Editorial Policies

Framework on Ethics, Official Artificial Intelligence Policy & Academic Integrity

Version 1 – Effective January 2026

1. Editorial Commitment

LACCEI is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity, scientific rigor, transparency, and editorial independence across all its conferences and official proceedings. All full papers undergo a structured double-blind peer review process with a minimum of three (3) independent reviewers.

LACCEI aligns its editorial practices with internationally recognized principles, including those recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2. Scope

These policies apply to:

• Authors
• Reviewers
• Track Chairs
• Technical Committee Members
• Editorial Staff

Across all LACCEI conferences and official publications.

3. Originality and Plagiarism

All submissions must represent original scholarly work. The following are strictly prohibited:

• Plagiarism in any form
• Duplicate or concurrent submissions
• Redundant publication
• Excessive self-plagiarism
• Fabrication or falsification of data
• Manipulation of images or results
• Undeclared AI-generated content

All manuscripts are screened using similarity-detection software and editorial verification procedures.

4. Official Policy on the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence

LACCEI recognizes the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in research and academic writing. The use of AI must adhere to principles of transparency, human oversight, and intellectual responsibility.

4.1 Permitted Uses

AI tools may be used for:

• Language editing and grammar correction
• Translation
• Code assistance
• Data processing support

Human authors retain full intellectual control and responsibility.

4.2 Prohibited Uses

The following are strictly prohibited:

• Fabricating data or references
• Generating research findings without validation
• Submitting AI-generated text as fully human-authored research without disclosure
• Uploading confidential manuscripts to public AI systems (applies to reviewers)

AI systems cannot be listed as authors.

4.3 Mandatory AI Use Disclosure & Author Responsibility Statement

All manuscripts must include a dedicated section titled (failure to provide accurate disclosure may constitute academic misconduct.): AI Use Disclosure & Author Responsibility Statement.

This statement must clearly indicate whether AI tools were used and describe their purpose.

4.3.1. Official template to include in final paper

A. If NO AI was used:

AI Use Disclosure Statement
The authors declare that no Artificial Intelligence tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript.

Author Responsibility Statement
The authors confirm that this work is original, has not been submitted elsewhere, and that all authors assume full responsibility for its content.

B. If AI WAS used:

AI Use Disclosure Statement
The authors declare that Artificial Intelligence tools were used for [describe purpose: language editing, code assistance, data processing, etc.]. All AI-assisted outputs were reviewed, validated, and edited by the authors.

Author Responsibility Statement
The authors assume full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all content in this manuscript, including AI-assisted components.

5. Authorship, Contribution & Submission Limits

Only individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions should be listed as authors. All authors must:

• Approve the final manuscript
• Agree to submission
• Accept responsibility for the work

5.1 Maximum Number of Authors per Paper

Each submission may include a maximum of seven (7) authors.

5.2 Maximum Number of Submissions per Author

Each individual author may appear in a maximum of three (3) submissions per conference edition. These limits are established to:

• Ensure equitable participation
• Maintain review quality
• Prevent concentration of authorship
• Preserve academic diversity

Submissions exceeding these limits may be administratively adjusted or rejected at the discretion of the Technical Committee.

5.3 Authorship Changes

Changes in authorship after acceptance are not permitted, except under exceptional circumstances and subject to formal editorial approval.

6. Peer Review Integrity

LACCEI applies a structured double-blind peer review process ensuring:

• Confidentiality
• Fairness
• Objectivity
• Conflict-of-interest management

Reviewers must disclose conflicts of interest and refrain from using unpublished material for personal advantage.

7. Corrections, Retractions & Ethical Violations

If ethical violations are identified, LACCEI may:

• Reject the submission
• Request clarification
• Issue corrections
• Issue expressions of concern
• Retract published papers
• Notify indexing services
• Notify affiliated institutions

Investigations follow COPE principles and recognized editorial best practices.

8. Presentation Requirement

Only papers formally presented at the conference (onsite or virtual, as applicable – hybrid) are eligible for publication in the official proceedings. Failure to present may result in removal from publication.

9. Sanctions

Serious violations may result in:

• Immediate rejection
• Removal from proceedings
• Temporary or permanent submission ban
• Institutional notification

10. Research Ethics, Institutional Compliance & Data Protection Policy

LACCEI does not operate its own Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee. However, LACCEI requires that all research involving human participants, personal data, identifiable information, including surveys, questionnaires, online forms, interviews, experiments, or educational interventions comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical standards.

10.1 Institutional Ethics Approval

For research involving human subjects, authors must confirm that:

• The study received prior approval from the relevant Institutional Review Board (IRB), Ethics Committee, or equivalent body within their institution, where required.
• The research complied with national legislation governing research involving human participants.
• Informed consent was obtained when applicable.

If ethics approval was not required under the author’s institutional regulations, a clear statement explaining this exemption must be included in the manuscript. LACCEI reserves the right to request documentation of ethics approval or institutional clearance when necessary.

10.2 Data Protection and Privacy Compliance

Authors are responsible for ensuring that data collection, storage, processing, and publication comply with applicable data protection regulations, including:

• Institutional data protection policies
• National privacy legislation
• The European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), where applicable
• Relevant U.S. research ethics and data protection guidelines, where applicable

Personal data must be anonymized or pseudonymized unless explicit written consent for identification has been obtained.

Whenever possible, data should be reported and disseminated in aggregated form to prevent the identification of individual participants.

Only data strictly necessary for academic and research purposes should be collected (data minimization principle).

10.3 Informed Consent and Participant Rights

When research involves human participants, authors must ensure that:

• Participation was voluntary.
• Participants were informed about the purpose of the study.
• Participants were informed about data use, storage, and the intended academic purposes of the study.
• Participants had the right to withdraw.
• The confidentiality of the information collected is protected.

10.4 Responsibility and Accountability

The corresponding author assumes responsibility for ensuring compliance with ethical approval and data protection requirements. Failure to comply with ethical standards may result in rejection, retraction, or institutional notification.

10.5 Survey Data Privacy, Use & Governance

For research initiatives involving survey-based data collection (including surveys, questionnaires, and online forms), LACCEI applies specific data privacy, governance, and participant protection principles.

These principles are detailed in the LACCEI Survey Data Privacy & Use Policy, available at:

https://laccei.org/survey-data-policy

All survey-based research conducted under LACCEI initiatives must comply with this policy in addition to the general ethical and data protection requirements outlined in this Section 10.

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For any questions or inquiries, please contact us at the email address info@laccei.org.