Editorial Policies

Editorial Policies

Peer Review Process

The JPSS peer review system ensures the quality of our journal. All manuscripts submitted to our Featured Articles and Policy and Practices sections are assessed by independent reviewers with knowledge of the subject area.   

JPSS uses a double-blind peer-review system, where the reviewers do not know the names or affiliations of the authors and the reviewer reports provided to the authors are anonymous.  

Submitted manuscripts will generally be reviewed by two experts who will be asked to evaluate several aspects of each submitted work, including originality, coherence, validity, interest, and significance.  

Conflicts of Interest

To ensure the trust and credibility of the journal, we have established this Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy to address potential conflicts of interest that may arise during the publication process.   

Relevant interests include, but are not limited to, financial interests, employment, affiliations, grants, funding sources, consulting relationships, personal relationships, and any other situations that could be perceived as compromising the objectivity, impartiality, or decision-making related to the publication of research articles.  

Failure to disclose conflicts of interest or violations of this COI Policy may result in actions such as manuscript rejection, withdrawal, or other sanctions as deemed appropriate by the editorial team and may be reported to relevant institutions, universities, or funding agencies.  

Authors

Authors are required to disclose all relevant interests during the manuscript submission process, including sources of funding, financial relationships, or any other potential conflicts of interest related to the research. If there are no relevant interests, authors should explicitly state so.   

Depending on the nature and significance of the disclosed interests, the journal may publish the information alongside the article or take other appropriate actions to ensure transparency.  

Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may affect their ability to provide an impartial and unbiased review of a manuscript. If a reviewer believes they have a conflict of interest, they should decline the request so the journal can reassign the manuscript to another reviewer. 

Editors

Editors are responsible for managing and overseeing the peer-review process. In cases where an editor has a conflict of interest with a submitted manuscript, they should recuse themselves from the review process. The journal's Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editor will assume responsibility for the manuscript's review and decision-making process. 

Authorship & Contributorship

JPSS is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency in academic publishing. To achieve this, we have established clear guidelines for authorship and contributorship. This policy outlines the criteria for authorship, the responsibilities of authors and contributors, and the process for resolving authorship disputes. 

Authorship of a manuscript submitted to JPSS is based on the following criteria: 

  • Substantial Contribution: Authors must have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the research study. 
  • Drafting and Revising: Authors are expected to participate in drafting and revising the manuscript and approve the final version for submission and publication. 
  • Accountability: All authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the work, and should ensure that the manuscript represents their original research and ideas. 
  • Acknowledgment: Contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship but have provided valuable assistance or support should be acknowledged in the manuscript. 

Authors submitting manuscripts to JPSS are expected to: 

  • Ensure that the manuscript represents original work and cite all sources appropriately. 
  • Ensure that the manuscript reports methods and results accurately and transparently, providing access to data and research materials if requested and permitted by applicable data privacy laws.  
  • Disclose any potential conflicts of interest, financial or non-financial, that could influence the interpretation of the research. 

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal, responding to editorial queries, and ensuring that all authors have approved the final manuscript for submission. 

Authorship disputes should be resolved in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Disputes will be investigated by the journal's editorial board, and all parties involved will be given an opportunity to provide input. Decisions will be made to ensure fairness and adherence to this policy. 

Any changes to authorship, including additions or removals, must be justified and agreed upon by all authors. Requests for such changes should be made in writing and submitted to the journal editor. 

This authorship and contributorship policy is subject to periodic review and may be updated to align with best practices and ethical standards in academic publishing. Authors are encouraged to review this policy before submitting their manuscripts. 

JPSS is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in research and publication, and adherence to this policy is essential to uphold the integrity of our journal. 

AI Policy

JPSS recognizes the significant impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic research but also acknowledges the ongoing debate surrounding AI authorship. 

JPSS upholds the principle that authorship should be reserved for individuals or entities with intellectual contributions to a research project. AI systems, being tools and algorithms created and operated by human authors, shall not be considered authors in journal articles. 

While AI systems do not qualify for authorship, authors are encouraged to transparently acknowledge the role of AI systems in their research. This acknowledgment may take place in the methods, acknowledgments, or other suitable sections of the article, depending on the AI's involvement in the research. Authors are expected to comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and ethical standards concerning AI usage, intellectual property, and responsible research practices. 

