.

Disclosure of a competing interest does not automatically prevent publication or participation in the editorial process. It allows the journal to assess the matter transparently and apply appropriate safeguards.

Artificial intelligence and automated tools

Artificial intelligence systems and automated tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity or ethical compliance of a manuscript.

Authors remain fully responsible for all submitted content, including text, references, analyses, translations, images and other material produced or modified with technological assistance. Material use of generative artificial intelligence must be disclosed transparently in the manuscript.

Editors and reviewers must not upload confidential submissions, personal data or unpublished research material to external artificial intelligence platforms that do not provide adequate confidentiality and data protection.

Handling allegations of misconduct

Allegations of research or publication misconduct will be assessed confidentially, fairly and without unnecessary delay. The journal will distinguish between honest error, academic disagreement and intentional or reckless misconduct.

The individual concerned will normally be informed of the allegation and provided with a reasonable opportunity to respond. The journal may request original data, ethical approval documents, authorship confirmations, participant consent records or other relevant evidence.

Depending on the seriousness and evidence available, the journal may issue a warning, request revision, reject a manuscript, suspend editorial consideration, publish a correction, retract an article or contact relevant institutions. Investigations will be conducted in a proportionate manner and documented appropriately.

Corrections, retractions and editorial notices

IJESGE is committed to preserving an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record. When a significant error is identified, the journal may publish a correction, retraction, expression of concern or other appropriate editorial notice.

Notices will clearly identify the affected article, explain the reason for the action and remain permanently accessible. Retracted articles will not normally be removed from the journal website, except in exceptional circumstances involving legal requirements, serious privacy risks or potential harm.

Complaints and appeals

Authors and other interested parties may submit a reasoned complaint concerning editorial procedure, ethical conduct or publication practice. Authors may also appeal an editorial decision when they believe a material error occurred in the assessment process.

Complaints and appeals must identify the relevant manuscript or article and provide clear supporting reasons. Appeals based only on disagreement with an academic judgment, without evidence of procedural or factual error, may not be reconsidered.

Publisher and institutional responsibility

IJESGE is developed through cooperation between the Green Economy and Optimization Research Lab and Forest Education Azerbaijan LLC. The institutional partners support the journal’s scholarly mission, technical operation and responsible dissemination of academic work.

Editorial decisions must remain independent of commercial interests, institutional relationships, sponsorship and publication charges. Responsibility for individual editorial decisions rests with the editor or editors assigned to the relevant submission.

Reporting an ethical concern

Concerns about a submitted or published work should be supported by specific information and communicated through the journal’s official contact channel. Good-faith concerns will be assessed confidentially and objectively.