In order to further strengthen the professional ethics of authors, reviewers, and editors, and to improve the quality of published articles, the editorial department of Materials Protection has formulated the publication ethics guidelines for the journal based on the relevant guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and taking into account the specific circumstances of the journal:
Table of Contents
I. Academic Ethical Guidelines for Authors
II. Academic Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers
III. Academic Ethical Guidelines for Editors
IV. Identification and Handling of Academic Misconduct
V. Advertising Publication Statement
VI. Comments and Feedback
I. Academic Ethical Guidelines for Authors
1. It is strictly prohibited to submit the same manuscript to multiple journals, submit duplicate content multiple times (including submission in different languages), as well as engage in academic misconduct such as plagiarism, data tampering or data fabrication.
2. In project application, project design, data collection and analysis, dissemination of research results, and acknowledgment of contributions of participants in scientific research work, authors must adhere to principles of honesty and objectivity. The collection and publication of data must ensure validity and accuracy, ensuring the integrity, authenticity, and security of experimental records and data for verification. The publication of research achievements, statistical data, etc., must be truthful, complete and accurate. Errors and mistakes found in published research achievements should be publicly disclosed and acknowledged in an appropriate manner.
3. In academic activities, intellectual property rights must be respected, and the research achievements already obtained by others should be fully respected. When citing others' work, the source must be accurately indicated, and if copyright permission is required, the author must obtain necessary copyright permission from the copyright owner. The quoted content should not constitute the main or substantial part of the cited person's work. When citing a third party's work from another's work, the source of the reference should be accurately indicated.
4. The authors of the manuscript must have made substantial contributions to the academic paper, meaning they must have substantially participated in the research or related work of the article. They should have made contributions in at least one of the following areas: conceptualization and design of the study, acquisition of research data, analysis and interpretation of research data, writing of the article, or critical revision of important content. Individuals who assisted in experiments can be included in the acknowledgment form, but false signatures are not allowed.
5. In general, changing the authors after submission is not allowed. If there are special reasons, the first author or corresponding author should submit a request for changes to the editorial department and obtain the consent of all authors.
6. It is prohibited to seek undue benefits through scientific research activities. Authors should handle direct, indirect, or potential conflicts of interest that exist in scientific research activities correctly. Authors should declare personal contributions and conflicts of interest related to the research by completing and submitting the “Authors' Declaration Form” to the journal. When the financial/personal/affiliated relationships of authors (or authors' institutions/employers) may affect the authors' decisions, work, or manuscripts, there may be potential conflicts of interest. When mentioning certain products in the manuscript, authors should also disclose whether there are conflicts of interest with competing products of these products.
7. If there are objections to the review content or review results, an appeal can be submitted to the editorial department.
II. Academic Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers
1. Reviewers should review each manuscript impartially and objectively, providing effective review comments based on the value and quality of the manuscript, without considering the author's race, religion, nationality, gender, qualifications or institutional background.
2. When the reviewers receive an invitation to review, they must disclose any potential conflicts of interest with the manuscript, including any relationships with the authors, to ensure that they do not have any bias towards the manuscript.
3. Reviewers must maintain confidentiality during the review process and should not share any information about the manuscript with anyone outside of the peer review process.
4. Reviewers should make every reasonable effort to review the manuscript and submit their review comments on time. If they are unable to review the manuscript or submit review comments on time, they should promptly notify the editorial department.
5. If reviewers identify suspected academic misconduct during the review process, they should promptly inform the editorial department.
6. Reviewers should not use any unpublished materials from the manuscript they are reviewing in their own research without the explicit written consent of the authors. Any information or ideas obtained during the review process must be kept confidential and should not be used for personal work achievement.
III. Academic Ethical Guidelines for Editors
1. Editors should evaluate each article objectively and impartially, and make final evaluation results based on the importance, originality, scientificity, timeliness, readability, authenticity of the article and its relevance to the journal.
2. Editors should ensure that each article undergoes peer review by at least two experts in the field and should strive to avoid selecting reviewers who are affiliated with the same institution as the authors. Authors should not be chosen as reviewers.
3. Editors should make efforts to handle articles in an efficient and timely manner.
4. Editors must maintain confidentiality during the peer review process and should not share any information about the article with anyone outside of the peer review process.
5. Editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest they have with the article, including any relationships with the authors, to ensure that they do not have any bias towards the article.
6. Editors should not use any unpublished materials from the article they are reviewing in their own research without the explicit written consent of the authors.
7. Whenever the editor receives a complaint regarding publication ethics issues related to an article, they should take immediate responsive measures, actively investigate, gather evidence, and follow through. If necessary, corrections, retractions or other actions should be undertaken.
8. Editors should handle authors' appeals with caution and may organize collective discussions or seek re-evaluation by peer reviewers.
9. If there is substantial evidence proving problems with the main content or conclusions of a published article, the editor should undertake appropriate erratum work.
IV. Identification and Handling of Academic Misconduct
To protect the rights and interests of readers and authors and maintain the quality and reputation of Materials Protection, strict detection and screening of papers will be conducted during the publication process. Papers identified as academic misconduct will be rejected and subjected to serious consequences. The specific process for identification and handling is as follows:
1. The journal adopts the CNKI Academic Misconduct Detection System to automatically check papers. The system compares the papers against the “China Academic Journal Network Publishing Database” to detect academic misconduct such as plagiarism, fabrication, tampering, improper authorship and multiple submissions.
2. Papers to be checked include: (1) all submitted manuscripts and (2) papers reported by readers suspected of plagiarism.
3. Identification of academic misconduct: Based on the detection results, if the similarity rate is 30% or higher, the identified paper, together with the comparison papers, will be submitted to reviewers to determine the property and form of the paper's duplication.
The reviewers will provide identification and handling suggestions for the similarity between the paper and the comparison paper. If the paper is identified as academic misconduct, it will be rejected. If the paper is already published, it will be retracted. The affiliation will be notified of the seriousness of the case, and other sister journals in the relevant field of the article will be informed. Furthermore, the journal will reject all submissions from academic misconduct authors as the primary author.
V. Advertising Publication Statement
1. Placement: Advertisements in this journal are mainly placed on the cover, inner pages, and back cover of the print edition, separate from the academic content published in the journal. The placement of all advertisements will be discussed and collectively decided at the editorial department meetings.
2. Formal Statement: The presentation of advertising content in this journal is completely separate from the academic content. The publication of advertisements will not affect the editorial or acceptance decisions for any submissions.
3. Advertising Requirements: Advertisers should ensure the authenticity of the advertising content. The journal will verify the relevant certification documents and check the advertising content in accordance with relevant laws and regulations such as the Advertising Law. Advertisements that do not conform to the actual situation or have incomplete certification documents will not be published.
4. For specific advertising matters, please contact Mr. WANG Yu from the editorial department. Contact information: 027-83638752.
VI. Comments and Feedback
If authors, readers, or any experts have any opinions regarding our journal's publication ethics, comments on articles published in our journal, or wish to report suspected academic misconduct in an article, they are encouraged to send their comments to our email. Upon receiving such communications, the editorial department will address them promptly and provide feedback as appropriate. We welcome active participation and oversight from our readers and authors and encourage them to provide various comments and suggestions to the editorial department. This collaboration is vital for fostering a positive academic environment.