Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
Our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct throughout the publication process.
1. Our Commitment to Publication Ethics
The Princeton Journal of Pre-Collegiate Research (PJPCR) is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, ethical research, fairness, transparency, and responsible scholarly publishing.
PJPCR publishes original, peer-reviewed research by high school students across the sciences, social sciences, humanities, mathematics, computer science, and interdisciplinary fields. All manuscripts are evaluated according to their originality, academic quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and suitability for the journal.
All authors, reviewers, editors, and other individuals involved in the publication process are expected to act honestly, responsibly, and respectfully and to uphold the integrity of the scholarly record.
2. Responsibilities of Authors
Authors submitting manuscripts to PJPCR are responsible for ensuring that their work:
Is original and has not been previously published.
Is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal.
Represents research conducted primarily by the student author.
Accurately reports the research methodology, data, analysis, results, and conclusions.
Properly acknowledges and cites the work of others.
Does not contain plagiarism, fabricated data, falsified results, or misleading information.
Complies with applicable ethical requirements for research involving human or animal subjects.
Includes appropriate disclosure of conflicts of interest where applicable.
Obtains the necessary permissions for copyrighted or third-party material.
Accurately identifies all individuals who qualify for authorship or co-authorship.
PJPCR does not permit concurrent submissions. Authors who wish to submit their manuscript elsewhere must first withdraw it from PJPCR.
Authors are also responsible for responding honestly to questions raised by the Editorial Office or reviewers regarding the integrity, methodology, or ethical conduct of their research.
3. Originality, Plagiarism, and Academic Misconduct
PJPCR requires all submitted work to be original and appropriately referenced.
Plagiarism includes presenting another person's words, ideas, data, analysis, or other intellectual contributions as one's own without appropriate attribution. This includes substantial unattributed copying as well as other forms of inappropriate appropriation of another person's work.
Manuscripts containing plagiarism, fabricated data, falsified results, or other serious forms of academic misconduct may be rejected without further review. Where misconduct is identified after publication, PJPCR may take appropriate editorial action, including correction or retraction of the published article.
PJPCR's Submission Guidelines specifically require original work and state that manuscripts containing plagiarism or fabricated data will be disqualified.
4. Fabrication and Falsification
Authors must report their research accurately.
Fabrication refers to making up data, results, observations, participants, experiments, or other research information that did not actually occur.
Falsification refers to manipulating, omitting, or misrepresenting research materials, data, procedures, or results in a manner that could mislead readers about the research.
Where there is a reasonable concern regarding fabricated or falsified research, PJPCR may request clarification, supporting documentation, or other evidence from the authors. Manuscripts found to contain serious fabrication or falsification may be rejected, and published articles may be corrected or retracted where appropriate.
5. Research Involving Human Participants
Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical standards and PJPCR's IRB Policy.
PJPCR requires research involving human participants to have received prior approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent independent ethics committee when such approval is required, unless the research qualifies for an applicable exemption. Approval must generally be obtained before participant recruitment or data collection begins; retrospective approval is not accepted.
Authors must report the relevant ethics approval information in the manuscript, including the approving committee and approval or protocol number where applicable. Where required, authors must also confirm that informed consent was obtained.
Failure to obtain or disclose required ethical approval may result in rejection or other editorial action.
6. Research Involving Animals
Research involving animals must comply with applicable laws, regulations, institutional requirements, and accepted ethical standards governing animal research.
Authors are responsible for obtaining any approvals required by the relevant institution or authority and for describing relevant ethical oversight in the manuscript.
PJPCR may request additional information concerning ethical approval or research procedures when necessary to evaluate the manuscript.
7. Informed Consent and Participant Protection
Authors conducting research involving human participants are responsible for ensuring that participants are treated ethically and that appropriate informed consent is obtained where required.
Particular care should be taken when research involves minors or other potentially vulnerable participants. Authors should ensure that consent and/or assent procedures comply with the requirements applicable to their research and jurisdiction.
Personal or identifying information should not be published without appropriate permission and ethical justification.
8. Authorship and Contributions
Authorship should accurately reflect substantive contributions to the research and manuscript.
All listed authors should have made a meaningful contribution to the work and should agree to the submitted manuscript and author list.
PJPCR permits co-authorship with a faculty mentor or advisor, but such co-authorship is not required. The research must nevertheless have been conducted primarily by the student author.
Individuals who provided assistance that does not meet the requirements for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged where relevant.
9. Conflicts of Interest
Authors, reviewers, and editors should disclose any financial, professional, personal, or other relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research, review, or editorial decision-making process.
