Ethical Standards for Authors

Authors submitting to the Annals of Civil and Environmental Engineering (ACEE) are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and scholarly responsibility throughout the research and publishing process.

Authorship & Contribution

• Each listed author must meet ICMJE criteria: substantial contributions to the work’s design, drafting or critical revision, final approval, and accountability.
• All authors must sign off on submission and accept public responsibility for content accuracy and integrity.
• Individuals who contributed but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

Originality & Redundancy

• Manuscripts must be wholly original, unpublished, and not under consideration by other journals.
• Substantial overlap with prior publications—or simultaneous submissions—is prohibited unless clearly disclosed.

Accuracy & Transparency

• Data, methods, and findings must be presented honestly, with no fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate image manipulation.
• Authors should provide enough detail to support reproducibility and enable verification.

Citation & Literature Use

• Authors must cite all relevant sources, especially peer-reviewed literature, to support claims and interpretations.
• Excessive or manipulative self-citation or citation among collaborating groups must be avoided.

Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial, professional, or personal relationships that may influence the research. Disclosure statements are published with the article.

Ethical Compliance in Field Studies

• Human subject research requires ethics committee approval and informed consent.
• Environmental and field investigations must comply with institutional, local, and national regulation, including permits and safety protocols.

Use of AI & Automated Tools

AI-assisted writing tools may be used only if their use is transparent and does not replace author’s own intellectual contribution. Any AI-generated content must be clearly disclosed.

Preprint & Self-Archiving Disclosure

Preprints are acceptable if disclosed at submission. Reuse of prior versions must be cited and permissible under self-archiving policy; especially methods sections.

Corrections & Post-Publication Integrity

Authors are responsible for reporting post-publication errors. Corrections, corrigenda, or retractions will be issued if inaccuracies affect interpretation or scientific validity.