Journal of Geographic Education and Studies (JGES) is committed to maintaining the integrity, originality, transparency, and credibility of scholarly publishing. All authors are expected to follow responsible research and publication practices. Submitted manuscripts must comply with recognized standards of publication ethics, including the principles recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

All submitted manuscripts may be screened using appropriate plagiarism and similarity-detection tools before publication. The editorial team may also conduct additional checks when concerns regarding originality, duplicate publication, inappropriate attribution, or research misconduct arise.

Plagiarism and Similarity

The journal generally considers a similarity index of 15% or below to be acceptable, excluding references, quotations, standard terminology, bibliographic information, and other unavoidable similarities where applicable.

A similarity score alone does not determine whether plagiarism has occurred. Each manuscript is assessed by the editorial team based on the nature, extent, and source of the identified similarities.

Manuscripts containing substantial unattributed copied material, improper citation, duplicate publication, self-plagiarism, fabricated content, or other forms of academic misconduct may be rejected during editorial or peer review.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be permitted for limited purposes such as language improvement, grammar correction, formatting assistance, translation, or other forms of editorial support. AI tools must not replace the authors' responsibility for the conception, analysis, interpretation, or scholarly conclusions of the research.

Authors using AI tools must ensure that:

• Any AI-assisted content is carefully reviewed, verified, and appropriately revised by the authors.
• The accuracy, originality, reliability, and authenticity of the manuscript are maintained.
• AI tools are not used to fabricate, falsify, manipulate, or misrepresent research data, results, references, images, or conclusions.
• AI-generated text does not contain plagiarized, misleading, or unverifiable information.
• Authors remain responsible for checking all facts, citations, references, interpretations, and statements produced or assisted by AI tools.
• AI tools must not be listed as authors or credited with authorship of the manuscript.

Where AI tools have been used in a manner that materially contributes to the preparation of the manuscript, authors should disclose such use in accordance with the journal's editorial requirements.

Authors remain fully responsible for the content, accuracy, originality, research integrity, and ethical compliance of their submitted and published work.

Fabrication, Falsification, and Other Misconduct

JGES considers fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, manipulation of citations or data, inappropriate authorship, and other forms of academic misconduct to be serious violations of publication ethics.

Authors are expected to ensure that all research data, maps, figures, images, references, sources, and findings presented in their manuscripts are accurate and appropriately documented.

Misconduct Handling

If plagiarism, inappropriate AI use, or another form of publication misconduct is identified before or after publication, the journal will investigate the matter and take appropriate action in accordance with established publication ethics principles and relevant COPE guidance.

Depending on the nature and severity of the concern, the journal may:

• Request an explanation or clarification from the authors.
• Request corrections or additional documentation where appropriate.
• Reject the manuscript during the editorial or peer-review process.
• Publish a correction, clarification, or editorial notice when necessary.
• Retract a published article in cases involving serious or confirmed misconduct.
• Take other appropriate editorial measures to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Author Responsibility

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions are original, accurately reported, appropriately referenced, and free from plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct. Submission of a manuscript to Journal of Geographic Education and Studies (JGES) confirms that the authors accept responsibility for complying with the journal's ethical and publication requirements.