Editors and reviewers must not participate in the evaluation of a manuscript where a conflict of interest could compromise their impartiality.
The existence of a disclosed conflict does not necessarily prevent publication or participation in the review process; rather, disclosure allows the journal to manage the conflict appropriately.
10. Confidentiality
PJPCR maintains confidentiality throughout the manuscript evaluation process.
Because PJPCR uses a double-blind peer review process, identifying information is removed from manuscripts before they are provided to reviewers. Reviewers remain anonymous to authors, and reviewers are expected to treat manuscripts and associated information as confidential.
Reviewers must not:
Share manuscripts or confidential manuscript information with others.
Use unpublished information obtained through peer review for their own research.
Contact authors directly regarding the manuscript.
Attempt to identify authors where the review process is double-blind.
11. Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers
Peer reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and academically appropriate evaluations.
Reviewers should assess manuscripts based on relevant scholarly considerations, including originality, methodology, analysis, significance, scientific or academic accuracy, and clarity.
Reviewers should disclose any conflict of interest and decline a review when they cannot provide an impartial assessment.
PJPCR assigns suitable manuscripts to independent reviewers with relevant expertise and normally uses at least two reviewers during the external peer-review stage.
12. Editorial Independence and Fairness
Editorial decisions at PJPCR are based on the scholarly and ethical merits of the manuscript.
The journal's editorial process is designed to ensure fairness, quality, transparency, and academic integrity. Manuscripts are initially assessed by the Editorial Office and, when suitable, sent for double-blind peer review by independent experts.
Editorial decisions are not based on an author's school, country, background, or other characteristics unrelated to the academic quality and ethical standing of the work. PJPCR's Submission Guidelines explicitly state that school, country, program, or background does not influence the review process.
13. Duplicate and Redundant Publication
PJPCR does not accept manuscripts that have already been published elsewhere or are simultaneously under consideration by another journal.
Authors must disclose relevant prior publication or submission where applicable.
Submitting substantially the same manuscript to multiple journals at the same time is not permitted. Authors who wish to submit elsewhere must first withdraw their manuscript from PJPCR.
14. Misconduct During Peer Review or Publication
PJPCR may investigate concerns relating to:
Plagiarism
Fabrication or falsification of data
Duplicate or concurrent submission
Undisclosed conflicts of interest
Misrepresentation of authorship or contributions
Failure to obtain required ethical approval
Undisclosed substantive AI use
Misuse of confidential peer-review information
Other serious breaches of research or publication ethics
When concerns arise, the journal may request explanations or supporting documentation from the relevant authors, reviewers, or other parties.
Depending on the circumstances and severity of the issue, possible editorial actions may include rejection, additional review, correction, expression of concern, withdrawal, or retraction.
15. Corrections and Retractions
PJPCR is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of its published record.
If a published article is found to contain an error or issue that affects the reliability or interpretation of the work, PJPCR may publish an appropriate correction or take other editorial action.
Where serious misconduct, unreliable findings, or other circumstances substantially undermine the integrity of a published article, PJPCR may retract the article.
Editorial decisions concerning corrections or retractions will be made according to the nature and severity of the issue and with the objective of preserving the integrity of the scholarly record.
16. Complaints and Appeals
Authors may contact the PJPCR Editorial Office regarding concerns about the editorial or peer-review process.
Appeals should provide a clear explanation of the grounds for reconsideration and should identify any relevant factual or procedural concerns.
Complaints concerning potential ethical misconduct will be reviewed by the appropriate editorial personnel and handled confidentially where possible.
Contact: submissions@princeton-jpcr.org.
17. Editorial Responsibility for Ethical Oversight
The PJPCR Editorial Board is responsible for maintaining the journal's standards of academic integrity and publication ethics.
The Editorial Office may take appropriate action when concerns arise regarding a submitted or published manuscript. This may include requesting additional information, seeking clarification from authors, obtaining further expert assessment, or taking corrective editorial action.
The journal's editorial process specifically includes assessment of ethical compliance, originality, and suitability before manuscripts proceed to peer review.
18. Commitment to Academic Integrity
PJPCR believes that publication is not simply the dissemination of research but also a responsibility to protect the reliability of the academic record.
The journal therefore expects authors, reviewers, editors, and all other participants in the publication process to uphold principles of honesty, originality, transparency, confidentiality, fairness, and ethical research conduct.
PJPCR will continue to review and update its publication policies as research practices, technologies, and standards of scholarly publishing evolve.