• Authors must be affiliated with accredited institutions or recognized organizations, verified via institutional email and/or website profiles
• AI tools (e.g., LLMs, chatbots) are prohibited as authors but must be acknowledged in the “Acknowledgments” section if used for content refinement.

• Credit taxonomy is mandatory to specify roles (e.g., Conceptualization, Data Curation, Formal Analysis).
• Non-author contributors (e.g., technical/writing assistants) must be listed in Acknowledgments with their consent .

• Post-publication authorship modifications require unanimous author approval and a new version with an “Amendments” statement.
• Name changes (e.g., gender identity, marriage) will be confidentially processed without legal documentation.

• Plagiarism: All submissions are screened via Crossref’s iThenticate. Unattributed plagiarism/self-plagiarism results in rejection.
• Preprints: Preprint server submissions (e.g., arXiv, bioRxiv) are permitted but must be disclosed during submission.
• Redundant Publication: Simultaneous submission to multiple journals is prohibited. Articles under review elsewhere will be rejected.

• Human/Animal Research: Must adhere to institutional/national ethics guidelines. Ethics committee approval details and compliance statements are required.
• Competing Interests: Financial (e.g., funding, patents) and non-financial (e.g., ideological, political) conflicts must be declared. Use: “No competing interests disclosed” if applicable.
• Misconduct: Fabrication, falsification, or unethical data collection will lead to retraction and institutional notification.

• Mandatory statement detailing repository, access conditions, and license (e.g., CC0, CC-BY).
• Restricted data (e.g., privacy, copyright) must justify limitations and provide controlled-access methods.

• Source code must be archived in GitHub/BitBucket with OSI-approved licenses. Version numbers and open-access alternatives for proprietary tools are required.

• Supplemental materials (e.g., questionnaires, protocols) must be deposited in approved repositories (e.g., Zenodo, OSF).

• Model: Open, post-publication review. Articles publish pre-review; expert reviewers are invited post-publication.
• Criteria: Reviewers assess scholarly validity, methodology, and ethical compliance. Competing interests must be declared in reports.
• Revisions: Authors must respond to reviewer comments. Persistent disputes may trigger editorial arbitration.
• For the peer review process OJS (open journal system, PKP- public knowledge project) Editorial system is used.

• Scope: Original/null/confirmatory findings; methodological advances
• Word limits: ≤20,000
• Sections: Intro, Methods, Results, Discussion

• Scope: Critical field assessments
• Word limits: ≤15,000
• Sections: Balanced literature synthesis
• Abstracts: Structured (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions) for research; unstructured for opinions

• Corrections: Errors are amended via new versions with tracked changes. All versions retain DOIs and are cross-linked.
• Retractions: Applied for legal/ethical violations, dangerous inaccuracies, or irreproducible data. Retraction notices specify reasons.
• Withdrawals: Permitted only pre-publication. Post-acceptance withdrawals incur no fee refunds.

• APC: https://jsciengpap.com/apc/
• Licensing: CC BY-SA 4.0 default. Data/software under CC0 or OSI-approved licenses.

• Authors retain copyright but grant JoSEP publishing rights.
• Third-party material: Permissions must be obtained for copyrighted figures/tables. CC-licensed material reused per license terms

• Editors may reject articles violating policies or with legal/ethical risks.
• Complaints: Allegations (e.g., plagiarism, bias) are investigated per COPE guidelines. Outcomes include corrections, retractions, or bans

What is Crossmark?

Crossmark is a multi-publisher initiative from Crossref that provides a standardized way for readers to verify the current status of a scholarly publication. When you see the Crossmark logo () on a document, it indicates the publisher’s commitment to maintaining the content and providing timely updates about any changes.

The Crossmark Logo: What It Means

The Crossmark logo appears on HTML and PDF versions of publications. Clicking the logo reveals a pop-up dialog box showing:

1. Publication Status: Confirms whether the document is the latest version.
2. Update History: Details any changes (e.g., corrections, retractions, or additions).
3. Publication Record: Links to metadata, peer review reports (if available), and funding data.

