The International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering Research (IJECER) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. This statement is based on the principles and best practices developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), ICMJE Recommendations, and WAME Best Practice Guidelines. All parties involved in the publishing process (authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher) are expected to adhere to the ethical standards outlined below.

1. Duties of Authors

• The manuscript is original, has not been previously published, and is not under consideration by another journal.
• All authors have made substantial contributions to the study and approve the final version.
• All sources are appropriately cited, and plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.
• Any financial, institutional, or personal conflict of interest is fully disclosed.
• Studies involving human participants or animals have received approval from an appropriate ethics committee, and informed consent has been obtained where required.
• Authors agree to retain research data and provide raw data or documentation upon reasonable request.
• The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in manuscript preparation, if applicable, is transparently declared and does not replace authorship responsibility.
• Authors are expected to report any errors discovered post-publication promptly to the editor and cooperate to correct the literature.

2. Duties of Editors

• Evaluating manuscripts solely on academic merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
• Ensuring a fair, unbiased, and confidential double-blind peer review process, in which both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other.
• Preventing conflicts of interest among authors, reviewers, and editors.
• Taking appropriate action when ethical concerns are raised regarding a submitted or published manuscript.
• Publishing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.
• Upholding transparency and accountability in editorial decision-making.

3. Duties of Reviewers

• Conduct reviews objectively, constructively, and within the agreed timeframe.
• Treat manuscripts as confidential documents and not use unpublished information for personal gain.
• Identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors.
• Declare any conflict of interest and notify the editor of suspected ethical misconduct.
• Provide constructive feedback aimed at improving the quality and integrity of the manuscript.
• Maintain professional behavior, refraining from discriminatory or biased comments.

4. Duties of the Publisher

• Support editors in handling ethical issues in accordance with recognized standards.
• Ensure editorial independence.
• Maintain permanent accessibility and digital preservation of published content.
• Take reasonable steps to identify and prevent publication malpractice.
• Promote transparency and accountability in all aspects of publication.

5. Peer Review Process

IJECER applies a double-blind peer review system, in which both authors’ and reviewers’ identities are concealed from each other. All submissions are initially evaluated by the editorial board for scope, originality, and academic quality. Manuscripts deemed suitable are reviewed by at least three independent reviewers. The editorial decision is based on the reviewers’ reports and the editor’s academic judgment. Reviewers are instructed not to attempt to identify authors and to report any breaches of confidentiality.

6. Plagiarism Policy

• All manuscripts submitted to IJECER are screened using plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate).
• Plagiarism includes direct copying without proper citation, self-plagiarism, improper paraphrasing, and citation manipulation.
• Manuscripts with unacceptable similarity levels are rejected or returned for revision.
• Authors may be asked to provide original datasets or additional documentation to verify integrity.

7. Handling of Ethical Misconduct

IJECER follows COPE flowcharts and guidelines for suspected misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, or unethical research practices. The process may include:

1. Initial evaluation by the editor
2. Communication with the author(s) for clarification
3. Consultation with the editorial board if required
4. Appropriate actions such as rejection, correction, retraction, or notification of relevant institutions

All misconduct cases are documented, and authors are informed of decisions in a transparent manner.

8. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

• Corrections are issued for errors that do not compromise the validity of the study.
• Retractions are published when findings are unreliable due to serious error or misconduct.
• Expressions of concern may be issued while an investigation is ongoing.
• All notices are clearly labeled, permanently linked to the original article, and openly accessible.

9. Appeals and Complaints

• Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a written request to the editorial office.
• All appeals and complaints are handled transparently and objectively, in accordance with COPE guidelines.
• The journal ensures that all parties involved are heard fairly during the appeal process.

10. Archiving and Digital Preservation

The International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering Research (IJECER) ensures long-term digital preservation of all published content. To guarantee permanent access, the journal participates in recognized archiving systems such as CLOCKSS and maintains redundant backups in its institutional repository. This ensures that published articles remain accessible even if the journal ceases publication.

11. Ethical Oversight and Contact

Any ethical concerns regarding submissions or published articles should be reported to the editorial office: info@ijecer.org. The editorial office is responsible for investigating and resolving ethical issues in a timely and fair manner. The journal is committed to transparency, accountability, and adherence to international ethical standards in scholarly publishing.

12. Licensing Policy

All articles published in the International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering Research (IJECER) are made available under an open access model and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. This license allows users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, link to the full texts of the articles, and use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author, provided the original work is properly cited.

13. Copyright Statement

By submitting a manuscript to IJECER, authors retain copyright of their work and grant the journal a worldwide, non‑exclusive license to publish, distribute, and archive the article in all forms and media known now or developed in the future.

Authors also grant third parties the right to use the article according to the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.

No article processing charges (APCs) are required. Authors are free to share and reuse their work in any form in accordance with the CC BY 4.0 license, provided that proper attribution is given.

14. Research Data and Open Science Policy

IJECER supports the principles of open science and encourages transparency and reproducibility in research. Authors are encouraged to make the research data underlying their publications available whenever possible.

Research data may include datasets, software code, algorithms, experimental protocols, images, and other materials necessary to replicate the findings of the study.

Authors may deposit research data in publicly accessible repositories or institutional archives and provide a persistent identifier (such as a DOI) within the manuscript.

Where data cannot be shared due to ethical, legal, or confidentiality reasons, authors should clearly indicate the reason in the manuscript.