The European Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems (EJITS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity and ethics. Any form of research misconduct is strictly prohibited, and the journal takes a firm stance on addressing allegations or instances of misconduct to protect the integrity of the scientific record. EJITS adheres to the guidelines and principles set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Definition of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct refers to any practice that violates ethical standards in the collection, analysis, and reporting of research data. EJITS defines research misconduct as including, but not limited to:

• Fabrication: Making up data or results and recording or reporting them as if they were real.
• Falsification: Manipulating research materials, equipment, processes, or altering data in a way that misrepresents the research results.
• Plagiarism: Using another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without proper acknowledgment.
• Misappropriation of Research Funds: Misusing or misrepresenting funding sources or using funds for unintended purposes.
• Improper Authorship: Failing to appropriately attribute authorship to those who contributed to the research or including individuals as authors who did not contribute substantially to the work.
• Failure to Disclose Conflicts of Interest: Withholding or failing to disclose financial, personal, or professional conflicts of interest that may influence research outcomes.
• Ethical Violations: Ignoring ethical guidelines involving human or animal subjects, or failing to obtain proper ethics approval for the research.

2. Allegations of Misconduct

EJITS takes all allegations of research misconduct seriously. Allegations can be raised by reviewers, editors, or readers, and must be supported by credible evidence. The editorial team will initiate an investigation to assess the validity of the claim. Authors are expected to cooperate fully during any investigation.

3. Investigation Process

When an allegation of misconduct is raised, EJITS will follow these steps:

1. Preliminary Assessment: The editorial team will conduct an initial review of the evidence and the manuscript in question. If the claim is deemed to have merit, a formal investigation will be initiated.

2. Notification of Authors: The corresponding author will be notified of the allegation and provided with the opportunity to respond. All co-authors will be informed of the investigation.

3. Inquiry and Evidence Gathering: EJITS will gather all relevant evidence, including the manuscript, data, and any additional documentation or information. External experts may be consulted if necessary to assess the claim.

4. Institutional Involvement: In cases of serious misconduct, the journal may contact the authors’ institution or funding bodies to inform them of the allegations and request their cooperation in the investigation.

5. Resolution: The editorial team will make a decision based on the findings of the investigation. Possible outcomes include:

   • Dismissing the allegation if the evidence is insufficient.
   • Requesting corrections or retractions of the published work.
   • Banning the authors involved in misconduct from future submissions to the journal.
   • Reporting the case to the relevant authorities, including the authors' institution or research funders.

4. Consequences of Misconduct

If research misconduct is confirmed, EJITS may take the following actions:

• Manuscript Rejection: If the manuscript is under review, it will be rejected immediately.
• Retraction: If the paper has already been published, it will be retracted with a formal notice issued on the journal’s website, indicating the reason for retraction.
• Publication of an Expression of Concern: In cases where an investigation is ongoing but inconclusive, EJITS may publish an expression of concern to alert readers.
• Reporting to Institutions and Funders: The journal may notify the authors’ institutions, funding agencies, or other relevant bodies about the confirmed misconduct.
• Banning from Future Submissions: Authors found guilty of misconduct may be prohibited from submitting future manuscripts to EJITS for a specified period of time.

5. Retractions and Corrections

In cases where published research is found to contain errors or fabricated data, EJITS will issue a retraction or correction, depending on the nature of the misconduct:

• Retractions: Retracted articles will remain accessible online, with a clear notice indicating that the work has been retracted due to misconduct. The retraction notice will detail the reasons for retraction and any parties responsible.

• Corrections: If an error in the research does not constitute misconduct but affects the integrity or accuracy of the article, a correction will be published. Corrections must be clearly marked and linked to the original publication.

6. Appeals Process

Authors who disagree with the outcome of an investigation have the right to appeal. Appeals must be made in writing and provide a detailed explanation of the grounds for reconsideration. Appeals will be reviewed by the editorial team and, if necessary, external experts. The decision following the appeal is final.

7. Preventing Research Misconduct

To prevent research misconduct, EJITS encourages the following best practices:

• Data Transparency: Authors are encouraged to share data and methods that allow for reproducibility and verification of results.
• Proper Citation: Authors must properly cite all sources, including prior work from the same research group, to avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism.
• Ethical Approval: All research involving human or animal subjects must have proper ethics approval from relevant institutional review boards.
• Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any conflicts of interest that could affect the integrity of the publication process.