Publication Ethics
Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement
The International Journal of Tourism Analytics (IJTA) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity in scholarly publishing. The journal follows internationally recognized ethical principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and expects all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, editorial board members, and the publisher, to adhere to these ethical standards. IJTA publishes only original, high-quality, and ethically conducted research in tourism analytics, artificial intelligence, data science, smart tourism, hospitality analytics, and related interdisciplinary fields.
Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
Authors submitting manuscripts to IJTA must ensure that:
1. Originality
Submitted manuscripts must be original works and must not have been previously published or
simultaneously submitted to another journal.
2. Data Integrity
Authors must present accurate data and honestly report research findings without fabrication,
falsification, manipulation, or selective reporting.
3. Research Ethics
Research involving human participants, personal data, surveys, interviews, experiments, or other
sensitive information must have received appropriate ethical approval from the relevant institutional
review board or ethics committee whenever applicable.
4. Artificial Intelligence Disclosure
If Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, or similar systems) are
used during manuscript preparation, authors must clearly disclose:
a. the AI tool used,
b. the purpose of its use,
c. the extent of AI assistance.
AI tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot take responsibility for published work.
5. Authorship
Only individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research should be listed
as authors. All listed authors must approve the final manuscript before submission. Ghost authorship,
guest authorship, honorary authorship, and purchased authorship are unacceptable.
6. Data Availability
Authors are encouraged to make research data, code, analytical scripts, and supplementary materials
publicly available whenever possible to promote transparency and reproducibility.
7. Citation Integrity
Authors must appropriately acknowledge all relevant published work. Excessive self-citation, citation
manipulation, and citation cartels are prohibited.
8. Conflict of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the
research.
9. Multiple Submission
Simultaneous submission to multiple journals is strictly prohibited.
10. Corrections
If authors discover significant errors after publication, they must promptly notify the Editor to
facilitate correction or retraction where necessary.
Ethical Responsibilities of Editors
Editors are responsible for maintaining the academic quality and integrity of IJTA.
Editors shall:
1. Evaluate manuscripts solely on academic merit;
2. Maintain confidentiality throughout the editorial process;
3. Ensure a fair, unbiased, and timely peer-review process;
4. Avoid conflicts of interest;
5. Make editorial decisions independently of commercial interests;
6. Protect the integrity of the scholarly record;
7. Investigate allegations of misconduct following COPE guidelines;
8. Issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when appropriate.
Editors will not discriminate against authors based on nationality, gender, race, religion, political beliefs, institutional affiliation, or geographic location.
Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
Peer reviewers play a critical role in maintaining publication quality.
Reviewers should:
1. Conduct objective and constructive reviews;
2. Maintain confidentiality;
3. Evaluate manuscripts solely on scholarly merit;
4. Declare conflicts of interest before accepting review invitations;
5. Avoid using unpublished information for personal advantage;
6. Identify relevant uncited literature;
7. Report suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, image manipulation, fabricated data, or unethical research practices.
Reviewers are expected to complete reviews within the agreed review period.
Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher
The Publisher is committed to:
1. Supporting editorial independence;
2. Safeguarding publication ethics;
3. Ensuring transparency in editorial policies;
4. Maintaining long-term digital preservation;
5. Supporting investigations into publication misconduct;
6. Preventing commercial interests from influencing editorial decisions.
Peer Review Integrity
IJTA applies a Double-Blind Peer Review process.
Editors ensure that:
1. Reviewer identities remain confidential;
2. Author identities remain confidential during review;
3. Reviewers are selected based on subject expertise;
4. Editorial decisions are based exclusively on scientific quality.
Research Data and Reproducibility
IJTA encourages authors to:
1. Share datasets;
2. Provide analytical code;
3. Submit supplementary materials;
4. Deposit data in trusted repositories whenever possible.
Authors should ensure sufficient methodological transparency to enable reproducibility.
Image Integrity
Images, figures, graphs, and visualizations may be adjusted only for clarity. Manipulation that alters scientific meaning is strictly prohibited. Editors may request original image files for verification.
Conflicts of Interest
All participants in the publication process including authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any competing interests that could influence editorial decisions. Undisclosed conflicts may result in rejection, correction, or retraction.
Complaints and Appeals
IJTA provides a transparent mechanism for:
1. Editorial complaints;
2. Peer review complaints;
3. Publication ethics complaints;
4. Authorship disputes;
5. Appeals against editorial decisions.
All complaints will be investigated fairly and confidentially following COPE recommendations.
Allegations of Misconduct
IJTA investigates allegations involving:
1. Plagiarism;
2. Duplicate publication;
3. Fabricated data;
4. Falsified data;
5. Citation manipulation;
6. Image manipulation;
7. Unethical ai use;
8. Authorship disputes;
9. Undeclared conflicts of interest;
10. Peer-review manipulation.
Investigations follow COPE Core Practices and may involve communication with authors, reviewers, institutions, or funding bodies when necessary.
Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern
When significant errors or misconduct are identified, IJTA may publish:
1. Correction (Erratum)
2. Corrigendum
3. Expression of Concern
4. Retraction
These actions are intended to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record rather than to punish authors.
Ethical Commitment
The International Journal of Tourism Analytics (IJTA) is committed to promoting transparency, reproducibility, research integrity, responsible use of Artificial Intelligence, and evidence-based scholarship. The journal continuously updates its editorial policies in accordance with internationally recognized best practices in scholarly publishing and the evolving guidance provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
