Code of Ethics for Publication of the Journal of the Korean Solar

Energy Society

 

Preamble

 

The Korean Solar Energy Society is an academic organization that aims to promote the use of solar energy, which is an eco-friendly energy source, through research activities, educational activities, and solar energy-related projects. In particular, the journal, which presents academic research results and practical results, significantly contributes to academic knowledge and development of solar energy technology.
The social demands and ethics that must be observed in the publication of the journal are the responsibility of authors, editors, and reviewers in the process of submitting, examining, and publishing manuscripts.
This code of ethics for journal publication (hereinafter referred to as the Code of Ethics) relates to the principles and standards of ethics that members of the Society (hereinafter abbreviated as members) must follow in the process of performing these roles.
Members must abide by the Code of Ethics when conducting academic research and presenting research papers, recognize the value of research, and be able to share research results.
Accordingly, the publication of the specialized academic journal, which selects and publishes research papers containing solar energy-related research results through fair and strict screening is one of the most important projects for achieving the purpose of the establishment of the Society. The Code of Ethics established for this purpose will serve as an opportunity for members to reconfirm the ethical level pursued by the Society for research paper writing, evaluation, and journal editing.

 

Chapter 1 Research-related ethics rules

 

Section 1 Code of ethics for authors to follow

 

Article 1 - Citations and references

(1) When citing publicly available academic data, efforts should be made to accurately describe it, and the source must be clearly identified unless the material is commonly known. In the case of data obtained during the evaluation of the paper or research plan or through personal contact, citation can be made only after obtaining the consent of the researcher who provided the information.

 

(2) When citing someone else’s writing, borrowing or referencing another person's writing, the citation or reference must be made through a footnote or endnote. Through this notation, the result part of the previous research and the original idea, argument, and interpretation part should be separately specified such that the reader can understand it.

 

Article 2 Publication achievement

(1) An author is only responsible for the research he/she actually conducted or contributed, and is recognized for the achievement.

 

(2) The order of authors (translators) or authors of papers or other publication achievements should accurately reflect the level of contribution to the research regardless of their relative status. Becoming an author or being recognized as a first author simply by being in a certain position cannot be justified. On the other hand, not being recorded as a co-author (translator) or co-researcher despite contribution to research or writing (translation) cannot be justified. Small contribution to research or writing (translation) shall be appropriately appreciated in footnotes, prefaces, acknowledgments, etc.

 

Article 3 Revision of paper

Authors should try to reflect the opinions of editors and reviewers shared in the paper evaluation process as much as possible in the paper. If the author does not agree with their opinions, the author must write down the grounds and reasons in detail and notify the editor (committee).

 

Article 4 - Prohibition of plagiarism

Authors should not present research findings that they have not obtained as if they were their own achievements in papers, writings, etc. Although the research results of others can be referenced multiple times along with indication of the source, presenting a part of it as one’s own research results is plagiarism.

 

Article 5 - Prohibition of duplicate publication or duplicate publication of research work

Authors should not submit or attempt to publish their previously published research (including research to be published or under review) as if it were a new research, regardless of whether at home or abroad. If an author wants to publish using research that has already been published in a journal, the author must provide information about the previous publication to the editor of the journal he/she wants to publish in, and verify whether there is duplicate publication or double publication.

 

Article 6 - Specially related persons

(1) For papers in which minors (those under the age of 19) or family members (spouse, children, and blood relatives within the fourth degree) (hereinafter referred to as “specially related persons”) participated, there must be a clear contribution from specially related persons in research and paper preparation.

 

(2) For joint research paper with a specially related person, the “Pre-disclosure form when writing paper with a specially related person” must be filled out and submitted when submitting the paper.

 

(3) When research misconduct by a co-author who is a specially related person is recognized, it is referred to the Ethics Committee for action to be taken in accordance with the Code of Ethics.

 

 

Section 2 Ethical rules to be followed by editors

 

Article 1

Editors should treat the paper submitted for publication of the journal fairly solely based on the quality level of the paper and the submission rules, regardless of the author’s gender, age, organization, and any prejudice or personal acquaintance.

 

Article 2

Editors should request the evaluation of the submitted paper to a reviewer with professional knowledge and fair judgment in the relevant field. When requesting a review, they shall try to avoid reviewers who are overly friendly or hostile to the author in order allow an objective evaluation as much as possible. However, a third-party expert in the relevant field may be consulted when the evaluation of the same paper differs significantly among reviewers.

