The Journal of International Studies, Prince of Songkla University is established as a platform for disseminating research and academic articles. To ensure that the publication process is accurate, high-quality, transparent, and compliant with internationally accepted publishing standards, the Journal of International Studies, Prince of Songkla University, has established guidelines and publication ethics. These guidelines govern the roles and responsibilities of Authors, Journal Editors, and Reviewers, and cover ethical standards regarding plagiarism, the use of AI in manuscript preparation, and research involving human subjects and animals (if applicable). The Editorial Board has published these responsibilities to serve as a code of conduct as detailed below:

 

1. Roles and Responsibilities of Authors

        1.1) Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism: Authors must not engage in any form of plagiarism, whether in whole or in part. This includes using others' ideas, data, works, images, tables, or text without proper citation. Furthermore, authors must not engage in self-plagiarism by recycling substantial portions of their own previously published work without disclosure or proper citation. This requirement applies to all research articles, academic articles, and any scholarly works submitted for publication consideration.

        1.2) Scientific Integrity and References: Authors must certify that their submitted manuscript is the result of study and research based on academic facts, free from data fabrication or falsification. Authors are also responsible for verifying the accuracy of their citations and ensuring that all referenced sources exist and are verifiable.

        1.3) Originality and Redundancy: Authors must take full responsibility for their work and guarantee that the manuscript has not been previously published, nor is it currently under consideration for publication in any other journal, conference proceedings, book, or academic media.

        1.4) Responsible Use of AI: Authors must certify that any use of AI tools is conducted responsibly, accurately, and in accordance with ethical research principles.

        1.5) Authorship and Consent: The corresponding author must ensure that only individuals who meet the criteria for authorship are included, and no individuals who did not contribute to the manuscript are listed. Additionally, the corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have seen and approved the final, complete version of the manuscript and consented to its submission for publication. The journal reserves the right to deny requests to add new authors to the manuscript after the Acceptance Letter has been issued.

        1.6) Ethical Violations and Penalties: In cases where the Editorial Board determines that an author has committed a publication ethics violation—whether during the peer-review process or after publication—the journal will suspend the author's publishing privileges for a minimum of two (2) years. The journal will also notify the author's affiliated institution or the author directly, depending on the circumstances.

 

2. Roles and Responsibilities of Journal Editors

        2.1) Policy and Fairness: The Editorial Board is responsible for defining and implementing clear, comprehensive, and transparent peer-review policies in line with international standards. Manuscript evaluation is based primarily on academic quality, completeness of content, contribution to the field of international studies, and alignment with the journal's scope and policy—without regard to the author's gender, gender identity, religious beliefs, race, or background.

        2.2) Confidentiality: During the review process, the editor, editorial board, and related staff must not disclose the identities or information of the authors and reviewers to unauthorized parties. All submitted materials—including manuscripts, images, tables, and supporting documents—as well as correspondence between the journal and reviewers, will be kept strictly confidential by the editor. Such information must not be used for personal gain or commercial purposes in any manner.

        2.3) Reviewer Selection and Objectivity: Editors are responsible for selecting at least three (3) independent external experts in relevant fields to evaluate each submitted manuscript. Editors will avoid assigning reviewers who may have conflicts of interest with the authors, such as working at the same institution or sharing funding/research projects. Furthermore, editors will carefully scrutinize reviews, particularly those returned unusually quickly or those containing superficial praise without sufficient, comprehensive academic feedback. In such instances, the editor may invite additional reviewers to re-evaluate the manuscript.

        2.4) Editorial Decisions and Retractions: Editors are responsible for deciding which articles will be published, in consultation with the Editorial Board and guided by peer-review evaluations. Editors will strictly adhere to relevant legal and ethical requirements, such as copyright infringement, plagiarism, and other ethical violations. If plagiarism or redundant submission (submitting work already published elsewhere) is detected, or if the manuscript fails the plagiarism/similarity check (which requires a similarity index of no more than 20% as prescribed by the journal), the editor will halt the review process. If the article has already been published, the editor will exercise the right to retract the article and notify the author’s affiliated institution or the author, as appropriate.

