Policies
AMA Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
Ethical standards help to ensure reliable research results, high-quality publications, and fair recognition for all authors.
The Association for Sensors and Measurement (AMA) is strictly dedicated to upholding the highest standards of scientific integrity. This document outlines our core ethical principles for all AMA publications, aligned with the established global guidelines.
1. Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship within AMA publications is reserved exclusively for individuals who have provided substantial intellectual input into the research design, data analysis, or the drafting of the manuscript. Every listed author must approve the final document and assume full public responsibility for its content. We strictly prohibit redundant publications ("salami-slicing") and require that any short paper or manuscript expanding on previous conference proceedings contains a significant degree of novel scientific value. Artificial Intelligence Policy: Generative AI tools and Large Language Models cannot take accountability for scientific work and are therefore strictly excluded from being credited as authors. If AI was utilized for drafting or language polishing, authors must explicitly disclose this in the manuscript and remain entirely responsible for the generated output.
2. Handling of Complaints and Appeals
We ensure a fair, transparent, and prompt resolution for all appeals and ethical inquiries. Should an author wish to appeal a manuscript rejection based on procedural or scientific misunderstandings, they must submit a scientifically reasoned written request to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days. This appeal will be evaluated by an independent member of the editorial board. General complaints about the review process are handled with absolute confidentiality, ensuring that raising a concern will never prejudice an author's future submissions.
3. Allegations of Research Misconduct
AMA takes all forms of scientific fraud—including data fabrication, data falsification, and citation manipulation—with the utmost severity. This explicitly includes the deceptive alteration, cropping, or uncredited enhancement of scientific images, graphs, and sensor data. Any adjustments to image brightness or contrast must be applied universally and disclosed transparently. Suspected misconduct will result in an immediate suspension of the peer-review process or a post-publication retraction, and we reserve the right to inform the affiliated research institutions.
4. Conflicts of Interest
Unbiased research is the foundation of our publications. All authors are obligated to openly declare any financial, commercial, or personal relationships—such as industry sponsorships or patent holdings—that might influence their work. Furthermore, our peer reviewers and editorial board members must declare any potential competing interests and recuse themselves from evaluating submissions where a conflict (e.g., recent collaborations or shared affiliations) exists.
5. Data Sharing and Reproducibility
To advance the field of sensor and measurement science, we advocate strongly for the transparency of research data. Authors are urged to deposit their raw data, calibration datasets, and proprietary code in secure, public repositories. All submissions must feature a mandatory "Data Availability Statement" indicating where the underlying data can be accessed. If legal or industrial confidentiality agreements prevent public sharing, this must be explicitly justified.
6. Ethical Oversight
For any studies involving human participants, medical data, or animal testing (such as biometric sensor evaluations), authors must certify that the research was formally approved by a recognized Institutional Review Board (IRB) or ethics committee. The details of this approval, along with a confirmation that informed consent was obtained from all participants, must be clearly documented within the methodology section.
7. Intellectual Property and Originality
All submitted manuscripts must be entirely original works. Plagiarism in any form—whether literal copying, uncredited paraphrasing, or the unauthorized translation of foreign-language texts—is a fundamental breach of academic ethics. Authors bear the sole responsibility for securing the necessary rights to reproduce any third-party copyrighted materials or visual elements.
8. Post-Publication Discussions
The scientific discourse must continue beyond the publication date. AMA actively supports post-publication debate and provides formal channels for the community to raise scientifically valid critiques regarding published methodologies or data interpretations. When substantial concerns are brought to our attention, the original authors will always be given the opportunity to provide a formal response or rebuttal.
9. Corrections and Retractions
Maintaining a flawless academic record is our priority. In cases of genuine, honest errors that do not undermine the core findings of a paper, AMA will promptly issue a formal Correction (Erratum or Corrigendum). Conversely, if a study's conclusions are invalidated due to severe misconduct or fundamental errors, the article will be formally retracted according to COPE guidelines. Retracted papers will remain in the digital archive but will be permanently watermarked to reflect their retracted status.
10. Ensuring the Integrity of the Scholarly Literature
AMA guarantees complete editorial independence. All submitted manuscripts are evaluated exclusively on their intellectual and scientific merit, without regard to the authors' personal attributes, such as citizenship, race, gender, or religious beliefs. Furthermore, the editorial team ensures that all information regarding submitted manuscripts is kept strictly confidential throughout the review process. Financial revenues, conference fees, or commercial affiliations have absolutely zero influence on the peer-review process or editorial decisions. We proactively educate our editorial boards against emerging threats like paper mills, and we ensure that all published knowledge is securely archived in recognized digital preservation databases to guarantee long-term availability.