Data Sharing & Reproducibility

The JPSS data policy does not require underlying data to accompany articles at this time. Authors are encouraged to follow the best practice in data sharing for research work. Authors who do wish to share their data as a supplement to their articles may either deposit their data in an external repository or as a supplementary file upon publication. In both cases, the following guidelines should be followed: 

  1. If deposited in an external repository, said repository must have a sustainability model. A citation to this external data source can be added as a note by the authors. 
  2. Clear licensing and re-use statements must be provided for the data. Open licenses that permit unrestricted access (e.g., CC0, CC-BY) are encouraged but not required. 
  3. The deposited data should include a version that is in an open, non-proprietary format. 
  4. The deposited data should have been labeled in such a way that a 3rd party can make sense of it (e.g., sensible column headers, descriptions in a readme text file). 
  5. The deposited data must be actionable – i.e., if a specific script or software is needed to interpret it, this should also be archived and accessible. 
  6. Studies involving human subjects should adhere to local ethical standards at the host institution. Participant data should be sufficiently anonymized, and appropriate consent forms should be signed. 

Authors are expected to provide sufficient information to enable the reproduction of their work. This includes detailed descriptions of methodologies, experimental setups, software, and analytical tools used in the research. Authors must clearly specify software versions and parameter settings, experimental protocols, and any other relevant details that would facilitate replication. 

Post-Publication Corrections

Recognizing that no research is entirely free from errors or discrepancies, we have established this post-publication corrections policy to provide a transparent and systematic process for addressing and rectifying errors identified in published articles. 

The procedure for requesting corrections is as follows:

  1. Authors or readers who identify errors in a published article should submit a formal request for correction to the Editor, Dr. Shouping Hu, at shu@admin.fsu.edu. The request should include a detailed description of the error, its potential impact, and the specific correction needed. Supporting evidence, such as references to the article's publication and page numbers, should be included. 
  2. The Editor will review the correction request to determine its validity. If the request is deemed valid, the editorial office will notify the authors of the original article and initiate the correction process. 
  3. Upon author approval, the correction will be prepared and published in a timely manner. Corrections will be clearly linked to the original article in an easily accessible manner, such as a dedicated "Corrections" section on the journal website or a note at the beginning of the article. 
  4. When substantial errors are identified, JPSS may conduct a formal investigation into the cause of the errors and take appropriate action, which may include retraction. 

Complaints & Appeals

All information related to complaints and appeals will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations. Authors or reviewers seeking to appeal a decision should adhere to the following steps:  

  1. Submit a written appeal via email to JPSS clearly specifying the complaint or the decision being appealed (and providing a compelling justification for the appeal). Include your name, contact information, and the manuscript details.  
  2. Upon receipt of a complaint or appeal, the Editor or an appointed representative will acknowledge the submission within 5 business days.  
  3. The Editor will appoint an ad hoc committee, consisting of impartial members of the editorial board, to review and address the complaint or appeal. The committee may seek additional information or documentation from the complainant or appellant as necessary.  
  4. The ad hoc committee will conduct a thorough investigation and provide a written response to the complainant or appellant within 12 weeks, explaining the findings and any actions taken. 

Research Misconduct & Retractions

In cases where research misconduct, ethical violations, or other serious issues are identified that invalidate the scientific integrity of an article, JPSS may issue a retraction in accordance with our retraction policy. Research misconduct encompasses a range of unethical practices, including plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, authorship disputes, and other actions that undermine the integrity of research and publication.  

The procedure for reporting misconduct is as follows:

  1. Authors, reviewers, or any individuals who suspect research misconduct related to a published article in JPSS are encouraged to report their concerns to the journal's editorial office in writing and include relevant evidence, such as documents, correspondence, or data. All reports will be treated confidentially, and individuals who report misconduct will be protected from retaliation.  
  2. Upon receiving a report of research misconduct, the editorial office will initiate an investigation into the matter. This may include contacting the corresponding author and other relevant parties. The investigation will be carried out by an appointed committee, which may include members of the editorial board, experts in the field, and external experts as needed.  
  3. If research misconduct is substantiated, and it is deemed that the article's findings are no longer reliable, a retraction will be issued. Retractions will be accompanied by a detailed notice explaining the reason for the retraction and, where possible, specifying the nature of the misconduct.  
  4. Authors accused of research misconduct will have the opportunity to appeal the decision, providing additional evidence or arguments to the editorial office. 

Plagiarism Policy

JPSS will not publish manuscripts where plagiarism or text recycling has been identified. All manuscripts are checked for plagiarism using the Crossref Similarity Check / iThenticate service. Common examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to verbatim copy, improper or failure of attribution, and text replication. For further guidance on types of plagiarism and how to avoid them, authors should consult the interactive chart provided by iThenticate. 

Preservation Policy

All JPSS articles are deposited in the PKP Preservation Network for long-term preservation purposes.  

Electronic ISSN: 2769-4887 
Print ISSN: 2769-4879