{"id":515,"date":"2025-08-30T07:53:01","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T07:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/?page_id=515"},"modified":"2025-08-31T14:32:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T14:32:11","slug":"editorial-policies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/editorial-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"Editorial Policies"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"515\" class=\"elementor elementor-515\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e059ab9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e059ab9\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0557fe2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0557fe2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Editorial Board  <\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9b6a4cf e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"9b6a4cf\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ccd2e4a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ccd2e4a\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d66bae e-con-full elementor-hidden-mobile e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"4d66bae\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e18e21b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e18e21b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Journal Information<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c0d3b9 e-con-full elementor-hidden-mobile e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"6c0d3b9\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-47fee4d vertical-menu elementor-widget elementor-widget-wp-widget-ocean_custom_menu\" data-id=\"47fee4d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"wp-widget-ocean_custom_menu.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">.ocean_custom_menu-REPLACE_TO_ID > ul > li > a, .custom-menu-widget .ocean_custom_menu-REPLACE_TO_ID .dropdown-menu .sub-menu li a.menu-link{color:#575757;font-size:16px;}.custom-menu-widget .ocean_custom_menu-REPLACE_TO_ID.oceanwp-custom-menu > ul.click-menu .open-this{color:#575757;font-size:16px;}.ocean_custom_menu-REPLACE_TO_ID > ul > li > a:hover, .custom-menu-widget .ocean_custom_menu-REPLACE_TO_ID .dropdown-menu .sub-menu li a.menu-link:hover{color:#006d77;}.custom-menu-widget .ocean_custom_menu-REPLACE_TO_ID.oceanwp-custom-menu > ul.click-menu .open-this:hover{color:#006d77;}<\/style><div class=\"oceanwp-custom-menu clr ocean_custom_menu-REPLACE_TO_ID left dropdown-hover\"><ul id=\"menu-left-sidebar\" class=\"dropdown-menu sf-menu\"><li  id=\"menu-item-147\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-home menu-item-147\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Home<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-148\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-148\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/about-the-journal\/\" class=\"menu-link\">About the Journal<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-695\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-695\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/aims-and-scope\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Aims and Scope<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-427\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-427\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/archives\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Archives<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-150\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-150\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/editorial-board\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Editorial Board<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-151\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-151\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/for-authors\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Author Instructions<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-152\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-152\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/for-reviewers\/\" class=\"menu-link\">For Reviewers<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-648\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-648\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/editorial-policies\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Editorial Policies<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-649\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-649\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/editorial-process\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Editorial Process<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-696\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-696\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/guest-editor-guidelines\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Guest Editor Guidelines<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-650\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-650\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/online-submission\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Online Submission<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-651\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-651\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/open-access-policy\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Open Access Policy<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-652\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-652\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/reviewer-acknowledgment\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Reviewer Acknowledgment<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-653\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-653\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/reviewer-guidelines\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Reviewer Guidelines<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-654\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-654\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/to-be-a-reviewer\/\" class=\"menu-link\">To Be a Reviewer<\/a><\/li>\n<li  id=\"menu-item-646\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-646\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/article-processing-charge\/\" class=\"menu-link\">Article Processing Charge<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51ffeed e-con-full toc e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"51ffeed\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18b8e86 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"18b8e86\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7887be6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7887be6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Contents<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d0daa36 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d0daa36\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-828ec25 elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\" data-id=\"828ec25\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon-list.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-icon-list-items\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#editorial-policies\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Editorial Policies<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#open-access\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Open Access<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#copyright\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Copyright<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#cc-by-license\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">CC BY License<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#editorial-freedom\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Editorial Freedom<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#peer-review-policy\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Peer Review Policy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#peer-reviewer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Peer Reviewers<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#authorship\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Authorship<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#ai-assisted\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in Scientific Writing<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#conflicts-of-interest\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Conflicts of Interest<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#conflicts-of-interest-short\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Conflicts of Interest (Short Version)<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#editorial-staff-and-board\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Editors, Board Members, Guest Editors, and Editorial Staff<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#research-ethics\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Research Ethics<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#registration-of-experimental-studies\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Registration of Experimental Studies<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#confidentiality\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Confidentiality<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#data%20and-materials\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Data and Materials