CODE OF CONDUCT & RESEARCH INTEGRITY

Double-Blind Peer Review & Global Indexing Compliance Standards

1. Introduction

This is an outline of the definitive ethical framework and professional expectations for all participants of the conference. These rules are explicitly structured to satisfy the rigorous evaluation metrics required for indexation within premier citation databases. All authors, reviewers, and organizers must actively adhere to these guidelines.

2. Double-Blind Peer Review Mandate

To guarantee an entirely impartial and merit-based scientific evaluation, this conference enforces a strict double-blind review process where identity of authors and reviewers is shielded symmetrically.

Author Obligations: Authors must proactively remove all identifying markers, explicit self-references, affiliations, and hidden system metadata from their active submission files.

Reviewer Obligations: Reviewers must evaluate papers based solely on scientific merit. Attempting to reverse-engineer or unmask author identities via public preprint text matching or search engines is a direct breach of this code.

Identity Compromise: If a reviewer accidentally identifies an author through the text structure, they are required to notify the Editor in Chief of the Conference Book of Proceedings immediately to initiate a transparent reassignment.

3. Publication Ethics & Global Indexing Standards

In strict alignment with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) core practices , the conference applies a zero-tolerance policy regarding academic malpractice:

Plagiarism & Overlap:  Every manuscript undergoes automated anti-plagiarism screening (e.g., Turnitin). Outright text reuse or unattributed self-plagiarism will result in immediate rejection.

Data Integrity:  Fabricating, falsifying, or selectively manipulating research data, statistical models, or imagery is grounds for permanent exclusion and mandatory institutional reporting.

Paper Mills:  Submissions suspected of originating from commercial content vendors (‘paper mills’) or artificial content synthesizers lacking genuine human intellectual ownership will be permanently barred.

Dual Submission:  Work submitted must be entirely original. It cannot be simultaneously under active review, accepted, or published anywhere else.

4. Professional Exchange & Academic Tone

Constructive Critique:  Reviewers and session participants must deliver feedback using professional, objective language. Peer evaluations must focus exclusively on methodology, clarity, soundness, and data interpretation.

Harassment-Free:  Personal attacks, derogatory remarks regarding an author’s language proficiency or institutional ranking, and discriminatory behavior of any kind are completely prohibited.

5. Measures against Unethical Conduct

Violations of this code will be audited by the Organizing Committee and Editorial Board who are authorized to employ various measures to uphold ethical standards and publication quality. All complaints are taken seriously, investigated and dealt with accordingly. In such cases, and/or cases of misunderstanding or misconduct by authors or reviewers, the following steps may be taken:

• Informing the author or reviewer – Initially, the Organizing Committee and Editorial Board may offer clarification or additional guidance to resolve misunderstandings or improve adherence to ethical guidelines.
• Written warning – If misconduct continues, the Organizing Committee and Editorial Board may issue a formal warning pointing out the unacceptable behavior. The purpose of this step is to highlight the seriousness of the situation and to encourage a change in behavior.
• Publishing an editorial note – In serious cases, the Organizing Committee and Editorial Board may publish a notice detailing the misconduct, which may affect the author’s or reviewer’s reputation.
• Notifying the relevant institution/employer–the Organizing Committee and Editorial Board may inform the author’s or reviewer’s institution/employer about the unethical behavior.
• Retraction of the article – In the most severe cases, the Organizing Committee and Editorial Board may retract the article and notify the author’s or reviewer’s institution/employer or the funding body.
• Embargo on future submissions – The Organizing Committee and Editorial Board may impose a temporary ban on submissions to the future editions of the Conference from the individual involved.
• Informing competent authorities – In extreme cases, the Organizing Committee and Editorial Board may notify appropriate authorities to investigate and take further action.

These steps constitute an integrated system to ensure the ethical integrity and scientific quality of the Conference and the Conference Book of Proceedings.