Publication Ethics

Future Energy Journal's ethical policy is based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines (https://publicationethics.org).

For all parties involved in publishing (the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer, and the publisher), it is necessary to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior. The ethics statements for Future Energy Journal are as follows:

Duties and Responsibilities of Journal

https://publicationethics.org/core-practices

  • Future Energy (FUEN) Journal maintains the highest research integrity standards. We prioritize authors conducting their research with utmost honesty, precision, and openness. This involves following ethical guidelines and adopting best practices in their fields. By steadfastly upholding research integrity, authors significantly contribute to enhancing the credibility and reliability of their published work. This commitment to integrity ensures that the knowledge shared through our journal is of the highest quality and reliability.
  • FUEN is committed to ensuring that editorial decisions on manuscript submissions are final.
  • FUEN promises to ensure that the decision on manuscript submissions is only based on professional judgment and will not be affected by any commercial interests.
  • FUEN is committed to maintaining the integrity of academic and research records.
  • FUEN monitors the ethics of the Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board Members, Reviewers, Authors, and Readers.
  • FUEN always checks for plagiarism and fraudulent data issues in the submitted manuscript.
  • FUEN is always willing to publish corrections, clarifications, and retractions involving its publications as and when needed.
  • FUEN places a high priority on safeguarding data privacy and security. Our commitment to responsible research encompasses the protection of the privacy of individuals and entities involved in studies. We strictly adhere to established practices and relevant data protection regulations, ensuring that sensitive information is handled with utmost care. Through meticulous anonymization techniques and strict data handling protocols, we mitigate the risk of unintended disclosure. We acknowledge the critical importance of maintaining the trust of our contributors, subjects, and readers, and thus, we implement robust measures to prevent any compromise in data security. By consistently upholding the highest standards of data privacy, we affirm our dedication to ethical research practices that are transparent and accountable.
  • FUEN is dedicated to ongoing enhancement and transparency. We value feedback and actively integrate best practices to improve the publication process. Our policies, peer review procedures, and decision-making are open and clear, promoting accountability and building trust in the scholarly realm. By embracing these thorough guidelines, FUEN reaffirms its commitment to excellence, integrity, and responsible scholarly publishing. These principles are fundamental to our mission of advancing knowledge and enriching the scientific community.
  • FUEN actively advocates for inclusivity, equity, and diverse representation in publishing. We urge authors, reviewers, and editors to prioritize inclusivity in their work, creating a publishing environment that ensures diversity. Discrimination and bias are not tolerated, and by embracing diverse perspectives and experiences, we cultivate a scholarly community that reflects the depth of human thought and knowledge.
  • FUEN strongly supports open-access publishing. We encourage authors to consider the benefits of open access and to adopt the practice of openly sharing their research. This promotes collaboration, increases accessibility, and facilitates the worldwide spread of knowledge. By promoting open science principles, we contribute to increased transparency, inclusivity, and innovation in scientific research.
  • FUEN strongly supports data sharing and reproducibility. Authors are encouraged not only to present their results but also to include the raw data related to their manuscripts for thorough editorial scrutiny. Moreover, whenever possible, authors are encouraged to make their data publicly accessible. This focus on transparency and openness serves various purposes: it allows for the validation of results, facilitates the replication of studies, and encourages further research. By promoting data sharing, we actively contribute to the progress of scientific knowledge and innovation.
  • FUEN values intellectual property rights and respects copyright laws. Authors are required to adhere to copyright principles by correctly attributing and referencing sources. Obtaining appropriate permissions for the use of copyrighted materials is essential to uphold ethical standards and avoid potential infringements.
  • FUEN strongly emphasizes editorial independence and the avoidance of conflicts of interest. Our editors, reviewers, and authors must openly disclose any potential conflicts that might affect objectivity and honesty. Through these disclosure practices, we aim to maintain a publication process characterized by transparency and fairness. This commitment guarantees that our journal retains its credibility and remains a reliable platform for valuable scholarly contributions.
  • FUEN gives great importance to ethical considerations concerning human and animal subjects in research. Authors conducting studies involving these subjects must adhere strictly to ethical standards, including obtaining required approvals and ensuring the well-being and protection of participants. Upholding these ethical principles is crucial for promoting responsible research conduct and safeguarding the rights and welfare of both human and animal subjects. This commitment reflects our dedication to upholding the highest standards of ethical research practice.

Editor Responsibilities

https://publicationethics.org/files/Code_of_conduct_for_journal_editors_Mar11.pdf

The primary duty of the Editor-in-Chief is to prominently feature esteemed section editors and editorial board members on the journal's masthead. We offer authors clear and comprehensive submission guidelines, empowering them to present their work effectively. Our efficient and timely peer review system ensures thorough evaluation and upholds published article quality. We treat all authors with fairness, respect, objectivity, honesty, and transparency, appreciating their intellectual contributions. Preserving the confidentiality of authors' work is crucial to us. Making timely editorial decisions and communicating them clearly and constructively fosters collaboration and supports authors throughout the publication journey.

