Innovative Educational Research (INNER) is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in academic publishing. The journal strictly adheres to the principles outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and complies with the ethical standards expected by leading indexing databases. This document defines the ethical responsibilities of authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher to ensure transparency, fairness, and integrity throughout the publication process.

Duties and Responsibilities of Authors

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their work is entirely original. Any use of others' work must be properly cited and referenced. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited.

• Manuscripts submitted to INNER are screened using advanced plagiarism detection software.
• Any work found to contain significant levels of plagiarism will be rejected or retracted, and further action may be taken as necessary.

Authorship and Contributions

Authorship must accurately reflect significant contributions to the research.

• All listed authors should have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, data collection, analysis, or drafting of the manuscript.
• A contribution statement is required to specify each author’s role in the research.
• Guests, ghosts, or honorary authorship is unethical and strictly prohibited.

Data Integrity and Availability

Authors must ensure the accuracy of data and results.

• Data must not be fabricated, falsified, or manipulated.
• Raw data should be retained for at least five years post-publication and made available on request for editorial or peer review purposes.

Ethical Approvals and Informed Consent

Research involving human participants must comply with ethical standards.

• Authors must obtain approval from a recognized institutional ethics committee and include a statement of compliance in the manuscript.
• A clear statement confirming informed consent from participants must be provided, ensuring confidentiality and anonymity.
• For vulnerable populations, additional safeguards must be implemented.

AI and Technology Usage

The use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly and others) must be disclosed in the manuscript.

• Example disclosure: "This manuscript used AI tools for language editing, but all intellectual content and research findings are the responsibility of the authors."
• AI tools cannot be credited as authors and must not replace intellectual contributions.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest, including financial, personal, or institutional relationships that could influence the work. A statement of “no conflict of interest” must be included if applicable.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Submission

Manuscripts submitted to INNER must not have been published or submitted elsewhere. Authors must provide a clear declaration that the manuscript is original and not under consideration by another journal.

Post-Publication Obligations

Authors must notify the editor within 5 days promptly if errors or inaccuracies are identified in their published work. Corrections, retractions, or clarifications will be issued as appropriate.

Duties and Responsibilities of Editors

Fair and Impartial Decision-Making

Editors are responsible for evaluating manuscripts based solely on their academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope. Decisions must be free of bias regarding authors’ race, gender, nationality, or institutional affiliation.

Confidentiality

Editors must ensure that all manuscripts, reviewer identities, and editorial communications remain confidential throughout the review process.

Handling Conflicts of Interest

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest, delegating the editorial responsibility to another qualified editor.

Addressing Ethical Misconduct

Editors are responsible for investigating allegations of ethical misconduct, including plagiarism, data falsification, and authorship disputes. Proven cases will result in rejection, retraction, or notification of relevant institutions.

Timely Communication

Editors must ensure prompt communication with authors, reviewers, and other editorial team members to maintain an efficient publication process.

Duties and Responsibilities of Reviewers

Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential. They must not share, discuss, or use any part of the manuscript for personal or professional gain.

Objectivity and Constructive Feedback

Reviewers must provide unbiased and constructive feedback to help improve the manuscript. Personal criticism of authors is unacceptable.

Timeliness

Reviewers must complete their evaluations within the agreed timeframe. If unable to meet deadlines, they should notify the editor promptly to avoid delays in the review process.

Ethical Oversight

Reviewers must report any ethical concerns, including plagiarism, data falsification, or ethical violations, to the editor immediately.

Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest, such as personal, financial, or professional relationships with the authors or institutions, and recuse themselves if impartiality cannot be guaranteed.

Duties and Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher of INNER ensures that the journal operates according to ethical standards and best practices.

• Like all other stakeholders, the publisher also has to obey the ethical principles and behave accordingly.
• The publisher bears all the responsibility to take precautions against scientific abuse, fraud and plagiarism.
• The publisher protects the intellectual property rights of all the articles published in INNER and holds the responsibility of keeping a record of each published product.
• The publisher accepts that the editor and editorial board are entitled to make all the decisions related to reviewing, editorial, and publication processes.
• All stakeholders should not hesitate to contact the publisher if they see or recognize any unethical conduct or behavior.

Misconduct of Scientific Research and Publication Ethics

Plagiarism Policy

The Innovative Educational Research (INNER)enforces a strict plagiarism policy to ensure the originality and integrity of submitted manuscripts. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, is a serious ethical violation and will not be tolerated.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• Directly copying text, ideas, data, or graphics from other sources without proper acknowledgment.
• Paraphrasing substantial parts of another work without proper citation.
• Using someone else's research findings, methodologies, or results as one’s own.
• Republishing one’s own previously published work (self-plagiarism) without citing the original source and obtaining necessary permissions.

Forgery: Using data that does not actually exist or is being distorted.

Distortion: Distorting, spoiling, or corrupting research records or data; Claiming that some tools or materials have been used in the research that are not actually being utilized for the study. Altering, distorting, or shaping the research results in fitting in the interests of those people or institutions supporting the research.

Duplication: Using the same research data in more than one piece of work.