Example Statuses:

• Current Version: No updates exist.
• Updated: Corrections or additions have been made.
• Retracted: The document has been withdrawn.
• Supplemental Data: Additional materials (e.g., datasets) are available.

Types of Updates We Provide

When content changes substantively, we apply a Crossmark update and notify Crossref. Changes include:

• Corrections: Typographical errors, mislabeled figures, or minor data inaccuracies.
• Retractions: Withdrawal of content due to ethical violations or irreproducible results.
• Addenda: Supplementary information (e.g., author contributions, funding details).
• Expressions of Concern: Notices about potential integrity issues under investigation.
• Article Replacements: Author-initiated updates (e.g., revised conclusions).

Note: Minor formatting changes (e.g., layout, broken links) do not trigger Crossmark updates.

How to Use Crossmark

1. Look for the Crossmark logo () on the first page of any HTML/PDF document.
2. Click the logo to open the status dialog box.
3. Review the update history or follow links to metadata, peer review, and funding information.
4. For questions, contact our editorial team at [email protected].

Our Commitment

• Transparency: All substantive updates are recorded via Crossmark.
• Timeliness: We apply Crossmark updates within 14 days of changes.
• Accuracy: Metadata (e.g., authorship, affiliations, funding) is validated upon deposit to Crossref.
• Persistence: DOIs and Crossmark records remain permanently resolvable.

Contact Us

For queries about document statuses, updates, or Crossmark:

• Email: [email protected]

We understand the importance of your privacy and take it seriously. That’s why we collect personal information only to provide you with the best possible service. Our privacy policy is transparent and explains how we keep your information safe.

1. What personal data we collect and when we collect it

In a few words: We collect your personal data while using our services.

• browse our websites
• register with us and create a Loop account
• submit a manuscript for publication in our journals
• work with us as a reviewer or editor
• communicate with us
• register for our events
• subscribe to our newsletters
• answer our surveys or participate in our user research programs

Our privacy policy applies to the personal data of co-authors of articles submitted to us for publication, as well as to the personal data we collect from publicly available sources such as subscription services, websites, social media, or conferences regarding your publications and your other academic activities. This means that we are committed to protecting your personal information in all aspects of your academic career, including the work you produce and the information that is publicly available about you.

2. How we use this data and on what basis?

In a few words: we use personal data to:

• deliver and promote our journal and publishing services
• operate and secure our websites
• identify potential authors, reviewers, and editors, to manage our publishing processes
• ensure the quality and integrity of the articles we publish (in particular by identifying and preventing publication manipulations or other misconducts)
• organize our events
• communicate with you and answer your queries
• exercise our rights and protect our interests
• develop our knowledge of the latest science published and the activities of the global scientific publishing community

The legal grounds we rely on to process your personal data are mostly:

• the necessity to process your personal data to deliver the contract we have with you under our terms and conditions (and other terms you may agree to if you cooperate with us)
• our legitimate interests to provide, improve and secure our website and publishing services and to carry out and develop our business as a professional scientific publisher

In certain situations, we will process your personal data based on your consent (that you can revoke at any time) or because we have a legal obligation to do so.

3. When we share your personal data

In a few words: we make certain personal data public when we publish articles online, especially the names and affiliation of the relevant authors, reviewers, and editors. To conduct our activities, we also share personal data with:

• JoSEP affiliates
• our vendors and service providers
• our reviewers and editors
• our publishing partners when the personal data we process relates to their journal
• other organizations who partner with us to archive scientific articles, promote open science, or facilitate the payment of article processing fees
• We may also share personal data when we are required to do so by law, or upon the request of an authority, as well as in case of dispute or corporate reorganization.

