This Code of Ethics/Malpractice Statement is binding for all authors, reviewers, and members of the E-JournALL team (Editors, Editorial Board, proofreaders, and translators).
Authors
1) Manuscripts submitted to E-JournALL for publication must be original and unpublished works, written by the authors who submit them. By submitting a manuscript to this journal, authors accept that the manuscript will be screened for plagiarism against previously published works, including their own (“self-plagiarism”).
2) References to works by other authors must always be adequately cited, both in cases of paraphrase and direct quotation. It is the author’s responsibility to secure permission to reprint tables or figures that are reproduced or adapted from another source.
3) Parallel submission is not permitted. Once a paper is under review with E-JournALL, it cannot be under review anywhere else at the same time.
4) The name(s) indicated on the manuscript and on the submission form as those of the author(s) must correspond to the actual author(s) of the manuscript. All those who have made significant contributions to the manuscript should be listed as authors. The corresponding author should ensure that all the co-authors are included as author(s) of the manuscript, that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper, and that they have agreed to its submission and publication with E-JournALL.
5) If an author notices a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal’s editors and to cooperate with them to either retract the paper or to publish an appropriate erratum.
6) Authors whose research involves human participants agree to certify that they have:
- Obtained approval from a relevant review board (such as an institutional IRB or university ethics committee) to conduct their study
OR
- Explained the purpose and procedures of the study to all participants
- Disclosed to participants how results would be used (e.g., in publications)
- Obtained written or recorded informed consent from all participants (and from their parents/guardians in the case of minors under 18 y/o)
When a submission involves data collected from students (surveys, quotes, samples of student work), participant permission is still required. Permission can be retroactive (e.g., in the case of data collected as part of coursework, permission may be requested after the data have been collected), but permission must be obtained before submission to E-JournALL. Authors using student work certify that they have informed students that their work would be used in research and have given students the opportunity to decline to have their work used.
7) E-JournALL takes instances of research malpractice seriously. In cases where an author is found to have breached this code of ethics (e.g., plagiarized other work, failed to obtain informed consent from participants), E-JournALL reserves the right to take action such as, but not limited to: retracting an article, publishing a correction (erratum/corrigendum), and contacting the author’s institution.
8) E-JournALL operates under the Creative Commons BY 4.0 license, which grants authors the right to share their work, including the final, published version, provided that its original publication in E-JournALL is acknowledged.
Editors
1) The Editors-in-Chief, Associate Editors, and, in the case of special issues, Guest Editors (henceforth “The Editors”) of the journal hold the final responsibility for deciding whether to publish manuscripts submitted to E-JournALL. The Editors make this decision taking into account the reports of the anonymous reviewers.
2) Submitted manuscripts are evaluated for their intellectual content without regard to the race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, disability, carrier or social status, citizenship, or political and/or scientific philosophy of the authors.
3) The Editors, the Editorial Board, and the Editorial team will not share any information about the content of submitted manuscripts with anyone other than the authors, the reviewers, and potential reviewers.
4) The Editors guarantee the anonymity of the authors and reviewers.
5) If the Editors become aware of or are informed about errors, inaccuracies, conflicts of interest, or plagiarism concerning a published article, they will promptly inform the author(s) and take action to clarify the matter; if necessary, the article will be retracted or a clarification will be published.
6) The Editors will perform an initial quality check of every manuscript submitted for publication in order to determine whether the article is of sufficient quality and appropriate content, whether the manuscript is consistent with the scope of E-JournALL, and whether the language follows the standards required for academic publications. If the manuscript does not demonstrate these basic characteristics, it will be rejected and will not undergo the double-blind peer-review process.
Reviewers
1) All submitted manuscripts that pass the initial quality check are double-blind peer reviewed.
2) Authors’ names, biographical information, and any other identifying information are eliminated from papers to be sent to the reviewers. However, if reviewers are able to identify the authors from the content of the paper, they must decide whether they are able to nonetheless provide an objective review or whether they should return the paper to the editors.
3) Manuscripts sent for review must be considered confidential by peer reviewers. They must not be shared or discussed with anyone who has not been previously authorized by the Editors.
4) Any invited reviewer who feels unqualified to review the manuscript or knows that its timely review will not be possible should notify the Editors as soon as possible so that alternative reviewers can be contacted.
5) Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is not acceptable. Referees should express their views clearly with appropriate supporting arguments.
6) The aim of reviews is for the reviewers to evaluate the quality of the assigned manuscripts and indicate if these are suitable for publication in E-JournALL. Reviewers can help the authors to improve the manuscripts by suggesting changes, providing further references, and signaling mistakes and inaccuracies.
7) Any reference to someone else’s work should be accompanied by the relevant citation. If the reviewers notice, in the manuscript, substantial similarities or plagiarism of another published work of which they have personal knowledge, they must notify the Editors. The information and ideas that reviewers obtain by means of evaluating the manuscripts should be kept confidential and must never be used for the reviewer’s benefit.
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E-JournALL Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Writing, Reviewing, and Publishing
In line with international publishing standards and the guidelines established by Scopus AI policies, E-JournALL acknowledges the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in research workflows and academic writing. At the same time, the journal maintains uncompromising standards of scholarly integrity, transparency, and authorship responsibility.
This policy distinguishes clearly between generative AI technologies (Gen-AI) and AI-assisted tools, as each carries different implications for research and publication ethics.
1. Generative AI
Generative AI refers to systems capable of autonomously producing new content, such as text, images, tables, summaries, code, or data visualisations, based on user prompts via AI platforms (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, image generators).
1.1. Gen-AI Is Not Permitted to Generate Scientific Content
Following international journals’ policies and principles, generative AI must not be used to:
- Write or co-write any part of the scholarly manuscript
- Generate abstracts, interpretations, arguments, or scientific explanations
- Create citations, reference lists, or bibliographic entries
- Produce or manipulate data, results, or analyses
- Generate images, tables, graphs, or any visual research elements
All research content must originate from human authors.
AI systems cannot be listed as authors, nor can they hold responsibility for any part of the scientific work.
1.2. Acceptable Use of Gen-AI
Generative AI may be used only as a supportive tool, not as a substitute for human reasoning or intellectual contribution. Acceptable uses include:
- Clarifying the structure or flow of author-written text
- Editing for language clarity while preserving meaning
- Assisting non-native speakers with readability improvements
- Brainstorming or outlining early-stage ideas
- Gathering relevant references to be considered for possible, responsible use
Any use of generative AI in this limited capacity must be disclosed (see Section 5).
2. AI-Assisted Tools (Non-Generative AI)
AI-assisted tools, such as grammar checkers, spelling correctors, reference managers, translation tools, text-similarity checkers, and standard proofreading software, do not generate original scholarly content and are broadly acceptable in research and writing.
Examples include:
- Grammarly, Microsoft Editor
- Spell-check features
- DeepL (for translation, not content generation)
- Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote
Routine use of these tools does not require disclosure unless the tool contributed beyond standard corrective functions.
3. Citations, Data Integrity, and Visual Materials
- AI-generated citations or references are prohibited. All references must be manually checked and verified by authors. Please note that submissions containing fabricated or non-verifiable references will be automatically desk-rejected
- AI cannot fabricate or manipulate data, results, or literature. Any such use constitutes research misconduct
- AI-generated images, diagrams, tables, or visual elements are not permitted. All visuals must be created by authors from verifiable data or sources
4. Responsible Use of AI and AI-Assisted Tools
E-journALL requires authors to take full responsibility for the ethical, secure, and transparent use of any AI technologies during manuscript preparation or research activities.
4.1. Checking Tool Terms and Conditions
Before using any AI tool, authors must ensure that:
- The tool’s privacy and confidentiality policies adequately protect all inputs, including unpublished manuscripts and research data
- No personally identifiable or sensitive information is entered into tools that do not guarantee secure storage and handling
- The AI tool is granted only restricted rights to use author-provided materials, solely to deliver the requested service
- The tool does not retain, reuse, or train on authors’ materials unless explicitly authorized
- The tool imposes no restrictions on the publication or reuse of the manuscript or its content
- The tool’s outputs are checked for factual accuracy, bias, hallucinations, copyright concerns, and any ethical risks
Authors remain fully responsible for detecting and correcting any errors introduced by AI tools.
5. Disclosure Requirements
To ensure transparency and maintain scholarly trust, authors must openly declare the use of generative AI or advanced AI-assisted tools in manuscript preparation. Author(s) must fully disclose any use of AI. Failure to do so will result in desk rejection; if undisclosed use is identified after publication, the article will be retracted
5.1. Required AI Declaration Statement
All use of generative AI must be disclosed in a dedicated section titled:
Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process
The declaration must:
- Be placed at the end of the manuscript, immediately above the references
- Include the name(s) of the AI tools used
- Describe the purpose and extent of their use
- Explain the degree of human oversight
This statement will appear in the final published article.
5.2. What Does Not Require Disclosure
Routine use of:
- Grammar checks
- Spell-check and punctuation tools
- Basic formatting or referencing tools
does not require a disclosure statement.
6. Transparency, Authorship, and Scholarly Responsibility
By submitting a manuscript to E-JournALL, authors affirm that:
- All intellectual and scientific content is their own original work
- No generative AI has produced or interpreted scientific content
- AI involvement has been responsibly managed, verified, and disclosed
- The final manuscript is free from AI-generated citations, fabricated references, or unverified outputs
- Authors accept full responsibility for the article’s accuracy, integrity, and ethical compliance
Note for Reviewers
Reviewing a scientific paper implies responsibilities that can only be attributed to humans. The critical thinking and assessment required for peer review are outside the scope of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies, and there is a risk that the technology will generate incorrect, incomplete, and/or biased conclusions. These considerations, together with the principle that submitted manuscripts are to be treated as confidential documents, underpin our Generative AI policies for reviewers and editors.
Generative AI should not be used to assist in the review, evaluation, or decision-making process of a manuscript. Reviewers should not upload the manuscript or any part of it into a Generative AI tool, even if it is just for the purpose of improving language and readability, as there is no guarantee of where materials are being sent, saved, or viewed, or how they may be used in the future, and this may violate the authors’ confidentiality, proprietary, and/or data privacy rights.
These principles safeguard the trust of editors, reviewers, readers, and the broader research community.
