Publication Ethics Statement
The journal Integrated Circuits and Embedded Systems places great emphasis on the authenticity and reliability of research findings. Throughout the entire process from manuscript submission to publication, authors, editorial board members, editors, and peer reviewers are responsible for upholding publication ethics. To ensure academic norms, research integrity and the advancement of academic ethics across the full editorial and publishing workflow, Integrated Circuits and Embedded Systems refers to internationally recognized publication ethics documents (e.g., from the Committee on Publication Ethics [COPE], the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Mathematical Society, and the Institute of Physics) and, in combination with the journal’s specific context, formulates the following publication ethics statement.
Authors’ Responsibilities
Authors must guarantee that the manuscript is an original work. They should confirm that all research findings of other scholars mentioned in the article are appropriately cited and attributed, and that the manuscript involves no confidentiality issues, disputes over authorship or institutional affiliation, or intellectual property conflicts.
Authors should fully recognize the serious harms of academic misconduct and adhere to sound scientific practices, including:
Do not submit the manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously.
The manuscript must not have been previously published in whole or in part. If reusing materials (except for extensions of prior work), obtain copyright permission and provide proper citations to avoid self-plagiarism.
Do not split a complete research project into multiple manuscripts for submission to multiple journals or the same journal.
Do not fabricate data (including image manipulation) to support conclusions.
Do not plagiarize others’ data, text, or theories. For unavoidable repeated text or images: please provide proper citations, enclose text in quotation marks and obtain publishers’ permission for images.
Note: This journal uses CNKI’s academic misconduct detection software.
Before submission, obtain consent from all co-authors and affiliated institutions regarding the manuscript content.
All authors must have made substantial contributions to the
manuscript and share collective responsibility for the research findings.
Responsibilities of Editorial Board Members and Editors
Adhere to a balanced, objective, and impartial code of conduct.
Manuscripts for funded special issues or thematic collections follow the same review and processing procedures as regular submissions. Acceptance is based solely on academic merit, with no consideration of commercial interests.
Strictly follow the journal’s peer review system and maintain accurate records of the review process.
Objectively inform authors of review outcomes, providing detailed revision suggestions or clear rationales for rejection whenever possible.
Protect the confidentiality of authors’ and reviewers’ information, authors’ research data, and all interim materials related to manuscript processing.
During editing and publication, uphold publishing standards while respecting authors’ viewpoints, writing styles, and intellectual contributions. Substantive revisions (especially regarding academic arguments) require authors’ explicit consent.
Firmly oppose putting forward editorial opinions that violate academic and ethical standards, and resolutely oppose behaviors such as violating conflict-of-interest regulations, breaching confidentiality requirements, misappropriating manuscript content, interfering with the review process, seeking improper benefits, and other editorial - related academic misconduct.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Guided by the principles of upholding academic integrity and respecting academic freedom, conduct honest, objective, and impartial evaluations of manuscripts. Avoid prejudice or discrimination against authors based on their nationality, institution, race, religion, political beliefs, gender, or other attributes. Do not disclose authors’ research content or retain copies of the manuscript.
Review manuscripts promptly as agreed. If unable to meet the review deadline, promptly notify the editorial office and decline the review assignment.
If suspected similarity is found between the manuscript under review and previously published works or manuscripts under review elsewhere, reviewers are obligated to report such concerns to the editorial office.
If there may be conflicts of interest with authors (e.g., financial ties, institutional affiliations, collaborative research, or other relationships), inform the relevant editor and, when necessary, recuse themselves from reviewing the manuscript.
Regarding Intellectual Property
Authorship reflects authors’ intellectual property rights and academic contributions. The authorship principle dictates that the individual who makes the most significant contribution to the paper shall be listed as the first author, while those with notable supplementary contributions may be designated as corresponding authors. The first author (or corresponding author) is responsible for the paper’s research quality, academic standards, and the authenticity and reliability of its content. Individuals who provided auxiliary support but do not qualify as authors may be acknowledged in the acknowledgement. Authors must verify the authenticity of all co-authors, and the order of authorship shall be mutually agreed upon by all contributors based on their respective contributions.
In principle, authorship cannot be altered after a manuscript is accepted through peer review. If, due to exceptional circumstances, authors need to be added or removed before publication, the first author or corresponding author must promptly submit a formal application to the editorial office and obtain consent from all co-authors. The journal’s editorial office retains the authority to approve such changes, and authors must provide documentation to verify the legitimacy and validity of their request.
