Publication Ethics

Al-Azhar Journal of Educational Research (AJER)

The Al-Azhar Journal of Educational Research (AJER) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, transparency, and responsible scholarly communication. This publication ethics statement applies to all participants involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, editorial board members, and the publisher.

AJER adopts the COPE Core Practices, the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing jointly developed by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME, and internationally recognized editorial standards for ethical scholarly publishing. Editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit, originality, methodological rigor, and relevance to the journal's scope, without discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, religion, institutional affiliation, gender, or political beliefs. 

1. Ethical Principles

AJER upholds the following fundamental principles:

  • Academic integrity

  • Honesty and transparency

  • Originality

  • Fairness

  • Editorial independence

  • Accountability

  • Confidentiality

  • Respect for intellectual property

  • Responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to AJER must ensure that:

Originality

Submitted manuscripts are original works that have not been published previously and are not simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

Authorship

Authorship is limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the conception, design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or manuscript preparation.

Guest authorship, honorary authorship, and ghost authorship are unacceptable.

Data Integrity

Authors must present research findings honestly without fabrication, falsification, image manipulation, or inappropriate data modification.

Raw data should be retained and made available when requested by the editors.

Citation Practice

All sources must be properly acknowledged.

Authors must avoid:

  • plagiarism;

  • self-plagiarism;

  • citation manipulation;

  • fabricated references;

  • inappropriate citation padding.

Multiple Submission

Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals is strictly prohibited.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, or personal relationships that could influence the research.

Funding Disclosure

All funding sources must be clearly identified.

Research Ethics

Research involving human participants must comply with institutional ethical standards and applicable regulations.

Where applicable, ethical approval information must be provided.

AI-Assisted Writing

Authors may use AI tools solely to improve language or readability.

AI tools:

  • cannot be listed as authors;

  • cannot assume responsibility for the manuscript;

  • must be disclosed transparently in an AI Disclosure Statement when used substantially.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their manuscripts. 

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors shall:

  • evaluate manuscripts solely on academic merit;

  • maintain editorial independence;

  • ensure a fair, unbiased, and timely peer-review process;

  • protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts;

  • avoid conflicts of interest;

  • decline handling manuscripts presenting conflicts;

  • maintain the integrity of the scholarly record;

  • investigate allegations of misconduct following COPE guidance;

  • publish corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions whenever necessary.

Editorial decisions shall never be influenced by commercial interests or institutional pressure. 

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers are expected to:

  • provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations;

  • maintain confidentiality;

  • review manuscripts only within their expertise;

  • declare conflicts of interest;

  • avoid using unpublished information for personal benefit;

  • complete reviews within the agreed timeframe;

  • identify possible plagiarism, duplication, unethical conduct, or methodological weaknesses.

Reviewers shall not upload manuscripts or confidential content into external AI systems unless explicitly permitted by journal policy, because doing so may compromise confidentiality. 

5. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher shall:

  • support editorial independence;

  • ensure long-term preservation of published content;

  • maintain publication integrity;

  • provide adequate resources for editorial management;

  • cooperate in investigations concerning publication misconduct;

  • prevent commercial interests from influencing editorial decisions.

6. Peer Review Ethics

AJER employs a Double-Blind Peer Review system.

Every research article undergoes:

  • initial editorial screening;

  • plagiarism screening;

  • double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers;

  • editorial evaluation;

  • final editorial decision.

Reviewers and authors remain anonymous throughout the review process.

7. Research Misconduct

AJER considers the following practices as research misconduct:

  • plagiarism;

  • self-plagiarism;

  • duplicate publication;

  • redundant publication;

  • data fabrication;

  • data falsification;

  • manipulated images;

  • citation manipulation;

  • fake peer review;

  • authorship manipulation;

  • undisclosed conflicts of interest;

  • unethical research involving human participants.

Any allegation will be investigated in accordance with COPE procedures. 

8. Plagiarism Policy

Every manuscript is screened using plagiarism detection software before peer review.

AJER does not tolerate:

  • plagiarism;

  • mosaic plagiarism;

  • paraphrasing plagiarism;

  • translated plagiarism;

  • self-plagiarism.

Manuscripts containing unacceptable similarity or evidence of plagiarism will be rejected or withdrawn.

9. Conflict of Interest

All participants in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members—must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Editors shall appoint an alternative editor whenever a conflict exists.

10. Confidentiality

Editors and reviewers shall not disclose any information regarding submitted manuscripts except to individuals directly involved in the editorial process.

Submitted manuscripts are confidential documents.

11. Artificial Intelligence Policy

AJER recognizes that AI technologies may assist scholarly writing.

However:

  • AI systems cannot qualify as authors;

  • AI-generated content remains the responsibility of human authors;

  • any significant AI-assisted writing, translation, editing, coding, image generation, or data analysis must be transparently disclosed;

  • authors remain fully accountable for the accuracy, originality, ethical compliance, and validity of all manuscript content. 

12. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

AJER is committed to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record.

Where necessary, the journal may publish:

  • Corrections (Erratum);

  • Corrigendum;

  • Expressions of Concern;

  • Retractions;

  • Editorial Notes.

These actions follow internationally accepted publication ethics guidance and are undertaken whenever errors or misconduct materially affect the reliability of the published record. 

13. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may submit appeals concerning editorial decisions.

Complaints regarding editorial conduct, peer review, publication ethics, or alleged misconduct will be investigated objectively, confidentially, and fairly in accordance with established ethical procedures. 

14. Post-Publication Discussion

AJER encourages responsible scholarly dialogue after publication.

Legitimate concerns regarding published articles will receive editorial evaluation and, where appropriate, lead to corrections, retractions, or editorial statements to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record. 

Publication Ethics Statement

By submitting a manuscript to AJER, authors confirm that the work is original, has not been published or submitted elsewhere, complies with applicable research ethics standards, accurately reports research findings, appropriately acknowledges all sources, discloses conflicts of interest and funding, and adheres to the publication ethics policies of the journal. All participants in the publication process are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, professionalism, and accountability in accordance with internationally recognized publication ethics principles.