TEJAS Journal of Technologies and Humanitarian Science

Scope of the Statement

This statement applies to all parties involved in the publishing lifecycle:

• Authors and co-authors
• Independent Peer Reviewers
• Editors and Editorial Board members
• Editorial Office staff and Publishers
• Submitted manuscripts, review reports, supplementary data, and published articles

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based strictly on the academic, scientific, and ethical evaluation of submitted manuscripts. Relevant considerations include scope alignment, originality, methodological reliability, clarity, and compliance with ethical guidelines.

Editorial decisions are completely independent of commercial influence, sponsorship, author identity, nationality, institutional status, or financial considerations. Payment or waiver of an Article Processing Charge (APC) never influences peer review or acceptance decisions.

Editorial Board Member Recusal Policy

TEJAS Journal of Technologies and Humanitarian Science (TJTHS) is committed to maintaining an independent, transparent, and unbiased editorial decision-making process. The journal ensures that all manuscripts are evaluated solely on the basis of academic merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

To safeguard editorial integrity and prevent potential conflicts of interest, Editorial Board Members, Editors, and reviewers are required to recuse themselves from the editorial process whenever their involvement may compromise the objectivity or impartiality of manuscript evaluation.

Manuscripts Submitted by Editorial Board Members

When a manuscript is submitted by an Editorial Board Member of TJTHS, the journal follows an independent handling procedure:

• The submitting Editorial Board Member shall not participate in the editorial assessment, reviewer selection, peer-review process, revision evaluation, or final publication decision related to their own manuscript.
• The manuscript will be assigned to an independent editor who has no personal, professional, institutional, financial, or collaborative relationship with the author(s).
• The independent editor will manage all aspects of the editorial process, including reviewer selection, communication with authors and reviewers, evaluation of revisions, and recommendation of the final decision.
• The submitting Editorial Board Member will not have access to confidential reviewer comments, internal editorial discussions, or decision-making processes beyond the standard communication provided to authors.
• The final publication decision will be based exclusively on the recommendations of independent peer reviewers and established editorial policies.

Conflict-Based Recusal of Editors and Reviewers

Editors and reviewers are required to withdraw from the evaluation process when a potential conflict of interest exists, including but not limited to:

• Current or recent institutional affiliations with the authors.
• Previous or ongoing research collaborations with the authors.
• Personal, professional, or financial relationships that may influence objective judgment.
• Any circumstance that could reasonably affect the impartial evaluation of a manuscript.

In such cases, an alternative editor or reviewer with appropriate subject expertise will be appointed to ensure a fair and independent assessment.

Editorial Independence and Accountability

TJTHS ensures that editorial decisions remain independent of personal relationships, institutional affiliations, commercial interests, or other external influences. The journal maintains appropriate editorial records regarding conflict-of-interest declarations and recusal decisions to promote accountability, transparency, and responsible scholarly publishing.

This policy ensures that Editorial Board membership does not provide preferential consideration or influence over manuscript evaluation and that every submission receives a fair, rigorous, and independent peer-review process.

Duties of Authors

• Originality & Integrity: Submit original, unpublished work free from fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.
• Exclusive Submission: Manuscripts must not be under simultaneous consideration by another journal.
• Accurate Attribution: Cite and acknowledge all supporting literature and third-party sources appropriately.
• Authorship Criteria: Ensure all listed authors made substantive intellectual contributions and approved the final submission.
• Competing Interests: Disclose all financial, personal, or institutional conflicts of interest.
• Ethics & Consent: Obtain institutional ethics committee approval and participant consent where applicable.
• Error Reporting: Inform the Editorial Office promptly if a significant error is discovered in submitted or published work.

Duties of Reviewers

• Objectivity: Provide independent, constructive, confidential, and evidence-based reviews.
• Confidentiality: Treat submitted manuscripts as confidential documents and avoid unauthorized sharing or AI-system uploading.
• Conflict Disclosure: Recuse themselves from evaluating manuscripts where a competing interest exists.
• Misconduct Reporting: Report suspected plagiarism, data manipulation, or ethical concerns confidentially to the editor.

Duties of Editors & Publisher

• Fair Evaluation: Evaluate manuscripts solely on scientific merit and ethical compliance without discrimination.
• Peer Review Oversight: Ensure a double-blind peer-review process involving at least two independent experts.
• Confidentiality Maintenance: Protect the anonymity of reviewers and the confidentiality of unpublished materials.
• Editorial Integrity: Recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where an editor has a conflict of interest.
• Post-Publication Stewardship: The journal takes appropriate action, including corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, and post-publication discussions, when research integrity issues or scholarly concerns are identified.

Plagiarism & Misconduct Policy

TJTHS maintains a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism, data fabrication, image manipulation, duplicate submission, and peer-review manipulation.

All submitted manuscripts are screened using similarity-detection software prior to external review. If misconduct or unacceptable overlap is identified, the journal will request clarification, reject the manuscript, or initiate formal post-publication corrections or retractions in accordance with COPE guidelines.

For more details, please review our dedicated Plagiarism Policy, Research Misconduct Policy, and Post Publication Discussion Policy.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

Generative AI systems (e.g., ChatGPT, LLMs) cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot assume legal or ethical accountability for published work. Human authors remain fully accountable for all content, data accuracy, citations, and ethical compliance.

Any substantive use of generative AI tools in text preparation, image generation, or data analysis must be transparently disclosed within the manuscript. View our Generative AI Policy for full guidance.

Corrections, Retractions & Appeals

When material errors, ethical concerns, or scholarly issues are identified after publication, TJTHS preserves the integrity of the scholarly record through appropriate actions, including corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, and post-publication discussions where applicable. All editorial decisions may be appealed through a formal written request to the Editorial Office.

Please consult our Corrections and Retractions Policy and Complaints and Appeals Policy for detailed procedures.

Post Publication Discussion

TJTHS recognizes that scholarly communication continues after publication. The journal provides a mechanism for readers, researchers, and other stakeholders to raise questions, provide academic comments, or communicate concerns regarding published articles.

Post-publication discussions support transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement of the scholarly record. Comments or concerns should be based on academic evidence and relevant information related to the published work.

Readers may submit post-publication comments or concerns by providing:

• Article title and DOI or publication details.
• A clear explanation of the concern, observation, or scholarly comment.
• Supporting evidence or relevant references where applicable.
• Contact details for further communication.

All post-publication communications are reviewed by the Editorial Office. Where necessary, the journal may consult authors, reviewers, or subject experts before determining an appropriate response.

Possible editorial actions may include:

• Publication of corrections or clarifications.
• Author response or editorial comments.
• Expression of concern.
• Retraction of published articles in cases of confirmed serious issues affecting research integrity.

For detailed procedures, please refer to the Post Publication Discussion Policy.

Related Ethics and Publishing Policies

TJTHS maintains the following policies to support ethical and transparent scholarly publishing:

• Authorship Criteria
• Conflict of Interest Policy
• Funding Disclosure Policy
• Data Availability Policy
• Plagiarism Policy
• Research Misconduct Policy
• Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy
• Corrections & Retractions Policy
• Complaints and Appeals Policy
• Post Publication Discussion Policy

Editorial Office