Ethics & Malpractice

Journal of Applied Cryptanalysis & System Integrity (JACSI)

JACSI is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. This statement is based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Best Practice Guidelines and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (joint statement by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME).

Duties of the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board

Fair and objective evaluation

  • Editorial decisions are based solely on the intellectual merit, originality, significance, and clarity of submitted manuscripts
  • Decisions are not influenced by the authors' race, gender, nationality, religious belief, political philosophy, institutional affiliation, or personal relationships
  • The Editor-in-Chief has complete authority and responsibility for deciding which manuscripts are published

Confidentiality

  • The Editor-in-Chief and editorial staff treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents
  • Manuscript content is not disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and editorial advisors as appropriate

Conflicts of interest

  • The Editor-in-Chief is recused from handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists (co-authorship, institutional affiliation, personal relationship, financial interest)
  • In such cases, another Editorial Board member handles the manuscript independently
  • Unpublished materials from submitted manuscripts are not used in the editors' own research without written consent

Duties of Reviewers

  • Reviewers assist the editorial decision through objective, constructive evaluation
  • Reviewers who feel unqualified or unable to complete a review on time must notify the editor promptly
  • Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment
  • Reviewers treat manuscripts as confidential and do not use unpublished information from them
  • Reviews are conducted objectively; personal criticism of authors is inappropriate
  • Reviewers identify relevant published work not cited by the authors

Duties of Authors

  • Authors report original research performed with appropriate methodology
  • Authors present accurate data and sufficient detail for reproducibility
  • Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior
  • Authors ensure the work is original and properly cite or quote the work of others
  • Authorship is limited to those who made significant contributions (see Author Guidelines)
  • Authors disclose all conflicts of interest and funding sources
  • Authors notify the editor of any significant errors discovered after publication

Plagiarism Detection

  • All submissions are screened for plagiarism using iThenticate or equivalent tools
  • Manuscripts with significant textual overlap with previously published work (without proper attribution) are rejected
  • Self-plagiarism (substantial reuse of the author's own previously published text) must be disclosed and is subject to editorial review

Research Misconduct

JACSI follows COPE flowcharts for handling allegations of:

  • Fabrication: Making up data or results
  • Falsification: Manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes; changing or omitting data
  • Plagiarism: Using another's ideas, processes, results, or words without appropriate credit
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • Redundant/duplicate publication
  • Authorship disputes

Upon receiving an allegation:

1. Editor investigates with the cooperation of the authors

2. If misconduct is confirmed, the manuscript is rejected or (if published) retracted

3. The authors' institution may be notified

4. COPE guidance is followed throughout

Corrections and Retractions

  • Erratum: Published to correct errors that do not affect the conclusions
  • Corrigendum: Published to correct errors introduced by the authors
  • Retraction: Published when results are unreliable due to misconduct or honest error; the original article remains accessible with a retraction notice
  • Expression of Concern: Published when there is inconclusive evidence of misconduct but the integrity of the work is questioned

All corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern are linked to the original article and registered with Crossref.

Responsible Disclosure of Security Research

Given the nature of JACSI's scope (cryptanalysis, system integrity):

  • Authors must follow responsible disclosure practices for vulnerability research
  • The editorial process accommodates vendor notification timelines
  • JACSI will not publish weaponized exploits without mitigation guidance
  • Dual-use research of concern is flagged for additional editorial review

Reference

  • COPE Core Practices: https://publicationethics.org/core-practices
  • COPE Flowcharts: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts
  • Principles of Transparency: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/guideline/principles-transparency-and-best-practice-scholarly-publishing