Editorial Policies

Focus and Scope

Southeast Europe Journal of Soft Computing (SEJSC) is biannual, single blind peer-reviewed journal dedicated to promote publication of important and timely results in soft computing technologies, intended as a fusion of the several research areas, such as: evolutionary algorithms and genetic programming, neural science and neural net systems, fuzzy set theory and fuzzy systems, wavelet theory and applications, bioinformatics and similar areas. SEJSC will encourage the integration of soft computing techniques, as well as tools, in both real every-day and advanced applications.
The ideas and techniques of soft computing, cross-linked to other disciplines, will find in SEJSC an ideal unified platform, suitable to stimulate comparisons, extensions and new applications. SEJSC will thus offer an international forum for all scientists and engineers engaged in research and development activities in this fast growing field.

 

Section Policies

Articles

Checked Open Submissions Checked Indexed Checked Peer Reviewed
 

Peer Review Process

SEJSC applies Single Blind Review. Reviewer selection for each submitted article is up to editor in chief, and reviewers are selected based on the previous experience and competence in reviewing papers.
Every submitted article is read by editor in chief, for an initial review, to determine if it follows the scope and aims of the Journal and satisfies minimum quality criteria. Then it is sent to two reviewers for evaluation. SEJSC uses single blind peer review.
The reviewers evaluate the paper according to the Review guidelines set by editorial board members and return it to the editor in chief, who pass the reviewers' anonymous comments back to the author. Anonymity is strictly maintained.
The single blind review process is managed using this OJS software platform.

 

Publication Frequency

SouthEast Europe Journal of Soft Computing is published twice a year, in March and September. Deadline for submitting an article is 15th February (for March Issue) and 15th August (for September issue).

 

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

 

Archiving

This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. More...

 

Index Information

SEJSC is indexed by "ROAD" (Directory of Open Access scholarly Resources)

 

Journal Ethics and Malpractice Statement

SEJSC Journal is committed to ensure and uphold standards of ethical behavior at all stages of the publication process, whereby such values also rely on editors, reviewers, contributors and authors who are expected to behave ethically. The standards are based on Committee on Publication Ethics' (COPE) code of conduct, and provide guidelines for best practices in order to meet these requirements. The following ethical guidelines are only intended to give a summary of our key expectations of editors, peer-reviewers, and authors but if you have any questions or concerns please also feel free to contact the Editor of the Journal.

1. Ethical Expectations

Editors' responsibilities

• To carry out their duties in a fair, objective and consistent manner, without discrimination on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, ethnic or geographical origin of the authors.
• To take care that each article undergoes the proper peer-review process.
• To promote consistent ethical policies of SEJSC journal, and to ensure the confidentiality of the reviewing process.
• To uphold integrity in their work as editors of the journal, doing away with any personal interest, so that articles are considered and accepted solely on their academic merit and without commercial influence.
• To work with authors, reviewers, and the Editorial Board members to ensure the implementation of journals’ ethics and publishing policies.
• To adopt and follow reasonable procedures in the event of complaints of an ethical or conflict nature, in accordance with the policies and procedures. To handle process of complaints and giving authors an opportunity to respond any complaints. All complaints should be investigated and the documentation associated with any such complaints should be retained.

Reviewers' responsibilities

• To act objectively, fairly and in a timely manner in reviewing submitted manuscript with the aim of improving its quality such as pointing out relevant published work, which is not cited, etc.
• To alert SEJSC in case of any competing interest that could affect the impartiality of their reviewing, or any potential conflict of interest that includes any relationship between reviewer and author, or any content that is substantially similar to that under review.
• To conduct themselves fairly and impartially.
• To keep the confidentiality of the review process and to not retain or copy the manuscript.

Authors' responsibilities

• To ensure that their work submitted to the journal is original and authored by them and has not been previously published nor under consideration or accepted for publication elsewhere.
• To ensure that original ideas, data, findings and materials taken from other sources (including their own published writing) are properly documented and cited. Any content reproduced from other sources author should have permission.
• To ensure that their data is their won, true and not manipulated. Thus, authors are responsible to maintain accurate records and to provide access to their data associated with their manuscript.
• To ensure their work does not violate any rights of others, including privacy rights and intellectual property rights. In addition, authors should ensure that any studies involving human or animal subject are in accordance with local lows and requirements.
• To declare any real or apparent conflicting or competing interest at any stage during the publication process that could be considered or viewed as exerting an undue influence on his/her duties.
• To alert SEJSC in case if a significant error in their publication is identified and correct any errors prior or subsequent to publication of their work.
• To adhere to all research ethics guidelines of their discipline, and to ensure that authorship and/or co-authorship of the paper was accurately represented.

SEJSC responsibilities

• The journal and the publisher shall ensure that good practice is maintained to the standards outlined above.
• To deal with research misconduct allegations appropriately when it is occurred. The journal and the publisher shall undertake reasonable actions to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred.
• To maintain the editorial independence of journal editors.
• To support journal editors in ethical and academic matters.
• To ensure critical and objective assessment of all articles by reviewers and referees. To
keep an accurate and transparent record, including publishing corrections and retractions when necessary.

The following commonly recognized procedure for dealing with unethical behavior is adopted.

2. Procedures for Dealing With Unethical Behavior

Identification of unethical behavior

• Misconduct and unethical behavior may be identified and brought to the attention of the editor and publisher at any time, by anyone.
• Misconduct and unethical behavior may include, but need not be limited to, examples as outlined above.
• For an investigation sufficient information and evidence should be provided. All allegations should be taken seriously and treated in the same way, until a successful decision or conclusion is reached.

Investigation

• An initial decision should be taken by the editor, who should consult with or seek advice from the publisher, if appropriate.
• Evidence should be gathered, while avoiding spreading any allegations beyond those who need to know.

Minor breaches

• Minor misconduct might be dealt with without the need to consult more widely. In any event, the author should be given the opportunity to respond to any allegations.

Serious breaches

• Serious misconduct might require that the employers of the accused be notified. The editor, in consultation with the publisher should make the decision whether or not to involve the employers, either by examining the available evidence themselves or by further consultation with a limited number of experts.

Outcomes (in increasing order of severity; may be applied separately or in conjunction)

• Informing or educating the author or reviewer where there appears to be a misunderstanding or misapplication of acceptable standards.
• A more strongly worded letter to the author or reviewer covering the misconduct and as a warning to future behavior.
• Publication of a formal notice detailing the misconduct.
• Publication of an editorial detailing the misconduct.
• A formal letter to the head of the author’s or reviewer’s department or funding agency.
• Formal retraction or withdrawal of a publication from the journal, in conjunction with informing the head of the author or reviewer’s department, Abstracting & Indexing services and the readership of the publication.
• Imposition of a formal embargo on contributions from an individual for a defined period.
• Reporting the case and outcome to a professional organization or higher authority for further investigation and action.

 

Originality and Plagiarism Policy

Authors by submitting their manuscript to SEJSC declare that their work is original and authored by them, their work submitted to PEN has not been previously published, original ideas, data, findings and materials taken from other sources (including their own published writing) are properly documented and cited, their work does not violate any rights of others, including privacy rights and intellectual property rights, their data is their won, true and not manipulated. Plagiarism in whole or in part without proper citation is not tolerated by the Journal. Manuscripts submitted to the journal will be checked for originality using anti-plagiarism software.