Ethical Guidelines for Research and Publication
Journal of Korea TAPPI

(Updated on 30 June 2025)

 

Preface

Since its establishment in 1967, the Korea Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (KTAPPI) has been the only organization joined by academics and industry professionals in Korea dedicated to advancing the pulp and paper industry. KTAPPI promotes research and education in pulp, paper, and related fields as essential resources for Korea’s economic and environmental sustainability.

Advancement in research can only be achieved when all members of the Association uphold the highest ethical standards in conducting and evaluating research. It is essential that KTAPPI maintain and promote rigorous ethical principles to guide responsible research practices and ensure the credibility of academic publications.

All KTAPPI members—including editors, authors, and reviewers—are expected to recognize and comply with the Association’s ethical standards. By understanding and adhering to these principles, researchers fulfill their responsibilities to the community. These guidelines should be embraced by experienced professionals and serve as valuable guidance for those new to research in the pulp and paper field.

 

Research and Publication Ethics

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal must not have been copyrighted, published, or submitted elsewhere, except in abstract form. Review articles should provide a critical overview of recent advancements in specific fields of science, engineering, or technology relevant to pulp, paper, and related areas. KTAPPI promotes research and education in these fields as essential resources for Korea’s economic and environmental sustainability. For research and publication ethics not explicitly described in these instructions, the journal follows the ethical guidelines outlined in the Guidelines on Good Publication (https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines).

 

Authorship

An individual is recognized as an ‘author’ when they have made significant intellectual contributions to the research and publication. This is in accordance with the authorship criteria outlined by the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) (https://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf), and authorship credit should be based on:

• Substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, and/or analysis and interpretation of data; AND
• Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
• Final approval of the version to be published; AND
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

To request a change in authorship, authors must submit a signed formal letter to the editor detailing the reason for the change. No changes in authorship will be accepted after the manuscript has been officially accepted.

 

Duplicate Publication

All manuscripts submitted to the Journal must be original works that have not been previously published and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in substantial part. Duplicate submission or publication is strictly prohibited.

To uphold research integrity, all submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism screening using Similarity Check powered by iThenticate (https://www.crossref.org/services/similarity-check/). If plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or duplicate submission is suspected, the editorial office will conduct a formal investigation. In such cases, the editor may contact the corresponding author and, if necessary, notify the author’s affiliated institution.

 

Conflict of Interest

Authors are required to disclose any potential competing interests, whether financial or non-financial, that may be perceived as influencing the results or interpretation of their submitted work. All such interests must be clearly stated in the manuscript. In cases where no competing interests exist, the following declaration must be included: “The author(s) declare(s) that they have no competing interests.”

The editorial office reserves the right to request additional information or clarification regarding any disclosed or undisclosed competing interests. Failure to provide accurate disclosures may result in rejection of the manuscript or retraction after publication.

 

Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

Use in Scientific Writing

Authors must disclose any use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot) in the preparation of their manuscripts. These technologies may be used solely to improve the readability and language of the manuscript. Their use does not extend to the generation of scientific content, interpretation of data, or formulation of conclusions. The application of generative AI must be carried out under human oversight and editorial control. Authors must thoroughly review and edit any AI-generated content, as such tools may produce text that is incorrect, incomplete, or biased. Authors are fully responsible for all aspects of the submitted work and its content, regardless of the use of AI tools. Generative AI tools must not be listed or cited as authors or co-authors, as authorship requires responsibilities that only humans can fulfill, including accountability for integrity, accuracy, and originality of the work.

When applicable, authors must include a declaration of AI usage at the end of the manuscript under the heading:

• “Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process.”
• An example statement is as follows:
“During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [NAME OF TOOL/SERVICE] to assist with [e.g., improving grammar or language clarity]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.”

This declaration will be published alongside the article. Authors are not required to disclose the use of basic tools for grammar, spelling, or reference formatting. Omission of a declaration indicates that no generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were used in the writing process.

 

Use in Figures, Images, and Artwork

The use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies to create or alter figures, images, or artwork in submitted manuscripts is strictly prohibited. This includes the enhancement, removal, or addition of image elements that could misrepresent original data. Acceptable image adjustments are limited to changes in brightness, contrast, or color balance, provided that such modifications do not obscure or eliminate any original information.

The only exception applies when AI tools are integral to the research methodology, such as in AI-assisted biomedical imaging. In such cases, authors must clearly describe the use of AI in the Materials and Methods section, including:

• the name, version, and developer of the AI tool,
• the purpose and method of application, and
• compliance with relevant usage policies.

Authors may be required to submit original unaltered images or raw data upon editorial request.

AI-generated artwork (e.g., for graphical abstracts or cover art) is not permitted unless:

• prior approval is obtained from the editor and publisher,
• all copyright and licensing rights are verified and documented, and
• appropriate attribution is provided.

Failure to disclose or improper use of AI technologies may result in manuscript rejection, correction, or retraction in accordance with KTAPPI’s research and publication ethics policy.

 

Statement of Informed Consent and Institutional Review Board Approval

For studies involving human subjects, authors must retain copies of written informed consent from all participants. Clinical research must be conducted in accordance with ethical standards and should be accompanied by approval, certification, or a formal agreement from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the author’s affiliated institution.

