The Journal of Digital Pedagogy subscribes to the principles of publication ethics as outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Cases of plagiarism, data fabrication, or other breaches of publication ethics are addressed according to COPE guidelines.
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AUTHORSHIP AND AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITIES
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Authorship policy. All listed authors must have made substantial contributions to the work and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the research. Authorship should be based on: (1) substantial contributions to conception, design, data collection, or analysis; (2) drafting or critically revising the manuscript; (3) final approval of the version to be published; and (4) agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript and have agreed to its submission.
Any changes to authorship (additions, deletions, or reordering) after initial submission require written consent from all authors and justification to the editors. Ghost authorship (failure to acknowledge significant contributors), guest authorship (inclusion of authors who made no substantial contribution), and gift authorship (inclusion based on personal relationships or seniority) are considered forms of misconduct. Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section with their specific contributions noted.
Originality and plagiarism. Authors must guarantee that the submitted manuscript was originally written by them. The work must not have been published previously and must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. If the work and/or words of others are included, they must be appropriately cited and quoted. Editors scan each submitted manuscript with plagiarism detection software before any content analysis. In the event of fraud or misconduct, the submission is rejected immediately. The journal maintains a zero-tolerance plagiarism policy, including self-plagiarism.
Data access and citation. Authors may be requested to provide raw data relevant to their paper for editorial review and must be prepared to provide public access to such data in accordance with open science principles. All data must be cited using standard academic citation formats and included in the reference list. Data sharing should comply with applicable privacy and ethical standards. Further guidance is provided in the Research Data Policy.
Declaration of interests. Authors may be requested to provide disclosure of all relationships that could be viewed as presenting a potential conflict of interest. This includes financial relationships (such as employment, consultancies, grants, paid expert testimony), personal relationships, academic competition, or intellectual passion. Authors should disclose conflicts at submission, and disclosure statements are published with the article where applicable.
Reporting standards. Authors of original research papers should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work.
Human rights and research ethics. For research that includes experiments involving humans, a statement of compliance is required to show that procedures were followed in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national). Research must comply with local and international standards, policies, and regulations, including the Declaration of Helsinki where applicable. Informed consent must be obtained from all participants, and special protections must be in place for vulnerable populations including minors.
Technology and artificial intelligence ethics. The journal maintains a comprehensive AI Policy addressing the responsible use of AI tools by authors, reviewers, and editors. Authors must disclose the use of AI tools in research design, data collection, analysis, or writing. Any AI-generated content must be clearly identified and appropriately attributed. AI-generated content cannot be listed as an author or co-author. Full details, requirements, and guidelines are provided in the AI Policy.
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PEER REVIEW RESPONSIBILITIES
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Reviewers must: accept for review only papers relevant to their expertise; read the papers with appropriate care and provide constructive criticism; treat the work as confidential and not discuss it with others; keep their identity confidential from authors; complete reviews in a timely manner; report any suspected ethical misconduct; avoid offensive language; agree to review future versions and provide follow-up advice; seek editor guidance if anything is unclear or if there is any possible conflict of interest; communicate with the editor in a timely fashion; and treat all papers fairly without prejudice.
The use of AI tools in the peer review process is governed by the AI Policy, which includes strict confidentiality requirements.
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EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
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The editorial team must: conduct comprehensive plagiarism screening using detection software before any content analysis, maintaining the journal’s zero-tolerance policy; treat all submissions fairly without prejudice; only authorise for publication content of the highest quality; ensure that a thorough, objective, and double-blind peer review is conducted for original article submissions; be transparent with regard to the review and publication process; provide advice to the authors during the submission process when necessary; ensure the right to appeal any editorial decision; be attentive to the possibility of third-party material being included in papers for which there may not be sufficient permission; be prepared to publish errata when necessary; and communicate with both reviewers and authors in a timely manner.
The use of AI tools in editorial processes is governed by the AI Policy.
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PUBLICATION INTEGRITY AND MISCONDUCT
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Publication malpractice. The journal is committed to preventing and addressing all forms of publication misconduct: plagiarism (unauthorised use of others’ work, ideas, or words without proper attribution), fabrication (inventing research data), falsification (manipulating data or results), redundant or duplicate publication, citation manipulation, inappropriate authorship, and breach of confidentiality in the review process.
In cases of suspected misconduct, the journal follows COPE guidelines and may: reject the manuscript; notify the authors’ affiliated institutions; publish retractions, corrections, or expressions of concern; and prohibit authors from submitting manuscripts for a determined period. The detailed procedures for post-publication actions are described in the Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern Policy.
Handling misconduct allegations. Any person may report suspected misconduct to the journal secretariat (editor@digital-pedagogy.eu) or to the publisher (office@iEdu.ro). All allegations are investigated following COPE flowcharts. Confidentiality is maintained throughout the investigation to the extent possible. The accused party is given the opportunity to respond before any action is taken.
Ethical oversight. The journal is committed to ensuring that research published in its pages has been conducted ethically. The editorial team may request evidence of ethics approval, informed consent, or other documentation as part of the review process. Research involving human participants, personal data, or vulnerable populations is subject to particular scrutiny.
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Updated on December 11th, 2025
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This Ethics Policy should be read in conjunction with the Copyright Policy, Peer Review Policy, AI Policy, and Submission Guidelines. In cases of potential conflict between policies, ethics considerations take precedence.
Contact information
For ethics policy inquiries, contact the JDP secretariat:
editor@digital-pedagogy.eu and olimpius.istrate@unibuc.ro
For reporting ethics breaches, contact the publisher:
office@iEdu.ro
Journal of Digital Pedagogy
54 Dr. Louis Pasteur str., Bucharest 050536, Romania
https://digital-pedagogy.eu/