Publication ethics and Malpractice Statement

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

The Journal of Problems in Computer Science and Information Technologies adheres to internationally recognized standards of publication ethics and malpractice prevention. The journal’s ethical framework is based on the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the publishing ethics principles of Elsevier, as well as institutional policies of al-Farabi Kazakh National University.

This statement defines the responsibilities of the publisher, editors, editorial board members, reviewers, and authors, including:

ethical standards of conduct,
procedures for handling misconduct,
policies on corrections, retractions, and complaints,
conflict of interest disclosure.

All participants in the publication process are required to comply with these principles to ensure the integrity, transparency, and quality of scholarly publishing.

Unethical behavior is considered to be the actions of authors, editors, or publishers, in the case of an independent review of their own articles; in the case of contractual and false review; in the conditions of resorting to agency services for the publication of scientific research results; false authorship; falsification and fabrication of research results; publication of unreliable pseudo-scientific texts; transfer of manuscript articles to other publications without the permission of the authors; transfer of authors' materials to third parties; conditions when copyright and confidentiality principles of editorial processes are violated; case of manipulation with citation; and plagiarism.

PUBLISHER RESPONSIBILITIES

The publisher:

ensures conditions for ethical publishing practices,
supports the editorial board in handling ethical issues,
guarantees confidentiality of the publication process,
respects editorial independence in decision-making.

EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Editorial Oversight. The peer review process is managed by the Editor-in-Chief, who evaluate reviewer reports and makes the final decision on the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript.

The Editorial Board performs an advisory role and contributes to the development and quality of the journal. They support the editorial process by providing expert advice and may participate in manuscript evaluation when necessary, but does not make routine publication decisions.

Fairness and Independence. Editors evaluate manuscripts based solely on their academic merit, without discrimination based on:

gender, nationality, ethnicity, or religion,
political views or institutional affiliation,
commercial considerations.

Confidentiality. Manuscripts are treated as confidential documents. Editors must not disclose information to third parties without authorization.

Ethical Oversight and Misconduct. The editorial office follows COPE guidelines in addressing ethical concerns, including:

plagiarism,
data falsification or fabrication,
duplicate publication,
authorship manipulation,
citation manipulation.

If misconduct is confirmed, actions may include:

rejection of the manuscript,
retraction of published articles,
notification of authors’ institutions.

POST-PUBLICATION POLICIES

Corrections. The journal publishes corrections (Erratum or Corrigendum) when errors affecting the accuracy or interpretation of an article are identified. Corrections are linked to the original article and remain permanently accessible.

Retractions. Articles may be retracted in accordance with COPE guidelines in cases of:

unreliable findings due to misconduct or error,
plagiarism or duplicate publication,
unethical research practices,
major errors affecting conclusions.
Retraction notices:
are clearly identified,
remain permanently available,
explain the reasons for retraction.

AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITIES. Authors must:

✔Ensure originality: Submit only original work free of plagiarism and improper borrowing. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited.

✔Avoid multiple submissions: Submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously is considered unethical and unacceptable.

✔Follow authorship criteria: Authorship must reflect significant intellectual contributions. All listed authors must:

approve the final manuscript,
agree to submission,
take responsibility for the content.

A corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal's editorial office.

✔Ensure data integrity: Data must be accurate and verifiable upon request.

✔Properly cite sources: All sources must be appropriately acknowledged.

✔Disclose conflicts of interest: All financial or personal influences must be declared.

✔Correct errors: Authors must promptly inform the editorial office of any errors and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions.

REVIEWER RESPONSIBILITIES

Reviewers must:

provide objective and constructive evaluations,
avoid personal criticism,
maintain confidentiality,
disclose conflicts of interest,
decline review if unqualified or conflicted,
report suspected ethical violations.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

A conflict of interest arises when personal, financial, or professional relationships may influence judgment.

All participants (authors, reviewers, editors) must:

disclose conflicts,
recuse themselves when necessary.
Authors must declare:
funding sources,
any potential competing interests.

ETHICAL VIOLATIONS

Unethical behavior includes, but is not limited to:

plagiarism,
falsification or fabrication of data,
false authorship,
duplicate publication,
manipulation of peer review,
breach of confidentiality,
citation manipulation.

Such violations may result in rejection, retraction, and further actions in accordance with COPE guidelines. All allegations of misconduct are:

investigated objectively,
handled confidentially,
resolved in accordance with institutional and international standards.

RESPONSIBILITY and COMPLIANCE

All participants in the publication process bear personal responsibility for compliance with ethical standards.

Failure to comply with publication ethics constitutes grounds for:

manuscript rejection,
retraction,
further institutional action.

Complaints and Appeals. The editorial office considers all substantiated complaints regarding ethical violations.

Complaints must include identifiable information.
Anonymous complaints are not considered unless serious risk is involved.
A response is provided within a reasonable timeframe (typically within 30 days).

Institutional Procedures. Complaints involving ethical violations editorial offiece may be referred to the Ethics Commission of al-Farabi Kazakh National University.