Scientific Ethics and Research Integrity Policy

Scientific Ethics and Research Integrity Policy

The International Journal of Artificial Intelligence, Educational Technologies and Teacher Education – IJAIET is committed to the principles of ethics, research integrity, accountability, transparency, methodological rigor, reliability, respect for human rights, and good practices in research and scholarly communication.

This policy establishes the principles that must guide the conduct of authors, editors, reviewers, members of the Editorial Board, and all other participants in the editorial process, from the production and submission of research through its evaluation, publication, dissemination, correction, and preservation.

IJAIET's editorial processes are based on the Code of Good Scientific Practice of the São Paulo Research Foundation – FAPESP, the guidelines and good practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics – COPE, the guidelines of the Commission on Integrity in Scientific Activity of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development – CNPq, and the Recommendations for Promoting Integrity in Scientific Journal Publications of the Council of Science Editors – CSE.

The journal also considers the guidelines and initiatives of the Brazilian Association of Scientific Editors – ABEC Brasil related to ethics, integrity, professionalization of scientific publishing, and Open Science, as well as the institutional principles of integrity and quality established by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel – CAPES.

At the international level, IJAIET also observes the principles established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – UNESCO, particularly the Recommendation on Open Science and the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, considering values such as transparency, accountability, equity, inclusion, protection of human rights, access to knowledge, human oversight, and responsible use of technologies.

1. Ethics in Research and Scientific Publication

Ethics comprises the set of principles, values, and responsibilities that guide decision-making and the conduct of the different actors involved in the production and communication of scientific knowledge. Within IJAIET, ethics presupposes that academic and scientific freedom must be exercised in a responsible, transparent, fair, and respectful manner, considering the rights of individuals, society, institutions, intellectual property, research data, and the reliability of the knowledge produced.

In accordance with the frameworks adopted by the journal, scientific ethics is not restricted to formal compliance with rules. It must guide the entire research cycle, including conception, planning, execution, data collection and processing, analysis, interpretation, authorship, peer review, publication, dissemination, and any subsequent correction of the scientific record.

In the field of Artificial Intelligence, IJAIET considers particularly relevant the principles established by the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, including responsibility and accountability, transparency and explainability, human oversight and determination, privacy and data protection, equity, non-discrimination, safety, and respect for human rights.

Accordingly, all participants in the scientific and editorial process are expected to act with honesty, respect, responsibility, impartiality, and transparency, avoiding practices that may harm individuals, communities, institutions, or the reliability of the scientific literature.

2. Research Integrity

Research integrity refers to the systematic observance of principles and good practices that ensure the honesty, reliability, transparency, accountability, and traceability of scientific research.

Within IJAIET, integrity means producing, evaluating, communicating, and preserving knowledge in such a way that methods, data, results, authorship, references, and conclusions accurately represent the work actually performed.

In accordance with the FAPESP Code of Good Scientific Practice and the guidelines of the CNPq Commission on Integrity in Scientific Activity, responsibility for research integrity accompanies researchers throughout all stages of scientific activity and is not limited to the moment of publication.

Integrity is also a shared responsibility. Authors, reviewers, and editors must contribute to the reliability of the scientific record, respecting their respective responsibilities and reporting situations that may compromise the validity, transparency, or credibility of a publication.

3. Ethical and Integrity Principles Adopted by IJAIET

IJAIET establishes the following fundamental principles:

1. Scientific honesty – presenting methods, data, results, references, and conclusions truthfully, completely, and verifiably, without fabrication, falsification, or improper manipulation.
2. Originality and respect for intellectual property – properly acknowledging ideas, texts, data, images, methods, and other contributions from third parties, preventing plagiarism, misappropriation, and copyright violations.
3. Scientific responsibility – assuming responsibility for the planning, execution, analysis, communication, and publication of research, including the correction of errors subsequently identified.
4. Transparency – clearly reporting methods, limitations, funding sources, conflicts of interest, authorship contributions, data availability, and the use of Artificial Intelligence, when applicable.
5. Reliability of data and results – ensuring that data, records, analytical procedures, and results are preserved and presented consistently with the research actually conducted.
6. Responsible authorship – attributing authorship exclusively to individuals who have made effective intellectual contributions, avoiding honorary, ghost, guest, or any other inappropriate form of authorship.
7. Impartiality and editorial independence – ensuring that evaluation and editorial decisions are based on scientific merit and are not improperly influenced by personal, academic, institutional, financial, or commercial interests.
8. Confidentiality – protecting manuscripts, peer-review reports, unpublished data, and information obtained during the editorial process, particularly before publication.
9. Respect for human rights and dignity – ensuring that research involving individuals, communities, or personal data complies with applicable ethical principles and legal and institutional standards.
10. Equity, diversity, and non-discrimination – promoting fair and respectful treatment and preventing discrimination and biases incompatible with ethical scholarly communication.
11. Responsible use of Artificial Intelligence – ensuring transparency, human oversight, data protection, verification of information, and full human responsibility for content produced or analyzed with AI support.
12. Correction of the scientific record – cooperating with corrections, errata, expressions of concern, retractions, or other measures necessary to preserve the reliability of scientific literature.

