Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

1.0   Introduction

The Design and Technology Education: An International Journal (DTEIJ) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. As a peer-reviewed, open-access journal hosted by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), DTEIJ adheres to rigorous ethical guidelines that reflect best practices in scholarly publishing. These include responsibilities for authors, reviewers, and editors to ensure transparency, fairness, and academic honesty throughout the publication process.

The journal’s ethical framework aligns with international standards such as those outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and supports principles of double-anonymous peer review, authorial rights under Creative Commons licensing (CC BY 4.0), and inclusive scholarly discourse. This commitment is embedded in current policy and practice across the journal’s website, submission system, and editorial procedures, ensuring that all contributions are treated with respect, diligence, and academic rigor. For more details, visit the DTEIJ journal homepage.

This statement outlines the roles and responsibilities of editors, reviewers and authors of submissions to DTEIJ, including academic integrity and originality, and the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

2.0   Ethical Guidelines for Authors

Breaches of the following statements by authors may result in the rejection or retraction of manuscripts, and reporting to institutions supporting their research and scholarship.

2.1    Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

DTEIJ is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of its editorial and publishing practices. Manuscripts should use inclusive language that respects all individuals regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, or cultural background. Authors are encouraged to report demographic data where relevant and ensure that research design, analysis, and interpretation do not perpetuate bias or discrimination.

2.2    Originality and Plagiarism:

Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original and properly cite or quote the work and/or words of others. Authors should ensure that DTEIJ submissions are free from plagiarism in all its forms, which constitutes unethical publishing behaviour. DTEIJ does not currently use plagiarism detection tools, but reserves the right to implement it at a future date.

2.3    Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors should not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and risks it being rejected by DTEIJ. A preprint server is an online repository that allows researchers to upload and share drafts of their papers before they undergo formal peer review. Authors submitting work previously posted on a preprint server (such as EdArXiv) should highlight this for the editors’ attention at the point of submission. Articles developed from a paper published in a conference proceedings should be substantially rewritten and expanded.

2.4    Acknowledgment of Sources

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work, following the DTEIJ referencing conventions (APA 7^th). DTEIJ discourages ‘citation cartels’ and excessive self-citation.

2.5    Authorship of the Manuscript

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. To promote transparency in author contributions, DTEIJ encourages the use of the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) to identify and describe each author's specific role in the research and writing process. Authors should assign roles which may be included in the manuscript or submission metadata, and be used to support ethical authorship practices.

2.6    Research Data Availability

Authors should provide access to underlying data, or explain restrictions, in line with FAIR Principles.

2.7    Ethical Oversight

Authors must confirm compliance with institutional and international ethical standards for studies involving humans (or animals), where relevant, and acknowledge formal ethical approval by an appropriate body(s).

2.8    Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

2.9    Fundamental Errors in Published Works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, they are obliged to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with them to retract or correct the manuscript.

2.10Appealing Editorial Decisions

Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions or contest findings of misconduct. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of the decision, providing a clear rationale and any supporting evidence. The journal will review appeals through an independent process involving senior editorial board members not previously involved in the decision. All appeals will be handled transparently, fairly, and in accordance with COPE guidelines.

3.0   Ethical Guidelines for Editors

3.1    Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

The editorial team and board should actively seek to include diverse perspectives among authors, reviewers, and editors. Any concerns regarding discriminatory language or practices will be addressed in accordance with COPE guidelines.

3.2    Publication Decisions:

The editor of the journal is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers must always drive such decisions.

3.3    Fair Play

An editor must evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

3.4    Confidentiality

The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

3.5    Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author.

3.6    Retractions and Corrections

Retractions will follow COPE Retraction Guidelines, with corrections and errata being published promptly.

4.0   Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers

4.1    Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Reviewers should use inclusive language in their evaluation of and feedback on manuscripts that respects all authors regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, or cultural background.

4.2    Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer reviewer feedback assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the manuscript.

4.3    Promptness

Reviews should accept/decline requests, and complete reviews within the time allotted by the editor. Any selected reviewer who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse themselves from the review process.

4.4    Confidentiality

Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorised by the editor.

4.5    Standards of Objectivity

Reviews should be conducted objectively and following the DTEIJ review template. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views and recommendations clearly with supporting arguments.

4.6    Acknowledgment of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. Reviewers must not request citations for personal gain or unrelated work.

4.7    Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the manuscript(s).

5.0   Ethical Guidelines for the Use of Generative AI

Unless otherwise stated, all items in this section apply to authors, reviewers and editors in respect to their roles. AI-based tools and technologies include but are not limited to large language models (LLMs), generative AI (Gen-AI), and chatbots (e.g., Copilot, ChatGPT). DTEIJ consider the appropriate and responsible use of AI to potentially augment research outputs and add to developing knowledge in the field. However, human authors are accountable for the integrity of their research. Authors, reviewers and editors are expected to use AI responsibly and in line with DTEIJ policies on publishing ethics and academic practice.

5.1    Transparency and Disclosure

Any use of generative AI tools by authors in the creation of submissions must be fully disclosed at the point of submission. Authors must specify and reference the AI tool used and the purpose it served in the research or writing process. Reviewers and editors should acknowledge where AI has been used to support the process from submission to publication.

5.2    Accountability

Authors and reviewers are fully responsible for verifying the accuracy, validity, and originality of all content within their submission, including content produced or assisted by AI. Authors, reviewers and editors must ensure that the use of AI tools does not lead to plagiarism, misrepresentation, or falsification of content. Editors will periodically review, and update guidelines and disclosures related to AI usage.

5.3    Authorship

Authors should, adopt human-led approach to human-AI collaboration at all stages of the research process, and accountability remains with human contributors. Therefore, AI tools cannot be credited as authors.

5.4    Research Integrity

Generative AI must not be used to fabricate, manipulate, modify, or falsify research data or findings. AI-generated content should not mislead readers about the provenance or originality of the work.

5.5    Confidentiality

Authors, reviewers and editors must not input unpublished, sensitive, or proprietary material into AI tools that transmit data to third-party servers, as this may constitute a breach of privacy and confidentiality.

5.6    Peer Review

Reviewers bring their knowledge and expertise as part of a robust peer review process, which must remain human-led at all stages. Generative AI tools may be used to assist in the preparation of review reports, provided their use is explicitly disclosed and the reviewer retains full responsibility for the content and judgments expressed.

5.7    Ethical Oversight

The editors will continue to monitor developments in AI technologies and its implications for ethical research practices. Any undisclosed or inappropriate use of AI tools may be considered a breach of DTEIJ's ethical guidelines.

6.0   Revenue Sources and Advertising

6.1    Revenue Sources

DTEIJ is supported through a combination of institutional support from the Design and Technology Association (D&TA) and LJMU. The journal does not charge authors any Article Processing Charges (APCs) or submission fees. All content is freely available through open access and creative commons licence. Support from the D&TA and LJMU is in-kind, through staff time and use of the Open Journal System (OJS). Future sources of funding or sponsorship will be acknowledged on the journal website.

6.2    Advertising Policy

The DTEIJ does not accept advertising. The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity and independence of its editorial content. Any potential conflicts of interest related to funding sources are disclosed in the relevant articles.

6.3    Ethical Oversight and Compliance

The DTEIJ adheres to the guidelines and best practices set forth by the COPE. The journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical behaviour at all stages of the publication process and maintaining the free to publish and free to access nature of the journal. Any ethical concerns or allegations of misconduct will be investigated thoroughly and addressed in accordance with COPE guidelines.