
Ethical Standards and Integrity Policies
ETHICAL STANDARDS AND INTEGRITY POLICIES
The CSU Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (JSSH) upholds the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing, fully aligning with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. All submissions are required to be original, and authors must certify that their manuscripts have not been published elsewhere nor are under review in another journal. JPAS enforces strict policies against plagiarism, self-plagiarism, redundant publication, data fabrication, and citation manipulation. All manuscripts undergo Turnitin screening, with a required similarity index of 15% or below, and authors must submit a report upon submission. The use of Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly) must be declared transparently and should be strictly limited to enhancing grammar, tone, or clarity not for generating content or analysis. Any undisclosed use of AI constitutes an ethical violation. For studies involving human participants, authors are required to secure Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval or a similar ethical clearance from a recognized body. All ethical approvals must be clearly stated in the manuscript under the “Methodology” section, and relevant documentation must be submitted along with the manuscript. Violations of ethical conduct will be subject to thorough investigation by the Editorial Board. In cases of confirmed misconduct, JPAS reserves the right to retract published articles, notify affiliated institutions, and ban offending authors from future submissions.
| Ethical Component | Policy Description | Required at Submission | Responsible Party | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plagiarism & Redundancy Screening | Max. 15% similarity (Turnitin); No duplicate publication | Yes | Author / Managing Editor | Upon submission |
| COPE Publication Ethics Compliance | Based on COPE Core Practices for all editorial and peer review processes | Yes | Editor-in-Chief | Ongoing |
| AI Usage Disclosure | Allowed only for grammar/tone; Must be disclosed in Acknowledgments | Yes | Author / Technical Editor | Upon submission |
| Author Originality Statement | Must certify originality and exclusive submission | Yes | Author | Upon submission |
| Human Subjects Ethical Clearance (IRB) | Required for all studies involving human participants | Yes (as applicable) | Author | Before data collection |
| Investigation of Misconduct | Editorial Board investigates, may retract or ban authors | As needed | Editorial Board | Post-submission (if raised) |
| Ethics in Review and Decision Making | Reviewers and editors must avoid conflicts of interest | Yes | Reviewers / Editors | Pre-review phase |