4. Conduct Incompatible with Research Integrity

Practices that compromise the authenticity, reliability, or transparency of research and publication are considered incompatible with this policy, including fabrication and falsification of data, plagiarism, manipulation of images or results, duplicate or redundant publication, inappropriate authorship, improper omission of authors, citation manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and manipulation of the peer-review process.

IJAIET also considers incompatible with its policies any attempt to improperly interfere with editorial independence, create false identities, provide fraudulent information, manipulate reviewers, or misuse confidential content obtained during the editorial review process.

The identification of an irregularity does not automatically imply misconduct. Each situation shall be assessed considering evidence, context, intent when relevant, severity, and impact on the reliability of the scientific record.

5. Ethics and Integrity in the Use of Artificial Intelligence

As Artificial Intelligence and its interfaces with education are among IJAIET's main scientific fields, the journal pays particular attention to the ethical and responsible use of AI systems.

The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) or other AI tools at any relevant stage of research or manuscript preparation must be transparent, responsible, and subject to human oversight.

Authors must disclose relevant uses of AI, identifying, where applicable, the tool used, its purpose, and the stage of the research or scientific production in which it was employed.

AI systems cannot be considered authors or co-authors, as they cannot assume ethical, legal, or scientific responsibility for published content. Responsibility for the manuscript remains entirely human.

Authors must critically verify information, references, interpretations, analyses, images, and other content produced with AI support. The use of these tools does not transfer or reduce researchers' responsibility.

Likewise, editors and reviewers must not upload or enter submitted manuscripts, research projects, unpublished data, or confidential third-party information into external Artificial Intelligence tools when doing so may compromise confidentiality, intellectual property, privacy, or data protection.

The use of AI must be consistent with the principles of human oversight, transparency, safety, privacy, equity, and accountability set forth in the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.

6. Ethics in Research Involving Human Participants – CEP/Conep System, Plataforma Brasil, and CAAE

Research involving human participants, directly or indirectly, must comply with the ethical principles, standards, and legal and institutional requirements applicable to the nature of the research and the country in which it was conducted. Authors are responsible for ensuring that the study has been submitted to the competent ethical review body whenever such review is required.

In Brazil, research involving human participants that is subject to ethical review must comply with the applicable requirements of the CEP/Conep System – Research Ethics Committees/National Research Ethics Commission. Where applicable, research protocols must be submitted through Plataforma Brasil – Submit research projects involving human participants for ethical review.

Plataforma Brasil is the system used for the registration, submission, and monitoring of the ethical review of research projects involving human participants within the Brazilian system.

When applicable, manuscripts submitted to IJAIET must provide, preferably in the Methods/Methodology section or in an Ethics Statement, information regarding the ethical review of the research:

1. name of the Research Ethics Committee (CEP) or other body responsible for the ethical review;
2. institution to which the Committee is affiliated;
3. approval opinion/decision number, when applicable;
4. CAAE – Certificate of Presentation for Ethical Review (Certificado de Apresentação de Apreciação Ética), when applicable;
5. information regarding the obtaining of Free and Informed Consent (TCLE) or an equivalent procedure, when required;
6. information regarding assent, when applicable;
7. procedures adopted to ensure privacy, confidentiality, data protection, anonymization, and participants' rights, where relevant.

The CAAE – Certificate of Presentation for Ethical Review is the identifier assigned to a research protocol within the Brazilian ethical review process. When applicable to the reported research, including the CAAE in the manuscript contributes to the identification, transparency, and traceability of the ethical review of the study.

A simple statement that the research was approved by an Ethics Committee may be considered insufficient when the study is subject to formal approval. In such cases, IJAIET may request additional information or supporting documentation from the authors.

