Publication Ethics

Also, you may want to read about Conflicts of Interest

The following terms represent the TJES essential ethical elements of publication that should be taken into account by all the parties involved in the publication process.

For a peer-reviewed journal, the publication of articles plays an essential role in the development of a coherent network of knowledge. It is, therefore, essential that all publishers, editors, authors, and reviewers, in the process of publishing the journals, conduct themselves in accordance with the highest level of professional ethics and standards.

Publisher’s Responsibilities

TJES follow the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)’s Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers (Core practices). The publisher is dedicated to supporting the vast efforts of the editors, the academic contributions of authors, and the respected volunteer work undertaken by reviewers. The publisher is also responsible for ensuring that the publication system works smoothly and that ethical guidelines are applied to assist the editor, author, and reviewer in performing their ethical duties.

Editor’s Responsibilities

Journal follow the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)’s Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors (Core practices). In addition, some key points are listed below. The editor should acknowledge receipt of submitted manuscripts within two working days of receipt and ensure an efficient, fair, and timely review process. The editor should ensure that submitted manuscripts are processed in a confidential manner, and that no content of the manuscripts will be disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and the publisher, as appropriate.The editor should recuse himself or herself from processing manuscripts if he or she has any conflict of interest with any of the authors or institutions related to the manuscripts. The editor should not disclose the names and other details of the reviewers to a third party without the permission of the reviewers. The editor has the right to make the final decision on whether to accept or reject a manuscript with reference to the significance, originality, and clarity of the manuscript and its relevance to the journal. The editor should by no means make any effort to oblige the authors to cite his or her journal either as an implied or explicit condition of accepting their manuscripts for publication. The editor should not use for his or her own research any part of any data or work reported in submitted and as yet unpublished articles. The editor should respond promptly and take reasonable measures when an ethical complaint occurs concerning a submitted manuscript or a published paper, and the editor should immediately contact and consult with the author. In this case, a written formal retraction or correction may also be required.

Reviewer’s Responsibilities

Tikrit Journal of Engineering Sciences follow the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)’s COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers (Core practices). In addition, some key points are listed below. The reviewer who feels unqualified to review the assigned manuscript or affirms that he or she cannot meet the deadline for completion of the review should immediately notify the editor and excuse himself or herself from the process of reviewing this manuscript. The reviewer should inform the editor and recuse himself or herself from reviewing the manuscript if there is a conflict of interest. Specifically, the reviewer should recuse himself or herself from reviewing any manuscript authored or coauthored by a person with whom the reviewer has an obvious personal or academic relationship, if the relationship could introduce bias or the reasonable perception of bias. The reviewer should treat the manuscript in a confidential manner. The manuscript should not be disclosed to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor. The reviewer should approach the peer-review job objectively. Personal criticism of the author is unacceptable. The reviewer should not use for his or her own research any part of any data or work reported in submitted and as yet unpublished articles. The reviewer should immediately notify the editor of any similarities between the manuscript under review and another paper either published or under consideration by another journal. The reviewer should immediately call to the editor’s attention a manuscript containing plagiarized material or falsified data. 

* If you suspect plagiarism, fraud or have other ethical concerns, please raise your suspicions with the editor, providing as much detail as possible.

* Any suggestion you make that the author include citations to your (or your associates’) work must be for genuine scientific reasons and not with the intention of increasing your citation counts or enhancing the visibility of your work (or those of your associates).

Author’s Responsibilities

The author should not submit concurrent manuscripts (or manuscripts essentially describing the same subject matter) to multiple journals. Likewise, an author should not submit any paper previously published anywhere to the journals for consideration. The publication of articles on specific subject matter, such as clinical guidelines and translations, in more than one journal is acceptable if certain conditions are met. The author should present a precise and brief report of his or her research and an impartial description of its significance. The author should honestly gather and interpret his or her research data. Publishers, editors, reviewers, and readers are entitled to request the author to provide the raw data for his or her research for convenience of editorial review and public access. If practicable, the author should retain such data for any possible use after publication. The author should guarantee that the works he or she has submitted are original. If the author has used work and/or words by others, appropriate citations are required. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

The author should indicate explicitly all sources that have supported the research and also declare any conflict(s) of interest. The author should give due acknowledgement to all of those who have made contributions to the research. Those who have contributed significantly to the research should be listed as coauthors. The author should ensure that all coauthors have affirmed the final version of the paper and have agreed on its final publication. The author should promptly inform the journal editor of any obvious error(s) in his or her published paper and cooperate earnestly with the editor in retraction or correction of the paper. If the editor is notified by any party other than the author that the published paper contains an obvious error, the author should write a retraction or make the correction based on the medium of publication.

Generative AI Policy

Tikrit Journal of Engineering Sciences (TJES) recognizes the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and similar tools. To maintain the highest standards of academic integrity, scientific accuracy, and research ethics, TJES requires all authors to adhere to the following policy regarding the use of Generative AI in manuscript preparation.

1. Authorship

Authors should not list AI Tools as an author or co-author, nor cite AI Tools as an author. Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans. Each (co-) author is accountable for ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved and authorship requires the ability to approve the final version of the work and agree to its submission. Authors are also responsible for ensuring that the work is original and has not been previously published, that the stated authors qualify for authorship, and the work does not infringe third party rights.

