Research ethics and integrity

RAILS follows principles of transparency and good scholarly publishing practice, including the Committee on Publication Ethics Core Practices. This reference does not constitute a claim of institutional COPE membership.

The code applies to authors, reviewers, committee members, guest editors and AIMIL. Scientific decisions rest on quality, integrity and relevance, independently of commercial, institutional or personal interests.

Authors provide original, accurate and traceable work without fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, deceptive manipulation or artificial citation. They report methods, data, findings and limitations honestly, acknowledge appropriate sources and obtain necessary permissions.

Authorship requires a substantial contribution and approval of the manuscript. Contributions may be described using CRediT. Funding, competing interests and relevant relationships must be disclosed. Research involving people or sensitive data requires appropriate ethical approval and consent.

Significant errors discovered before or after publication must be reported promptly. Authors cooperate with necessary corrections.

Reviewers accept assignments only when they have the expertise and time required. They disclose conflicts and withdraw if their independence could be compromised.

Manuscripts, data and correspondence are strictly confidential. Reports must be reasoned, constructive, respectful and free from discrimination or personal attacks. Unpublished ideas and findings must not be used for personal or professional advantage.

Potential similarities, inconsistencies or integrity concerns are reported to the editors without independently investigating the authors.

The editorial team safeguards independence, fairness, confidentiality and traceable decisions. It selects qualified, independent reviewers, protects people from discrimination and misuse of confidential information, and investigates concerns diligently and proportionately.

Anyone with a conflict withdraws from handling the manuscript. Committee members’ submissions undergo the same double-anonymous process with a non-conflicted editor. Guest editors follow the same requirements.

AI tools may assist certain tasks but cannot replace scientific judgment, source verification or human responsibility. Significant generative AI use must identify the tool and version, purpose, affected sections and checks performed.

Language editing, readability improvements and translation of original text are permitted under human control. Assistance with analysis, coding or technical procedures requires explicit methods, parameters and verifiable results, and disclosure when scientific content is affected.

It is prohibited to name AI as an author; delegate substantial writing and present it as the authors’ original intellectual work; fabricate or alter data, findings, citations or evidence; conceal plagiarism; or evade originality requirements. Confidential, personal or protected data must not be transmitted to a tool without appropriate authorization and grounds.

RAILS does not base decisions on a supposed percentage of AI-generated text. Assessment relies on disclosures, scientific coherence, source traceability and human analysis. Misleading declarations may lead to rejection or post-publication action.

Reviewers and committee members must not upload manuscripts, data or confidential material to an AI tool. They may not delegate scientific assessment, substantial report writing or editorial decisions.

Limited language correction of their own report may be considered only if it reveals no confidential content, remains under their control and is disclosed to the editors.

RAILS charges no submission or publication fees. Articles are freely accessible on publication. Authors retain their rights and grant the journal the right of first publication.

Authors retain copyright without restrictions and grant RAILS a non-exclusive right of first publication. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0).

Responsible sharing of data, code, protocols and materials is encouraged. Authors explain availability or restrictions while respecting consent, confidentiality and relevant rights.

RAILS provides immediate open access: full texts are freely available upon publication, without embargo or registration. No author fees are charged at any stage from submission to publication, including editorial processing and peer review.

This licence permits reading, downloading, copying, distributing, printing, searching, indexing, sharing and adapting the texts, including for commercial purposes, with credit to the authors and source, a link to the licence and an indication of changes, without implying their endorsement of the reuse. Third-party material carrying a separate notice remains subject to its own terms.

The CC BY 4.0 licence takes effect from volume 2, no. 2 (2026).

Licence text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

An author may send a reasoned appeal to contact@rails-journal.org when a factual or procedural error may have affected a decision. The appeal must address the stated reasons and is not another manuscript revision. Where possible, a different editorial decision-maker examines it. A reasoned response concludes the internal process.

Complaints and concerns are examined confidentially, allowing those concerned to respond. Good-faith reports are taken seriously; clearly abusive or malicious allegations are not tolerated.

A correction addresses an identifiable error that does not invalidate the main conclusions. An expression of concern signals a serious unresolved doubt. Retraction applies when findings are unreliable, including major errors, misconduct, compromised review or serious redundant publication.

Notices are public, linked to the article and explain the action. Their purpose is to correct the scholarly record. Authors and others concerned are asked to cooperate in establishing the facts.

Concerns about a manuscript or published article may be sent to contact@rails-journal.org with supporting evidence. They are handled by a person without a conflict of interest. Those concerned may provide explanations; the editors retain the correspondence, evidence examined and reasoned decision. Depending on the circumstances, the editors may consult the institutions concerned and take the measures provided for in this code.

Any change to the list or order of authors must be justified and approved by those concerned. Before publication, an unresolved disagreement suspends manuscript processing until documented clarification is obtained, with support from the relevant institutions where necessary.

Readers may submit a reasoned scientific critique of a published article. The editors assess its relevance and may invite the authors to respond. Accepted contributions are published in accordance with the journal’s scientific and ethical requirements.

After acceptance, the editors prepare a short public statement of funding, conflicts of interest and, where applicable, generative AI use. The corresponding author checks it with the coauthors at proof stage. The editors include it in the final version and on the article page. No additional section is required at submission; confidential form responses and correspondence are not published automatically.