Publishing ethics are an important part of peer-reviewed and scholarly research. It promotes the use of good standards, social responsibility towards the publication, and fosters a spirit of collaboration between the parties involved.
The Analog Astronaut™ Research Journal (AARJ) is committed to upholding the highest standard of publishing ethics. The following ethics policy outlines the ethical duties of the publisher, peer reviewers, editorial board, and the duties of the authors and researchers who participate in publishing with our journal. AARJ adopts these procedures to support the advancement of best practices on ethics of research and open source journal publications.
We aim to set high standards of safety within the research we conduct and foster a spirit of collaboration with our members and stakeholders. We also uphold these practices to safeguard the editorial content from reprinting, advertising, or other forms of unauthorized use of the published content.
While we do not provide legal counsel, we support our writers and editors in seeking protection of their work and legal review if necessary.
The publisher combines all of the hard work of the authors, researchers, peer reviewers, editorial board, and other stakeholders of the research process to create each edition of the AARJ. The publisher has a duty to maintain good records of each publication, as well as the documentation that went into the qualification of the research. The publisher will foster cooperative communication and is responsible for recording the scientific exchanges and industry associations that led to the final outcome.
The publisher does not have an interest in commercialization of research. Any commercial opportunities will be directed to the authors of the paper, exclusive of those related to the journal operations and brand. Additionally, any and all competing interests and affiliations will be disclosed to the stakeholders of the publication process as they arise.
Competing or commercial affiliations include but are not limited to:
The publisher will maintain a record of any competing interests from the authors, editors, and peer review board as well. Any material submitted for publication must have a disclosure of competing interests.
AARJ staff are not permitted to use any information acquired through their work in this journal for their personal gain.
The publisher is committed to advancing the standards of analog astronaut™ research through the encouragement of safe and scientific research principles across a variety of disciplines. The peer reviewers and editorial board will provide constructive feedback to the authors to advance the field and gain more insight into their research practices, where applicable.
No instances of unfairly acquired intellectual content or disregard and disrespect for race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality/citizenship, or personal beliefs will be tolerated. The AARJ pledges to uphold a diverse and inclusive space for analog astronaut™ research with transparent policies for publication, and clear guidelines for acceptable research from the authors. The publishers will maintain a clear channel of communication about the scientific practices used in research, and a mechanism to appeal editorial decisions.
The publisher will not attempt to influence the journal’s ranking or publicity by falsely presenting any metrics, including but not limited to requiring citations of the journal unless it is for fair reasons. The authors will not be asked to reference the journal’s services unless it is from their own initiative.
The publisher will provide the technical support and infrastructure to communicate about publications during submission, editorial review, and release of the journal.
The publisher will maintain confidentiality of the research and all materials submitted to the journal and all communications with the reviewers and editors unless otherwise agreed upon. This policy is exclusive of cases of misconduct where further investigation of an ethical breach must be inspected.
All open source materials will be taken into account and kept in their relevant databases for quality and revision control as driven by the authors.
Unpublished materials should not be used to advance the research or ideas of any of the AARJ staff without a written partnership or agreement of the authors and researchers involved. Privileged or controlled information must be kept confidential.
The AARJ will provide information on our ethics policies and guide the researchers to follow established industry standards where applicable.
AARJ peer reviewers will provide manuscript feedback to the editors via the expertise established in their respective fields.. The peer reviewers will hold the authors’ and journal’s best interests in mind and foster a spirit of collaboration and constructive feedback.
AARJ peer reviewers will conduct a fair review of the authors’ work, check for good research practices, plagiarism, and establish a standard for publishing safe and high quality research. Peer reviewers will suspend any personal judgement and declare any conflicts of interest ahead of conducting the review.
AARJ peer reviewers will maintain confidentiality of the authors’ work, identity, and any research materials provided unless otherwise agreed upon by the written consent of the authors. Any communications will be held in a private conversation to maintain the confidentiality of the review process.
AARJ peer reviewers will uphold the scholarly interests of the paper by insisting on the highest standards and following all ethics policies set by the publisher, as given above. Peer reviewers will not accept any payments for the work from outside parties, and follow the policies set in the ‘no commercialization or competing interests’ section of the publisher duties. Peer reviewers will assist the editorial board in communicating with the authors, improving the submitted paper, and establishing the principles of good scientific research. They will treat authors and the board with benevolent intentions and maintain a professional etiquette. Any reviewer who feels that they do not have the expertise to review a given paper will notify the publisher and editorial board promptly, and decline to participate in the review process.
The editorial board is a governing body that reviews the submissions to the journal for quality of research and ethical practices and will evaluate submitted information for competing interests.
The editorial board pledges to uphold the confidentiality of submissions in compliance with the publisher rules. They will be upheld to the same standards as for the peer reviewers on this matter and require written consent to publicly disclose unpublished papers, or any other research materials provided during the process.
The authors pledge to uphold the highest standards of research possible with the resources and funding that they have available to them. They will document their work using the scientific method and discuss the safe practices they use to ensure that the subjects of research remain in good health, or understand the risks within the study. They will document these risks and create mitigation plans where appropriate.
The authors will provide detailed information about the data collected, and the processes used to collect them upon request from the peer review and editorial board. The AARJ encourages the authors to use open source practices to foster collaboration within the community.
As per the standards, the authors will strive to maintain safety during their research. They will create a plan to document the impact of the research on humans and animals. They will also document the potential presence of hazardous substances within the research. Mitigation plans will be included and any incidents relating to the ethical and safety practices will be submitted along with the publication. The local and national laws regarding these practices should be followed. The AARJ does not take responsibility for any lack of documentation or best practice, but will report this to the author and initiate a discussion with the reviewers in the case that any questions or concerns arise.
Authors will strive to maintain the originality of data, and proper citation mechanisms. Any use of Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) or Natural Language Process (NLP) will be reported. Any work built upon another authors’ work or prior research will be disclosed. Plagiarism will not be tolerated by the AARJ.
The AARJ requests that the paper is not submitted to multiple journals at the same time. Any knowledge of concurrent or duplicate publications will be reviewed and brought to the authors for additional information.
The authors must declare any competing interests within the research within the study. This is critical to upholding ethical research. Additionally, limitations relating to the ethics of research must be considered and disclosed.
The prevalence of generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) and Natural Language Process (NLP) technologies is increasing with the advancement of computing power. The journal peer review and editorial process will not use these technologies, without prior disclosure, during the publication process. Please refer to our “AARJ AI Use Guidance” for more details.
The authors of the paper may use the technology with proper disclosure and citations, if it is necessary for their research. The originality of the work is emphasized, and the ethical use of Gen AI must be considered and disclosed. These technologies tend not to follow the scientific and safety standards that are set by industry standards, due to which their need or impact on the research must be discussed ahead of time in the case that they are used.
The AARJ is founded by a collaborative spirit to foster cooperation within the analog astronaut™ community and advance space research. The ethics practices aim to uphold the best interests of the community and the researchers. Any behavior that indicates otherwise is frowned upon and can lead to a review of the relevant actions and eligibility to participate in activities with the journal.
The journal encourages open source research and encourages collaboration between the authors of the publication, other researchers, and the community. These connections often provide valuable insights and feedback that align with the AARJ values.