Policies & Publication Ethics

RSEP Conferences is committed to promoting responsible scholarly communication, academic integrity, transparency, and fair treatment of authors, reviewers, and participants. All parties involved in the submission, evaluation, and publication process are expected to observe recognised standards of research ethics.

1. Originality and Plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must represent original scholarly work or clearly identify and appropriately acknowledge previously published material.

Plagiarism, including the unattributed use of another person's ideas, text, data, or research findings, is unacceptable.

Submissions may be screened using appropriate similarity-detection tools. Similarity reports are evaluated in context; a similarity percentage alone does not establish whether plagiarism has occurred.

Where substantial unattributed overlap or other concerns are identified, the submission may be returned for clarification, rejected, or referred for further investigation.

2. Research Integrity

Authors must report research methods, data, analyses, and findings honestly and accurately.

Fabrication of data, falsification of results, manipulation of evidence, and deliberate misrepresentation of research are prohibited.

Where concerns arise, authors may be asked to provide clarification or supporting information, subject to applicable confidentiality and legal requirements.

3. Authorship and Contributions

Authorship should reflect meaningful scholarly contributions to the research.

All listed authors should approve the submitted manuscript and agree to its submission and the applicable publication arrangements.

Individuals who do not meet the relevant authorship criteria should not be listed as authors merely because of their position, seniority, or institutional affiliation.

The corresponding author is responsible for communicating with the conference organisers and coordinating the submission process with co-authors.

4. Duplicate Submission and Redundant Publication

Authors must disclose relevant prior publication, presentation, or dissemination of their work.

Submitting substantially the same manuscript to multiple publication outlets simultaneously is not permitted where it conflicts with the applicable submission or publication requirements.

Where a conference permits work that has previously been presented or disseminated, authors must provide accurate disclosure and comply with the specific rules of the relevant publication outlet.

5. Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

Research involving human participants, identifiable personal data, or other ethically sensitive activities must comply with applicable laws, institutional requirements, and recognised ethical standards.

Where required, authors must obtain appropriate ethics committee approval and informed consent before conducting the research.

Authors should indicate relevant ethical approvals in the manuscript when applicable. Personal or confidential information must be handled responsibly and must not be disclosed without an appropriate legal or ethical basis.

6. Data Availability and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to describe their data sources, research methods, and analytical procedures sufficiently clearly to support scholarly assessment and, where feasible, reproducibility.

Data availability statements may be included where appropriate. Any restrictions arising from confidentiality, privacy, legal obligations, or third-party rights should be explained.

Authors must not claim that data are publicly available when access is restricted or when no such dataset exists.

7. Conflicts of Interest

Authors should disclose financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their research or its interpretation.

Reviewers and editorial decision-makers must identify relevant conflicts of interest and withdraw from an evaluation when impartiality may be compromised.

Conflicts of interest should be managed transparently and in a manner consistent with the integrity of the academic process.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and proper attribution of their submissions, including material produced or assisted by artificial intelligence tools.

AI tools must not be used to fabricate data, generate false references, conceal plagiarism, or misrepresent research procedures.

Where the use of AI materially contributes to the research, analysis, or preparation of a manuscript, authors should disclose such use when required by the relevant conference or publication outlet.

AI tools cannot be held accountable for scholarly work and should not be listed as authors.

9. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to assess submissions fairly, independently, and confidentially.

They should provide constructive feedback, identify relevant academic concerns, and avoid personal criticism or discriminatory treatment.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained during the evaluation process for personal, professional, or commercial advantage.

10. Editorial Responsibilities

Editorial and conference decisions should be based on academic merit, relevance, research integrity, and compliance with applicable requirements.

Editors and organisers should seek to manage conflicts of interest, protect confidential information, and address credible allegations of misconduct fairly.

Conference participation or payment of fees must not replace academic evaluation or be presented as a substitute for publication review.

11. Complaints, Appeals, and Misconduct Investigations

Authors may submit complaints or appeals concerning the handling of their submissions, provided that the request identifies specific grounds for review.

Allegations of plagiarism, data manipulation, authorship misconduct, or other ethical violations will be assessed by the responsible conference or editorial authorities.

Appropriate action may include requesting clarification, seeking additional documentation, rejecting a manuscript, withdrawing acceptance, correcting the published record, or retracting a publication, depending on the circumstances and available evidence.

12. Corrections, Retractions, and Withdrawal

Authors should notify the relevant editorial contact promptly if they discover a substantial error in their work.

Where a published paper is found to contain a significant error or ethical violation, appropriate corrective measures may be considered to preserve the integrity of the academic record.

Requests to withdraw a submission before publication should be made in writing by the corresponding author and handled in accordance with the applicable procedures.

13. Copyright and Third-Party Material

Authors are responsible for obtaining any necessary permissions for the use of copyrighted material owned by third parties.

Copyright ownership, publication rights, and licensing conditions are determined by the relevant publication agreement.

Authors and readers must comply with the licence terms applicable to the particular publication.

14. Equality, Respect, and Professional Conduct

RSEP Conferences seeks to foster an inclusive and respectful academic environment.

Discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and abusive behaviour are inconsistent with the professional standards expected of conference participants, reviewers, authors, and organisers.

Participants are expected to engage constructively and respect the diversity of academic perspectives and professional backgrounds.

15. Policy Updates

These policies may be reviewed and amended to reflect developments in academic publishing, research ethics, applicable law, and conference administration.

The version published through the official RSEP Conferences website should be consulted for the policies applicable to a particular submission or event.