Ethical Guidelines to Publications.pdf

These Guidelines were enacted by the Editorial Board of the Korean Society of Clean Technology (KSCT) on Jan. 16, 2012, and amended by the Board of Directors on Sep. 16, 2015. These guidelines apply to all authors, editors, and reviewers of KSCT and related technological publications.

Preface

The Korean Society of Clean Technology (KSCT) has made efforts to contribute technology development in the field of clean technology and broaden the expertise among the members by promoting the scholarly activity by quarterly publishing the journal, “Clean Technology”. Due to recent cases of research misconduct it is essential that, in the process of publishing the journal, members conduct themselves in accordance with the highest level of professional ethics and standards. The KSCT, therefore, prepared ethical guidelines to establish and clearly define research and publication ethical code and to prevent research misconduct in advance. Most of the guidelines presented here are understood by experienced researchers. From time to time, however, we need to be reminded of such significant matters, and it may also be valuable to those who are relatively new to research on clean technology. The KSCT continues to make every endeavor to assure the highest ethical standards in research and academic achievement.

I. Ethical Guidelines for Authors

1. Authors are obligated to present an accurate and complete account of the research which should contain sufficient details and references to permit peers to repeat the experimental work.
2. Authors should not submit manuscripts describing the same research to more than one journal, unless it has been rejected or withdrawn from the other journal, and, if requested, should inform the editor of related manuscripts under consideration or in press elsewhere.
3. Authors should clearly identify any unusual hazards inherent in the chemicals, equipment or procedures used in an investigation. If the work involves the use of animal or human subjects, the author should ensure that the manuscript contains a statement that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that the appropriate institutional committee(s) has approved them. Authors should include a statement in the manuscript that informed consent was obtained for experimentation with human subjects. The privacy rights of human subjects must always be observed.
4. Authors should identify the source of all information offered or quoted, except common knowledge, by means of the format of the journal.
5. Authors may submit a manuscript expanding a preliminary account (a “communication” or “letter”). However, they should make the editor aware of the earlier communication and cite it in the manuscript.
6. Coauthors are those who made significant contribution in conducting the investigation related to the manuscript and share responsibility and accountability for the results. Other contributions should be indicated in an acknowledgment section. The corresponding author of the manuscript should obtain the assent to publication from all co-authors before submitting the manuscript.
7. Authors should ensure that no contractual obligations or proprietary considerations affect the publication of their manuscript in the journal.
8. Authors should accept the comments made by editors or reviewers and then revise manuscripts following such comments. If authors don't agree, they should send a letter to editor describing the validity of their works. If they need images in their manuscript, they should submit an accurate description of how the images were generated and produced.

II. Ethical Guidelines for Editors

1. Editors should give unbiased consideration to all manuscripts offered for publication with reasonable speed. They may take into account relationships of manuscripts under consideration to other manuscripts published or under consideration. Responsibility for acceptance or rejection, or other action related to the status of the manuscript under consideration rests with the editor.
2. Doing their duty, editors normally are required to seek advice from reviewers who are regarded as experts in the similar specific fields as the manuscript under consideration. They may decide to reject the manuscripts without external review if the manuscripts are deemed clearly inappropriate for the journal.
3. Editors and their staffs should not disclose any information about a manuscript under consideration to anyone except for reviewers and authors. Editors should not utilize unpublished information, arguments, or interpretations in a manuscript under consideration in their own research except with the consent of the author(s).
4. Editors should facilitate publication of a correction if evidence arises that the published material is incorrect.
5. Editors may avoid inviting certain reviewers by request of authors; however, the decision will be left to editor’s discretion.
6. In reviewing submissions from editors and Editorial Board members, the review process should supervised and decisions should be made by a senior editor who can act independently of other editors.

III. Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers

1. Reviewers should give unbiased consideration to manuscripts offered for review and with reasonable speed. They should judge objectively the quality of the manuscript and the supporting information.
2. Reviewers should respect the intellectual independence of the authors. If they feel inadequately qualified to make an informed judgment, they should return the manuscript to the editor promptly.
3. Reviewers should return the manuscript promptly without review if they feel that the manuscript is closely related to their work in progress or published, which thus could cause the appearance of a conflict of interest or bias.
4. Reviewers should treat a manuscript sent for review as a confidential document. And they should not broadcast or use unpublished information, arguments, or interpretations in a manuscript under consideration, except with the consent of the author(s).
5. Reviewers should explain and support their judgments specifically, with relevant citations where concerns relate to a previously published paper or any manuscript submitted currently to another journal, so that editors and authors may understand them.