Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

The Journal of Design Service and Social Innovation (JDSSI) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and follows the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publishing process—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to adhere to these ethical guidelines.

Publication Ethics Statement

JDSSI operates according to internationally recognized standards of ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. We are committed to:

• Ensuring the integrity and quality of published research
• Protecting the rights of authors, reviewers, and research participants
• Maintaining transparency in the publication process
• Addressing allegations of misconduct promptly and fairly
• Promoting responsible research and publication practices

Peer Review Process

Double-Blind Peer Review

JDSSI implements a double-blind peer review process to ensure fairness and objectivity:

• Reviewers do not know the identity of the authors
• Authors do not know the identity of the reviewers
• This process minimizes bias and ensures evaluation based solely on academic merit
• Self-referencing that would reveal the author's identity should be avoided in the submitted manuscript

Review Criteria

Manuscripts are evaluated based on:

• Originality and significance of contribution
• Methodological rigor and appropriateness
• Clarity and organization of presentation
• Adequacy of literature review
• Soundness of conclusions
• Relevance to the journal's scope
• Ethical compliance

Authorship and Author Contributions

Authorship Criteria

Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the work. All listed authors must meet the following criteria:

• Substantial contributions to conception, design, data collection, analysis, or interpretation
• Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content
• Final approval of the version to be published
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work

Every author's contribution must be recognized in the officially published article. When a person is not the author but has not participated in the research work, they should not be named as an author. JDSSI will strictly require authors of manuscripts to define their roles and contributions.

Unacceptable Authorship Practices

• Guest authorship: Including individuals who did not contribute substantially to the work
• Gift authorship: Adding authors as a favor or for strategic reasons
• Ghost authorship: Failing to acknowledge individuals who made substantial contributions
• Coercive authorship: Pressure from supervisors or senior colleagues to include them as authors

Author Contributions Statement

All manuscripts must include a detailed Author Contributions statement specifying each author's role, such as:

• Conceptualization
• Methodology
• Data collection
• Formal analysis
• Investigation
• Writing - original draft
• Writing - review and editing
• Visualization
• Supervision
• Project administration
• Funding acquisition

Changes to Authorship

Changes to authorship after submission require:

• Written agreement from all authors (existing and new)
• Explanation and justification for the change
• Approval from the Editor-in-Chief

Authorship changes are not permitted after acceptance without exceptional circumstances.

Conflicts of Interest

Declaration Requirement

All authors must declare any potential conflicts of interest that could influence their research or interpretation of results. A Conflict of Interest statement is mandatory for all submissions.

Types of Conflicts

Conflicts of interest may be:

• Financial: Funding, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, patents
• Personal: Relationships with individuals or organizations that could be perceived as influencing the research
• Professional: Competing interests with other researchers or institutions
• Institutional: Employment or affiliation that could bias the research

Disclosure

If conflicts of interest exist, they must be clearly stated. If no conflicts exist, state: "The authors declare no conflicts of interest."

Research Ethics and Integrity

Academic Misconduct

JDSSI has zero tolerance for academic misconduct, including:

• Plagiarism: Using others' work without proper attribution (see Plagiarism Policy)
• Data fabrication: Creating false data or results
• Data falsification: Manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes to misrepresent results
• Image manipulation: Inappropriate alteration of images to misrepresent data
• Duplicate submission: Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously
• Salami publication: Fragmenting a single study into multiple papers without justification
• Citation manipulation: Excessive self-citation or citation cartels to artificially inflate metrics

Academic misconduct, including plagiarism, improper citation, and the use of content generated by generative artificial intelligence (AI), will be strictly screened before submission and after publication. Any plagiarism or improper use of AI-generated content that violates academic ethics will not be tolerated. The journal reserves the right to retract any published article.

Data Integrity and Transparency

Authors are responsible for:

• Ensuring the accuracy and integrity of all data presented
• Retaining original research data for a minimum of 5 years after publication
• Making research data available for review upon reasonable request (unless legally or ethically prohibited)
• Providing detailed methodological descriptions that allow replication
• Reporting negative or null results honestly
• Correcting errors promptly if discovered after publication

Image Integrity

For manuscripts containing images:

• Images must accurately represent the original data
• Any adjustments (brightness, contrast, color balance) must be applied equally across the entire image
• Specific features within an image may not be enhanced, obscured, moved, removed, or introduced
• Grouping of images from different parts of the same gel or from different gels must be made explicit by dividing lines
• Authors may be asked to provide original, unprocessed images for verification

Human Subjects Research

Ethical Approval

Research involving human subjects must:

• Have received approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) or ethics committee
• Include a statement in the manuscript confirming ethical approval with the name of the approving body and approval number
• Comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and other relevant guidelines
• Obtain informed consent from all participants or their legal guardians

Example statement: "This study was approved by the [Name] Institutional Review Board (Approval #XXXX, Date). All participants provided written informed consent."

