Journal of Sustainable Decision Intelligence and Optimization (JSDIO) is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and credibility of the academic publishing process. The journal adheres to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing established by Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and follows COPE’s Code of Conduct.

Authors, reviewers, and editorial teams are expected to understand and follow best practices in publication ethics, along with our broader research ethics policies. The journal is dedicated to safeguarding authors’ moral rights—ensuring proper attribution and preventing misrepresentation—while also guaranteeing the accuracy of the scholarly record. Furthermore, we reserve the right to withdraw any accepted manuscript if ethical misconduct is identified prior to publication.

We strongly encourage you to review our resources of ethics policies below which can help you avoid common ethical issues during the publication process.

Ethics Policies

Browse our ethics policies:

Overview of Our Research and Publishing Ethics

You should only submit your manuscript to us if all the following conditions are met:

• The research has been conducted with the utmost rigor and integrity, in accordance with the ethical standards outlined in our policies.
• The submission is entirely original.
• The manuscript has not been submitted to another journal and is not currently under review elsewhere.
• The work complies with our guidelines regarding the use of generative AI.
• All listed authors meet our criteria for authorship.
• Any previously published or presented ideas or content included in the manuscript are properly cited and referenced.
• Any potential conflicts of interest that could affect the handling of the manuscript are fully disclosed.
• The content does not contain any defamatory, libelous, or illegal statements.
• Proper permission has been obtained for all third-party materials included in the manuscript.
• Consent has been secured for any named individuals or organizations, and ethical approval has been documented where necessary.

If your article is published and it is later discovered that any of these conditions were not fulfilled, we reserve the right to take appropriate action in accordance with COPE guidelines. This may include issuing a correction or retracting the article.

Please see each topic of our ethic policies above for more details.

Investigation Procedures

For any concerns regarding potential inaccuracies, breaches of research or publication ethics, instances of misconduct, or other issues that may compromise the integrity, validity, or reliability of a submitted or published work, please contact the editorial office. When submitting such concerns, it is essential to provide complete and detailed information, including a clear description of the issue and full bibliographic details of the work in question, along with the DOI where applicable.

The journal’s foremost obligation is to safeguard the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record. This responsibility includes implementing appropriate measures to correct and preserve its accuracy by informing readers whenever concerns, fraudulent practices, or ethical violations are identified or reported. We reserve the right to take any corrective action deemed necessary to fulfill this obligation.

The journal is committed to conducting a comprehensive and timely investigation in accordance with the procedures outlined below:

• Receipt and Initial Review: Upon receiving a complaint or concern, the Editor in Chief will evaluate the claim. An internal review will be undertaken to determine whether a full investigation is warranted and to verify adherence to established procedures. Please note that we may be unable to respond to unsubstantiated concerns, depending on the nature of the issue reported. We aim to acknowledge receipt of any claim within five working days.
• Investigation Process: The editor will conduct the investigation and, where appropriate, contact all relevant parties. Investigations will be carried out in collaboration with the author(s), reviewer(s) and the responsible editor(s), and additional information may be requested as necessary. In certain cases, it may be necessary to consult third parties, such as independent experts, the corresponding institution, or funding bodies. Please note that we are unable to provide regular updates during the course of an investigation.
• Confidentiality and Fair Process: To ensure impartiality and due process, we respectfully request that individuals raising a concern or complaint refrain from making public statements regarding the case until the investigation has concluded.
• Adherence to Ethical Standards: The journal will conduct investigations in accordance with the guidance and procedures recommended by COPE, where applicable and appropriate.
• Principles of Fairness: All investigations will be conducted objectively, based on evidence, and will ensure that all parties are granted the right to respond within a reasonable timeframe.
• Timeline: The journal aims to complete investigations within six working weeks. However, this timeframe may be extended to allow adequate time for responses from all parties and to accommodate factors such as the complexity of the concern, the availability of relevant data, the involvement of multiple authors or works, and the need to consult external parties, including the author’s institution.
• Corrective Measures: Where necessary, the journal will take appropriate steps to correct or clarify the scholarly record, which may include issuing a post-publication notice to inform readers of the concerns raised. All relevant parties, including copyright holders, editors, and authors, will be notified of the outcome and the decision reached.
• Final Decision: While every effort will be made to ensure fairness, it may not be possible to satisfy all parties in every case. Following a thorough and impartial process, the final decision in any disputed matter rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

The journal’s overarching responsibility is to uphold the integrity and transparency of the academic record. In line with this commitment, all information and materials used in the course of ethics investigations—including correspondence between editors, authors, and peer reviewers—are treated as strictly confidential. Accordingly, the journal reserves the right not to disclose detailed findings, system reports, or specific concerns to the parties involved.