Publication misconduct refers to actions that undermine the integrity, reliability, or transparency of the scholarly record. Smart Ship Technologies takes publication ethics seriously and addresses suspected misconduct in accordance with applicable ethical standards and the guidance of COPE.

Examples of publication misconduct include, but are not limited to:

• Plagiarism: Presenting another person's words, ideas, data, images, or other intellectual work as one's own without appropriate attribution.

• Fabrication or falsification: Inventing research data or results, or manipulating, altering, omitting, or selectively reporting information in a manner that misrepresents the research.

• Duplicate or redundant publication: Publishing substantially overlapping work without appropriate disclosure, justification, or citation.

• Inappropriate authorship: Including individuals who have not made a qualifying contribution or excluding individuals who have made substantial contributions.

• Peer-review manipulation: Attempting to improperly influence or interfere with the peer-review process.

• Undisclosed conflicts of interest: Failing to disclose relationships or interests that could reasonably affect the interpretation, review, or editorial assessment of the work.

Manuscripts may be screened using tools such as iThenticate. Similarity results are assessed in context and do not, by themselves, constitute a finding of plagiarism or misconduct.

When concerns arise, the journal may request supporting documents, original data or research materials, explanations from the authors, or additional expert assessment. Where appropriate, the journal may also communicate with relevant institutions or other responsible organizations.

Depending on the circumstances and severity of the concern, possible actions may include manuscript rejection, correction, expression of concern, retraction, notification of relevant institutions, or other proportionate measures.

Investigations will be conducted fairly and confidentially to the extent reasonably possible. Individuals who raise concerns in good faith will be treated appropriately and protected from unnecessary disclosure where feasible.

Editors of Smart Ship Technologies are responsible for maintaining the quality, fairness, confidentiality, and integrity of the editorial and peer-review process.

Fairness and Impartiality

Editors should evaluate manuscripts objectively and consistently, without discrimination based on factors such as nationality, race, gender, institutional affiliation, or other characteristics unrelated to scholarly merit. Editorial decisions should be based on the academic quality, relevance, originality, and integrity of the submission.

Peer Review Integrity

Editors should select reviewers with appropriate subject expertise and should take reasonable steps to identify and manage potential conflicts of interest. Reviewers should be selected independently of inappropriate personal, professional, or financial relationships with the authors or the research.

Editors should monitor the peer-review process and may seek additional reviews when necessary to support a fair and informed decision. Where the journal's review model requires anonymity, appropriate measures should be taken to protect the identities of authors and reviewers.

Confidentiality

Editors must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, reviewer identities and reports, unpublished research information, and other confidential materials obtained through the editorial process.

Conflict of Interest Management

Editors should disclose relevant conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where their objectivity could reasonably be compromised. Where appropriate, an alternative editor may be assigned.

Upholding Academic Integrity

Editors should respond appropriately to suspected plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, peer-review manipulation, and other forms of publication misconduct. Investigations and resulting actions should be consistent with applicable ethical standards and COPE guidance.

Transparent Communication

Editors should communicate editorial decisions and relevant policies clearly and professionally. Authors and reviewers should receive appropriate information concerning editorial decisions, review processes, and applicable journal policies.

For information about reviewing for the journal, please see the SST Reviewer Guidelines.

Smart Ship Technologies follows internationally recognized principles of authorship. The journal refers, where applicable, to the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) concerning authorship and contributor responsibilities.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship should reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the work. Depending on the nature of the research, authors should have contributed substantially to one or more of the following:

• Conception or design of the study;

• Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;

• Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content;

• Approval of the final version to be published; and

• Accountability for the integrity and accuracy of the work and appropriate participation in resolving questions concerning the research.

Author Approval and Responsibility

All listed authors should have approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission and publication. Authors are collectively responsible for ensuring that the manuscript accurately represents the research and that appropriate contributions are properly acknowledged.

Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact with the journal and should ensure that all authors are aware of the submission, editorial communications, manuscript revisions, and final version. The corresponding author should also help ensure that required declarations and supporting information are complete and accurate.

Changes in Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or change the order of authors after submission should include an explanation and the agreement of the affected authors. The journal may request written confirmation from authors before approving an authorship change.

Contributors

Individuals who have contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged, where applicable.

Copyright and Licensing

Articles published by Smart Ship Technologies are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, unless otherwise stated for specific material.

Authors retain appropriate rights in their work while granting the rights necessary for publication and distribution under the CC BY 4.0 license. The CC BY 4.0 license permits others to share and adapt the published work, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original authors and source, a link to the license is provided, and any changes are indicated.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary rights and permissions for third-party materials included in their manuscript. Material that is not covered by the article's CC BY 4.0 license should be clearly identified, and appropriate permission should be obtained where required.