Accountability

The editor of the FUEN journal is responsible for deciding which articles submitted to the journal should be published. In making these decisions, the editor may be guided by the policies of the journal’s editorial board as well as by legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editor may confer with other editors or reviewers when making publication decisions. The editor should maintain the integrity of the academic record, preclude business needs from compromising intellectual and ethical standards, and always be willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when needed.

  • The Editors of the journal have the full authority to reject/accept a manuscript.
  • The editor may confer with other editors or reviewers when making publication decisions.
  • The journal editors should maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts under review or until publication.
  • The Editor-in-Chief should decide on submitted manuscripts, whether to be published or not, with other editors and reviewers
  • The Editors of the journal should preserve the anonymity of reviewers.
  • The Editors of the journal should maintain academic integrity and strive to meet the needs of readers and authors.
  • The Editors of the journal should be willing to investigate plagiarism and fraudulent data issues and willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when needed.
  • The Editors of the journal should limit themselves only to the intellectual content.

Fairness

The editor should evaluate manuscripts for intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the author(s). The editor will not disclose any information about a manuscript under consideration to anyone other than the author(s), reviewers, and potential reviewers, and in some instances, the editorial board members, as appropriate.

Confidentiality

The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure, conflicts of interest, and other issues

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. The editor is committed to ensuring that advertising, reprint, or other commercial revenue has no impact or influence on editorial decisions.

The editor should seek to ensure a fair and appropriate peer-review process. Editors should recuse themselves (i.e. should ask a co-editor, associate editor, or other members of the editorial board instead to review and consider) from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or (possibly) institutions connected to the papers. Editors require all contributors to disclose relevant competing interests and publish corrections if competing interests are revealed after publication. If needed, other appropriate action should be taken, such as the publication of a retraction or expression of concern.

Involvement and cooperation in investigations

Editors should guard the integrity of the published record by issuing corrections and retractions when needed and pursuing suspected or alleged research and publication misconduct. Editors should pursue reviewer and editorial misconduct. An editor should take reasonably responsive measures when ethical complaints have been presented concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper.

 

Reviewer Responsibilities

https://publicationethics.org/files/u7140/Peer%20review%20guidelines.pdf

  • The Reviewers of the journal should assist the Editors in deciding to publish the submitted manuscripts.
  • The Reviewers should maintain the confidentiality of the manuscripts that they are invited to review.
  • Any invited referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its timely review will be impossible should immediately notify the editor so that alternative reviewers can be contacted.
  • The Reviewers should provide comments in time that will help editors make a decision on whether the submitted manuscript should be published or not.
  • The Reviewers are bound to treat the manuscript received for peer reviewing as confidential, and must not use the information obtained through peer review for personal advantage.
  • The Reviewer’s comments against each invited manuscript should be technical, professional, and objective.
  • The Reviewers should not review the manuscripts in which they have found conflicts of interest with any authors, companies, or institutions.
  • The Reviewers should disclose and try to avoid any conflict of interest.
  • Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is unacceptable. Referees should express their views clearly with appropriate supporting arguments.
  • A reviewer should alert the editor to any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published data they have personal knowledge.

What should be checked while reviewing a manuscript?

  • Novelty
  • Originality
  • Scientific reliability
  • The value of contribution to the science
  • Adding new aspects to the existing field of study
  • Ethical aspects
  • Structure of the article submitted and its relevance to authors’ guidelines
  • References provided to substantiate the content
  • Grammar, punctuation, and spelling
  • Scientific misconduct

Author Responsibilities

https://publicationethics.org/files/International%20standards_authors_for%20website_11_Nov_2011.pdf

  • Manuscripts must be submitted only in English and should be written according to sound grammar and proper terminology.
  • Manuscripts must be submitted with the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis) and are not currently under consideration by another journal published by or any other publisher.
  • The submitting corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that the manuscript article's publication has been approved by all the other coauthors.
  • It is also the authors' responsibility to ensure that the manuscripts emanating from a particular institution are submitted with the approval of the necessary institution.
  • It is a condition for submission of a manuscript that the authors permit editing of the paper for readability.
  • A copyright release form must be signed by the corresponding author in case of multiple authorship, prior to the acceptance of the manuscript, by all authors for publication to be legally responsible towards the Journal's ethics and privacy policy.
  • Under open access license, authors retain ownership of the copyright for their content, but allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy the content as long as the original authors and source are cited properly.
  • All authors have agreed to allow the corresponding author to serve as the correspondent with the editorial office, to review the edited manuscript and proof.
  • All authors must know that the submitted manuscripts under review or published with FUEN are subject to screening using Plagiarism Prevention Software. Plagiarism is a serious violation of publication ethics.
  • All authors must ensure that all authors have read the submission final checklist before being submitted to FUEN.