The editorial office reserves the right to request documentation of IRB approval and informed consent, if deemed necessary, to verify the ethical integrity of the study and address any concerns raised during peer review or editorial evaluation.

 

Statement of Human and Animal Rights

All clinical research involving human subjects must be conducted in accordance with the Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects, as outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki (1975, revised 2013), available at: https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/. Manuscripts describing clinical studies that do not comply with the principles of the Declaration will not be considered for publication. Authors must ensure that human subjects are not identifiable. Personal identifiers such as names, initials, hospital numbers, dates of birth, or any other protected health information must not be disclosed in the manuscript.

For studies involving animal subjects, research must adhere to the relevant national or institutional guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals. Ethical treatment of all experimental animals must be ensured throughout the study.

 

Care and Use of Animals

All experimental research involving vertebrates or regulated invertebrates must comply with applicable institutional, national, or international ethical guidelines. Where applicable, studies must be reviewed and approved by a relevant ethics committee. Manuscripts must include a statement confirming compliance with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or an equivalent, which should be clearly stated as the first item in the Materials and Methods section. Authors may be required to provide the official IACUC approval number upon request by the editor or reviewers.

The Journal reserves the right to reject any manuscript found to involve unethical practices or misconduct in animal experimentation.

 

Equity and Inclusivity in Research Reporting

Authors must ensure the accurate use of the terms sex (referring to biological attributes) and gender (referring to identity, psychosocial, or cultural factors). Unless clearly inappropriate, the sex and/or gender of human participants, animals, or cells used in the study must be reported, along with a description of the methods used to determine these characteristics. If the study involves a single-sex or gender-specific population, the authors must provide a clear scientific justification, except in self-evident cases (e.g., studies on prostate cancer). In addition, authors should specify how race or ethnicity was determined, and explain its relevance to the study design and findings.

 

Permissions for Reproducing Published Material

The Journal does not provide legal advice regarding authors’ rights to use third-party materials. Authors are solely responsible for ensuring that they have obtained all necessary permissions to use any content (e.g., photographs, images, figures, tables, audio or video files, illustrations, etc.) that is not their original work. If a manuscript includes third-party materials, authors must submit documented proof of permission from the copyright holders at the time of submission. In cases where such permission cannot be obtained, the materials must be removed or replaced with content that the authors either own or are authorized to use under an appropriate license. Authors must not include any content for which ownership or licensing rights are unclear. It is the authors’ responsibility to review license terms or contact the copyright holders or publishers, as necessary, to ensure that their use complies with applicable rights. The Journal reserves the right to remove any unauthorized third-party materials from a manuscript at any stage, including after publication.

 

Managing Research and Publication Misconduct

The Journal maintains a strict policy regarding research and publication misconduct. Misconduct includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate or redundant publication, improper authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and unethical research practices involving human or animal subjects. When potential misconduct is suspected, the editorial office will initiate a preliminary assessment. If necessary, the matter will be referred to the Ethics Committee of the Journal for formal investigation. During the investigation, the authors may be requested to provide raw data, IRB/IACUC approvals, permission documents, or other relevant materials.

Depending on the findings, the Journal may take one or more of the following actions:

• Rejection of the submitted manuscript;
• Retraction or correction of a published article;
• Notification to the authors’ affiliated institutions or funding agencies;
• Temporary or permanent banning of the authors from future submissions;
• Public disclosure of the misconduct, if appropriate.

The Journal follows the international standards and guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE, https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts) when dealing with cases of misconduct. Authors, reviewers, and editors are all expected to uphold the highest standards.

 

Disciplinary Procedure

If the Ethics Committee recommends disciplinary action, the Chair shall convene a Board meeting to decide whether such action should be taken. Possible sanctions against a member found to have violated ethical policies may include a warning, suspension, or termination of membership. The outcome of the final decision may be disclosed publicly if deemed necessary.

In cases where a submitted manuscript is confirmed to involve research misconduct, the Editorial Board shall reject or retract the manuscript. Furthermore, the author will be prohibited from submitting any manuscripts to the journal for a period of three years from the date of the decision.

 

Editorial Responsibilities

Editors play a central role in ensuring the integrity, quality, and fairness of the Journal’s peer review and publication process. The responsibilities of editors include the following:

 

1. Fair and Unbiased Evaluation
Editors must evaluate submitted manuscripts solely on their academic merit—such as originality, clarity, significance, and relevance to the scope of the Journal—regardless of the authors’ gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs.

 

2. Confidentiality
Editors must ensure that all submitted manuscripts are handled in strict confidence. No information about a manuscript may be disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and other editorial staff as appropriate.

 

3. Management of Conflicts of Interest
Editors must not be involved in decisions about papers in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the submission.

 

4. Decision-Making Responsibility
The editor-in-chief has full responsibility for deciding whether a submitted manuscript should be accepted, revised, or rejected, based on the reviewer comments and editorial assessment.

 

5. Handling of Misconduct
Editors are responsible for responding to allegations of research or publication misconduct. In suspected cases of ethical violations, editors should initiate an investigation in accordance with the Journal’s policies and, if necessary, take appropriate actions such as contacting the authors’ institution or retracting the article.

 

6. Maintaining Publication Ethics
Editors must ensure that the Journal adheres to internationally accepted standards for ethical publishing, such as those established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).