4. How we protect your personal data

In a few words: we apply technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data in accordance with legal requirements. When we share your personal data with recipients located outside Bangladesh, we use mechanisms to exercise any of these rights recognized by competent authorities to ensure your data always benefits from an adequate level of protection. We only keep your personal data for the duration needed to provide our services, protect ourselves against legal claims, or comply with our legal obligations.

5. How you can exercise your rights regarding your personal data

In a few words: you can contact us to ask us questions regarding the processing of your personal data or to exercise your rights under applicable laws:

• to request access to your personal data
• to ask us to rectify your data in case it is inaccurate or incomplete
• to ask us to erase your personal data
• to port your data
• to object to or to restrict the processing of personal data

6. How to contact us

In a few words: you can contact JOSEP office at [email protected] for any question or query regarding the processing of your personal data pursuant to this policy. You also have the right to lodge a concern with a supervisory authority.

We have prepared this privacy policy to give you an overview of our practices with all important information regarding how we handle and protect your personal data and how to contact us.

For authors
JoSEP recognizes the potential of AI tools, when used responsibly, to help researchers work efficiently, gain critical insights fast and achieve better outcomes.
Increasingly, these tools, including AI agents and deep research tools, are helping researchers to synthesize complex literature, provide an overview of a field or research question, identify research gaps, generate ideas and provide tailored support for tasks such as content organization and improving language and readability. Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal can use AI tools to support them in these tasks. However, these tools must never be used as a substitute for human critical thinking, expertise and evaluation.
AI tools should always be applied with human oversight and control. Ultimately, authors are responsible and accountable for the contents of their work. This includes accountability for:
• Carefully reviewing and verifying the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and impartiality of all AI-generated output (including checking the sources, as AI-generated references can be incorrect or fabricated).
• Editing and adapting all material thoroughly to ensure the manuscript represents the author’s authentic and original contribution and reflects their own analysis, interpretation, insights and ideas.
• Ensuring the use of any tools or sources, AI-based or otherwise, is made clear and transparent to readers — for the use of AI tools we require a disclosure statement upon submission.
• Ensuring the manuscript is developed in a way that safeguards data privacy, intellectual property and other rights, by checking the terms and conditions of any AI tool that is used.

Responsible use of AI tools
Authors must check the terms and conditions of any AI tool that they use to ensure that the privacy and confidentiality of their data and input, including their unpublished manuscripts, is maintained. Particular care should be taken with any personally identifiable data. Authors should check for factual errors and for any potential bias.
Authors should also check the terms and conditions of any AI tool they wish to use to ensure that, they only grant to the AI tool the right to use their materials to provide the service to them and that they do not grant to the AI tool any other rights to the materials that they input into the AI tool (including without limitation the right to train the AI tool on those materials). They must also ensure that the AI tool does not impose constraints on the use of outputs from the AI tool in a way that could restrict the subsequent publication of the relevant article.

