Publication Ethics

The International Journal of Artificial Intelligence, Law and Social Sciences (IJAILSS) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. Our policies are guided by the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and reflect the unique ethical considerations that arise at the intersection of AI research, legal scholarship, and social science inquiry.

Responsibilities of Authors

Originality: Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts represent original work that has not been published previously or is not under consideration elsewhere.
Accuracy: Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their data, legal analysis, and citations. Fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of data constitutes research misconduct.
Attribution: Proper acknowledgment of the work and ideas of others must be provided through accurate citations and references, including legal case law, statutes, and regulatory sources.
Authorship: All listed authors must have made substantial contributions to the research. Ghost authorship and gift authorship are considered unethical.
Disclosure: Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest, funding sources, or affiliations that could influence or appear to influence their research.
AI-Generated Content: Authors must transparently disclose the use of AI tools in research design, data analysis, or manuscript preparation. AI systems cannot be listed as authors.
Legal and Ethical Compliance: Research involving human subjects, personal data, or sensitive legal information must comply with applicable ethical standards, data protection laws, and institutional review board requirements.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and must not share or discuss them with unauthorized parties.
Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively, with constructive criticism supported by evidence. Personal attacks on authors are unacceptable.
Conflict of Interest: Reviewers who identify a conflict of interest with the manuscript's subject matter, authors, or affiliated institutions must recuse themselves from the review.
Timeliness: Reviewers are expected to complete evaluations within the agreed-upon timeframe or notify the editor if they are unable to do so.

Responsibilities of Editors

Fair Evaluation: Editors evaluate manuscripts based solely on scholarly merit, without regard to the author's race, gender, nationality, institutional affiliation, or political orientation.
Confidentiality: Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submissions and the review process.
Conflict of Interest: Editors must recuse themselves from decisions involving manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.
Misconduct Response: Editors are responsible for investigating allegations of research misconduct and taking appropriate corrective action, including retraction if warranted.

Ethical Considerations in AI-Law Research

Given the interdisciplinary nature of IJAILSS, we recognize additional ethical dimensions:

Research analyzing judicial decisions or legal proceedings must respect the privacy and dignity of involved parties.
Studies involving AI systems used in legal contexts (e.g., predictive policing, sentencing algorithms) must address potential biases and societal impacts.
Research utilizing legal datasets must comply with data protection regulations and ensure proper anonymization where required.

Misconduct and Corrections

IJAILSS follows COPE guidelines for handling cases of suspected misconduct. Actions may include issuing corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions as appropriate. All parties involved will be afforded the opportunity to respond to allegations before final decisions are made.

For ethics-related inquiries, contact: [email protected]