Publishing Ethics & Responsible AI Use

A concise policy for authors, and editors

1) Principles and Scope

Our journal is committed to integrity, transparency, and fairness at every stage of publication. These principles guide authorship, peer review, editorial decisions, and the permanent scholarly record. This policy aligns with widely accepted best practices of COPE)and applies to all participants in the process.

Committee on Publication Ethics documents, can be accessed at:

COPE Core Practices https://publicationethics.org/core-practices, COPE flowcharts https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts, COPE Guidelines https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines, and COPE Members cases https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Case.

2) Originality, Attribution, and Overlap

We expect to receive original contributions. Authors are asked to ensure that submissions are their own work and that all sources—ideas, methods, data, and wording—are properly acknowledged. Where prior dissemination exists (e.g., preprints, conference abstracts, thesis material), please disclose it at submission. The journal screens for textual overlap; when significant similarity is detected, editors will determine appropriate next steps, which may include clarification, revision, or rejection.

3) Authors’ Responsibilities

Accuracy and Reproducibility. Please describe methods and results with sufficient detail for verification and replication. Data fabrication or falsification is strictly prohibited. Where feasible, provide access to underlying data or explain how it may be obtained responsibly.

Authorship and Acknowledgement. List as authors only those who have made a substantial scholarly contribution and who approve the final manuscript. Others who contributed (e.g., technical help, editing) should be acknowledged.

Redundant/Concurrent Submission. To protect the integrity of the record—and everyone’s time—please avoid submitting the same or largely overlapping work to more than one journal simultaneously.

Conflicts of Interest and Funding. Disclose all funding and any relationships (financial or otherwise) that could be perceived as influencing the work. Transparency allows readers to assess findings with confidence.

Ethical Approvals and Safety. Indicate approvals for research involving humans or animals and flag any hazards or special precautions.

Corrections and Retractions. If a significant error is discovered after submission or publication, please alert the editor promptly to enable a correction or, where necessary, a retraction.

4) Editors’ Responsibilities

Fair and Informed Decisions. Editorial judgments are based on scholarly merit and the journal’s scope. We strive for timely, constructive decisions and maintain the integrity of the record, including issuing corrections or retractions when warranted. Submissions typically undergo single-blind review by at least two qualified reviewers where feasible.

Confidentiality and Conflicts. Editors treat submissions as confidential and do not use privileged information for personal advantage. Editors with relevant conflicts of interest recuse themselves from handling affected manuscripts.

Investigating Concerns. Reported ethical issues—whether regarding authors, reviewers, or editors—are taken seriously and addressed proportionately and transparently.

5) Responsible Use of AI Tools

5.1 For Authors

We recognize that AI tools can assist with clarity and presentation. Used responsibly—and transparently—they can support, but never replace, scholarly judgment.

Permitted with Disclosure. Language editing, copy-editing, reference formatting, and figure layout support via AI are acceptable if disclosed in the manuscript (e.g., in Acknowledgements or Methods). Authors remain fully accountable for all content.
Example disclosure: “We used [Tool, version] for language editing/drafting assistance for sections [X]. All content was verified by the authors.”
Verification is Essential. Check every AI-assisted output (including text, code, and references) for accuracy, completeness, and proper citation. AI-generated references must correspond to real, accessible sources.
What is Not Acceptable.
• Undisclosed AI ghostwriting or listing an AI tool as an author.
• Fabrication of data, images, or citations.
• Uploading confidential or sensitive data to public AI services without an approved agreement that safeguards confidentiality and complies with ethics approvals and data-protection rules.
• Using generated or modified images in a way that could misrepresent actual data. If AI influences a figure, clearly label it in the caption and describe the tool, settings, and prompts (as relevant) in Methods.
Reproducibility and Transparency. If AI tools materially affect analysis, generation of code, or interpretation, include tool names, versions, and (where helpful) prompts or parameters sufficient for others to understand and evaluate the workflow.

5.2 For Editors and Reviewers

Confidentiality First. Manuscripts, reviews, and associated data must not be uploaded to external AI systems unless (a) the platform is institutionally approved under appropriate confidentiality terms, and (b) the handling editor authorizes such use.
Assistive—Not Decisive. AI may be used to support administrative checks (e.g., language clarity, reference screening, overlap detection), but final judgments, reviewer selection, and recommendations are made by people, not tools. Reviewers may use AI to polish their own prose, not to substitute for expert assessment.
Accountability. Any AI-assisted step is documented internally as needed and verified by the responsible editor.

6) What Authors Should Include at Submission

A brief statement of originality and any prior dissemination (e.g., preprint).
Funding and conflict-of-interest disclosures.
A data availability statement (and repository identifiers, where applicable).
AI use disclosure (tool names/versions, how and where used).
Relevant ethics approvals and hazard statements.

Slovak Journal of Civil Engineering

The Journal of Slovak University of Technology

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All volumes and issues in this journal

Volume 34 (2026)

Volume 33 (2025)

Volume 32 (2024)

Volume 31 (2023)

Volume 30 (2022)

Volume 29 (2021)

Volume 28 (2020)

Volume 27 (2019)

Volume 26 (2018)

Volume 25 (2017)

Volume 24 (2016)

Volume 23 (2015)

Volume 22 (2014)

Volume 21 (2013)

Volume 20 (2012)

Volume 19 (2011)

Volume 18 (2010)

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