Informed Consent

Informed consent must:

• Be obtained before research begins
• Clearly explain the purpose, procedures, risks, and benefits of participation
• Inform participants of their right to withdraw at any time
• Be documented and available for verification if requested

Privacy and Confidentiality

• Participants' privacy must be protected at all times
• Personal identifying information should be removed from manuscripts
• Photographs of identifiable individuals require specific written consent for publication
• Use pseudonyms or case numbers instead of real names
• Aggregate data when possible to protect individual identities

Vulnerable Populations

Extra care must be taken when research involves:

• Children and minors
• Individuals with cognitive impairments
• Prisoners or institutionalized persons
• Economically or educationally disadvantaged persons
• Pregnant women

Additional ethical safeguards and appropriate consent procedures must be in place.

Animal Research

For studies involving animals:

• Research must comply with institutional and national guidelines for animal care and use
• Ethical approval from an appropriate animal care committee must be obtained
• Manuscripts must include a statement confirming ethical approval and compliance with guidelines (e.g., ARRIVE guidelines)
• Methods should minimize animal suffering and use the minimum number of animals necessary
• Euthanasia methods must be described and comply with accepted standards

Funding and Financial Support

Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose:

• All sources of funding for the research
• Grant numbers and funding agency names
• Role of funders in study design, data collection, analysis, or manuscript preparation

If no funding was received, state: "This research received no external funding."

Acknowledgments

Acknowledge individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet authorship criteria, including:

• Technical assistance
• Writing assistance
• General support
• Provision of materials or equipment

Obtain permission from individuals before including them in acknowledgments.

Corrections and Retractions

Corrections (Errata)

If minor errors are discovered after publication:

• Authors should notify the editorial office immediately
• A correction notice will be published and linked to the original article
• The original article will be updated with a note indicating the correction
• The DOI remains the same

Retractions

Articles may be retracted if:

• Clear evidence of unreliable findings (fabrication, falsification)
• Plagiarism or duplicate publication
• Unethical research practices
• Failure to obtain necessary ethical approvals or informed consent
• Other serious ethical violations

Retraction procedure:

• A retraction notice is published explaining the reason
• The original article remains online with a clear retraction watermark
• The DOI remains active but links to the retraction notice
• All versions (online, PDF) are marked as retracted
• Authors' institutions and relevant bodies are notified

Expressions of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be published when:

• Evidence is inconclusive, but concerns are serious
• An investigation is ongoing
• The institution or author is unresponsive to inquiries

Artificial Intelligence and Generative Tools

Disclosure Requirements

Authors must disclose any use of artificial intelligence tools in:

• Literature search and organization
• Data analysis and visualization
• Language editing and grammar checking
• Drafting text (even if substantially revised)

Author Responsibility

Authors remain fully responsible for:

• Accuracy of all content in their manuscripts
• Originality and integrity of their research
• Proper citation of sources
• Verification of AI-generated content

See the journal's Artificial Intelligence Policy for complete guidelines.

Editorial Independence

JDSSI is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, and editorial independence. Editorial decisions are made solely based on the scholarly merit and relevance of submissions, without regard to authors’ institutional affiliation, nationality, or other non-academic considerations. Based on these principles, the journal maintains full editorial independence from its publisher and any affiliated institutions. Specifically:

• Editorial decisions are based exclusively on scholarly merit and alignment with the journal’s scope
• The publisher does not influence or interfere with editorial decisions
• Advertising and commercial interests have no impact on editorial content
• Editors and reviewers are required to disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves where appropriate

Confidentiality

Manuscript Confidentiality

• Submitted manuscripts are confidential documents
• Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff must not disclose manuscript details to anyone outside the editorial process
• Manuscripts must not be used for the reviewers' own research
• Unpublished data or ideas from submissions must not be used without written consent from the authors

Peer Review Confidentiality

• Reviewer identities are kept confidential (double-blind review)
• Reviewer reports are confidential and shared only with authors and editors
• Reviewers must maintain confidentiality even after completing the review

Complaints and Appeals

Complaint Procedure

Complaints about editorial decisions, peer review, or ethical concerns should be:

• Submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief: jdssi@michelangelo-scholar.com
• Clearly documented with supporting evidence
• Made within 30 days of the issue in question

Investigation Process

• Complaints are reviewed by the editorial board
• Investigations follow COPE guidelines and flowcharts
• All parties are allowed to respond
• Decisions are communicated in writing
• Serious cases may be referred to institutional ethics committees

Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by:

• Submitting a detailed written appeal within 30 days
• Providing new evidence or addressing reviewer concerns
• Explaining why the decision should be reconsidered

Appeals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or independent editorial board members. The decision on appeals is final.

Cooperation with COPE

JDSSI is committed to following COPE guidelines and:

• Uses COPE flowcharts for addressing ethical issues
• Participates in COPE forums and discussions
• Reports serious cases of misconduct as appropriate
• Continuously updates policies to align with best practices

Contact for Ethical Concerns

For questions about publication ethics or to report suspected misconduct:

Email: jdssi@michelangelo-scholar.com
Subject line: Ethical Concern - [Brief description of the issue]

All reports will be handled confidentially and investigated thoroughly according to COPE guidelines.

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JDSSI is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics. We expect all contributors to conduct themselves according to these principles and appreciate the cooperation of our authors, reviewers, and readers in upholding research integrity.

Resources:

• Committee on Publication Ethics: https://publicationethics.org
• Declaration of Helsinki: WMA Declaration of Helsinki
• ARRIVE Guidelines (animal research): https://arriveguidelines.org