Reporting standards

Authors reporting results of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the manuscript. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Originality and Plagiarism

The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others, that has been appropriately cited or quoted.

Ethical use of AI in scholarly communication

In the changing landscape of academic communication, the adoption of AI-driven technology to improve manuscript readability is gaining traction. Authors are encouraged to responsibly leverage these tools, ensuring that AI aids in enhancing readability while human oversight maintains accuracy and coherence. It is crucial to use AI tools ethically, avoiding compromises to authenticity or ethical standards. Manuscripts suspected of heavy AI drafting may undergo scrutiny by the Editor-in-Chief, who has the authority to reject submissions if necessary. Adhering to these guidelines promotes transparent, accountable, and ethically sound research practices, advancing scholarly accessibility through AI-driven readability improvements.

Multiple, redundant, or concurrent publication

An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Parallel submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

Acknowledgment of sources

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should also cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Authorship of a manuscript

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be named in an Acknowledgement section.

The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors (according to the above definition) and no inappropriate co-authors are included in the author list of the manuscript and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and agreed to its submission for publication.

Ghostwriting and guest authorship are strictly forbidden as contradictory to the scientific work rules and ethics. The contribution to the research from financing agencies and other institutions should be shown in Acknowledgments. The statement of the main author about no ghostwriting and guest authorship in the proposed paper has to be included in the submission form.

Hazards and human or animal subjects

If the work involves chemicals, procedures, or equipment that have any unusual hazards inherent in their use, the authors must clearly identify these in the manuscript.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or their interpretation of the manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

Fundamental errors in published works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the authors’ obligation to promptly notify the journal’s editor or publisher and cooperate with them to either retract the paper or to publish an appropriate erratum.

Local regulations

This list is not exhaustive. Authors should be aware of local laws and standards adopted in scientific publications.

Authorship Amendment protocol

Ensuring the accurate representation of authors in a manuscript is a crucial aspect of scholarly publishing. Our journal has implemented a protocol to uphold transparency, fairness, and accountability regarding changes to authorship. Requests for changes in authorship can only be considered before the manuscript's decision process. Authors wishing to modify the author list must formally submit their request form via email to the Journal (fuen@fupubco.com). The Editor-in-Chief, possessing full authority over the publication process, has the discretion to approve or reject such requests. It is imperative to highlight that authorship should reflect the significant intellectual contributions of individuals to the research, maintaining ethical standards and publication integrity. Any proposed authorship changes post-decision process will not be accommodated to preserve the consistency and integrity of the scholarly record. Authors are encouraged to adhere to these guidelines and engage in transparent collaboration when determining authorship. By upholding these principles, authors contribute to fostering responsible and ethical research practices within our academic community.

Publisher’s Confirmation

In cases of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication, or plagiarism, the publisher, in close collaboration with the editors, will take all appropriate measures to clarify the situation and amend the article in question. This includes the prompt publication of an erratum or, in the most severe cases, the complete retraction of the affected work.

Principles of Transparency

https://publicationethics.org/files/u7140/Principles_of_Transparency_and_Best_Practice_in_Scholarly_Publishing.pdf

  • Journal name: Future Energy (FUEN) Journal name is unique and not easily confused with other journals.
  • Web site: The journal’s website (https://fupubco.com/fuen) states that care has been taken to ensure high ethical and professional standards.
  • Peer review process: FUEN is a double-blind, peer-reviewed electronic quarterly publication concerned with all aspects of energy. This process, as well as any policies related to the journal’s peer review procedures, is clearly described on the journal’s website (https://fupubco.com/fuen/RP).
  • Governing Body: FUEN has a very strong editorial board whose members are recognized experts in the subject areas included within the journal’s scope. The full names and affiliations of the journal’s editors are provided on the journal’s website (https://fupubco.com/fuen/about/editorialTeam).
  • Author fees / Access: The Journal database is fully open access, and the full text of published articles is available for everyone who can access the Journal website. The authors must pay an article processing charge (APC) for peer review and publication. The details of the APC are given on the Journal’s website: https://fupubco.com/fuen/PC. Authors are kindly advised to take note of our APC policy. Upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication, authors must promptly settle the designated APC within the specified timeframe. Failure to submit payment upon initial acceptance will lead to rescheduling of the accepted manuscript for publication, subject to receipt of the required payment. If rescheduling occurs due to non-payment and the required APC remains outstanding after the rescheduled date, the journal reserves the right to withdraw the article from future publication consideration. This practice upholds the integrity of our publication process and ensures fair resource allocation. We encourage authors to fulfill their financial obligations promptly to facilitate the smooth dissemination of their research findings.
  • Copyright: FUEN clearly states the type of copyright under which authors' work will be published. Upon accepting a manuscript, authors are asked to complete a 'Copyright Agreement Form” available on the Journal’s website (https://fupubco.com/fuen/forms).
  • Research misconduct: The Editor-in-Chief takes reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred, including plagiarism, citation manipulation, and data falsification/fabrication, among others.
  • Conflicts of interest: Authors are requested to disclose whether impending conflicts exist when submitting their articles to FUEN through the Conflict of Interest form (https://fupubco.com/fuen/forms).
  • Publishing schedule: The periodicity at which a journal publishes is clearly indicated (https://fupubco.com/fuen/PF).
  • Archiving: All FUEN’s published papers are archived in (https://archive.org/details/@future_energy)

