Publication Ethics

The Fine Arts Journal: Srinakharinwirot University (FAJSWU) is committed to the highest standards of scholarly integrity, editorial independence, transparency, and ethical publishing. The journal follows internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, including the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, and relevant standards concerning authorship, peer review, conflicts of interest, research integrity, and post-publication accountability.

This statement applies to all parties involved in the publication process, including editors, reviewers, authors, editorial staff, and contributors. FAJSWU recognizes that ethical publishing is not limited to the prevention of misconduct; it also requires a fair, accountable, and intellectually rigorous editorial system that protects the integrity of the scholarly record.

1. Responsibilities of Editors

1.1 Editorial Independence and Publication Decisions

The Editor-in-Chief and the editorial board are responsible for deciding which manuscripts are accepted for publication. Decisions are based solely on academic merit, originality, methodological rigor, relevance to the journal’s scope, clarity of argument, ethical compliance, and contribution to the field.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by institutional affiliation, personal relationships, commercial interests, political considerations, sponsorship, or external pressure. The journal evaluates manuscripts without discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, disability, political view, institutional status, or academic rank.

1.2 Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must treat all submitted manuscripts and related correspondence as confidential. Information about a manuscript may be shared only with individuals directly involved in the editorial and peer review process.

Unpublished materials, data, interpretations, images, or ideas contained in submitted manuscripts must not be used by editors or editorial staff for personal, academic, professional, or financial advantage without the authors’ explicit written consent.

1.3 Peer Review Integrity

FAJSWU employs a double-blind peer review process. The identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another throughout the review process.

Each manuscript is normally reviewed by at least two independent experts in the relevant field. When reviewer reports differ substantially, the editor may seek an additional review or make a reasoned editorial decision based on the quality of the manuscript, the evidence provided by reviewers, and the journal’s editorial standards.

Editors are responsible for ensuring that peer review is fair, timely, constructive, and free from inappropriate influence.

1.4 Conflicts of Interest

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts when a conflict of interest may compromise, or appear to compromise, editorial judgment. Such conflicts may include personal, financial, institutional, supervisory, competitive, or collaborative relationships with the authors or their institutions.

When a conflict exists, the manuscript must be assigned to another qualified editor.

1.5 Research Integrity and Misconduct

Editors are responsible for responding to suspected cases of publication misconduct, including plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate submission, redundant publication, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, citation manipulation, authorship manipulation, reviewer misconduct, and undisclosed conflicts of interest.

When ethical concerns arise, the journal will follow appropriate procedures consistent with COPE guidance. Depending on the nature and severity of the case, the journal may reject the manuscript, request clarification, contact the authors’ institution, issue a correction, publish an expression of concern, or retract the article.

2. Responsibilities of Reviewers 

2.1 Contribution to Editorial Decision-Making

Reviewers assist editors in assessing the scholarly quality, originality, coherence, methodological soundness, and ethical integrity of manuscripts. Their evaluations should help both the editor and the author understand the strengths and limitations of the submission.

Reviewer comments should be specific, evidence-based, professionally written, and intellectually constructive.

2.2 Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents. They must not share, copy, cite, distribute, discuss, or use the manuscript or any part of its content before publication without authorization from the editor.

Information obtained through peer review must not be used for personal, academic, professional, or financial advantage.

2.3 Objectivity and Professional Conduct

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and respectfully. Criticism should address the work, not the author.

Reviewers should avoid unsupported judgments, personal remarks, discriminatory comments, or recommendations based on theoretical preference rather than scholarly evidence.

2.4 Acknowledgment of Relevant Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors when such work is necessary for scholarly accuracy or contextual understanding.

If reviewers detect substantial similarity, overlap, possible plagiarism, duplicate publication, or citation manipulation, they must notify the editor.

2.5 Timeliness and Competence

Reviewers should accept review invitations only when they have appropriate expertise and sufficient time to complete the review. If a reviewer is unable to provide a timely and competent evaluation, they should decline the invitation promptly.

2.6 Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts when they have conflicts of interest related to the authors, institutions, funders, research topics, or competing work.

Reviewers must not use the peer review process to promote their own publications, impose inappropriate citations, or gain scholarly advantage.

2.7 Use of Artificial Intelligence in Peer Review

Reviewers must not upload manuscripts, data, images, or any confidential submission materials to generative artificial intelligence tools or external platforms that may compromise confidentiality, intellectual property, data security, or author rights.

AI-assisted tools must not replace the reviewer’s independent scholarly judgment.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

3.1 Originality and Scholarly Integrity

Authors must submit original work that has not been previously published and is not under consideration by another journal.

All sources, concepts, quotations, images, artworks, musical materials, performance documentation, datasets, and intellectual contributions from others must be properly acknowledged. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, citation manipulation, duplicate submission, and redundant publication are serious breaches of publication ethics.

3.2 Authorship and Contribution

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the work.

All listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all eligible contributors are included, that all listed authors meet authorship criteria, and that no ghost authorship, guest authorship, or gift authorship occurs.

3.3 Multiple or Concurrent Submission

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time.

If the manuscript is based on a thesis, conference paper, creative work, exhibition, performance, or previously circulated material, this must be clearly disclosed at submission, and the manuscript must demonstrate substantial scholarly development beyond the earlier version.

3.4 Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants must comply with relevant institutional, national, and international ethical standards.

Authors must state whether ethical approval was obtained from an appropriate ethics review committee and provide the approval number when applicable. Research participants must provide informed consent before participation.

When manuscripts include interviews, photographs, videos, performances, classroom activities, community-based research, practice-based research, or identifiable personal information, authors must obtain appropriate consent for both participation and publication.

Special care must be taken when research involves minors, vulnerable participants, marginalized communities, culturally sensitive materials, or identifiable performers.

3.5 Data Accuracy, Access, and Retention

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of the data, evidence, documentation, and analysis presented in their manuscripts.

The journal may request raw data, documentation, consent forms, ethics approval records, or supplementary materials when necessary for editorial assessment or ethical investigation. Authors should retain research materials for an appropriate period after publication.

3.6 Conflicts of Interest and Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial relationships that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, the research, interpretation, or publication of the manuscript.

Funding sources, grants, sponsorships, institutional support, advisory roles, paid consultancies, professional affiliations, and other relevant relationships must be clearly stated in the manuscript.

If there are no conflicts of interest, authors should include a statement declaring that no conflicts exist.

3.7 Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors must disclose any use of generative artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of the manuscript, including writing support, translation, image generation, data processing, coding, or analytical assistance.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, or ethical accountability of scholarly work.

Authors remain fully responsible for all submitted content, including any material produced or modified with the assistance of AI technologies.

4. Corrections, Retractions, and Post-Publication Responsibility

FAJSWU is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.

When significant errors, ethical concerns, or evidence of misconduct are identified after publication, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or editorial notice, depending on the nature of the case.

Retractions may be issued in cases involving plagiarism, fabricated data, falsified findings, unethical research, duplicate publication, serious errors, or other forms of misconduct that compromise the reliability of the published work.

5. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions when they can provide clear evidence that an error occurred in the review or editorial process.

Complaints concerning editorial conduct, peer review, conflicts of interest, publication ethics, or post-publication matters will be considered carefully and handled in a fair, confidential, and timely manner.

Appeals and complaints do not guarantee reversal of an editorial decision, but they will be reviewed according to the journal’s ethical and editorial standards.

6. Copyright, Permissions, and Use of Third-Party Materials

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted materials, including images, artworks, photographs, diagrams, musical notation, performance documentation, archival materials, and other third-party content.

All reproduced materials must be properly credited. Authors must ensure that their submission does not infringe copyright, privacy rights, moral rights, or cultural rights.

7. Ethical Commitment of the Journal

FAJSWU regards publication ethics as a shared responsibility among editors, reviewers, authors, and the academic community.

The journal is committed to editorial fairness, scholarly rigor, transparency, intellectual accountability, and respect for human dignity. Through these principles, FAJSWU seeks to support responsible knowledge production in fine arts, design, music, dance, performing arts, art education, cultural studies, creative practice, and related fields.