Publication Ethics Policy

1. Commitment to Publication Integrity

The Journal of Advanced Thermal and Fluid Systems in Aerospace is committed to upholding high standards of research integrity, responsible authorship, transparent reporting, and ethical scholarly publishing. All participants in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher, are expected to act honestly, fairly, and professionally.

The Journal seeks to ensure that published research in aerospace thermal sciences, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, propulsion, and related engineering disciplines is reliable, appropriately attributed, ethically conducted, and reported with sufficient transparency to support critical evaluation and, where applicable, reproducibility. The Journal’s procedures are informed by recognized publication ethics principles, including the core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts accurately represent the work conducted and that the reported results are supported by the available evidence. Research methods, experimental procedures, computational models, simulations, statistical analyses, and conclusions must be described honestly and sufficiently to permit informed evaluation.

Manuscripts must be original and must not be under consideration by another journal at the same time. All relevant sources, prior work, third-party materials, funding, and competing interests must be appropriately acknowledged. Authors must promptly notify the Journal if a significant error is discovered in a submitted or published article.

3. Authorship and Contributions

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual or practical contributions to the research, participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript, approved the final version, and accepted accountability for the work. Contributions that do not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately, with permission where necessary.

Gift, honorary, guest, and ghost authorship are unacceptable. The corresponding author is responsible for confirming that all listed authors meet the applicable criteria, have approved the submitted manuscript, and agree to its submission. Changes to authorship after submission require a clear justification and the agreement of all affected authors. Disputes that cannot be resolved by the authors may require referral to the relevant institution or research organization.

4. Originality, Plagiarism, and Duplicate Publication

The Journal does not accept plagiarism, including the unattributed use of text, ideas, data, figures, images, or other intellectual contributions. All sources must be cited appropriately, and quotations or reproduced materials must be clearly identified and used with permission where required.

Duplicate submission, redundant publication, and substantial undisclosed overlap with previously published work are not permitted. Where a manuscript builds on a conference paper, preprint, thesis, or related publication, the relationship must be disclosed and the additional contribution clearly explained. Preprints may be considered provided that they comply with the Journal’s submission requirements and are disclosed appropriately.

The Journal may use similarity-detection tools and other appropriate screening methods. Similarity scores will not be treated as conclusive evidence of misconduct without considering the context, sources, and nature of the matching material.

5. Research Misconduct and Data Integrity

Fabrication, falsification, selective manipulation of results, inappropriate image alteration, suppression of material findings, and deliberate misrepresentation of research methods or outcomes constitute serious breaches of research integrity.

For experimental and computational aerospace research, authors should maintain accurate records of relevant measurements, datasets, simulation parameters, model assumptions, validation procedures, software or code where applicable, and analytical decisions. Figures, experimental images, numerical results, and graphical representations must not be altered in ways that mislead readers or distort the evidence.

Where credible concerns arise, the Journal may request original data, analysis files, methodological clarification, or other supporting documentation. Failure to provide requested material does not automatically establish misconduct but may affect the assessment of the manuscript. Suspected serious misconduct may be referred to the authors’ institutions or other appropriate bodies.

6. Ethical Approval and Research Permissions

Authors must obtain all necessary approvals, permissions, and authorizations before conducting research where required by applicable law, institutional requirements, or recognized ethical standards. Research involving human participants, identifiable personal information,  or sensitive data must include the relevant ethical approval and consent information, where applicable.

Experimental aerospace research involving hazardous materials, high-energy systems, specialized testing facilities, or other significant safety risks should comply with applicable safety, regulatory, and institutional requirements. Authors must accurately report relevant approvals and safety procedures when they are material to the study. The Journal may request supporting documentation where necessary.

7. Data Availability and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to make supporting research data, computational code, simulation inputs, experimental protocols, and other materials available wherever feasible and legally permissible. Where possible, a Data Availability Statement should indicate whether the relevant materials are publicly accessible, available upon reasonable request, included in the article or supplementary files, or subject to justified restrictions.

Data and methods must be reported transparently, and conclusions should not exceed what the available evidence supports. Restrictions arising from confidentiality, security, intellectual property, contractual obligations, or applicable law should be clearly explained. Reviewers and editors must respect the confidentiality of unpublished data and must not use such materials for personal or professional advantage.

8. Artificial Intelligence and Automated Tools

The use of generative artificial intelligence or other automated tools must not compromise the accuracy, originality, confidentiality, or accountability of scholarly work. Authors remain fully responsible for the content of their manuscripts, including the validity of references, technical calculations, generated text, code, images, and interpretations.

