The Journal of Social Transformation and Community Engagement (JSTCE) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal follows internationally recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing and expects all authors, reviewers, editors, and other parties involved in the publication process to uphold integrity, transparency, fairness, and accountability.

This publication ethics policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to and published by JSTCE. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, citation manipulation, conflicts of interest that are not disclosed, or other forms of academic misconduct.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts are original and represent their own scholarly work. Manuscripts must not have been previously published and must not be simultaneously submitted to another journal.

Authors are responsible for:

• ensuring the originality and academic integrity of their manuscripts;
• appropriately acknowledging and citing all sources used in the research;
• accurately presenting research data, methods, findings, and interpretations;
• avoiding fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and data manipulation;
• declaring any potential conflicts of interest;
• obtaining appropriate ethical approval or informed consent where required;
• ensuring that all individuals listed as authors have made a substantial contribution to the research and manuscript;
• obtaining approval from all co-authors before submission;
• responding appropriately to editorial and reviewer comments;
• correcting errors discovered after publication; and
• disclosing the use of artificial intelligence or generative AI tools when such disclosure is required by the journal's policy.

Authors must not engage in citation manipulation, including excessive self-citation or coordinated citation practices intended primarily to artificially increase citation metrics.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for managing the editorial process fairly, transparently, and independently. Editorial decisions must be based on the manuscript's academic quality, originality, methodological rigor, relevance to the journal's focus and scope, and potential scholarly contribution.

Editors must:

• maintain confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts;
• ensure that manuscripts are evaluated objectively and fairly;
• select qualified and independent reviewers;
• manage conflicts of interest appropriately;
• avoid discrimination based on authors' nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, ethnicity, religion, or other personal characteristics;
• protect the integrity and confidentiality of the peer-review process;
• investigate allegations of academic misconduct;
• take appropriate corrective action when ethical violations are identified; and
• maintain editorial independence in making publication decisions.

Editors must not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for their own research or personal advantage without the author's permission.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the quality and integrity of the journal. Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, timely, and evidence-based evaluations.

Reviewers must:

• evaluate manuscripts objectively and professionally;
• maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts under review;
• identify relevant published work that has not been appropriately cited;
• notify the editor of any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, or other ethical concerns;
• disclose any potential conflict of interest before accepting a review assignment;
• decline the review if they are not sufficiently qualified or cannot provide an impartial assessment; and
• refrain from using unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal or professional benefit.

4. Peer Review Integrity

JSTCE uses a double-blind peer-review process. The identities of authors and reviewers are kept confidential throughout the review process.

Manuscripts are normally evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise. The editorial team may appoint additional reviewers when necessary, particularly when reviewer recommendations substantially differ or when specialized expertise is required.

The final editorial decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief or designated editor based on the reviewers' evaluations and the journal's editorial standards.

5. Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct

All submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism and similarity screening using Turnitin or an equivalent similarity-detection system.

JSTCE considers plagiarism to include, but not be limited to, copying another person's ideas, words, data, images, or research findings without appropriate attribution. The journal also considers duplicate publication, substantial text recycling, fabrication, falsification, and other forms of research misconduct to be serious ethical violations.

A similarity score is not automatically considered evidence of plagiarism. Editors assess the similarity report in context, including the nature and source of the overlapping material.

Where academic misconduct is suspected, the editorial team may request an explanation from the authors and conduct further investigation. Appropriate actions may include manuscript rejection, publication correction, retraction, notification of the author's institution, or other measures considered necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

6. Authorship and Contributions

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, implementation, analysis, or interpretation of the research and/or the preparation and critical revision of the manuscript.

All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission and publication.

Changes to the authorship of a manuscript after submission require a clear justification and written approval from all affected authors. The editorial team may request additional documentation when necessary.

7. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationships that could influence the research or the publication process.

Editors will take appropriate measures to ensure that manuscripts involving potential conflicts of interest are handled impartially.

8. Research Ethics

Authors are responsible for ensuring that research involving human participants, personal data, communities, or other ethically sensitive subjects complies with applicable ethical standards and institutional requirements.

Where applicable, authors should provide information regarding ethical approval, informed consent, participant confidentiality, and other relevant ethical procedures.

Research involving communities should respect community rights, dignity, cultural values, local knowledge, and participation. Community engagement research should avoid exploitative practices and should demonstrate responsible and respectful relationships between researchers and community members.

9. Corrections, Retractions, and Post-Publication Issues

JSTCE is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the published scholarly record.

When significant errors are identified after publication, the journal may publish a correction, clarification, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the nature and severity of the issue.

Retraction may be considered when there is clear evidence of serious misconduct, major errors that invalidate the findings, duplicate publication, plagiarism, unethical research practices, or other circumstances that substantially compromise the reliability of the published article.

Post-publication concerns may be submitted to the editorial team and will be investigated fairly and confidentially.

10. Use of Artificial Intelligence

JSTCE recognizes that artificial intelligence and generative AI tools may be used responsibly in scholarly research and manuscript preparation. Such tools may assist with activities such as language improvement, grammar checking, brainstorming, data processing, coding assistance, or other appropriate academic tasks.

However, AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, interpretation, and ethical standards of their manuscripts.

Authors should disclose substantive use of generative AI in accordance with the journal's AI policy. AI-generated content must not be used to fabricate data, references, research findings, citations, or other scholarly information.

11. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may submit appeals regarding editorial decisions when they believe that a decision resulted from a significant procedural error, misunderstanding, or inappropriate application of the journal's policies.

Complaints and appeals will be handled by the editorial team in a fair, confidential, and timely manner. Where appropriate, the Editor-in-Chief may involve an independent editor or additional expert to assess the matter.

JSTCE is committed to resolving publication ethics concerns transparently while protecting the rights and confidentiality of all parties involved.

12. Commitment to Research Integrity

Through this publication ethics policy, Journal of Social Transformation and Community Engagement (JSTCE) seeks to promote responsible scholarship and maintain a trustworthy academic publishing environment. All authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the journal's editorial team are expected to contribute to the integrity, credibility, and sustainability of the scholarly record.