SPARK: Systems, Programming, Artificial Intelligence and Research Knowledge is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal follows the principles and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure a fair, transparent, and ethical publication process.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are expected to:

• Submit original manuscripts that have not been published or simultaneously submitted to another journal.
• Properly acknowledge and cite all sources of information used in their research.
• Ensure the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of the data and findings presented.
• Disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may influence the research or publication.
• Obtain all necessary ethical approvals for research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data.
• Cooperate with the editorial process by responding to reviewers' comments and submitting revisions within the specified timeframe.
• Notify the editorial office promptly if a significant error is discovered in a published article.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for:

• Evaluating submitted manuscripts solely on their academic merit, originality, scientific quality, and relevance to the journal's scope.
• Maintaining confidentiality throughout the editorial and peer-review process.
• Making fair, unbiased, and independent editorial decisions.
• Avoiding conflicts of interest and handling manuscripts objectively.
• Taking appropriate action when ethical concerns or publication misconduct are identified.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

• Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations.
• Maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts.
• Identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors.
• Inform the editor of any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, or research misconduct.
• Decline the review invitation if a conflict of interest exists or if they are unable to provide an unbiased assessment.

Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher is committed to:

• Supporting editorial independence and maintaining the integrity of the publication process.
• Ensuring that ethical standards are consistently implemented.
• Preserving published articles through reliable digital archiving.
• Cooperating with editors in investigating allegations of publication misconduct when necessary.

Publication Misconduct

SPARK does not tolerate any form of publication misconduct, including but not limited to:

• Plagiarism
• Data fabrication or falsification
• Duplicate or redundant publication
• Citation manipulation
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest
• Authorship disputes or inappropriate authorship
• Ethical violations involving human or animal research

Any suspected misconduct will be investigated following COPE guidelines. When necessary, appropriate actions may include manuscript rejection, publication of corrections, article retraction, notification to the authors' institutions, or other corrective measures.

Ethical Commitment

By submitting a manuscript to SPARK, authors agree to comply with these publication ethics and uphold the principles of honesty, transparency, accountability, and academic integrity throughout the publication process.