Where AI tools have made a substantive contribution to manuscript preparation, data processing, coding, modelling, image generation, or analysis, their use should be disclosed in accordance with the Journal’s instructions. AI systems cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the work. Reviewers and editors must not upload confidential manuscript material to external AI systems unless such use is explicitly authorized and consistent with the Journal’s confidentiality requirements.

9. Conflicts of Interest and Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose financial and non-financial interests that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their research or its interpretation. These may include employment, consultancy, funding, commercial relationships, patents, institutional interests, personal relationships, or professional commitments relevant to the submitted work.

All sources of financial and material support should be acknowledged, the funders’ roles in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and publication decisions should also be mentioned where applicable. Reviewers and editors must also disclose relevant conflicts and withdraw from the assessment when impartiality cannot reasonably be maintained.

10. Responsibilities of Editors and Reviewers

Editors must evaluate manuscripts fairly, confidentially, and consistently with the Journal’s editorial policies. Decisions should be based on scholarly merit, relevance, methodological quality, and ethical compliance rather than personal characteristics, institutional affiliation, nationality, commercial interests, or other irrelevant considerations.

Reviewers must provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based assessments within agreed deadlines. They must maintain confidentiality, avoid personal criticism, disclose conflicts of interest, and refrain from using unpublished information for their own benefit. Neither editors nor reviewers may exploit their position to obtain inappropriate citations, personal advantages, or preferential treatment.

11. Complaints, Appeals, and Allegations of Misconduct

The Journal accepts substantiated concerns regarding research integrity, editorial conduct, peer review, authorship, conflicts of interest, and other potential breaches of publication ethics. Concerns should be submitted to appeals_and_complaints@insightharbour.com with relevant details and supporting evidence where available.

All allegations will be assessed impartially and confidentially, with due consideration given to the seriousness of the concern and the rights of the parties involved. The Journal may seek explanations, examine relevant documentation, consult independent experts, or contact the appropriate institution when necessary. No allegation will be treated as proven solely because it has been raised.

Authors may appeal editorial decisions on specific grounds, such as a substantial procedural error or a material factual misunderstanding. Appeals will be reviewed independently where practicable. The Journal will communicate its decision and take appropriate action based on the available evidence.

12. Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

The Journal recognizes its responsibility to preserve the accuracy of the scholarly record. When errors or ethical concerns are identified in a published article, the Journal will assess their significance and determine the appropriate response.

Minor errors that do not materially affect the findings may be addressed through a correction. An expression of concern may be issued when substantial questions remain unresolved while an investigation is ongoing. Retraction may be considered when findings are unreliable because of serious error or misconduct, or when other circumstances substantially undermine the integrity of the publication.

Correction and retraction notices will clearly identify the affected article and explain the reasons for the action. Retractions will not ordinarily result in the silent removal of an article; the publication record will be maintained with an appropriate notice, subject to legal or exceptional circumstances. Editorial decisions about post-publication action will focus on protecting the integrity of the scholarly record rather than punishing individuals.

13. Confidentiality and Protection of Participants

Information obtained during submission, peer review, editorial assessment, and misconduct investigations will be handled confidentially and disclosed only when necessary for legitimate editorial, ethical, legal, or investigative purposes. The identities of complainants, reviewers, authors, and other parties will be protected to the extent reasonably possible.

The Journal will take appropriate steps to prevent retaliation against individuals who raise genuine concerns in good faith. At the same time, knowingly false or malicious allegations may be addressed through appropriate procedures.

14. Editorial Independence and Commercial Integrity

Editorial decisions at Journal of Advanced Thermal and Fluid Systems in Aerospace remain independent of advertising, sponsorship, publication charges, institutional pressure, and other commercial considerations. Payment of an article processing charge, where applicable, does not guarantee acceptance or preferential treatment.

The publisher, Insight Harbour, and Journal personnel must ensure that financial and administrative arrangements do not undermine peer review, editorial impartiality, or publication ethics. Any relevant sponsorship or commercial relationship are managed transparently.

15. Implementation and Review

The Journal may reject manuscripts, suspend consideration, request further documentation, publish corrections, issue expressions of concern, retract articles, or take other proportionate action when a breach of publication ethics is established or when the reliability of the scholarly record is materially in doubt.

These policies apply to all authors, reviewers, editors, and other participants in the Journal’s publication process. The Journal will review its ethical procedures periodically and update them when necessary to reflect developments in research integrity and scholarly publishing practice.