Availability Policy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#citation-policy\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Citation Policy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#references-and-citation-formatting-policy\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">References and Citation Formatting Policy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#misconduct-policy\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Misconduct Policy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#crossmark-corrections\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-angle-double-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M224.3 273l-136 136c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.6-22.6c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9l96.4-96.4-96.4-96.4c-9.4-9.4-9.4-24.6 0-33.9L54.3 103c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0l136 136c9.5 9.4 9.5 24.6.1 34zm192-34l-136-136c-9.4-9.4-24.6-9.4-33.9 0l-22.6 22.6c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l96.4 96.4-96.4 96.4c-9.4 9.4-9.4 24.6 0 33.9l22.6 22.6c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l136-136c9.4-9.2 9.4-24.4 0-33.8z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Crossmark, Corrections, and Retractions Policy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-482dc03 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"482dc03\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-52c7874 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"52c7874\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"editorial-policies\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-074009b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"074009b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Editorial Policies<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1923ad1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1923ad1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>This journal endorses and follows the standards and recommendations of the <a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/guidance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)<\/a> other internationally recognized best practices in scholarly publishing to ensure the integrity, transparency, and rigor of the review and publication process.<br \/>The editorial policies are reviewed and updated periodically to remain aligned with global standards in engineering research publishing and evolving ethical guidelines.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dc2ebb7 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"dc2ebb7\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"open-access\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca404ed elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ca404ed\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Open Access<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3576235 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3576235\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>This journal follows a fully open access publishing model. All published articles are made freely and permanently available online without subscription or access charges. Users are permitted to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, and link to the full text of articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without prior permission from the publisher or the authors, in accordance with the principles of open knowledge dissemination.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e7cd93e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"e7cd93e\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"copyright\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-86df308 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"86df308\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Copyright<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-482c491 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"482c491\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights form link for their work. By submitting to this journal, authors agree to make their original work freely available for use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that proper credit is given to the authors and the original source.<\/p><p>A copyright statement will appear on all published articles in HTML, PDF, and XML formats. Authors grant the journal the right of first publication by signing a License to Publish agreement prior to formal publication.<br \/>Authors must confirm that their manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration by any other journal at the time of submission.<\/p><p>If copyrighted materials (such as figures, tables, or images) from other sources are included in the manuscript, authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions and providing appropriate acknowledgments.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-032c1fa e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"032c1fa\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"cc-by-license\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8547ac3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8547ac3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">CC BY License<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-12b8f0c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"12b8f0c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>All articles in this journal are published under the terms of the <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License<\/a>\u00a0<\/p><p>This license ensures open access and promotes wide academic exchange.<\/p><p>Under this license, users are free to:<\/p><p><strong>Share<\/strong> \u2013 copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.<\/p><p><strong>Adapt<\/strong> \u2013 remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercial use.<\/p><p><strong>Conditions of use:<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Attribution<\/strong> \u2013 proper credit must be given to the original authors and source, a link to the license must be provided, and any changes made must be indicated.<\/p><p><strong>No additional restrictions<\/strong> \u2013 users may not impose legal or technological barriers that restrict others from exercising the rights granted under this license.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-364c014 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"364c014\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"editorial-freedom\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d7f3001 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d7f3001\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Editorial Freedom<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b82eafa elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b82eafa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The journal upholds the principle of editorial independence. The Editor-in-Chief and editorial board members have full authority over the editorial content and the timing of publication.<\/p><p>All editorial decisions, including article review, selection, revision, and acceptance, are made independently based on the quality, originality, and relevance of the work to the field of engineering.<\/p><p>The publisher does not interfere in editorial decisions, nor do commercial considerations influence the outcome of the peer review and publication process. This ensures fairness, transparency, and integrity in scholarly publishing.<\/p><h3>Key Editorial Policies &amp; Reference Links<\/h3><ul><li><strong>Publication Ethics<\/strong><\/li><li>Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)<br \/>\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/<\/a><\/li><li><strong>Plagiarism Policy<\/strong><\/li><li>Example (strict zero-tolerance policy)<br \/>\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ieee.org\/publications\/rights\/plagiarism\/id-plagiarism.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.ieee.org\/publications\/rights\/plagiarism\/id-plagiarism.html<\/a><br \/>(IEEE\u2019s plagiarism policy \u2013 trusted in engineering)<\/li><li><strong>Authorship &amp; Contributions<\/strong><\/li><li>COPE guidance on authorship and contributorship<br \/>\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/authorship\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/authorship<\/a><\/li><li><strong>Conflict of Interest<\/strong><\/li><li>COPE guidance on conflicts of interest<br \/>\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/conflicts-of-interest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/conflicts-of-interest<\/a><\/li><li><strong>Peer Review Policy<\/strong><\/li><li>COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers<br \/>\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/peerreview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/peerreview<\/a><\/li><li><strong>Copyright &amp; Licensing (CC BY 4.0)<\/strong><\/li><li>Creative Commons Attribution License(CCBY)\ud83d\udd17<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/<\/a><\/li><li><strong>Open Access Policy<\/strong><\/li><li>DOAJ Open Access Principles\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https:\/\/doaj.org\/apply\/guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/doaj.org\/apply\/guide\/<\/a><\/li><li><strong>Archiving &amp; Preservation<\/strong><\/li><li>Portico digital preservation<br \/>\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.portico.