Renewable Energy, Biomass & Sustainability (REB&S) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal takes all reasonable measures to prevent publication malpractice, plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and other forms of unethical publishing behavior.
REB&S follows internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, including the guidelines and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, are expected to act in accordance with these ethical standards.
Authors’ Responsibilities
Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts are original, unpublished, and not under consideration by another journal. The work and words of others must be properly cited, quoted, or acknowledged. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, and inappropriate use of third-party content are not acceptable.
Multiple or Simultaneous Submission
Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time is considered unethical and is not permitted. Authors must confirm that the manuscript has not been previously published and is not currently under evaluation elsewhere.
Authorship and Contributions
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the study. All listed authors must approve the submitted version of the manuscript and agree with its submission to REB&S.
Any changes in authorship after submission must be justified and approved by all authors and by the editorial team.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, personal, or other competing interests that could influence, or be perceived to influence, the results, interpretation, or presentation of the manuscript.
Data Accuracy and Availability
Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the data presented in the manuscript. When applicable, authors may be asked to provide the raw data or supporting information related to their submission for editorial review. Authors should ensure that data are reported clearly, honestly, and transparently.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Authors must disclose the use of artificial intelligence tools in the preparation of the manuscript when applicable. AI tools must not be listed as authors and must not replace the intellectual contribution, responsibility, or accountability of the authors.
Editors’ Responsibilities
Editorial Decisions
Editors are responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts should proceed through the editorial and peer-review process and which manuscripts should be accepted, revised, or rejected. Editorial decisions are based on the manuscript’s originality, scientific quality, methodological soundness, relevance, ethical compliance, and alignment with the aims and scope of REB&S.
Fair Evaluation
Editors evaluate manuscripts based on their academic and scientific merit, without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, political philosophy, institutional affiliation, or any other personal condition of the authors.
Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Information about submitted manuscripts must not be disclosed to anyone except the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, editorial advisers, and the publisher when necessary for the editorial process.
Conflicts of Interest
Editors must not use unpublished information disclosed in submitted manuscripts for their own research or personal advantage without the explicit written consent of the authors. Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.
Ethical Oversight
Editors are responsible for taking appropriate action when ethical concerns are identified, including suspected plagiarism, duplicate submission, data fabrication, image manipulation, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or misuse of artificial intelligence tools.
Reviewers’ Responsibilities
Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, discuss, copy, cite, use, or distribute any part of the manuscript, data, figures, tables, or editorial information before publication.
Objectivity and Constructive Review
Reviews should be conducted objectively, fairly, and constructively. Reviewers should provide clear, specific, and well-supported comments that help authors improve the quality of the manuscript and assist editors in making editorial decisions.
Promptness
Reviewers should accept a review invitation only when they are able to complete the evaluation within the assigned deadline. If a reviewer is unable to complete the review on time, they should inform the editor as soon as possible.
Acknowledgment of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors when appropriate. They should also inform the editor of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and any other published or unpublished work of which they are aware.
Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers should decline the review invitation if they have any financial, institutional, collaborative, competitive, personal, or other conflict of interest with the authors, institutions, companies, or research connected to the manuscript.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Reviewers must not upload, share, or process unpublished manuscripts, figures, tables, data, or confidential editorial information in artificial intelligence platforms. AI tools may only be used for limited support tasks, such as improving the clarity or organization of the reviewer’s own comments, and must not replace the reviewer’s independent critical assessment.
Publisher’s Responsibilities
Editorial Independence
ALDESER, as the publisher of REB&S, respects editorial independence. Editorial decisions are based on academic and scientific criteria and are not influenced by commercial interests, institutional pressure, or personal considerations.
Ethical Oversight and Integrity of the Scholarly Record
The publisher, in collaboration with the editors, takes reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of manuscripts involving research misconduct or unethical publishing behavior.
Handling of Unethical Publishing Behavior
In cases of suspected or confirmed misconduct, including plagiarism, fraudulent publication, data fabrication, falsification, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or other ethical breaches, the publisher and editors will take appropriate measures to clarify the situation.
When necessary, editorial actions may include requesting clarification from authors, issuing corrections, publishing expressions of concern, retracting articles, rejecting manuscripts, or taking other actions in accordance with the journal’s editorial policies and ethical standards.
REB&S is committed to preserving the integrity, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly publishing record.