Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Malpractice

The Journal of Information Systems Security (JISSec) publishes a minimum of two issues per calendar year, and special interest issues on relevant topics may also be published periodically. JISSec is owned by the Information Institute (USA). Editorial content of JISSec is managed by ISEG – Lisbon School of Economics and Management, ULisboa (Portugal), which is responsible for maintaining an electronic backup and for preserving access to the Journal's manuscripts. JISSec does not disclose or sell personal information to third parties. Information collected is used only for intended purposes.

The Journal closely follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and is committed to respecting high ethical standards at all stages of the publishing of papers, industry reports, and book reviews. The members of the Editorial Board are recognised experts in the field of Management and are obliged to act in a balanced, impartial, and objective manner when choosing manuscripts for peer-review or when deciding which subjects and papers to include for special issues. Such decisions are made with total respect for equality in terms of ethnicity, gender, religion, political beliefs, or sexual orientation. Additionally they are responsible for resolving complaints of an ethical or conflict nature in non-discriminatory and fair way.

Authors should only submit papers describing research that has been carried out according to internationally-recognised best practices and ethics codes of conduct. All sources of financial support, including educational grants, must be disclosed and authors are obliged to maintain accurate records of data utilised, and to provide access to these data on request. Authors must avoid misrepresenting research results, including manipulating images, removing outliers, or changing data points. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour. Furthermore, authors are obliged to correct or withdraw papers where reviewers, editors, or the authors themselves have discovered inaccuracies or incorrect information. Only those who have substantially contributed to the research described in the paper, or have revised it critically may be cited as authors, or co-authors.

Manuscripts cannot be submitted to more than one journal for simultaneous consideration, neither can they have been published previously (partly or in full), unless new research has been added to previous research. A single study cannot be split up into several sections for multi-submission.  Apart from literature reviews, research described should be original and access to all original data must be assured for a minimum period of ten years after publication. Plagiarism is unethical and must be avoided at all times, being defined as the presentation of other authors' data, text, or theories as if they were the author's own, without due acknowledgment. Similarly, permission must be presented for publishing text, data, or images that are private, confidential, or subject to copyright. 

Authors are obliged to participate cooperatively in the peer-review process and respond to editors' requests in a timely manner. Reviewers are expected to assist in improving the quality of submitted manuscripts in an objective, impartial, and timely manner. They are obliged to respect the confidentiality of all information and to ensure that they do not retain or copy the manuscript. Both authors and peer-reviewers should declare all conflicts of interest, be they financial or any other interest that could potentially compromise the impartiality and objectivity of published research, and, if needs be, authors should withdraw their manuscript and reviewers should cease to provide their services.

In cases of potential or proven misconduct, fraudulent publication, or plagiarism, the Journal reserves the right to take all appropriate action to clarify the situation and, if necessary, amend or withdraw the respective paper. In such cases, sufficient information and evidence needs to be provided by the editors, authors, or peer-reviewers in order for an investigation to be initiated. Such an investigation will be led by the editors, and all allegations should be taken seriously and treated equally, with the objective of reaching a successful and fair conclusion.

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