Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted work is original, accurate and has not been published or submitted elsewhere for consideration. Manuscripts must present research findings honestly and transparently, with sufficient detail and references to allow verification and reproducibility where appropriate.

Authors must properly acknowledge the work and ideas of others through accurate citation. Plagiarism, including unattributed copying, paraphrasing, or use of another person's work, code, datasets or models as one's own, is unacceptable. The journal may conduct similarity checks on submitted manuscripts.

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the study. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors have approved the final manuscript and agreed to its submission.

Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest, sources of funding and any financial or non-financial relationships that may influence the research or its interpretation. Where applicable, authors must also provide statements on ethical approval, informed consent, data availability, model/dataset availability and the use of hazardous materials, procedures, equipment or field-testing conditions.

For studies involving human participants — such as user studies, surveys, usability testing of smart infrastructure, or community engagement in urban planning research — authors must ensure that appropriate approval has been obtained from a recognised ethics committee or institutional review board, and that written informed consent has been obtained where required.

For studies involving field data collection, structural testing, construction site work or any hazardous materials, procedures or equipment, authors must clearly identify and address these hazards and confirm adherence to relevant occupational safety and ethical guidelines.

If authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must promptly inform the journal and cooperate with the editorial team to issue a correction, retraction, or other appropriate notice.

Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair, transparent and unbiased editorial process. Manuscripts are evaluated based on academic merit, originality, relevance, methodological quality, ethical compliance and contribution to the field, without discrimination based on authors' gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, institutional affiliation, or political views.

Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not disclose information about a manuscript to anyone other than those involved in the editorial and peer-review process. Editors should avoid handling manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest and ensure that appropriate reviewers are selected based on expertise and independence.

The Editor-in-Chief and editorial team are responsible for making publication decisions based on reviewers' recommendations, editorial assessment, journal policy and ethical considerations.

Reviewers play an important role in maintaining the quality, credibility and academic integrity of the journal. Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive and timely evaluations of manuscripts within their area of expertise.

Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, copy, discuss, distribute or disclose any part of the manuscript to others or use any information from the manuscript, including proprietary methods, datasets or models, for personal advantage.

Reviewers should declare any conflicts of interest, including financial, institutional, professional, academic or personal relationships that may affect their impartiality. They should decline the review if they are unable to provide an unbiased and impartial assessment or if the manuscript falls outside their area of expertise.

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and inform the editors of any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication or falsification, ethical concerns, inappropriate research conduct or substantial overlap with other published work.

Reviewers should complete their reviews within the agreed timeframe. If they are unable to meet the deadline, they should promptly inform the editorial office so that alternative arrangements can be made.

Research involving human participants — including user-experience studies of smart buildings or smart-city systems, surveys of construction industry stakeholders, or community consultation in urban and regional planning — must be conducted in accordance with recognised ethical standards and applicable institutional or national guidelines. Where applicable, studies must receive approval from an institutional review board, research ethics committee or equivalent authorised body before the research is conducted. Authors should clearly state the name of the approving body, the approval reference number and whether informed consent was obtained.

Where research involves identifiable personal information, location data, building occupancy data or other potentially sensitive data collected through IoT devices, sensors or digital monitoring systems, authors must ensure that the privacy, dignity, rights and confidentiality of individuals are fully protected, in accordance with applicable data protection regulations. Identifying or sensitive data should not be published unless essential and appropriate consent or anonymisation has been applied.

Authors should take particular care when reporting research involving vulnerable communities or populations affected by infrastructure or urban development decisions, ensuring appropriate ethical safeguards and, where applicable, community consent procedures are described.

Research involving field testing, structural or material testing, or construction site data collection must comply with relevant institutional, national and international safety guidelines and regulations. Authors should describe measures taken to ensure the safety of researchers, workers and the public, where applicable.

Given the journal's core focus on artificial intelligence, JAISBE draws a clear distinction between AI as the subject of research (e.g., machine learning models, AI-driven design tools, or AI-based infrastructure systems presented as original contributions) and AI as a tool used in the preparation of the manuscript itself (e.g., language editing, formatting, grammar checking, or literature searching).

