Understanding Our Research Ethics and Policies
This section outlines the ethical issues that authors, reviewers and editors need to consider when handling a submission.
1. AI and authorship
· At SPA we believe that AI tools cannot assume authorship of any publication. Any use of AI in the development of a manuscript, including but not limited to literature reviews, data analysis, or writing assistance, must be transparently disclosed by the author(s) within the manuscript.
· Illustrative use of generative AI examples in scholarly critique and discussion is permitted (appropriately flagged and cited).
· Generating or reporting results with generative AI is not permitted.
· Using generative AI to aid in data analysis is acceptable, but the author retains responsibility.
· Using generative AI for copyediting is permitted (mirroring standard tools), but authors remain responsible for the original content.
· Images generated by AI are not permitted.
Please refer to the ‘Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Research and Publication’.
2. AI and the Review process
Submissions to the Scholar Publishing Academy should be treated as confidential. Sharing material with third parties or using AI tools (including Large Language Models or LLMs) for review or evaluation of submissions violates author confidentiality and any proprietary/data privacy rights. This includes peer review reports. The use of AI tools for peer review is prohibited due to potential biases in AI datasets and concerns about the reliability of AI assessments. The Scholar Publishing Academy maintains the integrity of the peer review process through human review, recognizing peer reviewers as responsible for their work and accountable for its accuracy and validity. Any breach of this process will be treated as peer review misconduct and will be referred to SPA’s ethical committee.
3. Use of Animals and Clinical Trails
Research involving animals must:
- Minimize animal use through alternatives wherever possible and use the minimum number of animals necessary.
- The research should be meaningful and contribute to improving animal welfare throughout the research process.
Moreover, submissions featuring clinical trials must:
1. Be registered in a publicly accessible database before trial commencement.
2. Include the trial registry name and registration number in the submission.
3. Demonstrate institutional ethics board approval.
Research involving human participants must obtain informed consent, adhering to national and international ethical guidelines. The informed consent process should include explanation of the study's purpose, data storage and use, risks and benefits, and participant rights.
Authors must provide a statement confirming ethical approval from relevant institutional and national bodies, complying with all applicable guidelines and regulations (e.g., relevant national laws and frameworks).
4. Acknowledgement
Authors need to acknowledge and cite all previous publications or presentations of the work, including conference proceedings, workshop/seminar/keynote presentations, and listserv communications, to provide a complete record of the research. References must adhere to Scholar Publishing Academy's style guide (see Author’s guidelines).
5.Authorship and responsibilities
Scholar Publishing Academy adheres to the ICMJE authorship criteria (https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html).
To be considered an author, individuals must:
1. Make substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
2. Draft the work or revise it critically for important intellectual content.
3. Give final approval of the version to be published.
4. Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Individuals solely responsible for securing funding are not authors; they should be acknowledged as funders only. AI tools cannot be credited as authors, but their usage needs to be disclosed.
6.Conflicts of Interest
Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research, review, or publication process.
7. Slander
Obtain written consent for studies about named organizations or people. Avoid libel, inaccurate, unsubstantiated, or emotive statements. Constructive critiques of products and services are acceptable but must avoid defamation.
8. Figure or Image Manipulation
Inappropriate or fraudulent image manipulation is not allowed. Images must be minimally processed; intentional manipulation will lead to rejection.
9. Third-Party Datasets
Obtain necessary permissions from dataset owners before using third-party datasets.