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.portico.org\/<\/a><\/li><li>CLOCKSS<br \/>\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https:\/\/wame.org\/editorial-independence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/wame.org\/editorial-independence<\/a><\/li><li><strong>Retraction &amp; Corrections<\/strong><\/li><li>COPE Retraction Guidelines<br \/>\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/retraction-guidelines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/retraction-guidelines<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5f836f2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5f836f2\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"peer-review-policy\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f43357 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f43357\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Peer Review Policy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ac06056 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ac06056\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><span lang=\"EN-US\">Peer Review Model<\/span><\/h3><p>anonymous to authors, while authors\u2019 identities are visible to reviewers. All submitted manuscripts (except invited Editorials) undergo a rigorous review to assess their <strong>originality, technical validity, significance, and clarity of presentation<\/strong>.<\/p><h3>Peer Review Process<\/h3><p><strong>Initial Check form download option link<\/strong> \u2013 The Managing Editor screens each submission for plagiarism, compliance with the journal\u2019s scope, and formatting requirements. Manuscripts that pass are assigned to an Academic Editor.<\/p><p><strong>Editorial Evaluation<\/strong> \u2013 The Academic Editor (Editor-in-Chief or a designated Editorial Board member\/Guest Editor) decides whether the manuscript proceeds to full peer review. Submissions that are clearly unsuitable or of insufficient quality may be declined at this stage.<\/p><p><strong>External Peer Review<\/strong> \u2013 Suitable manuscripts are reviewed by at least <strong>two independent experts<\/strong> in the relevant field of engineering. Reviewers evaluate the manuscript on:<\/p><ul><li>Novelty and significance of contribution<\/li><li>Technical soundness and methodology<\/li><li>Relevance to engineering practice and research<\/li><li>Organization and clarity of presentation<\/li><\/ul><p>Reviewers are expected to provide <strong>constructive feedback<\/strong> and an overall recommendation (Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject) within <strong>14 days<\/strong> of accepting the review invitation.<\/p><p><strong>Decision<\/strong> \u2013 The Academic Editor considers reviewers\u2019 reports and makes the final decision. Additional reviews may be sought if reports are conflicting or insufficient.Editorial Board and Guest Editor Submissions<\/p><p>Manuscripts submitted by <strong>Editorial Board members or Guest Editors<\/strong> are handled independently by other qualified editors to ensure transparency and fairness.<\/p><h3>Special Issue Manuscripts<\/h3><p>Special issue papers are subject to the <strong>same rigorous review process<\/strong> as regular submissions. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for oversight of the content and for supervising Guest Editors to maintain consistent quality standards.Guest Editor Guidelines\u00a0and\u00a0<u><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/editorial-process\/\">Editorial Process<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e23314e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"e23314e\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"peer-reviewer\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9204fa4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9204fa4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Peer Reviewers<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e1cf4c2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e1cf4c2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Selection of Reviewers<\/h3><p>Appropriate reviewers are selected according to the following criteria:<\/p><p>They are <strong>independent<\/strong> from the authors and their institutions.<\/p><p>They have <strong>expertise in the same or closely related research area<\/strong> as the manuscript.<\/p><p>They have <strong>recent publications<\/strong> in the field and can provide an informed evaluation.<\/p><p>They are able to deliver a review <strong>within the required timeframe<\/strong>.<\/p><h3>Author-Suggested Reviewers<\/h3><p>Authors may recommend potential reviewers with suitable expertise. The journal, however, reserves the right to decide whether or not to invite them. Suggested reviewers should:<\/p><p>Have a <strong>recent publication record<\/strong> in the relevant research area.<\/p><p>Not have co-authored or submitted a paper with any author in the recent past.<\/p><p>Not share a current or recent <strong>institutional affiliation<\/strong> with any author.<\/p><p>Not be a current or recent <strong>collaborator<\/strong> of any author.<\/p><p>Not have a <strong>close personal relationship<\/strong> with any author.<\/p><p>Not have any <strong>financial conflict of interest<\/strong> with the work.<\/p><p>Authors should provide the <strong>reviewer\u2019s name, email address, institution, research area, and ORCID (if available)<\/strong> when making suggestions.<\/p><h3>Not for Reviewers<\/h3><p>Reviewers are expected to:<\/p><p>Declare any <strong>conflicts of interest<\/strong> before accepting a review.<\/p><p>Respect the <strong>confidentiality<\/strong> of the peer review process.<\/p><p>Dispose of manuscript copies after completing the review.<\/p><p>Provide <strong>objective and constructive feedback<\/strong>, without bias based on nationality, gender, religion, political views, or other personal factors.<\/p><p>Report any <strong>suspected misconduct<\/strong> (e.g., plagiarism, duplicate submission, data fabrication).<\/p><p>Avoid requesting unnecessary citations to their own work.<\/p><p>Submit reports in a <strong>timely manner<\/strong> or request an extension when necessary.<\/p><h3>Roles of Participants in Peer Review<\/h3><p><strong>Managing Editor<\/strong> \u2013 Screens submissions for scope, formatting, and plagiarism; identifies suitable reviewers; and manages communication between authors, reviewers, and editors <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ithenticate.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iThenticate<\/a><\/u>),. https:\/\/www.ithenticate.com\/<\/p><p><strong>Academic Editor<\/strong> \u2013 Oversees the peer review process, evaluates reports, and makes the <strong>final decision<\/strong> (accept, revise, or reject). This role is usually held by the Editor-in-Chief, but may be delegated to an Editorial Board member, Guest Editor, or subject expert. The Academic Editor\u2019s name will be published alongside the article upon acceptance.<u><a href=\"https:\/\/academicsociety.org\/deij\/reviewer-guidelines\/\">Peer Review Guidelines<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c2d06fd e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c2d06fd\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"authorship\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ccc05e9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ccc05e9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Authorship<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dba5780 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dba5780\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Authorship Criteria<\/h3><p>The journal follows the principles of authorship recommended by the <a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/<\/strong><\/a> and other internationally recognized best practices. To qualify as an author, individuals must meet <strong>all<\/strong> of the following conditions:<\/p><p>Made substantial contributions to the conception, design, development, or analysis of the research work; <strong>AND<\/strong><\/p><p>Participated in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for intellectual content; <strong>AND<\/strong><\/p><p>Approved the final version of the manuscript for publication; <strong>AND<\/strong><\/p><p>Agreed to be accountable for the accuracy and integrity of the work.<\/p><h3>Corresponding Author<\/h3><p>In multi-authored manuscripts, one author must be designated as the <strong>Corresponding Author<\/strong>, who is responsible for:<\/p><p>Managing all communication with the journal during submission, peer review, and publication.<\/p><p>Ensuring that all authors meet the authorship criteria.<\/p><p>Handling statements related to conflicts of interest, acknowledgments, and ethical compliance.<\/p><p>Responding to queries or critiques about the work after publication.<\/p><h3>Equal \/ Dual Authorship<\/h3><p>The journal allows dual first authorship or dual corresponding authorship if two authors have contributed equally. Such contributions must be clearly stated in the <strong>Author Contributions<\/strong> section<\/p><h3>Group Authorship<\/h3><p>For collaborative projects involving large groups, the group should decide which members qualify as authors. All listed authors must meet the authorship criteria and be able to take responsibility for the integrity of the work. Group names may also be included, provided individual contributors are identified.