Authors must disclose the use of AI tools in manuscript preparation where applicable. The disclosure should include the name of the tool, the purpose for which it was used and the extent of its contribution to the preparation of the manuscript. This disclosure requirement applies regardless of the AI-related nature of the research topic itself.

AI tools must not be listed as authors, as they cannot take responsibility for the integrity, originality, accuracy, validity or ethical accountability of scholarly work. The use of artificial intelligence in manuscript preparation must not replace the intellectual contribution, critical analysis, interpretation, accountability and responsibility of human authors.

Authors must carefully review, verify and validate any content generated or assisted by artificial intelligence tools to ensure accuracy, originality, transparency and compliance with ethical and publication standards. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity and validity of all submitted content, including any AI models, code, datasets or results presented as part of the research itself.

Authors should not use artificial intelligence tools to generate fabricated data, falsify results, create misleading figures, diagrams or simulations, produce unsupported claims, or generate inaccurate or non-existent references. Any inappropriate or undisclosed use of artificial intelligence tools may be considered a breach of publication ethics.

JAISBE is committed to maintaining the accuracy, reliability and integrity of the scholarly record. When errors, concerns, or ethical issues are identified after publication, the journal may issue post-publication notices, including:

Erratum: A correction for an error introduced during the editorial, copyediting, typesetting or production process.

Corrigendum: A correction for an error made by the author that does not invalidate the overall findings or conclusions of the article.

Addendum: Additional information, clarification or update related to a published article that is necessary for the completeness or interpretation of the scholarly record.

Expression of Concern: A notice issued by the journal when there are serious concerns about the integrity, reliability, or ethical conduct of a published article, but the outcome of an investigation is not yet available or remains inconclusive.

Retraction: A formal notice to withdraw a published article from the scholarly record when its findings or integrity are seriously compromised.

Retractions may be considered in cases involving plagiarism, data or model fabrication or falsification, unethical research, major methodological or analytical errors, duplicate or redundant publication, undisclosed conflicts of interest, lack of required ethical approval or other forms of serious publication misconduct.

All post-publication notices should clearly state the reason for the action and remain linked to the original article. Retracted articles will be clearly identified as retracted to preserve the transparency and integrity of the scholarly record.

JAISBE takes all allegations of publication misconduct seriously. Suspected misconduct may include plagiarism, data or model fabrication or falsification, inappropriate manipulation of figures, simulations or results, duplicate or redundant publication, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, ethical approval concerns, breach of confidentiality, compromised peer review or other breaches of publication ethics.

All allegations will be handled confidentially, fairly and in accordance with recognised publication ethics principles. The journal may conduct an initial assessment, request clarification or supporting evidence and seek responses from the authors or relevant parties, including the editorial board, reviewers, institutions or relevant authorities, before reaching a decision.

If misconduct is confirmed, the journal may take appropriate action, including rejection or withdrawal of the manuscript, publication of a correction, expression of concern or retraction, notification to the authors' institution, funder or relevant authority, or restriction from future submission for a specified period.

The journal respects the privacy, dignity, rights and confidentiality of research participants and individuals whose information appears in submitted manuscripts, including data collected through smart-city sensors, building monitoring systems or community surveys.

Authors must ensure that identifying or sensitive information is removed from text, tables, figures, images, datasets, supplementary materials and other submitted content unless it is essential for technical or scientific reporting and appropriate consent has been obtained. Identifying information may include names, identification numbers, precise location or address data, facial images from surveillance or sensor footage, or other details that could reasonably identify an individual or household.

Where identifiable or location-sensitive data is necessary for the research, authors must obtain appropriate consent or approval and apply suitable anonymisation or aggregation techniques to protect privacy, consistent with applicable data protection regulations.

If identifying or sensitive information is discovered after publication without appropriate consent or safeguards, the journal may take corrective action, including article amendment, temporary removal, correction, expression of concern or retraction, depending on the seriousness of the issue and potential risk of harm.