Confidentiality and Ethics

ACEE maintains a high ethical benchmark by ensuring confidentiality at every stage of editorial processing and upholding integrity across its operations.

Manuscript Confidentiality

• Manuscripts under review are shared only with designated parties: the corresponding author, reviewers, editorial staff, and publisher.
• No manuscript details are disclosed externally unless required for legal or ethical investigation.
• Unpublished data, methodology, or results must never be used by editors or reviewers for their own research without the author's explicit written permission.

Information Security

ACEE adopts secure submission and peer review systems guarded by access controls. Confidential files and reviewer communications are stored and transmitted via encrypted systems.

Conflict of Interest & Review Ethics

• Editors and reviewers must declare any potential conflicts—personal, professional, or financial—and recuse themselves when appropriate.
• Submissions involving editorial board members are handled by independent editors to ensure impartiality.
• Reviewers are prohibited from contacting authors directly or discussing manuscripts without editor approval.

Fair Decision-Making

Publication decisions are based solely on academic merit including originality, validity, clarity, methodological soundness, and significance. Decisions are not influenced by authors’ identity, affiliation, nationality, or beliefs.

Handling Misconduct

Suspected ethical breaches—such as plagiarism, data falsification, or duplicate publication—are investigated according to published internal procedures. Outcomes may include correction notices, expressions of concern, or retraction to preserve the integrity of the academic record.

Appeals & Extension of Inquiry

Authors may appeal editorial decisions or report ethical concerns through the formal procedures. Complaints involving editors or reviewers are escalated to senior editorial members to ensure independent resolution and fairness.

Ethical Training & Oversight

ACEE editors and reviewers participate in ongoing ethical training aligned with COPE Core Practices and internationally recognized codes. Continuous review of policies ensures compliance with evolving scholarly standards.