Disclosure
Authors should disclose the use of AI tools for manuscript preparation in a separate AI declaration statement included in their manuscript upon submission. This statement will appear in the published article to ensure transparency. Authors should document their use of AI, including the name of the AI tool used, the purpose of its use, and the extent of their oversight. Declaring the use of AI tools supports transparency and trust between authors, readers, reviewers, editors and contributors and facilitates compliance with the terms of use of the relevant AI tool.
Please note: Basic checks of grammar, spelling and punctuation do not need a declaration statement. However, when an AI tool makes substantive changes to sentence structure or organization of a part of the text, this should be disclosed.
In addition, authors are not required to disclose the use of AI tools or features within specialist disability-related assistive technology, provided these are used solely for accessibility purposes.
Where AI tools are used as part of the research process rather than manuscript preparation, this use should be described in detail in the Methods section.
Authors are recommended to use the following format for their declaration:
Title of section: Declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the manuscript preparation process
Statement: 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 as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the published article.
Authorship: Authors should not list AI tools as an author or co-author, nor cite AI tools as an author. Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans.
Authors may use AI tools to support the creation of certain types of explanatory images for publication, such as flow charts, decision trees, timelines, schematic conceptual illustrations, or experimental workflow diagrams.
Where AI tools are used for this purpose, the principles of responsible use, human oversight, transparency, disclosure and authorship, as described in the section on “Authorship” apply.
The use of AI tools should be disclosed in the caption of each image (including the specific tool, version, and how the tool was used) and in the general AI disclosure statement in the article.
Research and data images
Research and data images present research data or results. These include (a) data visualizations, which are generated from underlying datasets through analytical, computational, or statistical workflows (such as plots, charts, graphs, or heatmaps) and (b) primary research images, which represent primary observed or experimental data (such as microscopy, histology, western blots, radiology scans, or patient images).
a) Data visualizations
Data visualizations present results derived from underlying datasets through analytical, computational, or statistical workflows (such as plots, charts, graphs, or heatmaps).
AI tools must not be used to fabricate results, invent or alter underlying data, or generate figures that are not faithfully derived from the underlying data and methods used in the research.
AI tools may be used to support the creation of data visualizations only when the visual output is directly derived from underlying data. Such visualizations must be created via reproducible analytical, computational, or statistical methods that are clearly reported within the Methods section. Where AI tools are used in the generation of data visualizations, authors should disclose the name of the model or tool, the version used, and the developer or manufacturer, in the Methods section. Authors should adhere to the AI tools’ usage policies and ensure proper attribution where required. Authors may be asked to provide documentation of their AI use and the original, unprocessed images for editorial assessment.
b) Primary research images
Primary research images represent primary observed or experimental data (such as microscopy, histology, western blots, radiology scans, or patient images).
AI tools must not be used to create or alter images that represent primary observed or experimental data that were not directly obtained in the research. This includes adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance, which should only be done using established image processing software.
Use of AI tools in research methods
This policy does not prevent the use of AI tools in formal research design or research methods (such as in AI-assisted imaging approaches used for collection and/or interpretation of the underlying research data or predictive modelling of clinical outcomes based on patient data). Where the use of AI tools forms part of the research design or research methods, the use of the tools must be described in a reproducible manner in the Methods section. This should include the name of the model or tool, the version used, and the developer or manufacturer, where applicable. Authors should adhere to the tools’ usage policies and ensure proper attribution where required.
Author responsibilities
Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and originality of all images submitted for publication. This includes verifying that the concepts presented are accurate and that all images reflect the author’s own work and ideas. Where images are based on existing artwork or graphics, appropriate attribution must be provided and permission from any relevant rights holder must be obtained before submission. Images that duplicate or refer to existing copyrighted images, real people, or others’ identifiable products or brands must not be generated, nor any likeness of an individual’s voice.

For reviewers
The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the journal peer review process
Peer review is at the heart of the scientific ecosystem, and this journal upholds the highest standards of integrity in this process. When a researcher is invited to review another researcher’s manuscript, it must be treated as a confidential document.
Reviewers should not upload a submitted manuscript or any part of it into an AI tool as this may violate the authors’ confidentiality and proprietary rights and, where the paper contains personally identifiable information, may breach data privacy rights.
Reviewers are responsible for the scientific assessment and judgement of the manuscripts they are evaluating. AI tools cannot replace a reviewer’s critical thinking or independent evaluation as there is a risk that the technology may generate incorrect, incomplete, or biased conclusions. Reviewers remain fully responsible and accountable for the content of their review reports.
AI tools may therefore only be used in a supportive capacity, for example to improve the language and structure of a review report, or to assist with a background literature search, provided that confidentiality is maintained and human control and oversight are exercised.
Furthermore, reviewers should only use private AI tools to assist in the review process, as explained below.
Disclosure
Reviewers should disclose AI use in their review reports, including the tool used and purpose of the use. Basic checks for spelling and grammar do not need to be disclosed.
Suggested disclosure statement:
During the preparation of this report, I used [NAME OF TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, I reviewed and edited the content as needed and I take full responsibility for its content.