1. Introduction

Engineering and Technology International Journal (EATIJ) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal aims to ensure that all published articles meet established principles of originality, transparency, objectivity, and scientific accountability.

This publication ethics policy applies to authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher. All parties involved in the publication process are expected to uphold ethical standards and act responsibly to preserve the credibility of scholarly communication.

EATIJ expects its editorial and peer-review processes to follow recognized international publication ethics principles, including the principles promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), where applicable.

2. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to EATIJ must comply with the following requirements:

Originality and plagiarism. Manuscripts must present original scholarly work. All sources, ideas, data, figures, tables, and statements derived from other works must be properly acknowledged and cited. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and the inappropriate reuse of previously published material are unacceptable.

Exclusive submission. A manuscript submitted to EATIJ must not be under consideration by another journal at the same time. Authors must notify the editorial office if any substantial overlap exists with their previously published or concurrently submitted work.

Authorship and contribution. All listed authors must have made meaningful scholarly contributions to the research, manuscript preparation, or interpretation of the findings. All authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission. Individuals who do not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately rather than listed as authors.

Research integrity. Authors must report their research methods, data, results, and conclusions accurately. Fabrication, falsification, manipulation of research results, and misleading presentation of findings are prohibited.

References and acknowledgments. Authors must cite relevant and reliable sources and acknowledge funding agencies, institutional support, and other contributions where applicable.

Research involving humans or animals. Research involving human participants, personal data, or animals must comply with applicable ethical requirements. Evidence of ethical approval and informed consent must be provided when required.

Use of artificial intelligence. Authors must remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their manuscripts. The use of generative artificial intelligence or AI-assisted tools must be disclosed when required by the journal's applicable policy. AI tools must not be listed as authors, and their use must not replace the authors' responsibility for verifying sources, data, and conclusions.

3. Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for managing manuscripts fairly, objectively, confidentially, and in a timely manner.

Editorial independence. Editorial decisions must be based on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, relevance to the journal's scope, and the outcomes of peer review. Decisions must not be influenced by authors' nationality, ethnicity, gender, institutional affiliation, religion, political views, or personal relationships.

Confidentiality. Editors must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and associated communications. Manuscript information must not be disclosed to unauthorized persons.

Conflict of interest. Editors must disclose potential conflicts of interest and withdraw from handling manuscripts when their impartiality may reasonably be questioned.

Publication decisions. Editors must ensure that manuscripts undergo appropriate editorial screening and peer review before acceptance, except where a clearly stated editorial policy provides otherwise.

Handling ethical concerns. Editors must investigate credible allegations of plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, authorship disputes, or other research misconduct and take appropriate action based on the available evidence.

4. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an important role in maintaining the scientific quality and integrity of EATIJ.

Objectivity. Reviews must be conducted objectively, constructively, and professionally. Comments should focus on the manuscript's scientific quality, methodology, originality, clarity, and contribution.

Confidentiality. Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, reproduce, or use unpublished information for personal or professional advantage.

Timeliness. Reviewers should complete their evaluations within the agreed timeframe. If additional time is needed, they should notify the editor promptly.

Conflict of interest. Reviewers must decline assignments when personal, professional, financial, or academic relationships could compromise their impartiality.

Citation ethics. Reviewers may recommend relevant literature when justified by the manuscript's scholarly needs. They must not request unnecessary citations solely to increase their own citation counts or those of affiliated individuals or journals.

5. Peer-Review Policy

EATIJ uses peer review to evaluate the scholarly quality and suitability of submitted manuscripts.

All submissions are subject to an initial editorial screening to assess their relevance to the journal's scope, compliance with author guidelines, originality, and basic scholarly quality. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements may be rejected before external review.

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are evaluated by qualified reviewers with relevant subject expertise. Reviewers assess the originality, methodological rigor, validity of the analysis, clarity of presentation, and significance of the research.

Based on the reviewers' reports and the editor's assessment, a manuscript may be accepted, returned for revision, or rejected. The final editorial decision rests with the responsible editor.

The journal must disclose the specific review model it uses and apply that model consistently. Reviewer identities and manuscript information must be protected in accordance with the journal's stated review policy.

6. Plagiarism and Similarity Screening

EATIJ does not tolerate plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated data, falsified research results, or other forms of publication misconduct.

Submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism-detection or similarity-checking software. Similarity reports are evaluated contextually by the editorial team because a similarity percentage alone does not establish whether plagiarism has occurred.

Where potential misconduct is identified, the editorial team may request clarification, additional documentation, or manuscript revisions. Serious or substantiated cases may result in rejection, withdrawal, correction, or retraction, depending on the circumstances and publication status.

7. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit or publish substantially the same work in multiple journals without appropriate disclosure and editorial authorization where applicable.

Any substantial overlap with previously published articles, conference papers, preprints, or other scholarly outputs must be disclosed during submission. The editorial team will assess whether the overlap is legitimate and adequately acknowledged.

8. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationships that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their judgment.

Authors should provide relevant conflict-of-interest statements during submission. Editors and reviewers must notify the journal of any potential conflict and withdraw from the relevant decision-making or review process when necessary.

The editorial team will evaluate disclosed conflicts and determine whether additional disclosure, reassignment, or other measures are required.

9. Research Data and Reproducibility

Authors are expected to report research methods and results transparently and to retain supporting data and documentation where appropriate.

Editors may request underlying data, research instruments, analytical procedures, or other supporting materials when necessary to assess the validity of a manuscript or investigate concerns about research integrity.

Data sharing must respect applicable privacy requirements, confidentiality obligations, intellectual property rights, and ethical restrictions.

10. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

EATIJ is committed to correcting the scholarly record when significant errors or ethical concerns are identified.

Corrections. A correction may be issued when a published article contains an error that affects the accuracy or interpretation of the work but does not invalidate its principal findings.

Retractions. An article may be retracted when there is reliable evidence of serious misconduct, major errors that invalidate its conclusions, unethical research, or other circumstances that substantially undermine the integrity of the publication.

Expressions of concern. When credible concerns arise but an investigation remains incomplete, the journal may publish an expression of concern where appropriate.

All such actions must be supported by an appropriate editorial assessment, documented evidence, and transparent communication. Published notices should clearly identify the affected article and explain the reason for the action.

11. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may submit complaints or appeals concerning editorial decisions, peer-review procedures, or alleged breaches of publication ethics.

Complaints should be submitted to the journal's editorial office with sufficient details and supporting evidence. The journal will assess the matter impartially, maintain appropriate confidentiality, and provide a response within a reasonable period.

Appeals against editorial decisions must provide substantive scholarly or procedural grounds. The journal may seek an independent assessment when necessary.

12. Publisher Responsibilities

The publisher supports the editorial independence of EATIJ and is responsible for providing appropriate administrative and technical support for the journal's publication process.

The publisher must not improperly influence editorial decisions for commercial, institutional, or personal reasons. When credible concerns about publication misconduct arise, the publisher and editorial team should cooperate to investigate the matter and implement appropriate corrective actions.

13. Ethical Oversight and Policy Compliance

EATIJ reserves the right to investigate suspected violations of publication ethics and take proportionate action based on the seriousness of the case and the available evidence.

Possible actions include requesting clarification, requiring corrections, rejecting a manuscript, notifying relevant institutions when justified, issuing a correction or retraction, and restricting future submissions in serious cases where appropriate.

This policy should be applied consistently and reviewed periodically to ensure that it remains appropriate for the journal's editorial practices and recognized publication ethics standards.