Policies for authors

EWA Publishing supports its reviewers by providing clear guidelines and resources to uphold ethical standards and review quality. Editors, reviewers, and authors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the specific policies of the series, including any open review policies, which will be detailed within the Guide for authors of each series.

This policy is crafted to reflect EWA Publishing’s dedication to the advancement of knowledge through ethical and transparent peer-review practices, supporting our reviewers, authors, and editors in contributing to the integrity of the scholarly record.

Authors' responsibilities

Originality and authorship

Authors must ensure that their submissions are original works and have not been published elsewhere in substantially the same form. All authors listed on a manuscript must have made a significant contribution to the research and its writing. Plagiarism, in any form, is strictly prohibited.

Acknowledgment of contributors

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the acknowledgments section. Contributions can include technical assistance, writing assistance, or general support.

Accuracy and honesty

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the data and information presented in their manuscripts. Falsification, fabrication, or misrepresentation of research results is considered serious misconduct.

Citation and referencing

Proper citation and referencing of previous work is essential. Authors must give credit to all sources of information and ideas used in their manuscripts.

Multiple submissions and duplicate publication

Authors should not submit the same manuscript to multiple conferences or publishers simultaneously, nor should they republish their own previously published work without appropriate justification and disclosure.

Disclosure of conflicts of interest

Authors are obligated to disclose any and all potential conflicts of interest that might have the potential to exert an influence, either directly or indirectly, on the interpretation, conduct, or reporting of their research. This includes financial interests, personal relationships, or professional affiliations that could introduce bias. Failure to disclose conflicts of interest may lead to the reconsideration or retraction of the published work.

Concurrent publication

Authors must ensure the originality of their work and are strongly discouraged from submitting manuscripts that describe essentially the same research to more than one journal of primary publication. The concurrent submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals is considered unethical and is strictly prohibited.

It is generally inappropriate for an author to submit a manuscript that has been previously published in another journal. Exceptions to this rule include the submission of work previously presented in the form of an abstract, as part of a published lecture or academic thesis, or as an electronic preprint, provided that these instances are disclosed at the time of submission to EWA Publishing.

Confidentiality

Authors must respect the confidentiality of data obtained through all forms of professional service, including but not limited to, the peer-review of manuscripts and the evaluation of grant applications. The use of such information without the explicit written consent of the author(s) of the original work is strictly forbidden. This principle ensures the integrity of the review process and the respect for the intellectual property of others.

Policy on Using Generative AI

General Principles

EWA Publishing believes that Generative Artificial Intelligence (Generative AI) can support researchers in enhancing workflow efficiency, accelerating literature synthesis, and improving the clarity of scholarly communication if such tools can be used properly and responsibly. However, such tools should not substitute for human intellectual effort, domain expertise, or critical evaluation.

All the Generative AI tools’ usage must be conducted under full human supervision and control.

Authors have responsibility for every part of their submitted work, including:

• Verifying the accuracy, completeness, and impartiality of the content generated by AI (and attention to the references which may be hallucinated or incorrect).
• Revising/adapting materials collected with Generative AI’s assistance, to ensure the materials reflect the authors' own analysis, interpretation, and original contributions.
• Disclosing substantial Generative AI involvement in the manuscript to maintain transparency with readers.
• Reviewing the Generative AI tool(s)’ terms of service to protect data privacy and intellectual property.

Academic Integrity and AIGC Detection

EWA Publishing applies iThenticate by Turnitin (https://www.turnitin.com/products/ithenticate) to screen all submitted manuscripts for AI-generated content (AIGC) similarity. Authors are encouraged to perform self-checks before submission. While a similarity rate below 30% is generally acceptable, this does not exempt authors from the obligation to fully and honestly declare any use of Generative AI tools.

Authors must provide a truthful declaration upon submission. Failure to declare Generative AI’s usage, combined with a similarity rate exceeding 30% (or the detection of other academic-integrity violations involving AI tools) will result in the manuscript being disqualified from further consideration.

Permitted and Prohibited Uses of Generative AI

Generative AI can be used for manuscript preparation, generating explanatory images and data visualisations. However, such usages should be provided that: no entire sections are generated without substantial human revision; visualisations reflect authentic data and reproducible methods, with tool name, version, and use disclosed; primary research images are not AI-generated or altered, except for standard basic adjustments; and Generative AI use in methods or modelling is documented for reproducibility.

The following uses are strictly prohibited: generating or manipulating primary research data or images to misrepresent results; using Generative AI to bypass human analysis or produce content not thoroughly verified by the authors; using Generative AI that claim additional rights over input content; and listing Generative AI as authors or co-authors. Any such violation, or failure to declare Generative AI usage, will be treated as a breach of academic integrity and may result in rejection or other sanctions.

Disclosure and Declaration

A dedicated declaration statement must be included in every manuscript that has used Generative AI in its preparation. This statement will be published with the article. It should specify:

• The name(s) of the Generative AI tool(s) used.
• The specific purpose(s) for which they were used.
• The extent of human oversight and review.

Using Generative AI or to check grammar/spelling does not require disclosure. However, if a Generative AI significantly rephrases or reorganises the main text, disclosure is required. Assistive technologies used solely for accessibility purposes are exempt.

Declaration example:

Declaration of Using Generative AI: During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used “NAME OF TOOL/SERVICE” in order to “REASON”. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content and take full responsibility for the content of this manuscript.

Final Provisions

EWA Publishing reserves the right to request additional materials (e.g., original unprocessed image files, AI tool logs) for verification. This policy will be reviewed periodically and may be updated to reflect technological developments.