Violation of Publication Ethics

https://publicationethics.org/files/u7140/Full%20set%20of%20flowcharts.pdf

  • Plagiarism: Plagiarism involves knowingly using another person's ideas or original content as if it were one's own. This includes copying even a single sentence from someone else's manuscript or one's own previously published work without appropriate citation, as per FUEN guidelines (https://fupubco.com/fuen/plagiarism). All manuscripts submitted to or published by FUEN undergo screening using plagiarism detection software, highlighting the seriousness of plagiarism as an ethical breach in publishing. Turnitin software is a tool that aids editors in verifying the uniqueness and originality of papers. More information about Turnitin can be found at https://www.turnitin.com
  • Data Fabrication and Falsification: Data fabrication refers to when a researcher fabricates data or results without actually conducting the study and then records or reports these fabricated details. On the other hand, data falsification involves a researcher conducting the experiment but manipulating, altering, or omitting data or results from the research findings.
  • Simultaneous Submission: Simultaneous submission refers to submitting a manuscript, or significant portions of it, to a journal while it is already being reviewed by another journal.
  • Duplicate Publication: Duplicate publication occurs when two or more papers, without full cross-referencing, share essentially the same hypotheses, data, discussion points, and conclusions.
  • Redundant Publications: Redundant publications involve the inappropriate division of study outcomes into several articles, most often consequent to the desire to plump academic vitae.
  • Improper Author Contribution or Attribution: Every author listed should have contributed significantly to the scientific aspects of the research presented in the manuscript and should have approved all its assertions. It's important to include all individuals, such as students and laboratory technicians, who made substantial scientific contributions to the work.
  • Citation Manipulation: Citation Manipulation involves adding unnecessary citations to a manuscript that don't enhance its scholarly content but are included solely to boost citations to a specific author's work or articles published in a particular journal. This practice misrepresents the significance of the referenced work and the journal where it's published, constituting scientific misconduct.
  • Sanctions: If any of the aforementioned policies are violated and documented in any Future journals, regardless of where the violations occurred, the following penalties will be enforced: (i) The immediate rejection of the violating manuscript, (ii) The immediate rejection of all other manuscripts submitted to any Future journals by any of the authors of the violating manuscript, (iii) A minimum prohibition period of 36 months will be imposed on all authors, preventing them from submitting any new work to any Future journals, either individually or collaboratively with other authors of the violating manuscript, and (iv) All authors will be barred from serving on the Editorial Board of any Future journals.

Handling Cases of Misconduct

https://publicationethics.org/files/Sharing%20_of_Information_Among_EiCs_guidelines_web_version.pdf

Once a violation of FUEN's publication ethics is confirmed, it is addressed promptly and thoroughly according to the established practices, outlined below:

  • The journal editor's initial step is to notify FUEN's Editorial Office, providing relevant materials and a draft letter to the corresponding author requesting an explanation without bias.
  • If the author's explanation is deemed unacceptable and serious unethical behavior is suspected, the matter is escalated to the Publication Committee via the Editorial Office. Following deliberation, the Committee determines if the case warrants a ban on future submissions.
  • For less severe infractions, the Editor, guided by the Publication Committee, issues a letter of reprimand to the author, reiterating FUEN's publication policies. If the manuscript has been published, the Editor may ask the author to issue an apology in the journal to rectify the situation.
  • The corresponding author is notified, and any work by the author responsible for the violation or any jointly authored work under review by FUEN is immediately rejected.
  • Authors involved are disqualified from serving on FUEN's editorial board or as reviewers for the journal, with the possibility of further action by FUEN.
  • In extreme cases, authors' affiliations are informed, and they are barred from submitting to FUEN for five years.
  • Cases of serious fraud leading to article retraction result in a retraction notice published in the journal, linked to the online article marked "retracted" with the retraction date.