The multi-conference is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all reasonable measures to prevent and address publication malpractice. All parties involved in the publication process – authors, editors, reviewers, and conference organizers, are expected to comply with the following principles.

Authors’ Responsibilities

• Originality and exclusive submission. Authors must ensure that submissions are original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere. Any overlap with prior publications (including extended versions, translations, or reused material) must be clearly disclosed at submission. Substantial replication is permitted only when explicitly declared and approved by the conference chairs/presidents.
• Proper citation and research integrity. All sources must be appropriately cited. Plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, and other forms of research misconduct are unacceptable.
• Text reuse and self-plagiarism. Reuse of authors’ own previously published text or results is not acceptable unless it is clearly identified, properly cited, and consistent with copyright and publisher policies. Authors are responsible for ensuring transparency regarding any reused content.
• Authorship. Authorship must accurately reflect individuals who made a significant intellectual contribution to the work. All listed authors must approve the final version and agree to its submission.
• Conflicts of interest. Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

• Confidentiality. Reviewers must treat all manuscripts and associated materials as confidential and must not use unpublished information for personal advantage.
• Objectivity and timeliness. Reviews should be conducted objectively, fairly, and within the agreed timeframe, providing constructive feedback to authors.
• Scholarly diligence. Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited and report any suspected ethical issues (e.g., plagiarism, duplicate submission, fabricated results).
• Use of automated tools. Automated or AI-assisted reviewing may be used only as supportive input (e.g., language checks, similarity indicators) and must not replace human judgment. Final decisions must be made by human reviewers/editors, and reviewers remain responsible for the content of their reports.

Editors’ and Organizers’ Responsibilities

• Fair peer review. Editors and conference organizers are responsible for ensuring a fair, unbiased, and transparent peer-review process.
• Decision criteria. Acceptance or rejection decisions are based solely on academic merit, originality, clarity, methodological soundness, and relevance to the conference scope.
• Confidentiality and data protection. The confidentiality of submissions, reviewer identities (where applicable), and editorial deliberations is strictly maintained.
• Handling misconduct. Allegations of misconduct are taken seriously and investigated in line with recognized publication ethics practices. Appropriate actions may include requesting clarifications, rejecting submissions, issuing corrections, or retracting published papers when necessary.

Autonomy of Individual Events (Single-Conference/event Sovereignty)

• The multi-conference comprises multiple events (e.g., main conferences, workshops, round tables, local conferences). Individual events may define event-specific rules of engagement consistent with their format and objectives.
• The event type and review model must be clearly communicated to participants. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, events that publish peer-reviewed papers in English are expected to adhere to the ethical principles described in this statement.

Complaints and Appeals

• Right to appeal. Authors may appeal editorial decisions if they believe a decision was based on a factual misunderstanding, procedural error, bias, or a conflict of interest. Disagreement with reviewers’ opinions alone is not sufficient grounds for appeal.
• How to submit a complaint/appeal. Appeals and complaints must be submitted in writing to the conference organizers (or the designated ethics contact) and should include: (i) manuscript title and submission ID, (ii) a clear description of the concern, and (iii) evidence supporting the claim.
• Process. The organizers will acknowledge receipt and review the case. When appropriate, the case may be reassessed by an independent editor/chair not involved in the original decision, and/or additional reviewers may be consulted. Reviewers may be asked for clarification.
• Outcomes. Possible outcomes include: confirmation of the original decision, a request for revision, initiation of an additional review round, or other corrective actions. The decision after appeal is final.
• Misconduct-related complaints. Complaints alleging ethical misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, fabricated data) are handled with priority and may involve contacting authors for explanations and, where appropriate, notifying relevant institutions or publishers.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

• Corrections. If a paper in the proceedings contains a significant error that affects interpretation (but not the overall integrity of the work), the conference/publisher may issue a correction (erratum/corrigendum). Minor typographical issues that do not affect meaning may be left unaltered.
• Retractions. Papers may be retracted if there is clear evidence of unreliable findings due to misconduct or major error, plagiarism, duplicate publication, unethical research practices, or serious undisclosed conflicts of interest. Retractions will be clearly identified and linked to the original paper where possible.
• Expressions of concern. If an investigation is ongoing and there are reasonable grounds to alert readers, an expression of concern may be issued until the process is concluded.
• Versioning and transparency. Any updates (corrections/retractions) will be made transparently, with clear labeling and dates, in accordance with the proceedings’ publication platform capabilities.

Publication Malpractice

Unethical publishing behavior, including plagiarism, duplicate submission, citation manipulation, misrepresentation of results, or undisclosed conflicts of interest, is unacceptable. Confirmed cases of misconduct may result in rejection, removal from the proceedings, retraction (if already published), and notification of relevant institutions or publishers when appropriate.

Ethics Contact

For all matters related to publication ethics, complaints, appeals, or suspected misconduct, please contact:

is@ijs.si; matjaz.gams@ijs.si
Ethics Contact for the Multi-Conference