Publication Ethics

JAFT follows the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines for editors, reviewers, and authors.

Authors

✓Originality: Manuscripts must be original. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and data fabrication may be grounds for rejection or, for published work, correction or retraction following investigation under COPE guidelines.
✓Similarity screening: All submissions are screened for textual similarity using iThenticate (Crossref Similarity Check); manuscripts exceeding the journal's threshold are returned to the authors or rejected.
✓Authorship: All listed authors must have made a substantial contribution. Ghost authorship and gift authorship are not permitted.
✓Competing interests: All financial and non-financial competing interests must be declared at submission.
✓AI use: Any use of generative AI in writing or data analysis must be declared in the manuscript. AI tools cannot be listed as authors.
✓Data availability: Authors are expected to make datasets available wherever possible, in line with FAIR data principles.
✓Simultaneous submission: Manuscripts must not be under consideration at another journal at the time of submission.

Reviewers

✓All manuscripts are strictly confidential. Reviewers must not share, cite, or use content from manuscripts under review.
✓Reviewers must declare any conflict of interest and recuse themselves if one exists.
✓Reviews must be objective, constructive, and free of personal criticism.

Editors

✓Editors make decisions based solely on academic merit, scope, and reviewer recommendations.
✓Editors must not handle manuscripts where they have a conflict of interest.
✓Editorial decisions are final, but authors may appeal in writing with substantive grounds.

Corrections & retractions

JAFT will publish corrections for significant errors that do not affect conclusions, and retractions where the core findings are unreliable or where serious ethical violations are confirmed. Retraction notices remain permanently associated with the article record.

Complaints

Complaints regarding editorial decisions or suspected ethics violations should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief. JAFT will investigate all complaints promptly and in accordance with COPE guidelines. All parties will be treated fairly and confidentially throughout the process.

Questions about publication ethics? Contact the editorial office.