Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics of the Mesopotamian Journal of CyberSecurity (MJCS)

Introduction

By submitting an article to the Mesopotamian Journal of CyberSecurity (MJCS), authors confirm their understanding and acceptance of the journal's ethical guidelines and policies.

Ethical Guidelines and Standards

MJCS strictly follows the ethical standards outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All research involving human participants, human tissue, or human data must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and must receive approval from an appropriate ethics committee. Submissions must include:

  • The name of the ethics committee or institutional review board.

  • The approved reference number/ID.

  • A statement confirming that participants provided informed consent.

The editors reserve the right to seek additional clarification regarding the ethical aspects of a study. Research found to violate ethical standards may be rejected, and the journal may contact relevant institutions or regulatory bodies when investigating potential misconduct.

Open Access Policy

The Mesopotamian Journal of CyberSecurity is an Open Access journal, providing unrestricted access to all published content under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This ensures that research is freely available to the public without subscription fees, promoting the global exchange of knowledge.

Ethical Clearance for Retrospective Studies

Retrospective ethical clearance is generally not accepted. Submissions involving retrospective studies must include a written statement from an ethics committee confirming that the study was conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines.

Handling Allegations of Misconduct

MJCS is committed to upholding academic integrity. Allegations of research or publication misconduct will be investigated according to COPE guidelines. Investigations may involve contacting the authors' institutions or other regulatory bodies. Misconduct may lead to the retraction or correction of published work.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the publication process. Conflicts of interest can be:

  • Financial: Employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, or patents.

  • Non-financial: Personal relationships, intellectual beliefs, or institutional affiliations.

Authors must declare conflicts of interest in both the cover letter and the manuscript. If no conflicts exist, authors should state: "The authors declare no conflicts of interest."

Editors and reviewers must also disclose conflicts of interest and, if applicable, recuse themselves from the review process.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship should reflect significant intellectual contributions. According to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), authors must meet the following criteria:

  1. Substantial contributions to the study's conception, design, data collection, analysis, or interpretation.

  2. Drafting or critically revising the manuscript.

  3. Final approval of the manuscript before publication.

  4. Agreement to take responsibility for all aspects of the work.

Acknowledgment of Contributors

Individuals who contribute to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged with their permission.

Deceased Authors

If an author passes away during the submission or review process, the corresponding author must notify the editorial office. The deceased author’s contributions will be recognized, and a note will be added to the publication.

Changes to Authorship

Authorship changes must be requested before manuscript acceptance. Requests should be accompanied by a signed statement from all authors, including those being added or removed. Post-publication changes require editorial board approval and may result in a correction notice.

Handling Authorship Disputes

MJCS follows COPE guidelines for resolving authorship disputes. Disagreements that cannot be resolved among authors may be referred to the authors' institution.

Acknowledgments

The "Acknowledgments" section should recognize individuals who contributed to the research without meeting authorship criteria. Financial and non-financial contributions must also be disclosed.

Unique Author Identifiers

MJCS encourages the use of Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) to distinguish authors and link them with their published work. The ORCID of the first and corresponding authors is mandatory.

Citations and References

Citations must accurately reflect the sources of information. Authors should:

  • Cite primary sources rather than derivative works.

  • Avoid excessive self-citation or coordinated self-citation with peers.

  • Ensure all cited references are accurate and verifiable.

  • Avoid citing advertisements or non-peer-reviewed sources unless justified.

Plagiarism and Text Recycling

MJCS uses Turnitin to detect plagiarism in all submissions. Plagiarism includes:

  • Copying text, data, or images without proper attribution.

  • Reusing one's own previously published content without acknowledgment (self-plagiarism).

  • Misrepresenting another's work.

Submissions with plagiarism will be rejected. Post-publication plagiarism may result in retraction.

Peer Review Policy

MJCS employs a single-blind peer review process:

  • Reviewers know the authors' identities, but authors do not know reviewers' identities.

  • Manuscripts are reviewed by at least two independent experts.

  • Editors ensure impartiality by recusing themselves when conflicts of interest arise.

Reviewer Selection and Responsibilities

Reviewers are chosen based on expertise, impartiality, and prior performance. Authors may suggest potential reviewers but must avoid suggesting collaborators or individuals with conflicts of interest.

Confidentiality

All manuscript content is treated as confidential. Information may only be disclosed when investigating potential misconduct.

Publication Integrity

MJCS commits to maintaining the scholarly record through:

  • Corrections: To address errors that do not affect the core findings.

  • Retractions: To address fundamental flaws or ethical breaches.

  • Editorial Notes: To clarify concerns about published work.

Image Manipulation Guidelines

Image modifications must be disclosed and justified. Permitted changes include:

  • Adjusting brightness, contrast, or color equally across the entire image.

  • Indicating spliced images with clear dividing lines.

Misconduct Policies

Research or publication misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, falsification, duplicate publication) will be handled in line with COPE recommendations. Suspected cases may be reported to the authors' institutions.

AI-Assisted Writing

MJCS acknowledges the growing role of AI tools in research. However, AI tools cannot be credited as authors and must not be used to generate scientific content without disclosure. Authors should:

  • Disclose AI use in the methodology or acknowledgments.

  • Ensure human oversight of all AI-generated content.

  • Take full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the content.

Withdrawal and Corrections

  • Errata: For minor corrections.

  • Retractions: For significant errors or misconduct.

  • Commentary Additions: To provide post-publication updates.

Data Sharing and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to share datasets in publicly accessible repositories where possible. Data sharing should comply with ethical and legal requirements.

Publisher Information

The Mesopotamian Journal of CyberSecurity is published by Mesopotamian Academic Press (MAP),  MJCS is dedicated to the ethical dissemination of research findings and follows international standards to maintain publication integrity.

For more information, please visit: COPE Guidelines.