Research and Publication Ethics

Enacted on April 25, 2024
Revised on June 8, 2026

The International Journal of Documentary Heritage (IJODH) adheres to the guidelines and best practices published by professional organizations, including ICMJE Recommendations and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (https://doaj.org/bestpractice). Furthermore, all processes of handling research and publication misconduct (or when faced with cases of suspected misconduct) shall follow the applicable Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) flowcharts (https://publicationethics.org/guidance). Any attempt at duplicate publication or plagiarism will result in immediate and automatic rejection, may also adversely affect the acceptance of manuscripts submitted over the following three years, and may be publicly disclosed in the journal.

Conflict of Interest Statement

All participants in the publication and peer review process—not only authors but also peer reviewers, editors, and Editorial Committee members of the IJODH—must consider their conflicts of interest when fulfilling their roles in the process of submission, article review, and publication, and must disclose all relationships that could be viewed as potential conflicts of interest.

All authors should disclose their conflicts of interest, i.e., (1) financial relationships (such as employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony), (2) personal relationships, (3) academic competition, and (4) intellectual passion.

Authors must include these conflicts of interest before the References list in the manuscript file. If the undisclosed conflict of interest is suspected in a submitted manuscript or published article, a committee composed of Editorial Committee members will be held and discussed, and IJODH will follow the process of the applicable COPE flowchart (https://publicationethics.org/guidance).

Scientific Misconduct

The authors should be responsible for the credibility of all allegations of scientific misconduct, e.g., suspected fabrication or falsification of data, double publication, or plagiarism. Submitted manuscripts must not have been previously published and not be under consideration for another journal. No part of the accepted manuscript should be duplicated in any other scientific journal without the permission of the Editorial Committee of IJODH. Submitted manuscripts are screened for possible plagiarism or duplicate publication by Crossref Similarity Check upon receipt by the journal. If a redundant or duplicate publication is attempted or occurs without such notification, the submitted manuscript will be rejected immediately, and the incident will be announced in IJODH, and their institutions may be informed. There will also be penalties imposed by the IJODH Ethics Committee. It is the responsibility of the authors to request permission from the appropriate authority for any material that is being reproduced for the publication in IJODH. This requirement applies to text, figures, tables, audio and/or video.

With any allegation raised by the reviewers, readers, or the third party, the editor-in-chief together with the IJODH ethics committee will first attempt to address the matter with the corresponding author. In case this fails to resolve the situation satisfactorily, the editor-in-chief will contact the institution of the corresponding author to request an investigation; the editor-in-chief may also contact the coauthors and/or the funder(s) of the published research.

Authorship

Authorship credit should be based on 1) substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; 3) final approval of the version to be published, and 4) agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that the questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. The authors should meet these 4 conditions. If the number of authors is equal to or greater than 2, there should be a list of each author’s role in the submitted paper. The description of co-first authors is accepted if the corresponding author believes that such roles existed in contributing to the manuscript.

Correction of authorship: After the initial submission of a manuscript, any changes whatsoever in authorship (adding author(s), deleting author(s), or re-arranging the order of authors) must be explained by a letter to the editor from the corresponding author(s). This letter must be signed by all authors of the paper. IJODH does not correct authorship after final acceptance unless a mistake has been made by the editorial staff.
The roles of all authors must be specified upon submission and documented in the manuscript.
Role of corresponding author: The corresponding author takes primary responsibility for communication with the journal during the manuscript submission, peer review, and publication process. The corresponding author typically ensures that all of the journal’s administrative requirements, such as providing the details of authorship, ethics committee approval, and conflicts of interest forms and statements, are properly completed, although these duties may be delegated to one or more coauthors. The corresponding author should be available throughout the submission and peer review process to respond to editorial queries in a timely manner, and after publication should be available to respond to critiques of the work and cooperate with any requests from the journal for data or additional information or questions about the article.
Co-first authors: IJODH allows multiple co-first authors for one article, provided that a notice of equal contribution is submitted and accepted by IJODH, and that the study was clearly conducted jointly by the designated co-first authors.
Contributors: Any researcher who does not meet all 4 criteria for authorship discussed above but contributes substantively to the study in terms of idea development, manuscript writing, conducting research, data analysis, and/or financial support should have their contributions listed in the Acknowledgments section of the article.

Originality and Duplicate Publication

All submitted manuscripts should be original and should not be in consideration by other journals for publication. Any part of the accepted manuscript should not be duplicated in any other journal without permission of the Editorial Committee, although the figures and tables can be used freely if the original source is verified according to the Creative Commons Attribution License. It is mandatory for all authors to resolve any copyright issues when citing a figure or table from other journals that are not open access.