<\/p><h3>Authorship Disputes<\/h3><p>It is the <strong>collective responsibility of the authors<\/strong> to determine authorship before submission. Editors are not responsible for resolving authorship disputes. If disagreements arise, they should be addressed by the authors\u2019 affiliated institutions in line with <strong>COPE guidance<\/strong>. <u><a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/guidance\/flowchart\/how-spot-authorship-problems\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to spot authorship problems<\/a> <\/u><a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/guidance\/flowchart\/how-spot-authorship-problems\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/guidance\/flowchart\/how-spot-authorship-problems<\/u><\/a><\/p><h3>Authorship Changes<\/h3><p>Requests for changes in authorship (addition, removal, or rearrangement) can only be made <strong>before acceptance<\/strong> of the manuscript. Such requests must include a written statement of agreement signed by <strong>all listed authors<\/strong> and the author being added or removed.<\/p><h3>Author Contributions (CRediT Taxonomy)<\/h3><p>The journal requires authors to specify their contributions using the <strong>CRediT taxonomy <\/strong><strong>CRediT <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/credit.niso.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">credit.niso.org<\/a> (e.g., Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Validation, Writing \u2013 Original Draft, Writing \u2013 Review &amp; Editing, Supervision, Funding Acquisition). This information should appear in the <strong>Declarations<\/strong> section of the manuscript.<\/p><h3>ORCID<\/h3><p>Authors are encouraged to provide their <strong>ORCID iD <\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/orcid.org\/<\/a> \u00a0to ensure proper identification and linkage of their research outputs.<\/p><h3>Acknowledgments<\/h3><p>Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged, with a description of their contribution (e.g., technical assistance, language editing, or general support).<\/p><h3>Use of AI and AI-Assisted Technologies<\/h3><p><strong>AI tools and technologies cannot be listed as authors<\/strong>.<\/p><p>Authors may use AI or machine-learning tools to improve readability (e.g., grammar, spelling, formatting), but not to generate original scientific insights, data analysis, or conclusions.<\/p><p>\u00a0Failure to disclose AI use may be considered <strong>scientific misconduct<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-33dff32 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"33dff32\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"ai-assisted\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a1b53d7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a1b53d7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in Scientific Writing<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a028d19 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a028d19\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors<\/strong>. Authorship requires human responsibility and accountability, which AI technologies cannot assume.<\/p><p>Authors may use AI, machine learning, or similar tools <strong>only to support language editing, grammar correction, or readability improvements<\/strong>.<\/p><p>AI tools must <strong>not be used<\/strong> to generate original research ideas, design experiments, analyze or interpret data, or draw scientific or engineering conclusions. These remain the responsibility of the researchers.<\/p><p>Authors are <strong>fully accountable<\/strong> for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their manuscripts, regardless of whether AI tools were used.<\/p><h3>Disclosure of AI Use<\/h3><p>If AI or AI-assisted technologies are used, authors must include a disclosure statement in the <strong>Declarations<\/strong> section of the manuscript. Example:<\/p><p><em>\u201cDuring the preparation of this work, the authors used [name of AI tool\/service] for [purpose]. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the final version of the manuscript.\u201d<\/em><\/p><p>Use of basic tools for <strong>spelling, grammar, or reference checking<\/strong> does not require disclosure.<\/p><h3>Misconduct<\/h3><h3>Failure to properly disclose AI usage may be considered <strong>research or publication misconduct<\/strong>. Any such cases will be handled according to the <strong>COPE guidelines<\/strong>.<strong>Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)<\/strong><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/\">https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/<\/a><\/h3><p>\u26a0\ufe0f <strong>AI Use Policy<\/strong><br \/>This journal does not permit AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, Grammarly, QuillBot) to be listed as authors. Authors may use such tools only for language or grammar improvements, and any use must be properly disclosed in the manuscript. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their work.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bcb431c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"bcb431c\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"conflicts-of-interest\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b3ebffe elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b3ebffe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Conflicts of Interest<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e1df002 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e1df002\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Definition<\/h3><p>A <strong>conflict of interest (COI)<\/strong> in publishing arises when an individual\u2019s objectivity or professional judgment related to a manuscript may be influenced by <strong>secondary interests<\/strong> such as personal, financial, institutional, or academic considerations. Conflicts may be <strong>real, potential, or perceived<\/strong>.<\/p><p>Examples include:<\/p><p><strong>Financial interests<\/strong>: employment, consultancy, stock ownership, patents, or paid expert testimony.<\/p><p><strong>Academic or professional relationships<\/strong>: collaborations, institutional affiliations, or direct competition.<\/p><p><strong>Personal factors<\/strong>: close friendships, rivalries, or strong intellectual or ideological beliefs.<\/p><p>The journal requires complete <strong>transparency<\/strong> to ensure fairness and objectivity in the review and publication process.<\/p><h3>\u00a0Authors<\/h3><p>Authors must include a <strong>Conflict of Interest Statement<\/strong> \u00a0at the end of their manuscripts.<\/p><p>If there are no conflicts, the statement should read:<br \/><em>\u201cThe authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to this work.\u201d<\/em><\/p><p>The <strong>corresponding author<\/strong> is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors disclose any conflicts.<\/p><p>Reviewers<\/p><p>Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts (e.g., recent collaborations, institutional affiliations, financial interests) when invited to evaluate a manuscript.<\/p><p>Reviewers with conflicts should <strong>decline the review<\/strong> or inform the editors, who will decide whether the review can proceed impartially.<\/p><p>Editors, Board Members, and Staff<\/p><p>Editors, board members, guest editors, and editorial staff must disclose any conflicts related to manuscripts they handle.<\/p><p>If a conflict exists, the editor should <strong>recuse themselves<\/strong> from the decision-making process.<\/p><p>Manuscripts submitted by editorial board members or guest editors will be handled by other independent editors to ensure impartiality.<\/p><h3>Funding Disclosure<\/h3><p>Authors must clearly state all <strong>funding sources<\/strong> that supported the work, including the names of funding agencies and relevant grant numbers, under the <strong>\u201cFunding\u201d<\/strong> section of the manuscript.<\/p><p>Authors must also specify the role (if any) of the sponsor in the study design, data analysis, manuscript preparation, or the decision to publish.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a6330c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5a6330c\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"conflicts-of-interest-short\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d68538f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d68538f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Conflicts of Interest (Short Version)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-de568c5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"de568c5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any <strong>financial, academic, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest<\/strong> that could influence the evaluation or publication of a manuscript. If no conflicts exist, authors should state: <em>\u201cThe authors declare no conflicts of interest.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p><p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Funding sources must also be acknowledged in the manuscript. The journal follows <strong>COPE guidelines<\/strong> to ensure transparency and integrity in the peer review and publication process.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-71c53be e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"71c53be\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"editorial-staff-and-board\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2bad940 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2bad940\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Editors, Board Members, Guest Editors, and Editorial Staff<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0b9e3b9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0b9e3b9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Editors, board members, guest editors, and other editorial staff must <strong>disclose any conflicts of interest<\/strong> checklist form download link related to manuscripts they handle. If an editor\u2019s personal, financial, institutional, or academic interests could compromise\u2014or be perceived to compromise\u2014their impartiality, they must notify the editorial office and <strong>recuse themselves<\/strong> from handling that submission. In such cases, the <strong>Editor-in-Chief<\/strong> will assign the manuscript to another qualified editor.