Proper citation is fundamental to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and credibility of scholarly communication. The Emerging Trends in Engineering and Sustainability (ETES) journal upholds strict ethical standards to ensure that all references accurately acknowledge prior work, support research validity, and reflect responsible academic practice. The following policy outlines the principles authors, reviewers, and editors must follow when handling citations in submitted manuscripts.
- Transparent and Accurate Attribution
All information, ideas, data, or text derived from other sources must be properly acknowledged through accurate citation. Direct quotations must appear within quotation marks and be accompanied by a corresponding reference. This requirement extends equally to the author’s own previously published work (self-reuse or “text recycling”) to ensure transparency and avoid redundancy.
- Responsible Self-Citation
Authors may cite their prior work only when it is directly relevant and essential to the submitted manuscript. Excessive or irrelevant self-citation intended to inflate citation counts or misrepresent the novelty of the current work is strictly discouraged.
- Firsthand Use and Verification of Sources
Only materials that the authors have personally read and critically assessed should be cited. The practice of copying citations from other works without consulting the original source is considered unethical and may be treated as a breach of research integrity.
- Scholarly Merit and Neutrality in Citation
Citations must be chosen solely for their academic significance, methodological relevance, or conceptual contribution. Authors must refrain from preferentially citing their own publications, those of colleagues, editors, or reviewers, unless clearly justified by relevance to the study.
- Citation Quality and Source Type
Reference lists should primarily include peer-reviewed journal articles, books, or credible academic sources. Non-scholarly materials such as advertisements, sponsored content, promotional material, Wikipedia entries, or unverifiable online content are not acceptable as formal references.
- Avoidance of Manipulative or Coercive Citations
Citation practices must comply with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authors, reviewers, and editors must avoid any form of citation manipulation, including citation stacking, coercive citation, or inclusion of irrelevant references intended to influence journal metrics or individual impact.
- Integrity of Reference Data
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all bibliographic details (authors’ names, titles, volumes, pages, DOIs, and years) are accurate and correspond to the cited work. Inclusion of fabricated or AI-generated references is strictly prohibited and may result in rejection or retraction.
- Editorial and Reviewer Neutrality
Editors and reviewers must not request the addition of references to their own publications or journals unless scientifically justified. Any such request must be transparently explained as necessary for the quality or completeness of the manuscript.
Consequences of Citation Misconduct
Manipulating or falsifying citation patterns undermines the integrity of scholarly communication. Any suspected citation malpractice—including excessive self-citation, citation cartels, or unverifiable references—will be investigated in accordance with COPE procedures and may lead to rejection, retraction, or author sanctions.