Research Records and Data

Authors should maintain appropriate research records and supporting materials and should be able to provide reasonable clarification or supporting documentation when questions concerning the integrity or reliability of the published work arise.

Funding and Conflicts of Interest

Authors should disclose relevant funding sources and any financial or non-financial interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.

Authors may request the withdrawal of a manuscript before it has been formally published. A withdrawal request should normally be submitted by the corresponding author and should include the reason for withdrawal.

The corresponding author should ensure that all co-authors are aware of and agree with the withdrawal request. The journal may request confirmation from the authors where necessary.

The journal may also withdraw a manuscript before publication in exceptional circumstances, including serious concerns relating to research or publication ethics, significant procedural problems, or technical problems that cannot reasonably be resolved.

Once an article has been formally published, requests to alter the published scholarly record will normally be handled through the journal's Correction, Retraction, or, in exceptional circumstances, Removal procedures.

Withdrawal of a manuscript does not remove any applicable copyright, ethical, legal, or contractual obligations arising from the submission process.

A published article may be retracted when substantial problems are identified that compromise the reliability or integrity of the scholarly record. Reasons may include major errors that invalidate the main conclusions, fabrication or falsification of data, plagiarism, duplicate publication, serious ethical violations, or other significant forms of research or publication misconduct.

The journal will handle retraction decisions in accordance with applicable ethical standards and the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Concerns may be raised by authors, editors, reviewers, institutions, readers, or other parties. The journal may investigate the matter and seek explanations, supporting evidence, or institutional input as appropriate.

When an article is retracted:

1. A clear and separate retraction notice will be published and permanently linked to the original article.

2. The notice will state the reason or reasons for the retraction as clearly as reasonably possible.

3. The original article will normally remain accessible to preserve the scholarly record but will be clearly identified as retracted.

4. Where technically appropriate, the published article may be marked or watermarked as Retracted.

Retraction of an article does not necessarily imply that every author was responsible for the problem leading to the retraction.

A correction notice may be issued when an error or omission affects the accuracy, clarity, or completeness of a published article but does not justify retraction.

Examples may include:

• Errors or omissions in data presentation;

• Incorrect or incomplete references;

• Errors in author information or affiliations;

• Minor methodological or analytical errors that do not invalidate the main conclusions; and

• Production or formatting errors that affect the published record.

Where appropriate, the online article may be corrected and a separate correction notice will be published and permanently linked to the article. The correction record should clearly identify the nature of the correction while preserving transparency regarding the publication history.

Removal of a published article is an exceptional measure and will generally be considered only when serious legal, ethical, privacy, or other substantial concerns cannot reasonably be addressed through correction or retraction.

Circumstances that may warrant consideration of removal include, but are not limited to:

• A valid legal or court order requiring removal;

• Serious and demonstrable copyright or intellectual property infringement;

• Publication of confidential or personally identifiable information where the harm cannot reasonably be addressed through correction or redaction; or

• Other substantial legal or ethical concerns that cannot adequately be addressed by correction or retraction.

Where an article is removed, the journal will seek to preserve the bibliographic and publication record and, where appropriate, provide a notice explaining that the article has been removed and the general reason for the action.

Article Processing Charges (APCs), where applicable, are normally non-refundable when an accepted manuscript or published article is withdrawn, retracted, or removed because of academic misconduct or serious ethical violations, unless the publisher determines otherwise based on the circumstances.

Research involving human participants or animals must comply with applicable ethical, legal, and institutional requirements. Authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary ethical approvals and for providing relevant information during submission.

Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants should follow applicable ethical standards, including the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki where applicable.

Authors should ensure that participants' rights, privacy, safety, dignity, and welfare are appropriately protected. Informed consent should be obtained where required. Where research has received approval from an ethics committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB), the manuscript should identify the approving body and approval information as appropriate. Where ethical approval or informed consent was not required, authors should provide an appropriate explanation.

Research Involving Animals

Research involving animals should comply with applicable institutional, national, and international requirements for animal welfare. Authors should follow the principles of Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement (3Rs) and take reasonable measures to minimize pain, suffering, distress, and unnecessary use of animals.

Where applicable, the manuscript should identify the relevant ethics committee, institutional approval, permit, or other required authorization.

Smart Ship Technologies recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) tools can assist researchers and authors with certain aspects of scholarly work. However, AI tools cannot assume responsibility for the integrity, accuracy, originality, or accountability of scholarly publications. Human authors remain fully responsible for the content they submit and publish.