Manuscripts must be originally submitted to this journal, with no intellectual property infringement. Papers must not contain state secrets or institutional commercial secrets; confidential content must undergo declassification processing in advance. Authors assume full responsibility for issues related to intellectual property, information security, etc.
Before a paper is accepted, authors must sign agreements with the editorial office regarding intellectual property and confidentiality review. During submission, the editorial office will present the content of these agreements to authors.
Authors may track the review progress via the submission system. Until receiving an acceptance or rejection notice from the editorial office, authors shall not submit the manuscript to other journals. Violations will be deemed academic misconduct, and authors will be held accountable.
Regarding Conflicts of Interest
If a reviewer has a conflict of interest with an author (e.g., family ties, mentor-student relationships, alumni connections, collegial relationships, or competitive relationships), the reviewer must promptly consult the editorial office for guidance to ensure review impartiality. Those with substantial conflicts of interest are unfit to review the manuscript.
If a reviewer discovers that an author’s research is similar to their own, review comments must not contain unsubstantiated, malicious criticism, or unfair content, and groundless accusations should be avoided.
Manuscripts must include a complete list of all authors’ current affiliations, covering both academic institutions and corporations.
Submitted manuscripts must disclose all sources of financial support for the project.
All authors and co-authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest (e.g., employment, consulting fees, research contracts, stock ownership, patent licenses, honorarium, or advisory roles) at the time of submission. If the manuscript is accepted, this information should be included in the acknowledgement section.
Regarding Academic Misconduct
1. Identification
Anyone may report academic misconduct related to the journal’s articles to the editorial office. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to: For authors: Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, inappropriate authorship, simultaneous submission, duplicate publication, research ethics violations, etc. For reviewers: Misconduct in reviews (e.g., evaluating based on non - academic factors, illegally influencing publication decisions, violating conflict - of - interest rules, breaching confidentiality, misappropriating manuscript content, etc.).
All reports must provide sufficient information and evidence for investigation. The editorial office will treat all accusations seriously and handle them uniformly until a final decision or conclusion is reached.
2. Handling of Minor Violations
For minor academic misconduct, editors may address the issue immediately without extensive consultation.
Authors must be given the opportunity to respond to any allegations.
3. Handling of Serious Violations
Serious academic misconduct requires notifying the author’s affiliated institution (e.g., university or organization). After consulting with the editor-in-chief, the editorial board or office may either review existing evidence or consult a limited panel of experts to decide whether to notify the author’s institution.
4. Sanctions (Applied individually or in combination, in ascending order of severity)
Request the author/reviewer to explain their violations or misleading actions.
Send a strongly worded letter to the author/reviewer, detailing the misconduct as a warning for future behavior.
Publish a formal statement describing the misconduct in detail.
Publish an editorial in the journal to elaborate on the misconduct.
Send a formal letter to the heads of the author’s/reviewer’s institution or funding body.
Formally retract the relevant manuscript from publications, notify the institution’s leadership, and alert abstract/indexing databases and readers.
Prohibit the individual from submitting to the journal for a specified period.
Report the case and outcomes to professional bodies or higher-level authorities for further investigation and action.
Regarding Corrections and Retractions After Publication
The editorial office will correct or retract published articles when necessary, as outlined below. Corrections：If an article contains unintended scientific errors that do not materially affect its results or conclusions, the editorial office will promptly publish a correction notice in the journal. This notice will detail the changes made to the original article, and include the article’s citation details. The journal will release a revised version of the paper, which clearly explains the modifications to the original text and notes the update date. The pre-correction version will be archived and remain accessible to readers; however, citations should refer to the most recent version.
Retractions: The editorial office will retract articles under the following circumstances:
1. If the article contains serious scientific errors that render its results or conclusions unreliable;
2. For articles suspected of academic misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication): The editorial office will initiate an investigation and issue a statement to notify readers of potential risks. Investigation results will be made public. If misconduct is confirmed, the editorial office will retract the article and publish a retraction statement.
Regarding Ethical Oversight
The journal emphasizes scientific spirit and a sense of responsibility. While exercising self-discipline and pursuing self-development, it accepts supervision from the academic community and society at large. If authors or others discover flaws in a paper or violations of research norms during the relevant research process, they should immediately notify the editorial office. After verification and confirmation, the editorial office shall assist the authors in retracting the paper, or publishing a correction statement or erratum. If academic misconduct is confirmed, it will be handled in accordance with the relevant procedures and regulations for academic misconduct.