Secondary Publication

Manuscripts may be considered for secondary publication provided they meet the following conditions:

Mutual Approval: Authors must obtain prior approval from the editors of both journals. The editor of the secondary journal must have access to the primary version.
Publication Interval: The priority of the primary publication must be respected, with a publication interval negotiated between the editors of both journals and the authors.
Target Audience: The secondary publication must be intended for a different group of readers; an abbreviated version is often sufficient.
Consistency of Data: The secondary version must faithfully reflect the data and interpretations of the primary version.
Transparency and Disclosure: The secondary version must inform readers, peers, and documenting agencies that the paper has been published in whole or in part elsewhere. A notice should be included (e.g., “This article is based on a study first reported in the [Journal Name, with full reference]”), and the primary reference must be cited in the secondary version.
Title Clarification: The title of the secondary publication should indicate its status as a secondary publication (e.g., complete republication, abridged version, or translation) of the primary work.
Content Integrity: The secondary publication must not modify the original work’s content in a way that creates a derivative work. Changes should be limited to formatting or adjustments necessary to reach a different audience.
Full Attribution: Full credit must be given to the original work, ensuring it is not misrepresented as new or original content.

Definitions of Research and Publication Misconduct

IJODH defines research and publication misconduct as follows. These definitions are based on the COPE and ICMJE guidelines:

Redundant (duplicate) publication
- Definition: Submitting the same manuscript, or substantially similar content, to more than one journal.
- Example: Publishing the same data and conclusions in two different journals without cross-reference.
Plagiarism
- Definition: Presenting others’ ideas, processes, results, or words without proper attribution.
- Example: Copying entire paragraphs from a previously published article without quotation or citation.
Data fabrication or falsification
- Definition: Making up data (fabrication) or manipulating data (falsification) to mislead.
- Example: Altering images or selectively omitting data points to support conclusions.
Inappropriate changes in authorship
- Definition: Improper inclusion or exclusion of authors without consent.
- Example: Adding someone as co-author who did not contribute to the work.
Undisclosed conflicts of interest
- Definition: Failing to disclose financial or personal relationships that may influence research.
- Example: Not reporting sponsorship by a company that could benefit from the study’s results.
Ethical concerns in submitted manuscripts
- Definition: Violations of ethical standards relating to the handling, access, reproduction, or representation of documentary heritage materials. This includes, but is not limited to, failure to obtain proper permissions for the use of restricted or sensitive archival materials; breach of privacy or confidentiality obligations associated with personal records; disregard for the cultural sensitivities or intellectual property rights of communities connected to the documentary heritage under study; and unauthorized reproduction or dissemination of materials subject to access restrictions.
- Example:
  - Publishing content from restricted archival collections without obtaining the required permissions from the holding institution.
  - Reproducing or disclosing personal information found in historical records (e.g., medical, legal, or family records) without appropriate ethical consideration or necessary consent.
  - Misrepresenting or decontextualizing indigenous or community-owned documentary heritage without consulting or acknowledging the relevant community.
Misappropriation of ideas or data by reviewers
- Definition: A reviewer using content from a manuscript under review for their own research.
- Example: Submitting similar work based on unpublished data from a reviewed manuscript.
Misconduct by reviewers or editors
- Definition: Unethical behavior by reviewers or editors, including misuse of confidential information, bias, or failure to declare conflicts of interest.
- Example: An editor sharing reviewer identities with authors.

Process to Manage the Research and Publication Misconduct

When IJODH encounters suspected cases of research or publication misconduct—including but not limited to redundant (duplicate) publication, plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, inappropriate changes in authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, ethical concerns in submitted manuscripts, misappropriation of ideas or data by reviewers, or complaints against editors—these will be managed in accordance with the guidelines and flowcharts of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): https://publicationethics.org/guidance.

Preliminary Review: Upon receiving a report or identifying a possible case of misconduct, the Editorial Committee will conduct an initial review to assess whether the allegation has merit.

Formal Notification: If a formal investigation is warranted, the corresponding author (or the individual(s) involved) will be notified in writing, informed of the allegations, and given an opportunity to respond and provide a written explanation.

Review and Decision: The Editorial Committee will review all evidence, including statements from all parties, in accordance with COPE principles. Decisions will be made by consensus or majority vote within the Board.

