Notice on Policy Revision: This section of Publication Ethics was comprehensively reviewed, updated, and aligned with COPE guidelines in October 2026.

Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

The International Journal of Applied Operational Research is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and abides by the guidelines and core practices set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (http://publicationethics.org). All parties involved in the publishing process—authors, editors, and reviewers—are expected to commit to these ethical guidelines.

1. Duties and Responsibilities of Authors

• Originality and Plagiarism: Submitted manuscripts must be the original work of the authors, have not been published previously, and are not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. Any use of the ideas, text, or data of others must be appropriately cited and referenced. The journal screens all submissions for plagiarism using standard detection software.
• Data Fabrication and Falsification: Authors must not fabricate, falsify, or inappropriately manipulate data, images, or experimental/analytical results in their manuscripts.
• Authorship and Contributions: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All individuals who made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and agreed to its submission.
• Changes to Authorship: Any addition, deletion, or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and must be approved by the journal editor. Requests must include a signed statement from all authors explaining the valid reason for the change.
• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the research must be acknowledged.
• Research Involving Humans or Animals: When applicable, authors must ensure that research involving human subjects, animal trials, questionnaires, or sensitive data complies with national and international guidelines regarding human dignity, privacy, and informed consent. Appropriate institutional review board (IRB) approvals must be stated in the manuscript.
• Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): Authors using generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process (e.g., to improve readability or language) must disclose this use in the acknowledgments or methods section. AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors, as they cannot take responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

2. Duties and Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communications with the author, may assist the author in improving the paper.
• Promptness: Any selected referee 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.
• Confidentiality: Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.
• Standards of Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
• Disclosure and Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships.

• Editorial Accountability: Editors bear full responsibility and accountability for everything published in the journal, striving continuously to meet the needs of readers and authors while improving the journal’s quality.
• Fair Play: Manuscripts are evaluated solely on their intellectual merit without regard to authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.
• Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and editorial advisers.
• Standards and Quality Assurance: Editors must maintain robust processes to assure the quality of published materials and ensure that commercial or business needs do not compromise intellectual and ethical standards.
• Investigation of Ethical Violations: The editorial board takes concrete steps when ethical complaints are presented concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper, cooperating with COPE guidelines regarding retractions, corrections, and expressions of concern.