Publication Ethics & Research Integrity

Education, Innovation and Social Futures (EISF) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics, research integrity, transparency, and responsible scholarly communication. Authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher are expected to uphold ethical principles throughout the publication process.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts represent original scholarly work, accurately report the research undertaken, and appropriately acknowledge the work and contributions of others. Authors should provide sufficient information to allow readers to understand and, where appropriate, evaluate the methods, analysis, and conclusions of the study.

Manuscripts must not be simultaneously submitted to another journal or contain work that has already been published substantially elsewhere, except where appropriate disclosure and permission have been provided.

Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical standards. Where required, authors must obtain approval from an appropriate institutional ethics committee or review board before conducting the research.

For studies involving students, teachers, school communities, parents, vulnerable populations, or other human participants, authors must ensure appropriate safeguards for privacy, confidentiality, voluntary participation, and participant welfare.

Informed Consent and Assent

Informed consent must be obtained from participants where required. For research involving children or participants who cannot independently provide informed consent, appropriate parental or guardian consent and participant assent should be obtained in accordance with applicable ethical requirements.

Authors should clearly report relevant ethical approval and consent procedures in the manuscript.

Plagiarism and Originality

EISF does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, inappropriate manipulation of data, duplicate publication, or other forms of research misconduct.

Submitted manuscripts may be screened using appropriate similarity-detection procedures. Similarity findings are evaluated in context, and editorial decisions are based on the nature and significance of any identified overlap rather than solely on a numerical similarity score.

Authorship and Contributions

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the work and who accept responsibility for the published article. All listed authors should approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged.

Data Integrity and Transparency

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the data, analyses, figures, tables, and other research materials presented in their manuscripts. Fabrication, falsification, selective manipulation, or intentional misrepresentation of research findings is unacceptable.

Where appropriate and ethically permissible, authors are encouraged to provide information about the availability of research data and supporting materials.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose financial, professional, personal, institutional, or other interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research, review process, or editorial decision.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts are evaluated fairly, independently, and on their scholarly merit and relevance to the journal. Editorial decisions must not be influenced by authors' nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, ethnicity, religion, or other personal characteristics.

Editors must maintain confidentiality and appropriately manage conflicts of interest.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and timely assessments. Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents.

Reviewers should disclose relevant conflicts of interest and decline assignments where they cannot provide an independent and impartial assessment.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors must use generative artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies responsibly and transparently. AI tools cannot qualify for authorship because they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for scholarly work.

Where AI-assisted technologies have been used in a manner that materially contributes to the preparation, analysis, or presentation of a manuscript, appropriate disclosure should be provided in accordance with the journal's Generative AI & AI-Assisted Technologies Policy.

Allegations of Research Misconduct

EISF takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously. Concerns may be investigated before or after publication, and authors may be asked to provide explanations, supporting documentation, ethics approvals, original data, or other relevant materials.

Where concerns are substantiated, appropriate editorial action may include rejection, correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other measures considered necessary to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

Post-Publication Integrity

The journal will consider legitimate concerns raised about published articles and, where necessary, investigate them in accordance with established scholarly publishing practices. Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern may be issued when required.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made on the basis of scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigour, relevance, and research integrity. Commercial considerations or relationships with the publisher must not improperly influence editorial decisions.