Confidentiality: The identity of the whistleblower (if any) and all parties involved will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by law and ethical guidelines. All communications will be handled with strict discretion.

Actions Taken: If misconduct is confirmed, the Editorial Committee may take one or more of the following actions:

Rejection or retraction of the manuscript
Notification to the authors’ institution(s)
Publication of an erratum, correction, retraction, or expression of concern
Temporary or permanent ban from future submissions
Reporting the case to relevant academic or ethical bodies

IJODH is committed to preserving the integrity of the academic record. When necessary, the journal will publish errata, corrigenda, retractions, clarifications, or formal apologies in accordance with the outcome of the investigation.

Editorial Responsibilities

The Editorial Committee is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and scholarly integrity. To this end, the editors hold the following responsibilities:

Upholding Integrity: Safeguarding the integrity of the academic record and ensuring strict adherence to ethical guidelines.
Editorial Independence: Ensuring that editorial decisions are based solely on academic merit and remain free from any commercial, business, or personal interests.
Quality Control: Identifying and preventing the publication of manuscripts involving plagiarism, fraudulent data, or other forms of misconduct.
Authority and Fairness: Exercising full authority to accept or reject manuscripts based on objective criteria, ensuring transparency and fairness throughout the process.
Conflict of Interest: Disclosing and managing any potential conflicts of interest to ensure unbiased editorial judgment.
Corrective Actions: Taking prompt action to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, or formal apologies whenever inaccuracies or ethical concerns are identified.
Confidentiality: Maintaining strict confidentiality regarding all submitted manuscripts and preserving the anonymity of peer reviewers during and after the review process.

The Editorial Committee remains dedicated to maintaining transparency, fairness, and the highest ethical standards throughout the peer review and publication cycle.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Authorship and Peer Review

This policy is based on international guidelines and best practices regarding the use of generative AI and AI-assisted tools in scholarly publishing.

For Authors

Authors may use generative AI or AI-assisted tools solely to enhance the readability and language quality of their work. However, these tools must not be used to generate scientific content, such as data interpretation, hypothesis generation, conclusions, or recommendations. Generative AI must not replace essential scholarly tasks that require original intellectual contribution.

Use of these tools should be conducted with human oversight and control. Authors must critically review and edit any AI-generated content, recognizing that such tools may produce inaccurate, incomplete, or biased information.

Authors are fully responsible and accountable for the entire content of their submitted manuscript, regardless of the use of AI.

Disclosure Requirement

Authors must disclose any use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools in a dedicated section titled:

Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted Technologies in the Writing Process

This section should be placed before the References list in the manuscript file.

Example statement:

During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [NAME of TOOL / SERVICE] to [REASON]. The author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of this publication.

This disclosure promotes transparency and complies with the terms of use of AI tools.

Restrictions on AI Authorship

Generative AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship entails accountability for the integrity of the work and the ability to approve the final version—duties that only humans can fulfill.

Restrictions on Image Processing

The use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create, modify, or manipulate images in the manuscript is strictly prohibited. This includes:

Enhancing, obscuring, removing, or adding image features.

Acceptable adjustments:

Brightness, contrast, or color balance—only if they do not obscure or eliminate original data.

Authors should ensure that all image modifications comply with IJODH’s Research and Publication Ethics Policy.

For Reviewers

Reviewers must preserve the confidentiality of manuscripts and the integrity of the peer review process. Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude) must not be used substantially in peer review or as a substitute for the reviewer’s own scholarly judgment.

Reviewers must not upload, paste, or otherwise submit the manuscript, any part of the manuscript, unpublished data, confidential editorial information, or personally identifiable information to public or external generative AI tools, unless the journal has explicitly approved the use of a secure tool that guarantees confidentiality, data protection, and non-retention.

Generative AI tools may be used only for limited auxiliary purposes that do not involve disclosure of manuscript content, such as checking general background concepts, improving the language of the reviewer’s own comments, or grammar checking. Reviewers must not use generative AI tools to summarize the manuscript, assess its scientific merit, evaluate its methodology, determine originality, recommend an editorial decision, or draft the substantive content of the peer review report.

Reviewers remain fully responsible for the content, accuracy, fairness, and integrity of their review. Any use of generative AI assistance must be disclosed to the journal, including the tool used and the purpose and scope of its use.

International Journal of Documentary Heritage (Int J Docum Herit, IJODH)

Official Journal of UNESCO ICDH

OPEN ACCESS, PEER REVIEWED

pISSN 3058-9428
eISSN 3058-9061