Publication Ethics

 

I. CONFLICTS OF AUTHORS COPYRIGHT

HCMCOU Journal of Science – Advances in Computational Structures (hereinafter referred to as the Journal) has the right to publish all articles on its publications. Authors have the copyright under Vietnam’s Intellectual Property Law and International Law in which the Journal is a member. An individual or a collective of authors whose names are listed on the manuscript is considered as the author/s. If the author publishes an article that has been reviewed, edited, and published by the Journal in another publication, the Journal's permission must be obtained.

Each author is expected to have made substantial contributions to the work (the conception; the design of the work; the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; the creation of new software used in the manuscript; or having drafted the work or making revisions substantively, or typesetting the manuscript).

If the manuscript is the collective work of several authors, the authors will decide the number/order of the author list. The one whose name appears first in the list is considered as the principal author. The remaining authors are regarded as co-authors. The corresponding author will manage all communication between the Journal and all co-authors and directly contact the Journal to discuss any issues relating to the submission, modification, editing, and publication. He/she could be the primary author or any other one among the co-authors. All authors are also responsible for identifying this representative who accepts direct responsibility for the manuscript. All authors have to agree to be listed and approve the manuscript submission to the Journal. After entering the editing process, any amendment, deletion, or re-arrangement to the author list will not be accepted (unless the authors submit a formal letter with a rational reason to the Journal). 

II. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author is responsible for declaring any competing financial and/or non-financial interests concerning the work described.

  • All of the financial supports in the conceptualization, design, data collection, analysis, or preparation of the manuscript should be disclosed, if any:
    • Funding (salaries, equipment, supplies, and other expenses);
    • Employment: any agencies/organizations that support the authors to generate this research;
    • Consultation fees or other forms of remuneration;
    • Patents or patent applications;
    • Other financial supports, if any.
  • Non-financial supports: could be in different form, including personal or professional relations with organizations and individuals. Any any unpaid roles of organizations and individuals that have contributed to the content and format of the manuscript need to be informed (the conceptualization, design, data collection, analysis, or preparation of the manuscript).

The Journal strictly respects and complies with their independence in the editorial screening, reviewing, editing, and publishing policies. Our policies should not be compromised by any commercial/financial interests, or by any specific arrangements with advertising clients or sponsors. The Journal will make all efforts to ensure manuscripts are assessed and evaluated fairly.

III. CONFLICT OF ETHICAL STANDARDS AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

1. Ethical Oversight

The Journal recognizes that ethical oversight, as defined by COPE, encompasses various aspects, including, but not limited to, policies related to consent for publishing research involving vulnerable populations, preventing harm or injury to animals and humans, safeguarding confidential data, and regulating marketing activities, accordingly:

  • Regarding the research related to chemicals, processes, and hazardous equipment, the authors are required to confirm that all experiments were performed following the procedures of Vietnamese Law, and/or the instructions of relevant international organizations, as well as the Regulations of Ho Chi Minh City Open University.

  • Regarding the research involving animals and human research participants, the authors must confirm that all experiments were performed following relevant guidelines and regulations. Research involving human research participants must have been performed according to the Declaration of Helsinki and the Regulations of Ho Chi Minh City Open University. If the study has been granted exemption from requiring ethics approval, details of the committee granting exception should be included in the manuscript. Manuscripts must also include a statement affirming that informed consent was obtained from all human research participants. Privacy rights, personal confidentiality (personal information, photos, medical records, etc.) need to be protected. If identifiable images from human research participants are used, the authors must include a statement in the published articles affirming that they have obtained informed consent for publication of those images.

2. Conflict of intellectual property

Both authors and readers who identify violations of ethical and intellectual property standards, conflicts of interest, discrepancies related to author contributions, or contraventions of other Journal policies are encouraged to formally notify the Journal in writing, providing evidence of the alleged violation. In line with Ho Chi Minh City Open University's mission to advance scientific research, the Journal is committed to promoting and adhering to the highest standards of research ethics, guided by the Committee on Publication Ethics Core Principles (COPE's Core Practices).

Research misconduct encompasses a range of activities, including but not limited to: 

  • Fabrication: The act of making up data or results, observations, or characterizations that never occurred in the gathering of data or running of experiments.

  • Falsification: The act of manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.

  • Plagiarism: The act of intentional or unintentional use of other scholar works (text, results, data, figures, images, ideas, etc.) without appropriate attribution, citation, or acknowledgment. Plagiarism is a serious concern in scientific ethical standards, could be in many forms including, but not limited to unacknowledged copying the work of others (individuals, corporations, non-governmental organizations, etc.); copying a large amount of other people’s works (even though sources are correctly cited); providing inaccurate information about the author and the source of information; re-writing other people's works in personal writing; reusing substantial parts of the author’s published work without providing the appropriate references, or using more than 30% of articles published previously by the author, is called duplication (including publishing a manuscript in several journals, and/or adding a small part into a previous work to generate new research).

