Publication Ethics

GEOCIVIA: Journal of Geotechnical Engineering and Civil Infrastructure is firmly committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. The journal strictly adheres to the principles and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Ethical conduct is mandatory for all parties involved in the publishing process, including authors, editors, peer reviewers, and the publisher.

1. Duties of Editors

Publication Decisions

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts should be published. Decisions are based on the validity of the research, its significance to the fields of civil and geotechnical engineering, and the recommendations provided by peer reviewers.

Fair Play

Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on their intellectual content, without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the author’s explicit written consent.

2. Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review assists editors in making publication decisions and supports authors in improving the academic and technical quality of their manuscripts.

Standards of Objectivity

Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their evaluations clearly and support their comments with relevant technical arguments.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any claim that observations, derivations, or arguments have been previously reported must be supported by appropriate citations.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be shared or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

3. Duties of Authors

Reporting Standards

Authors must present an accurate account of the research performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data, including laboratory test results and field investigation data, must be represented accurately. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. Proper citation or quotation is required when using the work or words of others. GEOCIVIA employs plagiarism detection software to screen all submissions.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors should not publish manuscripts describing substantially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Concurrent submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals is considered unethical publishing behavior.

Authorship of the Paper

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study.

Hazards and Human/Animal Subjects

If the research involves chemicals, procedures, or equipment with inherent hazards—such as those commonly encountered in geotechnical laboratory testing—authors must clearly identify these hazards in the manuscript.

4. Handling of Unethical Behavior

Misconduct Identification

Unethical behavior or misconduct may be identified and reported to the editor and publisher at any time by any individual.

Investigation

The Editor-in-Chief will conduct an investigation into all allegations of misconduct, including but not limited to plagiarism and data fabrication.

Consequences

If misconduct is confirmed, appropriate actions will be taken. These may include issuing a formal warning, retracting the published article, and prohibiting future submissions to the journal.