<\/p><p>To ensure transparency and fairness, manuscripts submitted by <strong>editorial board members or guest editors<\/strong> are handled independently by other editors. The submitting editor will not be involved in the review or decision-making process.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-149f70f e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"149f70f\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"research-ethics\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1993449 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1993449\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Research Ethics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61f6fde elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"61f6fde\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of <strong>research integrity and ethical practice<\/strong> in engineering and applied sciences. Authors must ensure that their research complies with institutional, national, and international ethical guidelines.<\/p><h3>Human Participants and Data<\/h3><p>If the research involves <strong>human participants, surveys, or user studies<\/strong>, authors must follow recognized ethical standards (e.g., <strong>OECD Guidelines for Human Research<\/strong> and national ethics regulations).<\/p><p>Informed consent must be obtained from participants, and a statement of consent must be included in the manuscript.<\/p><p>For studies involving privacy-sensitive data (e.g., images, audio, or personal information), authors must obtain <strong>consent for publication<\/strong>.<\/p><p>\ud83d\udc49 Reference: OECD \u2013 Good Practice for Human Research<\/p><h3>Use of Animals in Research<\/h3><p>If engineering research involves <strong>animal testing or biomedical engineering experiments<\/strong>, authors must comply with international standards such as the <strong>ARRIVE Guidelines<\/strong> and approval from an <strong>Animal Ethics Committee<\/strong>.<\/p><p>\ud83d\udc49 Reference: <a href=\"https:\/\/arriveguidelines.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ARRIVE Guidelines for Animal Research https:\/\/arriveguidelines.org\/<\/a><\/p><h3>Data Integrity and Safety Standards<\/h3><p>Authors must ensure that all <strong>data, experiments, and simulations<\/strong> are reported honestly and transparently, in line with <strong>COPE standards<\/strong>.<\/p><p>Research involving <strong>hazardous materials, high-risk systems, or sensitive technologies<\/strong> must comply with accepted <strong>safety codes and engineering ethics standards<\/strong>.<\/p><p>\ud83d\udc49 Reference:<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">COPE \u2013 Committee on Publication Ethics<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ieee.org\/about\/corporate\/governance\/ethics.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.ieee.org\/about\/corporate\/governance\/ethics.html<\/a><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ieee.org\/about\/corporate\/governance\/ethics.html\">IEEE Code of Ethics<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/\">https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d8f77 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"31d8f77\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"registration-of-experimental-studies\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8bed557 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8bed557\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Registration of Experimental Studies<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36cad45 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36cad45\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Definition of Experimental Studies<\/h3><p>The journal recognizes the importance of transparency and reproducibility in <strong>engineering research<\/strong>. An <em>experimental study<\/em> is any structured research project that prospectively tests a <strong>system, model, process, device, material, software, or prototype<\/strong> to evaluate its performance, safety, reliability, or effectiveness, with or without comparison or control groups.<\/p><p>Examples of engineering-related interventions include:<\/p><p>Development and testing of <strong>prototypes, devices, or materials<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Simulation and modeling studies<\/strong> for structural, electrical, or mechanical systems<\/p><p><strong>Software, algorithms, and AI\/ML models<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Process or design improvements<\/strong> in engineering applications<\/p><p><strong>User studies or field trials<\/strong> to assess usability, ergonomics, or adoption of technology<\/p><p>The journal encourages authors to ensure that such studies are conducted in line with recognized standards of <strong>research integrity, safety, and professional engineering ethics<\/strong> (e.g., <a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/\">COPE<\/a> https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/,<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ieee.org\/about\/corporate\/governance\/ethics.html\">IEEE Code of Ethics<\/a>\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ieee.org\/about\/corporate\/governance\/ethics.html,\">https:\/\/www.ieee.org\/about\/corporate\/governance\/ethics.html,<\/a><\/p><p>\u00a0OECD Research Integrity Guidelines) https:\/\/www.oecd.org\/en\/topics\/science-technology-and-innovation.html.<\/p><p>Where applicable, authors should also provide details of <strong>registration, approval, or compliance with relevant standards<\/strong> when reporting experimental research.<\/p><h2>Engineering Research Ethics and Compliance Policies<\/h2><p>The journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of research integrity and publication ethics. All submitted manuscripts must adhere to internationally recognized guidelines for ethical research and responsible publication practices. Authors are expected to comply with the following requirements:<\/p><h3>1. Experimental Studies and Prototypes<\/h3><p>All experimental work, simulations, and prototype testing must be conducted according to accepted engineering standards and best practices.<\/p><p>Authors should clearly describe the objectives, methodology, and safety considerations of their research.<\/p><p>Field trials and industrial experiments must comply with relevant institutional, governmental, or industrial regulations.<\/p><h3>2. Ethical Approval for Human Participation<\/h3><p>Studies involving human participants (such as usability testing, ergonomic studies, or surveys) must obtain approval from the relevant institutional ethics committee.Informed consent from participants must be obtained, and authors should confirm compliance in the manuscript.<\/p><h3>3. Safety and Environmental Compliance<\/h3><p>Authors must ensure that their research does not compromise health, safety, or the environment.<\/p><p>Experiments involving hazardous materials, electrical\/electronic devices, or field trials must follow applicable safety standards (e.g., ISO, IEEE, or national standards).<\/p><p>Environmental impact assessments should be included when relevant.<\/p><h3>4. Data Transparency and Availability<\/h3><p>Authors are encouraged to deposit data, simulation codes, or source files in recognized public repositories (e.g., GitHub, Zenodo, Figshare) to promote transparency and reproducibility.<\/p><p>A data availability statement should be included in all submissions.<\/p><h3>5.Conflict of Interest<\/h3><h3>All authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including financial, professional, or personal relationships that could influence the work.<\/h3><p>If no conflicts exist, authors should state: <em>\u201cThe authors declare no conflict of interest.\u201d<\/em><\/p><h3>6. Intellectual Property and Patents<\/h3><p>Authors must clearly indicate if the work involves patented methods, proprietary data, or has been filed for intellectual property rights.<\/p><p>Any restrictions on sharing data or methods should be transparently disclosed.<\/p><h3>7. Replication and Verification<\/h3><p>Methodologies must be described in sufficient detail to allow independent replication and verification of the results.<\/p><p>Any limitations of the study should be acknowledged by the authors.<\/p><h3>8. Compliance with Publication Ethics<\/h3><p>The journal follows the guidelines of the <strong>Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)<\/strong>.<\/p><p>Plagiarism, data fabrication, image manipulation, or duplicate submissions will not be tolerated and may result in rejection, retraction, or blacklisting of authors.