All manuscripts will be checked for plagiarism and research duplication by Turnitin software, helping to identify the source that has been copied. The Journal complies with the regulations on plagiarism of academic products issued by Ho Chi Minh City Open University.

The Regulation on Duplicity: Academic works that verbatim reproduce a passage containing 20 words or more or have an overlap of 25% or more and each source exceeds 2%, or only change the title or data while keeping the same content is considered a violation.

3. Academic Integrity and Ethic Detection

Academic Integrity is a fundamental concept in research, encompassing adherence to ethical principles and standards throughout the research process. It involves recognizing and upholding ethical regulations and principles in all research-related activities.

To enhance the quality, integrity, and significance of scientific articles, the Journal has established the following process for ethics and academic integrity detection: 

  • Editorial screening: During this stage, the editor reviews the submitted manuscripts to assess its compatibility with the Journal's scope and adherence to academic ethical standards as outlined in the Journal's guidelines. Editorial screening takes into account various aspects of the article, including its content, research methodology, and writing style. If any violations or discrepancies are identified, the Editor reserves the right to reject the article and will provide the author with a clear explanation for the rejection, along with supporting evidence.

  • Plagiarism checking in editorial screening: Editors employ the Turnitin tool to conduct a plagiarism check on all manuscripts submitted to the Journal. This step is crucial to ensure the highest level of academic integrity in the author's work. Addressing any instances of plagiarism or duplicate content is mandatory. The Editor will communicate the results of the plagiarism check to the author. The permissible level of overlap is set at 20%, and no single source should account for more than 2% of the content. Furthermore, the manuscript should not include verbatim reproduction of a paragraph that consists of 20 words or more. This rigorous process ensures that the submitted work complies with the Journal's standards for originality and academic integrity.

  • Review: The Journal employs a double-blind review process, wherein both the authors' and reviewers' identities remain confidential. This approach is adopted to eliminate bias and ensure fairness throughout the article review process. By keeping the identities anonymous, the peer-review process guarantees that the assessment is solely based on the quality and content of the paper, devoid of any personal acquaintances or influences. Throughout this stage, the reviewers focus on evaluating the scientific validity, quality, and reliability of the article to ensure it meets the requisite standards for publication. Reviewers engage in a comprehensive examination of the article, assessing its content, research methodologies, logical consistency, results, conclusions, as well as its academic significance. They provide constructive feedback and suggestions to the author, highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of the work and proposing improvements that can enhance the overall quality of the paper. The Editor subsequently communicates the review results to the author and requests adjustments to the article based on the editors’ and reviewers' recommendations.

  • Plagiarism checking before approval: This is a highly crucial step in the article preparation process to ensure the uniqueness, quality, and adherence to standards before publishing. This process is vital in upholding ethical and academic standards and preventing any infringement on the intellectual property rights of others.  The permissible level of overlap is set at 20%, and no single source should account for more than 2% of the content. Furthermore, the manuscript should not include verbatim reproduction of a paragraph that consists of 20 words or more. 

  • Post-Publication Discussion: The Journal actively encourages readers, particularly researchers, to engage in discussions about published articles. Readers can send their comments and suggestions to the Editor via email at journalofscience.acs@ou.edu.vn.

4. Handling allegations of research misconduct 

Allegations of research misconduct should be made under the following considerations: 

  • Significant departure from ethical principles: The alleged wrongdoing should involve a substantial departure from established ethical principles, such as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism. Minor or unintentional errors should be addressed differently.

  • Intentional misconduct: Misconduct should be demonstrated to be intentional, indicating a purposeful violation of ethical standards rather than inadvertent errors.

  • Specific and clear evidence: The allegation should be supported by specific and clear evidence that substantiates the claim of misconduct.

Allegations of research misconduct may pertain to either a published article or a manuscript under review. The Journal is dedicated to handling these allegations with the utmost seriousness and follows a structured process and procedures, as outlined in the following steps: 

Steps

Content

Responsible parties

Duration

Preliminary Investigation
  • Review the details and content of the allegation to determine its validity and seriousness.
  • Gather relevant information, including evidence, to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegation.
  • Prepare a preliminary draft of the investigation results based on the collected information and findings.