When research is not subject to ethical review, authors must disclose this condition and, when requested, provide the corresponding regulatory or institutional justification. Exemption from ethical review must not be presumed solely by the authors when applicable regulations require assessment by a competent body.

For research conducted outside Brazil, authors must report approval by the competent Research Ethics Committee (REC), Institutional Review Board (IRB), Ethics Committee, or equivalent body in the country or institution where the research was conducted, including the approval number or protocol identifier whenever available.

For multicenter or international studies, the ethical requirements applicable to the institutions and jurisdictions involved must be observed, particularly those concerning participant consent, protection of vulnerable populations, privacy, confidentiality, processing of personal data, and international data transfers, when applicable.

IJAIET may request, during the editorial process, approval decisions, supporting documents, protocols, declarations, consent-related documentation, or other materials necessary to verify the ethical compliance of the research, while preserving confidentiality and protecting participants' data.

Failure to obtain ethical approval when required, as well as the presentation of a false, altered, invalid CAAE, approval decision, document, or information, or one belonging to a different research project, may result in suspension of the review process, rejection of the manuscript, and, if identified after publication, measures under IJAIET's research integrity and scientific record correction policies.

Model Ethics Approval Statement

For research conducted in Brazil, manuscripts are recommended to use the following format:

Ethics approval: The research was submitted for ethical review through Plataforma Brasil and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of [institution name], under Approval Opinion/Decision No. [number] and CAAE No. [number]. The applicable ethical procedures were observed throughout all stages of the research.

Official access: Plataforma Brasil – Submit research projects involving human participants for ethical review.

7. Ethics in Peer Review and Editorial Decisions

Reviewers must conduct their evaluations in an independent, objective, well-founded, respectful, and confidential manner. Information obtained during the review process must not be used for personal benefit or for the benefit of third parties.

Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and decline review assignments when they cannot guarantee their impartiality.

Editors, in turn, must preserve editorial independence and ensure that decisions to accept, request revisions to, or reject manuscripts are based on scientific, ethical, and editorial criteria.

Publication or processing charges, where applicable, are independent of scientific evaluation and do not guarantee acceptance or publication.

8. Investigation of Potential Research Integrity Violations

Suspicions or allegations related to research integrity will be handled in a confidential, impartial, documented, and proportionate manner, following, whenever applicable, the procedures recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics – COPE and the Recommendations for Promoting Integrity in Scientific Journal Publications – CSE.

The journal may request from authors original data, documents, methodological records, ethics approvals, declarations, explanations, or other evidence necessary for assessing the case.

Where institutional investigation is required, IJAIET may refer information to the authors' affiliated institution or other competent bodies, respecting the principles of confidentiality, proportionality, and due handling of allegations.

When there is a concern regarding the ethical approval of research involving human participants, the journal may request, where relevant, the CAAE number, Research Ethics Committee approval decision, and other documents related to the protocol reported in the manuscript.

9. Correction and Preservation of the Scientific Literature

IJAIET recognizes that research integrity also requires the responsible correction of the published record.

When relevant errors or problems are identified after publication, procedures such as correction, erratum, corrigendum, addendum, expression of concern, or retraction may be adopted, as appropriate.

These measures are not exclusively punitive. Their primary purpose is to preserve the accuracy, transparency, traceability, and reliability of the scientific literature.

Where ethical irregularities substantially compromise the validity or legitimacy of published research, IJAIET may take the corresponding editorial measures, considering the nature and severity of the issue and the guidelines of COPE and CSE.

10. Commitment to Ethics and a Culture of Integrity

IJAIET understands ethics and research integrity as permanent and cross-cutting principles that must be present at all stages of research and scholarly communication.

The journal considers that promoting integrity means not only identifying and responding to misconduct but also preventing problems, guiding researchers, improving editorial practices, promoting transparency, and contributing to the development of a responsible scientific culture.

In accordance with FAPESP, COPE, CNPq, CSE, ABEC Brasil, CAPES, and UNESCO, IJAIET reaffirms its commitment to science that is ethical, honest, open, transparent, responsible, inclusive, and trustworthy, in which scientific and technological innovation, including the development and use of Artificial Intelligence, is permanently associated with human and social responsibility.

Compliance with this Scientific Ethics and Research Integrity Policy is an integral part of IJAIET's editorial requirements. Submission of a manuscript presupposes that authors and other participants in the scientific process are aware of their responsibilities and undertake to comply with the principles and procedures established herein.

The Editors