Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
The Journal of Water Engineering and Management (JWEAM) (ISSN: 2582-6298) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal published online three times a year (April, August, and December) since 2020. This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement (PEMS), together with the Author Guidelines and Editorial Policy, outlines the ethical standards expected of all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher. All stakeholders are required to be familiar with and adhere to these policies.
Publishing in a peer-reviewed journal contributes to the advancement of reliable and cumulative scientific knowledge. Ethical conduct in research and publishing is therefore essential to maintain the credibility of scholarly communication. JWEAM strictly follows the principles and best practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Authorship Criteria
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, data acquisition, modeling, or interpretation of the study. All authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission.
Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must submit original work. Any use of others’ work or ideas must be appropriately cited. Plagiarism in any form including self-plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or improper paraphrasing is unethical and unacceptable.
Data Access and Retention
Authors may be asked to provide raw data for editorial review. Where practicable, authors should ensure public access to research data and retain data for at least ten years after publication, subject to confidentiality and legal constraints.
Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
Manuscripts describing essentially the same research must not be published or submitted simultaneously to more than one journal. Publication as an abstract, academic thesis, or electronic preprint does not constitute prior publication, provided transparency is maintained.
Acknowledgement of Sources
All sources of support—financial, technical, or intellectual—must be properly acknowledged. Information obtained through private communication must not be used without written permission.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose all financial or non-financial relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.
Reporting Standards
Research articles must present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Sufficient detail should be provided to allow replication.
Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects
Authors must clearly identify any hazards associated with chemicals, procedures, or equipment. Research involving human or animal subjects must comply with institutional and national ethical guidelines and include statements of approval and informed consent.
Fundamental Errors in Published Works
If a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered after publication, authors must promptly notify the editor and cooperate in issuing a correction or retraction.
Article Processing Charges (APC)
The Journal of Water Engineering and Management operates as an open-access, peer-reviewed journal. To support the costs associated with manuscript processing, peer review management, professional editing, online hosting, and long-term digital archiving, an Article Processing Charge (APC) is applicable only after acceptance of the manuscript. The applicable APC is as follows:
₹4,000 (Indian Rupees) for authors based in India and USD 200 for international authors.
There are no submission charges, and authors are required to pay the APC only after the manuscript has been formally accepted for publication. The APC helps ensure immediate open access to published articles, allowing unrestricted global dissemination of research without subscription barriers.
APC Waiver and Discount Policy
The Journal of Water Engineering and Management is committed to promoting inclusive and equitable dissemination of scientific knowledge. Authors from low-income and lower-middle-income countries, as classified by the World Bank, may request a full or partial waiver of the Article Processing Charge (APC).
Waiver requests must be submitted at the time of manuscript submission by clearly stating the request in the cover letter, along with a brief justification. Such requests are considered independently of the peer-review process, and the editorial decision on the manuscript remains entirely unaffected by the ability to pay the APC.
Waivers are granted at the discretion of the Editorial Board based on the author’s country of affiliation, institutional support, and overall financial constraints. The journal encourages submissions from researchers across all regions and strives to remove financial barriers that may limit participation from resource-constrained settings.
Peer Review Policy
All submissions undergo a double-blind peer review. Authors are required to participate constructively in the review process and respond to reviewers’ comments within the stipulated timeline. Final acceptance depends on satisfactory revision and editorial approval.
Copyright, Access, and Licensing
Copyright of published articles remains with the authors. Authors grant JWEAM an exclusive license for first publication. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction, provided the original work is properly cited.
Responsible Research Publication: Editor’s Responsibilities
Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair, unbiased, and timely peer-review process. Editorial decisions are based solely on academic merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to authors’ personal characteristics or affiliations.
Editors must:
Maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts
Avoid conflicts of interest
Take appropriate action in cases of suspected misconduct
Follow COPE guidelines for corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern
Responsible Research Publication: Reviewer’s Responsibilities
Reviewers must:
Treat manuscripts as confidential documents
Provide objective, constructive, and timely reviews
Identify relevant uncited literature
Declare conflicts of interest and decline review when necessary
Report suspected ethical misconduct to the editors
JWEAM follows COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.
Responsible Research Publication: Publisher’s Responsibilities
The publisher works closely with editors to ensure ethical oversight of the publication process. In cases of proven misconduct, the publisher will support the publication of corrections, retractions, or clarifications as necessary. The publisher is committed to long-term digital preservation and accessibility of journal content.
Retractions, Corrections, and Expressions of Concern
In accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines, the journal may:
Issue a retraction for unreliable findings due to misconduct or serious error
Publish an expression of concern where investigations are inconclusive
Issue a correction for minor errors that do not invalidate the research
Confidentiality Policy
All personal and institutional information related to authors, reviewers, and editors is treated as confidential and used only for editorial and publication purposes. Peer-review anonymity is strictly maintained.
Ethical Standards and References
JWEAM adheres to international ethical standards, including:
COPE International Standards for Authors
COPE International Standards for Editors
COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers
Relevant documents are available at:
Data Availability Policy
The Journal of Water Engineering and Management (JWEAM) encourages transparency, reproducibility, and responsible data sharing. Authors are required to include a Data Availability Statement in their manuscripts indicating:
Data Availability Statement
Conflict of Interest
Funding
Ethics Approval
Whenever possible, authors are encouraged to deposit datasets in recognized repositories and provide persistent identifiers.
Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools
The Journal of Water Engineering and Management (JWEAM) recognizes the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in scholarly publishing.
For Authors
- AI tools may be used for language editing or formatting assistance only.
- AI tools must not be used to generate original scientific content, data, figures, or interpretations.
- Any use of AI tools must be explicitly disclosed in the manuscript.
Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their work.
For Reviewers and Editors
- AI tools should not be used to evaluate manuscripts in a way that compromises confidentiality.
- Manuscripts must not be uploaded to external AI systems.