<\/p><p>All manuscripts are screened for originality using <strong>iThenticate plagiarism detection software<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6648e8f e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"6648e8f\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"confidentiality\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-76acd07 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"76acd07\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Confidentiality<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2736cb6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2736cb6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Editors, reviewers, and authors are required to maintain strict confidentiality regarding all aspects of the editorial and peer review process for submitted manuscripts. All correspondence exchanged during the review process is considered confidential and must not be shared outside the review process.<\/span><\/p><h3><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">Reviewer Confidentiality<\/span><\/strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">:<\/span><\/h3><p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential intellectual property. The content of the manuscript, including data, methods, prototypes, and simulation results, may not be used for personal or professional advantage. Reviewers should delete or destroy all copies of the manuscript after completing the review. If reviewers require consultation with colleagues for technical expertise, prior permission from the editorial office must be obtained.<\/span><\/p><h3><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">Reviewer Anonymity<\/span><\/strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">:<\/span><\/h3><p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Since the journal adopts a single-blind peer review system, reviewer identities must remain confidential. Reviewers may not disclose their identities to authors or contact authors directly without explicit permission from the editorial office.<\/span><\/p><h3><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">Editorial Confidentiality<\/span><\/strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">:<\/span><\/h3><p><span lang=\"EN-US\">The editorial team will not disclose details of submitted manuscripts to third parties, except in cases of suspected academic misconduct, plagiarism, or data fabrication. If confidentiality must be broken due to alleged misconduct, both authors and reviewers will be informed in advance.<\/span><\/p><h3><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">Retention of Records<\/span><\/strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">:<\/span><\/h3><p><span lang=\"EN-US\">If a manuscript is rejected, all copies should be removed from the editorial system unless retention is required for legal or ethical reasons, in which case author permission will be sought. For published manuscripts, the journal will retain records of the original submission, peer review reports, revised versions, and editorial correspondence for at least three years, or longer if required by institutional, publisher, or national regulations.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3a94ab5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3a94ab5\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"data and-materials\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e0c782 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9e0c782\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Data and Materials Availability Policy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4974745 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4974745\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">The journal maintains a strict policy on the availability of data, code, models, and other research materials to ensure transparency, reproducibility, and long-term usability of engineering research.<\/span><\/p><h3><span lang=\"EN-US\">Mandatory Data Availability Statement<\/span><\/h3><p><span lang=\"EN-US\">All submissions must include a <em>Data and Materials Availability Statement<\/em> at the end of the manuscript. Manuscripts without this statement will not be accepted for publication.<\/span><\/p><h3><span lang=\"EN-US\">Public Repositories<\/span><\/h3><p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Wherever possible, authors are required to deposit data, source codes, simulation files, prototypes, and other supporting materials in a trusted and publicly accessible repository (e.g., Zenodo, GitHub, IEEE DataPort, Figshare, Dryad, DesignSafe-CI).<\/span><\/p><p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Repository links and dataset identifiers (DOI, accession number, or URL) must be included in the manuscript.<\/span><\/p><h3><span lang=\"EN-US\">Restricted Access<\/span><\/h3><p><span lang=\"EN-US\">If datasets or codes cannot be shared publicly due to confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or funding restrictions, authors must clearly state the reasons in their Data Availability Statement. Access requests must be directed to the corresponding author.<\/span><\/p><h3><span lang=\"EN-US\">Use of Third-Party Data<\/span><\/h3><p><span lang=\"EN-US\">If the research is based on third-party datasets or licensed materials, authors must acknowledge the original source and provide details for requesting access, if permissible.<\/span><\/p><h3><span lang=\"EN-US\">No Data Generated<\/span><\/h3><p><span lang=\"EN-US\">In cases where no new data, models, or materials were generated (e.g., theoretical or review articles), authors must clearly state: <em>\u201cNo new data were generated or analyzed in this study.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p><h3><span lang=\"EN-US\">Editorial Oversight<\/span><\/h3><p><span lang=\"EN-US\">The editorial office reserves the right to request raw data, codes, or additional documentation at any stage of the review process to verify the results. Failure to comply may lead to rejection or retraction of the manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d27364 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"6d27364\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"citation-policy\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5565c82 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5565c82\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Citation Policy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f054261 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f054261\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Authors must cite relevant literature to support any statement that relies on external sources of information in their manuscripts. Proper citation ensures academic integrity and gives credit to original contributors. Authors should adhere to the following guidelines when preparing their manuscripts:<\/p><p>Authors should cite <strong>original research articles<\/strong> rather than relying solely on review papers that cite the original work.<\/p><p>Authors must ensure that citations are <strong>accurate and relevant<\/strong>, i.e., they should support the statement made in the manuscript and must not misrepresent another work.<\/p><p>Authors should aim to cite a <strong>diverse range of sources<\/strong>, avoiding over-reliance on publications from only one country or region.<\/p><p>Authors should avoid using an <strong>excessive number of citations<\/strong> to support a single point.<\/p><h3>Citation Manipulation<\/h3><p>According to the <strong>Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)<\/strong> <strong>COPE: Citation Manipulation Guidelines, <a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/guidance\/discussion-document\/citation-manipulation\">https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/guidance\/discussion-document\/citation-manipulation<\/a> citation manipulation refers to unethic<\/strong>al practices where references are included only to increase citation counts without adding scholarly value. Such practices include:<\/p><p><strong>Excessive self-citation<\/strong> of the author\u2019s own work, solely to increase citation counts.<\/p><p><strong>Excessive citation of the journal<\/strong> in which the author is publishing, solely to inflate the journal\u2019s metrics.<\/p><p><strong>Honorary or coercive citations<\/strong>, i.e., citing editors-in-chief, reviewers, or well-known researchers without legitimate academic relevance.<\/p><p><strong>Citation stacking<\/strong>, where groups of authors or journals mutually cite each other to boost impact metrics.<\/p><h3>Journal Policy on Citation Ethics<\/h3><p>Citation manipulation will result in <strong>automatic rejection<\/strong> of the manuscript.<\/p><p>The journal reserves the right to <strong>report unethical practices<\/strong> to the authors\u2019 institutions or funding bodies.<\/p><p>Any attempts by reviewers or editors to enforce coercive citations must be reported by the authors directly to the publisher.<\/p><p>Editors found to be engaging in citation manipulation will be considered in violation of best publication practices and may be removed from their positions following investigation.<\/p><p>The journal recognizes that legitimate self-citations may be necessary to provide continuity of research. However, all self-citations must be relevant and justified.<\/p><p>For more details, authors are encouraged to review the COPE discussion document: Citation Manipulation.<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/guidance\/discussion-document\/citation-manipulation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Citation Manipulation<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-55f550b e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"55f550b\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"references-and-citation-formatting-policy\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1e3d622 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1e3d622\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">References and Citation Formatting Policy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-239287b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"239287b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In addition to ethical requirements for citations, the journal maintains a strict formatting policy for references to ensure clarity, consistency, and international standards of scholarly publishing.