3. Roles and Responsibilities of Reviewers

        3.1) Confidentiality: Reviewers must maintain strict confidentiality regarding the manuscripts assigned to them, including the content, feedback, and any communication arising during the review process. They must not disclose this information to unauthorized individuals. Regardless of whether the manuscript is accepted for publication, reviewers have no right to share, use in their own research, publish, or exploit any data, ideas, or content from the manuscript for personal benefit without the explicit, written permission of the authors.

        3.2) Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must have no conflicts of interest with the authors or any other factors that would prevent them from providing an unbiased, independent evaluation. If a reviewer identifies a potential conflict of interest—due to collaborative research, professional relationships, shared institutional affiliation, or any other connection that might compromise neutrality—they must immediately notify the editor and decline the invitation to review.

        3.3) Objectivity and Constructive Feedback: Reviewers should only evaluate manuscripts within their area of expertise. Assessments must be based strictly on the quality of the manuscript. Reviewers must not use unsupported personal opinions as criteria for judgment and must evaluate the content objectively, regardless of the author's gender, gender identity, religious beliefs, race, affiliation, or country of origin. Reviewers are expected to provide constructive feedback to help improve the manuscript's quality and to assist the editor in making publication decisions.

        3.4) Reporting Misconduct: If a reviewer detects any plagiarism, substantial similarity, or overlap between the assigned manuscript and any other published work, they must immediately report this to the editor.

 

4. Publication Ethics regarding Plagiarism

        The Journal of International Studies prioritizes the prevention and handling of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, in accordance with the guidelines of the Standard Manual for Research and Academic Publishing by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT). The journal considers plagiarism a severe breach of academic ethics that is completely unacceptable.

        When incorporating ideas, data, text, images, tables, or works of others (including the author's own previously published works), authors must provide complete and accurate academic citations. They must not mislead readers into believing that the content is entirely original. If plagiarism is detected or suspected, the Journal of International Studies will implement the following measures according to the nature of each case:

        4.1) Initial Submission Stage: If plagiarized content or ethical misconduct is detected during the initial submission (with a similarity index not exceeding 20%), the editor will notify the author directly and return the manuscript for clarification and correction before it enters the peer-review process. However, if the similarity index exceeds 20%, the manuscript will be rejected immediately.

        4.2) During Review and Production Stage: If plagiarism or misconduct is discovered during the peer-review or production process, or if the similarity index exceeds 20%, the editor will contact the author for clarification. The editor will then convene a meeting with the Editorial Board to review the matter under the journal’s publication ethics. If plagiarism or ethical violation is confirmed, the manuscript will be rejected and immediately withdrawn from the publication process.

        4.3) Post-Publication Stage: If plagiarism or academic misconduct is discovered after the article has been published, the Editor and Editorial Board will conduct an initial investigation and proceed based on the severity of the violation. In cases of confirmed plagiarism where the similarity index exceeds 20%, the article will be retracted. While the paper will remain on the journal's website, it will be accompanied by a clear, public retraction notice stating that plagiarism or academic misconduct was detected. The notice will explicitly state: "The sole responsibility for the plagiarism rests with the author(s)."

 

5. Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage in Manuscript Preparation

        5.1) Author Responsibility: Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of all content generated or assisted by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the preparation of their manuscript.

        5.2) AI Detection and Thresholds: The Journal of International Studies utilizes AI detection software to evaluate manuscripts. If the detection results indicate that AI-generated content exceeds 30% of the entire manuscript, the journal will apply the same ethical protocols and penalties established for plagiarism across all stages (initial submission, peer-review/production, and post-publication).

        5.3) Transparency and Disclosure: Authors must transparently disclose the use of Generative AI tools. Detailed descriptions of how AI was utilized must be specified in the Methodology section or another relevant section of the manuscript, allowing for a clear evaluation of the role and scope of AI in the work.

 

6. Research Ethics involving Human Subjects and Animals (If Applicable)

        If the submitted research involves human subjects or animals, authors are requested to submit evidence showing that the study has passed standard research ethics review processes (if applicable). This includes providing approval certificates or citing the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval number under the "Ethical Considerations" subheading within the "Methods" section. Authors must strictly comply with all necessary and relevant ethical principles, laws, and regulations.