Slicing: Dividing the results of research into several pieces that violate its integrity and then publishing them as separate research paper.

Undeserved authorship: Indicating those persons as authors who did not actively contribute to the production of the manuscript or not indicating the ones that contributed to the study in question. Changing the order of the author names inappropriately and unnecessarily.

• Not indicating/including the relevant information about persons/institutions/organizations supporting the research and their support.
• Citing those dissertations/thesis or papers that have not yet been submitted or published.
• Not following the ethical rules and regulations and/or not obtaining the necessary permissions before conducting research involving human and/or animal subjects. Not respecting patients’ rights, giving harm to animals’ health and ecological balance.
• The misuse or abuse of resources, places, means, and tools have been provided/allocated for the research.
• Proclaiming misleading/fallacious information related to scientific research and publications.

Transfer of the Copy Rights

• The manuscripts sent to INNER for publication should not be published or sent for publication elsewhere. During the process of manuscript submission, the authors are required to declare that it has not been published or submitted for publication by any other means. Otherwise, the authors will be responsible for the consequences.   
• The authors are expected to transfer the copyrights to INNER while submitting their studies. This transfer agreement comes into force after the acceptance of the manuscript for publication. 
• The authors may continue to have the right to publish the content of the manuscript on their personal websites, or in their institutions’ open access archives; they may produce copies of the manuscript for personal use, and they may use its content in their other works in par tor by citing it aptly.
• While using tables, figures, and other kinds of verbal and/or visual materials published within the content of a manuscript either in paper-based or in electronic format, the authors are required to obtain permission from the copy rights holder. The authors are obliged to legal, financial, and penal responsibilities related to this issue.
• Authors planning to submit a manuscript to INNER are supposed to fill in the “Copy Rights Transfer Agreement”. Then sign it with the original signature, scan the signed form and send it back to INNER through email: editor@innovativedu.org

Screening Process

The editorial board has the right to act in accordance with COPE’s rules and regulations in case of any claim related to a manuscript having plagiarism, referencing manipulation, and/or data forgery. The authors are required to send their plagiarism reports to editor@innovativedu.org when they submit their manuscripts to INNER.  

• All submitted manuscripts are screened using advanced plagiarism detection software.
• Submissions with a similarity index exceeding 20% (excluding references and standard phrases) will be returned to the authors for revision or rejected outright, depending on the extent of the overlap.

Actions for Detected Plagiarism

In cases where plagiarism is identified:

• The manuscript will be immediately rejected during the review process.
• For published articles, a formal retraction notice will be issued, and the article will be removed from the journal's archives.
• The authors’ institutions or funding agencies may be notified of the misconduct.
• Authors found guilty of plagiarism may be banned from submitting to INNER for a specified period or indefinitely, depending on the severity of the offense.

Authors are encouraged to check their manuscripts for originality before submission to avoid plagiarism-related issues.

Ethical Oversight

INNER is committed to ensuring that all research published adheres to the highest ethical standards. The journal enforces ethical oversight in the following areas:

Research Ethics

Authors must ensure their research complies with international ethical guidelines, particularly for studies involving human participants.

• A statement of ethical approval from an institutional ethics review board must be included in the manuscript.
• Authors must confirm that participants provided informed consent, and their confidentiality and privacy were protected.
• Research involving minors, vulnerable populations, or sensitive data must include specific ethical safeguards.

Publication Ethics

The journal adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines to handle ethical concerns related to publication.

• Editors, reviewers, and authors are expected to disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
• Allegations of misconduct, such as duplicate submissions, data falsification, or authorship manipulation, will be thoroughly investigated by the editorial team.

Transparency and Accountability

The journal requires authors to:

• Provide detailed information on their methodologies to ensure transparency and replicability.
• Declare funding sources and disclose any conflicts of interest.
• Be accountable for the integrity and validity of the research findings.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

INNER follows a clear policy for handling errors, ethical breaches, and concerns regarding published articles.

Corrections

Corrections are issued for minor errors that do not affect the overall validity or conclusions of the article.

• Examples of minor errors include typographical mistakes, missing references, or minor inaccuracies in data presentation.
• A corrigendum will be published to correct the errors, and the updated article will be linked to the corrigendum.

Retractions

Retractions are issued for serious issues that undermine the validity or integrity of the research.

• Examples include plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or significant methodological errors.
• A formal retraction notice will be published, providing a clear explanation of the reasons for the retraction.
• Retracted articles will be clearly marked and removed from indexing databases when appropriate.

Expressions of Concern

If a potential ethical or methodological issue is raised but cannot be immediately resolved (e.g., pending investigation), the journal may publish an expression of concern to inform readers.

• The expression of concern will remain in place until the issue is resolved.
• Following the investigation, the expression of concern will be replaced by a correction or retraction, as necessary.

The journal ensures that all corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern are prominently displayed and linked to the original article for full transparency.

For further inquiries or clarification on ethical issues, authors and readers are encouraged to contact the editorial office at editor@innovativedu.org 

INNER is committed to fostering trust, transparency, and excellence in academic publishing while ensuring the integrity of the scholarly record.