Academic and Publication Ethics

Approved by the editorial committee on 26 January 2026

Research of Educational Communications and Technology (hereafter “the Journal”) adheres to internationally recognized academic standards and the principles of professional peer review. The Journal expects that all submitted manuscripts (including invited manuscripts) shall be academically rigorous and adhere firmly to international standards of academic and publication ethics. The Journal accepts manuscripts written in either Chinese or English. Prior to submission, authors must ensure that the arguments, results, and conclusions of their manuscripts are original and comply with the internationally recognized APA formatting and citation guidelines adopted by the Journal. When a manuscript has been accepted after undergoing the Journal’s double-blind peer review process, authors are required to sign a Statement of Assurance and Authorization affirming that the manuscript does not involve any form of plagiarism or copyright infringement. Authors must agree to grant the Journal royalty-free authorization to publish their manuscript under an open access model and to authorize its inclusion in third-party databases. Such authorization includes the rights to reproduce, publicly transmit, download, print, and make necessary formatting modifications to the manuscript to meet database requirements.
In addition to the abovementioned basic principles, this statement is informed by the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). These recommendations define the ethical responsibilities of various roles involved in publication, including the Editor-in-Chief, Rotating Editors, reviewers, and authors. They also outline the criteria and procedures for addressing and adjudicating behaviors that may violate publication ethics.

Article 1. Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief and Rotating Editors

  1. The Editor-in-Chief and Rotating Editors shall evaluate submitted manuscripts fairly and objectively, without discrimination on the basis of race, skin color, gender or sex, language, religion, opinions, disability, nationality, or social status, and without prejudice to the rights of the authors.
  2. Manuscripts shall be assessed on the basis of their scholarly merit alone, without regard to academic schools of thought, institutional affiliation, or commercial influence.
  3. Appropriate channels shall be provided for authors to express concerns or appeals, and all related matters shall be handled in accordance with established procedures.
  4. Editors shall be vigilant regarding any potential conflicts of interest, including but not limited to financial, academic, industry–academia, or other relationships between authors, reviewers, and members of the editorial team.
  5. Anonymous external reviewers shall be recommended on the basis of a manuscript’s subject area and the author’s research background. To ensure that each manuscript is carefully and objectively evaluated and to provide authors with constructive, professional feedback, reviewers with direct personal or professional relationships with the author(s) shall not be considered.
  6. The Editor-in-Chief and Rotating Editors shall follow appropriate peer review procedures when handling submissions. After considering reviewers’ comments and conducting an objective assessment of the manuscript, these Editors shall provide authors with revision recommendations and make careful, impartial decisions to reject, request revision to, or accept the manuscript on the basis of its scholarly quality.
  7. The Editor-in-Chief and Rotating Editors have the authority and responsibility to handle cases involving violations of academic or publication ethics in accordance with the principles articulated by the COPE.

Article 2. Responsibilities of Reviewers

  1. Reviewers shall evaluate submitted manuscripts in a timely, fair, and objective manner and ensure that manuscripts recommended for publication enhance the quality of the Journal.
  2. Reviewers shall treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential and shall not disclose the contents of manuscripts with other parties.
  3. If reviewers identify substantial similarity between a submitted manuscript and other published works, they shall promptly notify the Editor-in-Chief or the Rotating Editors.

Article 3. Responsibilities of Authors

  1. Submitted manuscripts must be the original work of the author(s). All coauthors must have made substantial contributions to the research. Manuscripts must not involve any form of plagiarism, all data presented must be accurate and derived from reliable sources, and the manuscript must involve original scholarly research.
  2. If a submission is adapted from a thesis or dissertation, a funded research project, or a conference paper, authors must comply with the relevant provisions specified in the Journal’s Author Guidelines.
  3. If authors discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their submitted or published manuscripts, they must promptly notify the Editor-in-Chief or the Rotating Editors and cooperate with the Journal to appropriately address the matter.

Article 4. Identification and Handling of Ethical Misconduct

  1. If at any time the Editor-in-Chief or the Rotating Editors, members of the Editorial Board, or reviewers become aware of potential breaches of academic or publication ethics by an author, they shall promptly inform one another to facilitate timely handling of the matter. The criteria for identifying misconduct shall include but not be limited to the ethical principles outlined in this statement.
  2. Upon becoming aware of any alleged ethical misconduct, the Editor-in-Chief and the Rotating Editors shall collect sufficient information and evidence to initiate an investigation and deliberation and shall handle the matter in a fair and consistent manner until an appropriate decision is reached. If the alleged misconduct involves the Editor-in-Chief or a Rotating Editor, the Editorial Board shall appoint a chairperson to oversee the investigation and decision-making process.

Article 5. Investigation Procedures

  1. The Editor-in-Chief or a designated representative shall determine the scope and approach of the preliminary investigation and seek advice from the Rotating Editors and members of the Editorial Board when appropriate.
  2. Sufficient and relevant evidence shall be collected with minimal involvement of unrelated parties. After the evidence has been collected, the Editorial Board shall convene to deliberate and reach a decision, and the author(s) concerned shall be invited to provide an explanation.

Article 6. Sanctions and Corrective Actions
Depending on the severity of the academic misconduct, the Editor-in-Chief shall submit the case to the Editorial Board for review and decide on an appropriate course of action. Actions may include withdrawal, replacement, retraction, and removal of the manuscript, and one of the following disciplinary measures shall be taken:

  1. A record of the violation shall be maintained by the Journal. On the basis of the seriousness of the misconduct, the author(s) may be temporarily prohibited from submitting manuscripts to the Journal or may be permanently barred from making submissions.
  2. A formal notification may be sent to the author’s affiliated institution or relevant administrative office informing them of the misconduct and the outcome of the investigation.
  3. The Journal may publicly disclose a verified ethical violation in accordance with applicable policies and procedures.