Ethics guidelines are crucial for ensuring high-quality scientific publications, maintaining public trust in scientific discoveries, and giving proper credit to authors. The following unethical practices should be avoided in publications:

Fabrication and Falsification of Data:

• Fabrication: Presenting fake data for research that was not conducted.
• Falsification: Manipulating data for research that was conducted.
• Consequences: Authors found guilty of data fabrication or falsification may face sanctions, and their publications may be retracted.

Plagiarism:

• Definition: Using the work and ideas of other scientists without proper credit, including copying text from manuscripts or previously published articles.
• Consequences: Manuscripts with high similarity indexes are rejected, and already published papers may be corrected or retracted.

Multiple Submission of Manuscripts:

• Definition: Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.
• Consequences: This practice wastes the time of peer reviewers and editors, damages the credibility of authors and journals, and may result in sanctions against the authors.

Redundant Publications:

• Definition: Publishing multiple related articles based on similar research ideas.
• Recommendation: Authors should consolidate similar research into a single comprehensive manuscript.
• Consequences: Redundant publications may be sanctioned.

Incorrect Attribution of Authors:

• Requirement: Only authors who have made significant contributions to the research should be listed, and submissions should be made by the corresponding author.
• Consequences: Manuscripts with incorrect author attributions may be rejected.

Modification of Citations:

• Unethical Practices: Authors manipulating references to improve citation metrics, and editors or reviewers requesting citations to increase the number of citations for their own work, their associates, or their affiliated journals.
• Consequences: Sanctions may be imposed on authors, editors, or reviewers involved in such practices.

Editors and Reviewers:

• Conflict of Interest: Editors and reviewers should decline involvement in submissions where they have any relationship with the author or declare a conflict of interest if necessary.

Sanctions:

• Types of Sanctions: Possible sanctions include manuscript rejection, prohibition from serving as an editor or reviewer for AJEAS, and banning authors from submitting manuscripts to AJEAS for a determined period. Additional sanctions may be applied for more serious ethical violations.

Corrections and Retractions Policy:

• Corrections: Errors in published articles will be examined by the publisher in consultation with the editors and the author's institution. Publisher errors can be corrected by an Erratum, while authors can amend their manuscripts.
• Retractions: If misconduct is evident, the article may be retracted in accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines.