Publication Ethics

Ethical Foundation

Journal Marine Services (JMS) regards community partners and participants as stakeholders in responsible scholarly communication, not simply as subjects appearing in photographs or reports. Manuscripts must accurately represent activities undertaken, the people involved, funding, limitations, and the evidence supporting claimed benefits. The journal draws on established COPE publication-ethics principles and applicable institutional and legal requirements.

Obligations of Authors

Authors must submit original work, disclose related or overlapping publications, cite relevant sources honestly, and preserve primary records sufficient to substantiate the manuscript. Fabricating participant counts, evaluation results, consent records, technical demonstrations, or community impact is prohibited. Changes to author order or membership require an explanation and documented agreement of the affected parties.

All authors must make genuine scholarly contributions, approve the submitted version, and accept responsibility for the integrity of their contributions. Honorary, coercive, gift, and undisclosed ghost authorship are unacceptable. A CRediT statement is recommended to identify conceptual, implementation, analytical, data-management, and writing roles, but listing a role alone does not override authorship criteria.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors assess submissions according to scope, relevance, evidence, ethical compliance, and scholarly quality. They must maintain confidentiality, avoid discriminatory treatment, disclose conflicts, and assign conflicted manuscripts to an independent editor. The journal publisher and institutional management must not compel acceptance of manuscripts.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must provide objective, timely, useful assessments; protect manuscript confidentiality; declare conflicting relationships; and refrain from exploiting unpublished information or contacting authors outside authorized channels. Suggested revisions must support scholarly rigor rather than coercive citation or personal preferences.

Research Participants and Community Partners

Authors must comply with applicable rules on ethical approval, voluntary participation, informed consent, permissions to publish identifiable photographs or quotations, and protection of personal data. Where no formal ethics review was required, explain the basis for that determination rather than making an unsupported blanket claim. Participation in a community event does not automatically mean consent for identifiable publication.

Misconduct and Publication Integrity

JMS considers plagiarism, substantial redundant publication, fabrication, falsification, image or documentation manipulation, identity fraud, peer-review interference, undisclosed conflicts, citation manipulation, and misrepresentation of program outcomes to be serious concerns. Allegations may be submitted to the editorial office with supporting details. Editors first assess credibility, seek responses from those concerned, examine available records, and involve independent advisers or relevant institutions when appropriate. Findings may lead to rejection, correction, an expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the evidence and article's reliability.

Required Transparency

Every article should contain article-specific statements about funding, authorship contributions, competing interests, ethical approval/consent where applicable, data availability, and material AI assistance. JMS's Research Ethics and Data Policy, AI Policy, Corrections and Retractions Policy, and Complaints Policy provide further procedural details.