<\/p><h3>1. General Guidelines<\/h3><p>References must be accurate, complete, and relevant to the content of the manuscript.<\/p><p>All cited works must appear in the reference list, and all entries in the reference list must be cited in the text.<\/p><p>Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy of all references before submission.<\/p><h3>2. Citation Style<\/h3><p>The journal follows the <strong>IEEE citation style<\/strong> for all engineering and technology-related articles. Authors should adhere to the following rules:<\/p><p><strong>In-text citations<\/strong>: References should be cited using numbers in square brackets, e.g., <em>as shown in [3]<\/em>.<\/p><p><strong>Reference order<\/strong>: References must be listed in the order they appear in the text (not alphabetically).<\/p><p><strong>Reference format<\/strong>: Each reference should include author(s), title of the article or book, journal\/conference name, volume, issue, page numbers, and year. DOI or URL should be added when available.<\/p><h3>3. Examples of IEEE Reference Style<\/h3><p><strong>Journal article<\/strong>:<br \/>[1] A. Smith and B. Jones, \u201cA study on renewable energy optimization,\u201d <em>IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy<\/em>, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 456\u2013467, 2021.<\/p><p><strong>Conference paper<\/strong>:<br \/>[2] R. Kumar and L. Chen, \u201cMachine learning for smart grid applications,\u201d in <em>Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Energy Systems<\/em>, Singapore, 2020, pp. 112\u2013118.<\/p><p><strong>Book<\/strong>:<br \/>[3] M. Johnson, <em>Introduction to Structural Engineering<\/em>, 2nd ed. New York: Springer, 2019.<\/p><p><strong>Website\/Online source<\/strong>:<br \/>[4] IEEE, \u201cIEEE DataPort: Open data for research,\u201d 2023. [Online]. Available: https:\/\/ieee-dataport.org<\/p><h3>4. Use of Reference Management Software<\/h3><p>Authors are encouraged to use reference management software such as <strong>EndNote, Zotero, or Mendeley<\/strong> to ensure proper formatting and consistency.<\/p><h3>5. Citation Integrity<\/h3><p>Improper citations, inaccurate references, or formatting inconsistencies may result in the manuscript being returned to the authors for correction before peer review.<\/p><p><strong>Plagiarism<\/strong><br \/>Plagiarism is not acceptable in the journal, and includes, but is not limited to, copying or reusing text, ideas, images or data from other sources without clear attribution, and goes against the principle of academic publishing. Reuse of parts of text from an author&#8217;s previous research publication without clear attribution is a form of self-plagiarism. When reusing text, all sources must be cited at the point they are used, and reuse of wording must be limited and be attributed or quoted in the text.<\/p><p>The journal uses <strong>iThenticate<\/strong> to screen submitted content for originality before publication. iThenticate checks submissions against millions of published research papers, and billions of web content. Any issues detected by the software will be addressed by a follow-up investigation in line with <a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/search?query=plagiarism&amp;urlfield=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>COPE guidelines<\/strong><strong> (see COPE Plagiarism Guidelines)<\/strong><\/a>and if plagiarism is detected the manuscript may be rejected, corrected or retracted, as appropriate. In some cases, we may inform the authors&#8217; institutions about the case.<\/p><p>We expect that the editors and peer reviewers will inform the journal about any concerns related to plagiarism at any stage of peer-review, publication, or post-publication. We also encourage readers to report suspicious plagiarism after publication. COPE has flowcharts for how to handle cases of potential plagiarism in a submitted manuscript or a published article.<\/p><h3><strong>Duplicate Publication Policy<\/strong><\/h3><p>The journal considers only <strong>original content<\/strong>, meaning that articles must not have been previously published or simultaneously submitted for publication elsewhere, including in a language other than English. If related materials are under consideration or in press in another venue, authors must disclose this in their <strong>cover letter<\/strong>.<\/p><p>If authors have used their own previously published work, or work that is currently under review, as the basis for a submitted manuscript, they must <strong>cite the previous articles<\/strong> and clearly indicate how the submitted manuscript differs from earlier work. The decision to publish or not publish such materials lies at the <strong>editor\u2019s discretion<\/strong>. Reuse of the authors\u2019 own figures or substantial amounts of text may require <strong>permission from the copyright holder<\/strong>, and the authors are responsible for obtaining such permissions.<\/p><p>The journal will consider the following exceptions if justified and declared upon submission:<\/p><p><strong>Preprint servers<\/strong>: Posting a manuscript on a preprint server or an author&#8217;s personal\/institutional website does not constitute prior publication. (See our <em>Preprint Policy<\/em> for more details.)<\/p><p><strong>Theses<\/strong>: Academic theses, including those publicly available as a requirement of the awarding institution, are not considered duplicate publication.<\/p><p><strong>Conference abstracts\/posters<\/strong>: Abstracts or posters presented at meetings are allowed, but must be cited in the submission and mentioned in the cover letter.<\/p><p><strong>Datasets<\/strong>: Sharing datasets publicly prior to manuscript submission will not preclude consideration. This practice is encouraged in line with open science and funder requirements.<\/p><p><strong>Summary of clinical trial results in public registries<\/strong>: Posting trial results in publicly accessible registries is not considered duplicate publication. Authors must ensure that their clinical trial is registered in an accessible registry (see <em>Registration of Clinical Trials<\/em> policy).<\/p><p><strong>Translations<\/strong>: The journal may consider publishing translated versions of material published elsewhere if permission has been obtained from the original publisher. Such works must clearly indicate that they are translated and republished under a <strong>CC BY license<\/strong>, with full reference to the original source.<\/p><p>If a manuscript is published and later found to be redundant, the editor will follow the <strong>COPE flowcharts<\/strong> and work with the publisher to <strong>retract the duplicate paper<\/strong>.<\/p><ol><li><strong>Authorship Criteria<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Plagiarism and Originality<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Duplicate Publication<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Conflict of Interest<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Peer Review Policy<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Data and Code Availability<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Ethical Standards in Research<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Corrections, Retractions, and Withdrawals<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Open Access and Copyright<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Preprint Policy<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Archiving and Digital Preservation<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Adherence to COPE Guidelines<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d4b2376 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d4b2376\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"misconduct-policy\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-642f4e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"642f4e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Misconduct Policy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f5638bc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f5638bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The journal addresses any form of scientific misconduct on a case-by-case basis, guided by the standards of <strong>COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/<\/strong>,<strong>WAME (World Association of Medical Editors)<\/strong>, and <strong>ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors)<\/strong>.<\/p><h3>Misconduct Definition<\/h3><h3>The journal endorses the summary of misconduct as follows:<\/h3><p><strong>Falsification of data<\/strong>: Includes fabrication, deceptive selective reporting of findings, omission of conflicting data, or deliberate distortion of results.<\/p><p><strong>Plagiarism<\/strong>: The use of another person\u2019s words, ideas, or results without proper credit, presenting them as one\u2019s own original work.<\/p><p><strong>Improprieties of authorship<\/strong>: Excluding contributors, misrepresenting material as original in multiple publications, or including authors who did not contribute significantly.