Ethical Issue

Ethics in publishing: All manuscripts must be original. Authors cannot submit a paper for publication to the other journals if it is submitted to GeoAI Insights . Paragraphs or sentences from other resources should be reduced and cited properly. This also applies to earlier manuscripts by the same authors. Manuscripts with similarity indices above 15% (excluding author information and references) will likely be rejected without initial screening. Plagiarism from one source should be less than 1%. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited. Please strictly avoid AI-generated text in papers.

The republication of similar research work (figures, texts, and tables) again is also unethical due to disturbance of copyrights. A duly signed author’s copyright transfer agreement will be taken from authors stating the originality of the research work after acceptance of manuscript. The author must transfer the copyright to the GeoAI Insights journal if article is accepted for publication. Therefore, the authors must submit unpublished, original, and new research work to the journal. The fraudulent and duplicate publication, plagiarism, copyright violation, conflict of interests, and authorships, are serious ethical issues. Hence, authors must follow the ethical integrity when submitting paper to the GeoAI Insights journal for publication. The authors are requested to adhere to the ethical guidelines before submitting the manuscript(s) to the GeoAI Insights . The following ethics must be followed by author(s):

• The author(s) must appropriately cite all relevant publications. Information obtained privately, as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, should not be used or reported in the author’s work unless fully cited, and with the permission of that third party.
• The author(s) must make available all necessary formal and documented ethical approval from an appropriate research ethics committee, including evidence of anonymization and informed consent from the client(s) or patient(s) studied, if appropriate. The author(s) must avoid making defamatory statements in submitted articles which could be construed as impugning any person’s reputation.
• The author(s) must declare any potential conflict of interest – be it professional or financial – which could be held to arise with respect to the article.
• The author(s) must disclose all sources of funding for the research reported in the paper.
If asked to provide a list of suggested reviewers (total four, three must be from abroad), the corresponding author must provide the correct details for suitable reviewers with the appropriate experience to review, ensuring that the suggested reviewers do not have a conflict of interest.

Authors and Author Responsibilities

The GeoAI Insights journal upholds the highest standards of publication ethics and transparency. Authorship should accurately reflect individuals’ contributions to the research and manuscript preparation. All listed authors must have made substantial scholarly contributions and must agree to be accountable for the work.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship credit should be based on all of the following criteria:

1. Substantial contributions to at least one of the following:
• The conception or design of the work; or
• The acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
2. Manuscript preparation, including:
• Drafting the work, or
• Revising it critically for important intellectual content.
3. Final approval of the version to be published.
4. Accountability, including:
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, and
• Ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

In addition to being accountable for their own contributions, each author should be able to identify the specific contributions of co-authors and must have confidence in the integrity of the contributions made by all collaborators.

Responsibilities of the Author(s)

Authors submitting to GeoAI Insights are expected to adhere to the following ethical responsibilities:

1. Reporting Standards

Authors should present an accurate and objective account of the research performed, including sufficient detail and references to allow others to replicate the work where applicable. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior.

2. Data Access and Retention

Authors should be prepared to provide raw data related to their manuscript for editorial review and should retain such data for a reasonable time after publication, in accordance with institutional and legal requirements.

3. Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. Any use of others’ work or words must be appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.

4. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors should not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal, nor publish redundant or substantially similar research in multiple outlets without proper justification and disclosure.

5. Acknowledgment of Sources

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

6. Authorship of the Paper

Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the study. All contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately, with their consent.

7. Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects

If the work involves hazardous chemicals, procedures, equipment, or human or animal subjects, authors must clearly identify these in the manuscript and confirm compliance with relevant ethical standards and approval processes.

8. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. Sources of funding must also be clearly stated.

9. Fundamental Errors in Published Works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in a published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate in correcting or retracting the paper if necessary.

GeoAI Insights is committed to ethical publishing practices and expects all authors to adhere strictly to these principles to ensure the integrity and credibility of scholarly communication.

Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, or editorial board members have to disclose every situation or connection, which could potentially affect the impartial review and publication procedure.

Archiving

The publisher has the plan for electronic backup and preservation of access to the journal content in the event a journal is no longer published.

We follow the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

Proprietorship

Science Transactions, India.

The contents are prepared with the help of the following notable organizations: COPE, Elsevier, IEEE, Taylor and Francis, Wiley Online. The journal follows the Open Journal System (OJS) standard.

Article Retraction, Correction, and Removal Policy

1. Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this policy is to preserve the integrity, accuracy, and reliability of the scholarly record published in GeoAI Insights. Retraction, correction, or removal of articles serves as a corrective mechanism to inform readers about content that is seriously flawed, ethically compromised, or unreliable. These actions are not intended to be punitive, but rather to uphold transparency and trust in academic publishing.

This policy applies to all articles published by Science Transactions across its journals, including GeoAI Insights.

2. Grounds for Retraction

An article may be retracted if one or more of the following conditions are identified:

• Clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either due to honest error (e.g., miscalculation, methodological flaws) or misconduct (e.g., fabrication, falsification, image manipulation).
• Proven plagiarism or substantial overlap with previously published work without proper attribution.
• Use of data or materials obtained illegally or without required permissions.
• Copyright infringement or other serious legal concerns.
• Research conducted in violation of ethical standards, including improper handling of human or animal subjects.
• Manipulation of the peer-review process, fraudulent authorship claims, or citation manipulation.
• Undisclosed or significant conflicts of interest that may have influenced the research outcomes or interpretation.

2. Retraction Process

4. Investigation
   Concerns raised regarding a published article are examined by the editorial team. Authors and, where appropriate, their affiliated institutions may be consulted during this process.
5. Verification and Editorial Review
   If the concerns are substantiated, the editorial committee evaluates the findings and determines whether retraction, correction, or another editorial action is warranted, in consultation with the publisher.
6. Author Communication
   Authors are formally notified of the concerns and the proposed action and are given an opportunity to respond before a final decision is made.
7. Decision and Implementation
   Retraction decisions may be implemented even if authors or institutions do not cooperate, or if investigations are prolonged.
   In cases involving systematic misconduct (e.g., paper mills or coordinated fraud), batch retractions accompanied by explanatory notices may be issued.

4. Retraction Notice: Content and Accessibility

All retraction notices will:

• Be clearly identified and directly linked to the original article.
• Include the article title, author name(s), and DOI.
• Clearly state the reason(s) for retraction and identify who initiated it (author, editor, or publisher).
• Be written in an objective, factual, and non-defamatory tone.
• Be published promptly and remain permanently accessible online.
• Display a visible “Retracted” watermark on the original article.

5. Corrections and Editorial Expressions of Concern

• Corrections:
  If errors are minor and do not invalidate the overall findings or conclusions, a correction notice may be issued instead of a full retraction.
• Editorial Expressions of Concern (EoC):
  An EoC may be published when an investigation is ongoing and there is inconclusive evidence regarding the integrity or reliability of the work.

6. Record Updating and Transparency

• All retraction, correction, and EoC notices will remain permanently available and will be indexed in relevant bibliographic and citation databases.
• Both the original article and its associated notices will remain accessible to ensure full transparency of the scholarly record.

7. Appeals

Authors may appeal a retraction decision by submitting documented evidence to the Editor-in-Chief of Science Transactions.
The editorial board will review the appeal and may seek advice from independent external experts before making a final determination.

8. Policy Alignment Statement

This retraction, correction, and removal policy aligns with internationally recognized publishing standards and ethical guidelines, including those of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and best practices followed by major publishers such as Springer and Elsevier.

GeoAI Insights is committed to maintaining ethical rigor, transparency, and trust in scholarly communication.