The Journal of Early Childhood Education (JAUD) is fully committed to the highest standards of scientific integrity and ethics in all aspects of its publication process. This ethics policy is based on internationally recognized guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We expect all parties involved — authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher — to adhere to these ethical principles to ensure the fairness, transparency, and credibility of the research we publish. All forms of ethical misconduct, including but not limited to plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, self-plagiarism (duplicate publication), and undisclosed conflicts of interest, will be dealt with seriously and consequentially.
For Authors: Authors submitting manuscripts to JAUD must guarantee that the work is original and has not been previously published or is under consideration by another journal. All sources used must be properly and accurately cited. Authors are also solely responsible for the veracity of the data and the interpretation of the results presented. It is essential for all listed authors to have made substantial contributions to the research and manuscript writing, and to have approved the final version before submission. Any potential conflicts of interest (e.g., financial or personal relationships) must be explicitly disclosed. Research involving human participants must include evidence of ethical approval from the relevant authorized committee.
For Editors and Reviewers: Editors are responsible for making objective and fair decisions regarding manuscripts, based on scientific quality, originality, and relevance to the journal's focus, without any personal or commercial bias. They must also maintain the confidentiality of information within manuscripts under review. Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations, focusing on improving the manuscript's quality. They must also maintain the confidentiality of the reviewed material and promptly report to the editors if any potential conflicts of interest arise. JAUD is committed to thoroughly investigating all alleged ethical breaches and taking appropriate corrective actions, which may range from manuscript rejection, retraction of published articles, to reporting to relevant institutions.