2. Using AI Tools

Authors must review the terms and conditions of any artificial intelligence (AI) tools they utilize to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of their data and inputs, including unpublished manuscripts, are strictly maintained. Special caution must be exercised regarding any personally identifiable information. Furthermore, AI tools must not be used to generate images that duplicate or reference existing copyrighted materials, real individuals, or identifiable products and brands, nor should they generate any likeness of an individual’s voice. Authors also remain responsible for rigorously reviewing all AI-generated content for factual inaccuracies and potential biases.

3. Disclosure

Authors should disclose the use of AI Tools for manuscript preparation in a separate AI declaration statement in their manuscript upon submission and a statement will appear in the published work. Authors should document their use of AI, including the name of the AI Tool used, the purpose of the use, and the extent of their oversight. Declaring the use of AI Tools supports transparency and trust between authors, readers, reviewers, editors and contributors and facilitates compliance with the terms of use of the relevant AI Tool. Basic checks of grammar, spelling and punctuation need no declaration. AI use in the research process should be declared and described in detail in the methods section.

Citation Ethics and Self-Citation Policy

In alignment with the ethical frameworks established by COPE, the ICMJE, and Scopus, Tikrit Journal of Engineering Sciences (TJES) firmly enforce a policy designed to prevent citation manipulation and metric inflation. Editorial Board in TJES is committed to ensuring that all reference practices reflect genuine scholarly relevance.

  1. Ethical Citation Practices
  • Promotional or non-academic reasons citations are not allowed.
  • Journal expect our authors to draw upon a diverse, high-quality body of literature, avoiding an over-reliance on any specific author, institution, or publication.
  • Every citation included in a manuscript must be demonstrably relevant and clearly justified by the authors.
  1. Reviewer and Editor Responsibilities
  • Reviewers and editors must not request or suggest citations of their own work or to the journal’s publications, any other recommended citation must be accompanied by a clear and transparent justification.
  • TJES strictly forbid coercive citation practices; no author will ever be pressured to cite specific works as a condition for manuscript acceptance.
  • To safeguard these standards, our Editorial Board routinely monitors peer-review reports to detect and deter any unethical citation behavior.
  • Any instance of coercive or promotional citation is a direct violation of our editorial ethics policy and will be treated as such.
  1. Journal Self-Citation Policy
  • As an institution, our goal is to maintain a journal self-citation rate of less than 10% of our total annual citations.
  • TJES permit self-citations only under specific, justifiable circumstances, such as in follow-up research or when expanding upon previous work.
  • Journal require authors to explicitly address and justify any self-citations in their cover letter during the initial submission process.
  • Our Editorial Board conducts regular reviews of our publication content and citation trends to maintain a responsible and balanced citation record.
  1. Transparency and Reporting
  • Tikrit Journal of Engineering Sciences strongly encourage all authors and reviewers to familiarize themselves with COPE’s Ethical Guidelines regarding citation integrity.
  • Any concern discovered by reviewers or editors concerning coercive citation, excessive self-citation, or any editorial bias should be reported confidentially to the Editor-in-Chief.
  1. Commitment to Reform and Continuous Improvement

This policy reflects the TJES ongoing efforts to enhance academic integrity, editorial transparency, and international compliance. By actively monitoring citation behavior and preventing coercive or excessive self-citation, the journal aims to align fully with Scopus evaluation standards and COPE principles. These measures are part of a continuous strategy to strengthen ethical publishing practices, ensure credibility, and build long-term trust with the global scientific community.

6. Author Self-Citation Policy

Authors are permitted to cite their own previously published work only when it is directly relevant and scientifically necessary to establish the continuity of their research. Legitimate self-citation is acceptable when it provides essential methodological context, builds upon prior findings, or addresses specific concepts integral to the current manuscript.

However, authors must strictly avoid excessive or inappropriate self-citation. Citations must not be included solely to artificially inflate personal citation metrics (such as an h-index) or journal impact factors. Author self-citations should not be used to support general, established knowledge where broader, independent literature is more appropriate, nor should they serve as a substitute for a comprehensive review of the field.

The journal adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines regarding citation manipulation. All reference lists are subject to editorial scrutiny during the initial screening and peer-review processes. If the editorial team or reviewers identify a disproportionate or scientifically unjustified use of self-citations, authors will be required to remove the gratuitous references prior to acceptance. Severe or deliberate instances of citation manipulation may result in the immediate rejection of the manuscript.

Retraction Policy

TJES is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. The Editorial Board reserves the right to formally retract any published manuscript if an investigation yields conclusive evidence of severe academic misconduct. Grounds for immediate retraction include:

  • Breach of Publication Ethics: Data fabrication, falsification, traditional plagiarism, or redundant (duplicate) publication without proper disclosure.

  • AI Plagiarism: The undisclosed use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate text, data, or figures, or falsely presenting AI-generated scientific insights as original human authorship.

  • Citation Manipulation: Engaging in citation cartels, coercion, or excessive and irrelevant self-citation intended solely to artificially inflate academic metrics.

Enforcement: Investigations are conducted in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines. Retracted articles will not remain accessible also it will be permanently watermarked as “RETRACTED.” A public Retraction Notice detailing the specific violations will be linked to the manuscript. TJES also reserves the right to impose bans on future submissions from the offending authors.