<\/p><p><strong>Misappropriation of ideas<\/strong>: Improper use of confidential information obtained during peer review, grant review, or collaboration.<\/p><p><strong>Violation of accepted research practices<\/strong>: Manipulation of experiments, biased statistical or analytical treatment, or misleading reporting of findings.<\/p><p><strong>Regulatory non-compliance<\/strong>: Failure to follow laws or institutional guidelines related to funding, intellectual property, safety, or ethical research practices.<\/p><p><strong>Inappropriate conduct in misconduct cases<\/strong>: False accusations, suppression of evidence, or retaliation against whistle-blowers.<\/p><p><strong>Duplicate publication<\/strong>: Submitting or publishing the same work in multiple journals without disclosure or justification.<\/p><p><strong>Lack of declaration<\/strong>: Failure to disclose conflicts of interest, funding, or affiliations.<\/p><h3>Reference and Citation Misconduct<\/h3><p>In addition to the above, the journal strictly monitors <strong>reference and citation ethics<\/strong>. Misconduct includes:<\/p><p><strong>Citation manipulation<\/strong>: Adding irrelevant or excessive references to increase citation counts of particular authors, journals, or institutions.<\/p><p><strong>Self-citation abuse<\/strong>: Excessive citation of one\u2019s own prior work without clear scholarly justification.<\/p><p><strong>Omission of relevant work<\/strong>: Deliberately failing to cite significant prior studies that are relevant to the submitted research.<\/p><p><strong>Inaccurate citations<\/strong>: Citing sources that do not support the statement made or misrepresenting the content of a reference.<\/p><p><strong>Ghost references<\/strong>: Inclusion of non-existent or fabricated references.<\/p><p><strong>Improper formatting<\/strong>: Not following the journal\u2019s reference style, which may lead to inconsistency and ambiguity in the scholarly record.<\/p><h3>Dealing with Allegations of Misconduct<\/h3><p>All manuscripts are screened using <strong>iThenticate<\/strong> (or equivalent plagiarism detection software) to ensure originality.<\/p><p>Reviewers are encouraged to report suspected misconduct, including unethical citation practices.<\/p><p>Readers may also report suspected cases related to published articles.<\/p><p>The editorial board follows <strong>COPE flowcharts<\/strong> in investigating all allegations. Sanctions may include rejection, retraction, or notification of the authors\u2019 institutions, depending on severity.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fba1f14 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"fba1f14\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"crossmark-corrections\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c98c675 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c98c675\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Crossmark, Corrections, and Retractions Policy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-69af72e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"69af72e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The journal is committed to ensuring the integrity and accuracy of the scholarly record in the field of engineering. We adhere to the guidelines of the <strong>Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/\">COPE Website<\/a>https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/) and the <strong>International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)<\/strong> (ICMJE Website) \u00a0https:\/\/www.icmje.org\/in handling corrections, retractions, and post-publication discussions.<\/p><p>\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>Crossmark<\/strong><\/p><p>The journal participates in the <strong>Crossmark<\/strong> initiative by Crossref. Crossmark provides a reliable way for readers to verify whether a published article is the most up-to-date version. By clicking the Crossmark logo on an article, readers can confirm the document\u2019s status and access additional publication details.<\/p><h3>\u00a0<strong>Corrections<\/strong><\/h3><p>Errors are a natural part of scientific and engineering research. When identified, they will be corrected in a transparent manner following these principles:<\/p><p>Corrections will be issued promptly after confirmation of the error.<\/p><p>Correction notices will specify the exact changes made and include a link to the original article.<\/p><p>The original version of the article will remain accessible, accompanied by a correction note to inform readers.<\/p><p>For early online versions, changes may be made directly to the article with an audit trail of the edits and dates.<\/p><p>For articles already assigned to an issue, a formal correction notice will be published and linked to the original article.<\/p><h3><strong>Retractions<\/strong><\/h3><p>In rare cases, articles may need to be retracted. Retraction is not intended as punishment but as a way to maintain the integrity of the engineering research record. Articles may be retracted if:<\/p><p>Results are found to be unreliable due to errors, fabrication, or falsification (e.g., manipulated experimental data, incorrect simulations, or invalid models).<\/p><p>Plagiarism is identified.<\/p><p>Redundant or duplicate publication is detected.<\/p><p>Data, designs, or materials are used without appropriate authorization.<\/p><p>Copyright or legal issues are identified.<\/p><p>The peer review process was compromised.<\/p><p>Conflicts of interest were not disclosed, affecting the interpretation of results.<\/p><p><strong>Retractions will follow these practices:<\/strong><\/p><p>A retraction notice will be published, linked to the original article.<\/p><p>Retraction titles will clearly indicate the status of the article.<\/p><p>The retraction notice will specify the article title, the reason for retraction, and the party responsible for the retraction.<\/p><p>Articles will remain online for transparency, but marked clearly as retracted.<\/p><h3><strong>Preprint Policy<\/strong><\/h3><p>The journal supports open science and allows authors to deposit their manuscripts on preprint servers (e.g., arXiv, Engineering Archive, institutional repositories) at the following stages:<\/p><p><strong>Original Version (Submitted Manuscript)<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Accepted Manuscript (Post-Peer Review, Before Copyediting)<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Published Version of Record<\/strong><\/p><p>Authors must declare preprints during submission and provide DOIs or links where available. After publication, authors should update preprint records with the final DOI and citation.<\/p><p>For more information on preprint policies, see <strong>Sherpa Romeo<\/strong> (Sherpa Romeo Website).https:\/\/v2.sherpa.ac.uk\/romeo\/<\/p><h3>\u00a0<strong>Archiving and Digital Preservation<\/strong><\/h3><p>To ensure long-term availability of engineering research, all published articles are archived in trusted digital repositories (e.g., <strong>Portico<\/strong>, <strong>CLOCKSS<\/strong>) and indexed in relevant engineering databases. Authors are encouraged to deposit their work in institutional repositories to meet funder requirements.<\/p><h3>\u00a0<strong>Appeals and Complaints<\/strong><\/h3><p><strong>Appeals:<\/strong> Authors may appeal editorial decisions by contacting the editorial office. Appeals should provide clear justification (e.g., factual clarifications, overlooked data, or concerns regarding the peer review process). Editors may seek additional peer review to make a final decision. The editor\u2019s decision after an appeal is final.<\/p><p><strong>Complaints:<\/strong> Complaints regarding editorial processes or publication ethics can be submitted to the editorial office. Complaints about ethical issues will be handled according to COPE guidelines. If the complaint involves an editor, it may be escalated to the publisher.<\/p><h3><strong>Post-Publication Discussion<\/strong><\/h3><p>The journal encourages scholarly dialogue even after publication. Readers, reviewers, or researchers may:<\/p><p>Report errors or ethical concerns to the editorial office.<\/p><p>Submit <strong>Comments, Letters to the Editor, or Technical Notes<\/strong> that critically discuss published work.<\/p><p>Engage in transparent discourse to strengthen the integrity of engineering research.<\/p><p><strong>Additional Reference Section for Engineering Journals<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Ethical Standards and Guidelines<\/strong><br \/>This journal aligns with the following international ethics and publication guidelines:<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/publicationethics.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/wame.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>WAME (World Association of Medical Editors)<\/strong><\/a><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.icmje.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ieee.org\/publications\/rights\/ethics.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>IEEE Publication Ethics and Conduct Guidelines<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Editorial Board Journal Information Contents Editorial Policies Open Access Copyright CC BY License Editorial Freedom Peer Review Policy Peer Reviewers Authorship AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in Scientific Writing Conflicts of Interest Conflicts of Interest (Short Version) Editors, Board Members, Guest Editors, and Editorial Staff Research Ethics Registration of Experimental Studies Confidentiality Data and Materials Availability 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