Editor

14 – 28 days

Official Investigation
  • Carefully review and assess the initial investigation results to ensure accuracy and completeness.
  • Consider any related events or factors that may have contributed to the alleged misconduct.
  • Formulate official conclusions based on the findings of the investigation, determining whether research misconduct has occurred and the appropriate actions to take.

Scientific Integrity Board

28 – 56 days

Information to the Author

Communicate with the author to request their input and evidence regarding the allegations of misconduct.

Editor

03 days after official conclusions

Final Decision

The Editor-in-Chief makes decisions on the outcome of allegations of research misconduct.

Editor-in-Chief

07 dasys after informing author

Notification of results

The outcomes of the handling process will be communicated to the accuser either through email or on the Journal's website.

Journal Secretary

03 days after final decision

 

In cases where articles are identified as breaching ethical standards, intellectual property rights, conflicts of interest, authorship contributions, or other journal policies, the magazine will conduct a thorough review to assess the nature and extent of the violation. Appropriate actions will be taken to address the violation, which may include requesting the author to make necessary corrections or adjustments to the article; canceling the publication of the article; deleting the article from the journal's website; issuing a public notification on the journal's website and in the press regarding the violation. Furthermore, the journal will implement additional measures, as deemed appropriate, in accordance with the regulations outlined in the Intellectual Property Law, Press Law, and Publishing Law of Vietnam. These measures may include prohibiting authors whose submissions have violated journal policies within the past 1 to 3 years from submitting further content to the journal.

IV. CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY

The Journal guarantees to implementing and complying with the Law related to personal information security. The Journal ensures maintaining confidentiality on all details of the editorial and peer review process (authors, reviewers, details of submitted manuscripts). The names and email addresses entered in the Journal system will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of the Journal. They will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.  However, in some specific cases, the Journal cannot guarantee maintaining this confidentiality in the face of a successful legal action to disclose identity.

Authors are trictly required to keep confidential all details of the editorial and peer review process on submitted manuscripts.

Reviewers are responsible for strictly maintaining the confidentiality of all details of the peer review process on submitted manuscripts. Reviewers may not share any of information with anyone or contact the author directly without consulting with the Journal. Personal use of the article’s information is strictly prohibited.

V. ENSURING POLICY ADHERENCE: JOURNAL AND REVIEWER RESPONSIBILITIES

All the submitted manuscripts are evaluated thoroughly and fairly based on the quality of content, avoiding racism, gender, workplace, academic degree, etc. All copyediting and proofreading steps are handled electronically via the Journal’s online system to ensure transparency for all participating parties. The Journal guarantees fairness, impartiality, and on-time throughout the review process.

The reviewers are critically selected according to the Journal’ standards and the research field of the article. The reviewers are responsible for responding to the Journal within the requested time in the following cases: accepting or declining the invitation to review, the violation of announced policies, unmatched expertise of the Reviewer.

Based on the review form provided by the Journal, the reviewers will objectively, academically, freely, and confidentially give their comments/advice about the work (the content and format). The recommendations should instruct the authors on how they can strengthen their paper to the point where it may be acceptable. A chronically slow, careless review is discouraged. The feedbacks should be polite, constructive, avoiding offensive language or comments that reveal confidential information about other matters.

The Journal also requests that if the reviewers suspect plagiarism, fraud, or have other ethical concerns, they should let these suspicions be known to the Journal, providing as much detail as possible.

VI. CODE OF CONDUCT

The Journal is dedicated to fostering a high-quality research community while upholding the principles of ethics and academic integrity. In line with this commitment, the journal adheres to the Code of Conduct established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Here are some essential COPE codes of conduct that the Journal follows: 

  • Honesty and Transparency: The Journal ensures honesty and transparency throughout the publication process, from the selection of articles to the peer review process and final publishing decisions. Information regarding authors, funding sources, and potential conflicts of interest is disclosed transparently.

  • Privacy and Fair Treatment: The magazine respects the privacy of authors and ensures that publishing decisions are not influenced by unrelated personal factors, such as family situation, nationality, gender, or religion.

  • Preventing Ethical Violations: The Journal has policies in place to prevent ethical violations during the publication process, including plagiarism, intellectual property rights infringements, and research fraud.

  • Ensuring Content Quality: The Journal maintains content quality by implementing a rigorous and equitable review process. This process includes a comprehensive assessment of an article's objectivity, methods, and results.

  • Handling Complaint Situations: The magazine takes all complaints related to publication ethics seriously and handles them fairly. The Journal's approach is to objectively consider and respond promptly and effectively to all complaints.

In addition to these core principles, the Journal also abides by other rules encompassed in COPE's 20 codes of conduct, which are detailed in this link. These guidelines help ensure the ethical and academic integrity of the Journal's publishing process.