Editorial Policy

The Indian Journal of Information Sources and Services (IJISS) adheres to a rigorous editorial policy to maintain the highest standards of academic excellence and integrity. The key aspects of the editorial policy are as follows:

Peer Review Process

All submissions undergo a thorough double-blind peer review process to ensure impartiality and quality. Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with expertise in the relevant field. The reviewers assess the manuscript for originality, methodological rigor, significance of the findings, and clarity of presentation.

Publication Ethics

IJISS is committed to upholding the principles of publication ethics as outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to adhere to ethical standards, including the avoidance of plagiarism, data fabrication, and other forms of academic misconduct.

Authorship and Contributorship

Authors must meet the criteria for authorship as defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately.

Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the review and publication process. This includes financial, personal, or professional relationships that could affect the objectivity of the research or its presentation.

Transparency and Openness

IJISS promotes transparency and openness in research. Authors are encouraged to share data, methods, and other resources that enhance the reproducibility and credibility of their work. Supplementary materials and data sets may be made available alongside the published articles.

Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted online through the journal’s submission system. Detailed guidelines for manuscript preparation and submission are available on the IJISS website. Authors should ensure that their submissions conform to the journal’s formatting and style requirements.

Decision Making

The final decision on the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript rests with the editorial board, based on the reviewers' recommendations and the editor's judgment. Authors will be notified of the editorial decision and provided with constructive feedback to improve their work.

Appeals and Complaints

This comprehensive editorial policy ensures that IJISS maintains its reputation as a reputable source of high-quality research in the field of Library and Information Science.

Ai Regulations

To uphold academic integrity and transparency, this journal has adopted the following policies regarding the use of Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, Claude, etc.). These guidelines ensure responsible use of AI technologies across all stages of the scholarly publishing process.

For Authors

  • Permissible Use: Authors may use generative AI tools to assist with grammar correction, language improvement, or formatting, provided such use is disclosed in the manuscript (e.g., in acknowledgements or methods).
  • Prohibited Use:
    • AI tools must not be listed as authors.
    • Generative AI must not be used for data fabrication, literature review generation, experimental results, or hypothesis formulation without verification.
    • Manuscripts must not contain AI-generated content passed off as original human research.
  • Disclosure Requirement:
    • If generative AI was used during manuscript preparation, authors must include a statement such as:
      "The authors used [tool name, e.g., ChatGPT] to assist with language refinement. The authors take full responsibility for the content."
  • Plagiarism Check:
    • All submissions will undergo plagiarism screening. AI-generated paraphrasing to bypass originality checks is considered unethical and may lead to rejection or retraction.

For Reviewers

  • Permissible Use:
    • Reviewers may use AI tools for grammar checking or summarizing content for their understanding.
  • Prohibited Use:
    • Review reports must not be generated entirely or substantially by AI tools.
    • AI tools must not be used to process confidential manuscript content, as this may violate privacy and data security.
  • Confidentiality:
    • Manuscripts under review are confidential. Reviewers must not upload any part of the manuscript to external AI platforms unless the tool complies with strict confidentiality standards and is locally hosted.
  • Integrity:
    • Reviews should reflect the reviewer’s own expert assessment. Reliance on AI may compromise the quality and originality of the evaluation.

For Editors

  • Permissible Use:
    • Editors may use AI tools to assist in language editing, decision letter drafting, or metadata organization, with appropriate human oversight.
  • Prohibited Use:
    • Editorial decisions must not be made solely based on AI recommendations.
    • AI tools must not be used to evaluate the novelty, importance, or ethical compliance of submitted work.
  • Oversight and Transparency:
    • Editors must ensure that any AI-assisted decisions are accompanied by full human judgment and accountability.
    • Journals are encouraged to develop internal policies for using AI tools in workflows such as plagiarism detection, reviewer recommendations, and language enhancement.
  • Monitoring:
    • Editors should monitor for potential misuse of generative AI by authors or reviewers and take appropriate corrective actions when necessary.