 

Article 3

Editors must not disclose the author or the contents of the paper to anyone other than to the reviewers until the acceptance of the submitted paper is decided upon.

 

Section 3 Ethical rules to be followed by reviewers

 

Article 1

Reviewers must faithfully evaluate the paper requested by the editor (board) of the journal within the period set by the review rules and notify the editor (board) of the evaluation result. If the reviewer feels that he/she is not the right person to evaluate the contents of the paper, he/she shall notify the fact to the editor (board) without delay.

 

Article 2

Reviewers should evaluate a paper fairly based on objective criteria, regardless of personal academic beliefs or personal relationship with an author. The paper shall not be rejected without specifying sufficient grounds, or because it conflicts with the reviewer’s own perspective or interpretation. The paper subject to review shall not be evaluated without in-depth reading.

 

Article 3

Reviewers shall respect the author’s personality and independence as a professional intellectual. In the evaluation opinion, reviewers shall state their own judgment on the paper, and provide detailed explanation regarding parts that need improvement along with the reason. Reviewers shall use polite and gentle expressions as much as possible, and refrain from demeaning or insulting the author.

 

Article 4

Reviewers must keep the confidentiality of the paper to be reviewed. They shall not show the paper to others or discuss the contents of the paper with others unless they are specifically seeking advice for paper evaluation. Furthermore, the contents of the paper shall not be cited without the consent of the author before the journal for which the paper is selected is published.

 

Chapter 2 Instructions for Enforcement of the Code of Ethics

 

Article 1

Pledge for Code of Ethics: Members of the Korean Solar Energy Society must pledge to abide by the Code of Ethics.

 

Article 2

Reporting violations of the Code of Ethics: When a member recognizes that another member has violated the Code of Ethics, he or she shall try to rectify the problem by reminding the member of the Code of Ethics. However, when the problem is not rectified or a clear violation of the Code of Ethics is revealed, it can be reported to the Ethics Committee of the Society. The Ethics Committee shall not disclose the identity of the member who reported the problem to the Society.

 

Article 3

Composition of the Ethics Committee: The Ethics Committee shall be placed in the Paper Editorial Board and consist of more than 5 members. Members are recommended by the editor-in-chief and appointed by the president at the request of the vice chief editor. The chairperson and vice-chairperson shall be the vice chief editor and editor-in-chief.

 

Article 4

Authority of the Ethics Committee: The Ethics Committee shall conduct a wide investigation through the informant, the person under investigation, the witness, the referee, and evidence materials after selecting the scope of the person to be investigated for the case reported as a violation of the ethics code. If the violation of the Code of Ethics is determined to be true, appropriate sanctions may be recommended to the president.

 

Article 5

Investigation and deliberation by the Ethics Committee: Members reported for violations of the Code of Ethics shall cooperate with the investigation conducted by the Ethics Committee. Failure to cooperate with this investigation itself shall be a violation of the Code of Ethics.

 

Article 6

Guaranteed opportunity for explanation: Members who have been reported for violation of the Code of Ethics shall be given ample opportunity to explain.

 

Article 7

Protection of confidentiality for investigation subject: Ethics committee members shall not disclose the identity of the member to the outside until the Society’s final disciplinary decision is made for the violation of the Code of Ethics.

 

Article 8

Disciplinary procedure and contents: If there is a recommendation of disciplinary action by the Ethics Committee, the president shall convene the board of directors and decide whether to take disciplinary action and discuss details of the disciplinary action. Members who have been determined to have violated the Code of Ethics may be subject to disciplinary action such as warning, suspension, or cancellation of membership. Research misconduct and disciplinary measures may be notified to other organizations, such as the cheater(s), their affiliated institution(s), and the institution(s) that supported the conduct of the research. Moreover, when the research misconduct of a co-author in a special relationship is confirmed, the research misconduct of the specially related person may be notified to organizations related to the author who have benefited from the paper (Organizations related to research misconduct, such as institute and school related to entrance exam and higher education, and research-related institution).

 

Article 9

Amendment of the Code of Ethics: The procedure for revision of the Code of Ethics shall be in accordance with the revision procedure for the regulation of this Society. If the Code of Ethics is amended, the member who has pledged to comply with the existing rules will be deemed to have pledged to comply with the new rules without an additional pledge.

 

 

Addendum

These rules shall come into effect on February 1, 2011.

 

Addendum

These rules shall come into effect from December 1, 2021.
※ These rules were prepared by referring to the research ethics regulations of the Korean Ethics Studies Association and the Korean Society for New and Renewable Energy.