Permitted Uses

AI tools may be used for appropriate supportive purposes, including:

• Language editing, grammar, spelling, and stylistic improvement;

• Translation or assistance with multilingual communication;

• Organization or summarization of information, provided that the authors independently verify the underlying sources and content;

• Technical, formatting, or accessibility assistance; and

• Other limited forms of assistance that do not replace the authors' intellectual responsibility for the research.

Prohibited Uses

AI tools must not be used to fabricate or falsify research data, results, references, images, evidence, or other scholarly content. Authors must not use AI in a manner that creates misleading claims, conceals plagiarism, manipulates evidence deceptively, or otherwise compromises research integrity.

Authors must not upload confidential, unpublished, personal, proprietary, or otherwise restricted information to an AI system where doing so would violate applicable confidentiality, privacy, contractual, institutional, or legal requirements.

Disclosure of AI Use

Substantive use of AI tools in the preparation, analysis, or presentation of a manuscript should be disclosed where relevant. The disclosure should identify the nature and purpose of the AI-assisted work sufficiently to allow readers and editors to understand its role.

Routine use of tools for basic spelling, grammar, formatting, or language polishing generally does not require a detailed disclosure unless otherwise required by the journal.

Human Responsibility

Authors remain responsible for verifying all AI-assisted content, including factual statements, citations, data, interpretations, and conclusions. Authors are also responsible for ensuring appropriate attribution and compliance with copyright, confidentiality, privacy, and other applicable intellectual property requirements.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot accept responsibility for the work or fulfill the responsibilities of authorship.

Smart Ship Technologies accepts manuscripts that have previously been posted on recognized non-peer-reviewed preprint servers. The posting of a manuscript on a preprint server does not, in itself, constitute prior publication and does not prevent the manuscript from being considered for publication in this journal.

Authors must disclose the existence of any preprint version at the time of submission and provide the name of the preprint server and the corresponding DOI or URL, where available.

To be considered for publication:

1. The manuscript must not have been formally published in a peer-reviewed journal or other primary publication.

2. The manuscript must not be under consideration for publication by another journal at the same time.

3. Authors must have the necessary rights to submit the manuscript for journal publication, and the preprint posting must not violate any copyright, licensing, confidentiality, or other third-party rights.

4. The existence of the preprint must be clearly disclosed to the journal during submission.

Examples of recognized preprint servers include, but are not limited to, Research Square, arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv, SSRN, ChemRxiv, and Zenodo.

Manuscripts previously posted as preprints will be subject to the same editorial assessment and peer-review process as other submissions. A preprint is not considered a substitute for peer review or formal journal publication, and its existence will not, by itself, determine the editorial decision.

If a manuscript is accepted and published, authors are encouraged to update the preprint record with a citation and link to the final published Version of Record.

Failure to disclose a relevant preprint may be considered a publication ethics concern.

The journal is committed to maintaining editorial independence and academic integrity.

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on:

• Scholarly merit;
• Originality;
• Relevance to the journal's scope;
• Methodological rigor;
• Ethical compliance.

Editorial decisions are made independently by the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board and are not influenced by:

• Publication fees;
• Waiver requests;
• Advertising;
• Sponsorship;
• Commercial interests;
• Publisher interests.

The publisher shall not interfere with editorial evaluations, peer review processes, acceptance decisions, or publication decisions.

All manuscripts are evaluated according to the same academic and ethical standards.

The journal is committed to handling complaints and appeals fairly, transparently, and in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Complaints

Complaints may relate to:

• Editorial processes;
• Peer review procedures;
• Publication ethics;
• Alleged misconduct;
• Author, reviewer, editor, or publisher conduct.

Complaints should be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office with sufficient details and supporting evidence.

Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions if they believe that a decision was based on factual errors, procedural irregularities, or significant misunderstandings of the manuscript.

Appeals must:

• Be submitted within 30 days of the editorial decision;
• Clearly explain the grounds for appeal;
• Provide relevant supporting information.

Appeals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or an independent editor who was not involved in the original decision. Additional peer review may be requested when appropriate.(contact@explorerpress.com)

The final decision following the appeal process shall be considered binding.

The journal follows COPE recommendations when handling complaints and appeals.

The journal does not accept or publish commercial advertising in any form, including website advertisements, sponsored content, promotional materials, or paid advertisements.

As the journal does not carry advertisements, no advertising revenue is associated with editorial decision-making.

Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, peer review outcomes, ethical standards, and the journal's editorial policies.

The publisher, editors, and editorial board operate independently of any commercial influence.

Should the journal's advertising practices change in the future, this policy will be updated accordingly.