Publication Ethics

D’Stijl - Design, Architecture and Urbanism Journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics based on the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). These ethical guidelines cover aspects of authorship and contributorship, handling of misconduct allegations, complaints and appeals, conflicts of interest, data and reproducibility, ethical oversight, intellectual property, journal management, peer-review processes, and post-publication discussion and correction.

Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship in D’Stijl is limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the submitted design or manuscript. All individuals who have contributed substantially should be listed as co-authors. Others who participated in specific aspects of the project (e.g., documentation, visualization, or rendering) should be acknowledged as contributors in the acknowledgements section.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate co-authors are included, have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript, and agree to its submission for publication.

Plagiarism
D’Stijl only accepts original submissions that have not been previously published or are under consideration elsewhere. All manuscripts are subject to a similarity check using plagiarism detection software.

The editorial board reserves the right to investigate any suspected cases of plagiarism or unethical conduct. Proven violations may result in manuscript rejection or retraction of published work.

Peer-Review Policy
D’Stijl implements a double-blind peer-review process to ensure objectivity, quality, and academic integrity. The process includes:

Initial Screening
The editor assesses whether the submission aligns with the journal's scope and formatting requirements. Manuscripts that do not meet basic criteria may be rejected without peer review.

Peer Review
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. Both reviewers and authors remain anonymous during the process.

Final Decision
The editor makes the final decision based on the reviewers’ recommendations and comments.

Duties of Editors, Reviewers, and Authors
Duties of Editors
- Publication Decisions: Editors are responsible for deciding which manuscripts to publish, guided by the journal’s editorial policies and legal obligations such as copyright and ethical conduct.
- Fair Review: Manuscripts are evaluated based on academic merit without regard to authors’ race, gender, religious beliefs, institutional affiliation, or political views.
- Confidentiality: Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and only disclose content to parties involved in the review and publication process.
- Conflict of Interest: Editors must not use unpublished material disclosed in a submission for their own research without the author’s written consent.

Duties of Reviewers
- Editorial Contribution: Reviewers assist editors in making editorial decisions and provide constructive feedback to authors for improvement.
- Timeliness: Reviewers who are unable to review within the given timeframe should promptly notify the editor.
- Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential and must not be shared or discussed with others.
- Objectivity: Reviews should be objective and free from personal criticism.
- Citation and Source Acknowledgment: Reviewers should identify relevant literature not cited by the authors and report any similarities with existing works.
- Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must not review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest due to relationships or affiliations with any of the authors or institutions.

Duties of Authors
- Reporting Standards: Authors must present an accurate account of the work performed and offer an objective discussion of its significance.
- Data Access and Retention: Authors may be requested to provide raw data and must be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.
- Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure the originality of their work and cite others appropriately.
- Multiple Submissions: Authors should not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.
- Source Acknowledgment: Authors must properly acknowledge all sources and influences.
- Authorship Criteria: Only those who made substantial contributions should be listed as authors. Others should be acknowledged as contributors.
- Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Authors must declare any potential financial or other conflicts of interest.
- Errors in Published Work: Authors are required to notify the editor immediately if significant errors or inaccuracies are discovered in their published work.