Editorial Quarantine Policy

Editorial Quarantine Policy

The International Journal of Artificial Intelligence, Educational Technologies and Teacher Education – IJAIET adopts an Editorial Quarantine Policy designed to promote authorship diversity, broaden participation by different researchers, preserve plurality in scientific production, and avoid excessive concentration of consecutive publications by the same authors.

For the purposes of this policy, editorial quarantine means the minimum interval established between the publication of one article and the subsequent publication of another work that has one or more authors in common.

At IJAIET, authors who have had an article published must observe a minimum interval of 30 (thirty) days, counted from the official date of the most recent publication, before another article of their authorship or co-authorship may be published by the journal.

The quarantine applies to the publication of the article, not necessarily to submission. Therefore, a new manuscript may be submitted and, at the discretion of the Editorial Team, may proceed through screening and peer review during the quarantine period; however, its final publication may only occur after the minimum 30-day interval has been completed.

1. Objectives of the Quarantine Policy

The IJAIET Quarantine Policy aims to:

  1. promote diversity and plurality of authorship throughout the volume;
  2. expand publication opportunities for researchers from different institutions, regions, and countries;
  3. avoid excessive concentration of articles from the same authors or research groups;
  4. contribute to greater institutional, thematic, methodological, and geographical diversity;
  5. preserve the independence of editorial decisions;
  6. strengthen the journal’s international and interdisciplinary character;
  7. prevent practices of fragmented, redundant, or artificially multiplied publication;
  8. promote a balanced editorial distribution within the Continuous Publication model.

The quarantine does not represent a negative evaluation of the authors’ scientific productivity and does not restrict academic freedom. It is a rule of editorial management and publication diversity, applied uniformly and transparently.

2. Minimum 30-Day Interval

When an author or co-author has an article published by IJAIET, another article in which that person appears as an author may only be published after at least 30 days have elapsed from the previous publication.

The period will be calculated from the official publication date recorded in the article and in the journal metadata.

The rule applies to:

  • the first author;
  • the corresponding author;
  • co-authors;
  • regardless of authorship order;
  • regardless of whether the new work results from a different research project;
  • regardless of manuscript type, except for the exceptions expressly provided for in this policy.

Example

If an author has an article published on March 10, another manuscript including that same author may only be published from April 9 onward, subject to all other editorial requirements and procedures.

3. Quarantine and Submission of New Manuscripts

The Quarantine Policy does not automatically prevent submission of a new manuscript during the 30-day period.

The manuscript may:

  • be submitted;
  • undergo document screening;
  • undergo desk review;
  • proceed to peer review;
  • receive requests for revision;
  • receive an editorial decision.

However, if accepted before the quarantine period has ended, it will remain pending publication eligibility until the minimum interval and the journal's editorial scheduling requirements have been met.

Acceptance of a manuscript does not imply immediate publication and does not waive the quarantine requirement.

4. Quarantine and Peer Review

The quarantine period does not interfere with the independence of scientific evaluation.

All manuscripts will be assessed according to:

  • focus and scope;
  • originality;
  • relevance;
  • methodological rigor;
  • scientific quality;
  • integrity;
  • ethical compliance;
  • contribution to knowledge.

The decision to accept or reject a manuscript must not be influenced by the existence of a quarantine period. The policy applies only to eligibility and timing of publication.

5. Relationship with COPE Good Practices

IJAIET's Quarantine Policy is a journal-specific editorial rule and is not a specific requirement imposed by COPE.

However, its implementation is aligned with the principles of transparency, responsible editorial management, prevention of redundant publication, and clarity of policies for authors promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics – COPE.

COPE recommends that journals maintain clear, publicly available, and consistently applied editorial policies, including policies on authorship, peer review, conflicts of interest, redundant publication, and other matters of publication ethics. The Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing emphasize the importance of transparent policies governing publication ethics and editorial processes.

The policy also relates to COPE guidance on concurrent and duplicate submissions, according to which simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal and inappropriate republication are problematic publication practices.

6. Originality Between Successive Works

Compliance with the 30-day quarantine does not authorize publication of duplicate, redundant, or substantially overlapping content.

Every new manuscript must present:

  • a distinct scientific question;
  • an original contribution;
  • clearly differentiated or justifiably complementary objectives;
  • results and analyses representing an autonomous scientific contribution;
  • transparency regarding the use of data from previously published projects.

When successive manuscripts derive from:

  • the same research project;
  • the same dataset;
  • the same sample;
  • the same larger project;
  • the same thesis or dissertation;
  • the same protocol;
  • different stages of a broader investigation,

authors must disclose this circumstance at submission and identify related works already published, submitted, or under review.

IJAIET may request justification regarding the original and independent contribution of the new manuscript.

7. Fragmented Publication – Salami Slicing

The Quarantine Policy also contributes to preventing fragmented publication or salami slicing.

This practice occurs when the results of a single investigation are artificially divided into several manuscripts with substantial overlap in:

  • objectives;
  • samples;
  • data;
  • methodology;
  • results;
  • discussion;
  • conclusions.

The 30-day interval does not legitimize inappropriate fragmentation of research.

If the Editorial Team identifies substantial overlap between manuscripts by the same authors, it may:

  1. request clarification;
  2. request related manuscripts;
  3. recommend integration of the studies;
  4. temporarily suspend the review process;
  5. reject the manuscript for redundancy;
  6. apply integrity and retraction policies if the issue is identified after publication.

COPE recommends that journals maintain clear policies for dealing with duplicate, redundant, or overlapping content.

8. Simultaneous Submission and Other Journals

IJAIET's quarantine policy does not alter the fundamental rule that the same manuscript may not be simultaneously under review by another journal.

When submitting a manuscript, authors must declare that:

  • the manuscript is original;
  • it has not been previously published, subject to the journal's preprint policy;
  • it is not simultaneously submitted to another journal;
  • any related works have been properly disclosed.

Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals is considered an inappropriate publication practice because it wastes editorial resources and may result in duplicate publication.

9. Application to Groups of Authors

The rule applies to each individual author.

Therefore, if a new manuscript has five authors and any one of them had an article published in IJAIET less than 30 days earlier, the new article will remain subject to quarantine until the interval applicable to the most recently published author has been completed.

The addition or removal of authors must not be used to artificially circumvent the Quarantine Policy.

Authorship changes after submission must comply with IJAIET's Authorship and Integrity Policy and may require:

  • formal justification;
  • agreement from all authors;
  • updating of CRediT contributions;
  • review and approval by the Editorial Team.

10. Thematic Dossiers, Special Issues, and Collections

IJAIET adopts a Continuous Publication model and may organize thematic dossiers, special sections, or thematic collections.

As a general rule, the 30-day Quarantine Policy will continue to apply to authors participating in these initiatives.

Exceptionally, where the nature of a dossier or editorial project requires multiple contributions from the same researcher—for example, a dossier introduction, invited editorial, or institutional document requested by the journal—the Editorial Team may authorize a justified exception.

Such exceptions must:

  • be editorially justified;
  • not compromise authorship diversity;
  • not be used to enable serial publication of regular scientific articles by the same author;
  • be internally documented.

11. Editorial Texts and Institutional Documents

The quarantine may not apply to content formally commissioned by IJAIET, such as:

  • editorials;
  • editorial notes;
  • corrections;
  • errata;
  • retractions;
  • expressions of concern;
  • institutional tributes;
  • official documents;
  • texts directly related to journal governance.

These exceptions do not automatically extend to regular scientific articles.

12. Exceptional Cases

In exceptional and duly justified circumstances, the Editorial Team may consider requests for flexibility regarding the quarantine period.

The decision must consider:

  • scientific interest;
  • nature of the manuscript;
  • exceptional urgency of communication;
  • public interest;
  • absence of redundant publication;
  • diversity within the volume;
  • editorial independence;
  • impact on equity among authors.

Any exception will be discretionary, reasoned, and will not automatically establish a precedent for future submissions.

13. Attempts to Circumvent the Quarantine Policy

The following deliberate attempts to circumvent the quarantine period are incompatible with this policy:

  • fictitious changes in authorship order;
  • temporary exclusion of an author who effectively participated in the work;
  • subsequent inclusion of authorship;
  • use of different profiles or identities;
  • omission of related works;
  • false information concerning authorship or publication dates.

Depending on the severity of the case, such conduct may be examined under IJAIET's Scientific Ethics and Research Integrity Policy and Policy on Research Misconduct, Investigation, Corrections, and Retractions.

14. Consequences of Non-Compliance

Failure to comply with, or deliberate attempts to circumvent, the Quarantine Policy may result, depending on the circumstances, in:

  1. a request for clarification;
  2. adjustment of the publication date;
  3. temporary suspension of editorial processing;
  4. rejection of the manuscript;
  5. investigation of possible authorship irregularities;
  6. application of research integrity policies where appropriate;
  7. other proportionate editorial measures.

The mere existence of successive submissions does not constitute misconduct. Integrity measures will only be adopted where there is evidence of fraud, intentional omission, redundancy, manipulation, or another violation of editorial policies.

15. Transparency and Uniform Application

IJAIET undertakes to apply this policy in a transparent, impersonal, uniform, and independent manner, regardless of nationality, institutional affiliation, academic position, prestige, relationship with the Editorial Team, or payment of publication costs.

The existence of editorial processing or publication charges does not eliminate, reduce, or automatically relax the quarantine period.

The policy also applies to members of the Editorial Board who submit scientific articles to the journal, with appropriate safeguards for editorial independence and conflicts of interest.

16. Institutional Purpose

IJAIET understands that Continuous Publication should combine rapid scholarly communication with diversity, quality, accountability, and editorial balance.

For this reason, the minimum 30-day interval between publications with authors in common is intended to ensure that the agility provided by continuous publication does not result in excessive concentration of authorship within the annual volume.

The Quarantine Policy should be read together with IJAIET's policies on:

  • Authorship and CRediT;
  • Peer Review and Open Science;
  • Scientific Ethics and Research Integrity;
  • Scientific and Editorial Good Practices;
  • Conflicts of Interest;
  • Similarity and Plagiarism;
  • Retraction;
  • Use of Artificial Intelligence.

IJAIET may periodically review the quarantine interval and its procedures based on editorial experience, scholarly communication practices, and applicable research integrity guidance.

17. Summary Quarantine Statement

Authors who have had an article published in IJAIET must observe a minimum interval of 30 (thirty) days, counted from the official date of the most recent publication, before another article of their authorship or co-authorship may be published by the journal. The quarantine applies to publication and does not necessarily prevent submission or peer review of a new manuscript during this period. Compliance with the interval does not waive requirements regarding originality, research integrity, peer review, and prevention of duplicate, redundant, or fragmented publication.

Institutional References

COPE – Committee on Publication Ethics

COPE – Handling Concurrent and Duplicate Submissions

COPE – Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing

IJAIET emphasizes that the 30-day period is a journal-specific editorial decision, while its alignment with COPE lies in transparency, consistent application, prevention of redundant publication, responsible management of authorship, and protection of the integrity of scholarly publishing.

Copyright Statement

© IJAIET – International Journal of Artificial Intelligence, Educational Technologies and Teacher Education / Editora Ibero-Americana de Educação. All rights reserved regarding the wording, organization, systematization, and institutional presentation of these editorial policies, without prejudice to third-party rights and content derived from duly identified external sources.

The full or substantial reproduction, adaptation, or institutional use of these texts by third parties requires prior authorization, except within the limits legally permitted for quotation, academic reference, and other uses authorized by applicable law.

The Editors