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The Journal of Composite Materials and Engineering adheres strictly to academic publishing ethics and is committed to upholding academic integrity and preventing all forms of academic misconduct. All processes of submission, review, editing, and publication follow the core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and comply with the Chinese industry standard "Academic Publishing Specification – Definition of Journal Academic Misconduct" (CY/T 174—2019).
Author Responsibilities and Ethical Conduct
Authorship Attribution: The authors guarantee that there is no dispute over the authorship of the submitted paper. All named authors have made substantive academic contributions to the research. In the event of any authorship dispute, the responsibility rests with the authors.
Originality and Multiple Submissions: The authors guarantee that the paper does not involve multiple submissions, and that its data, figures, or partial content have not been previously published in other domestic or international journals or conferences. The paper does not involve state secrets, technical confidentiality, or trade secrets. For papers funded by research grants, the authors must clearly indicate the fund name and grant number on the title page.
Copyright Transfer: Upon acceptance of the paper, the authors agree to transfer the copyright of the paper (including but not limited to the rights of reproduction, distribution, information network dissemination, performance, translation, compilation, and adaptation) to the editorial department worldwide, for the duration of the copyright protection period. The editorial department has the right to sublicense these rights to third-party partners (such as CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and other databases). The authors may not grant others the right to use the paper in the same way. However, the authors themselves may cite (or translate) parts of the paper in their subsequent works, or compile them into non-periodical collections. If the authors object to any of the above terms, they should indicate this at the time of submission, and the journal will handle it appropriately.
Plagiarism and Misconduct Detection: All submissions are subjected to academic misconduct screening (similarity check). The editorial department has the right to reject or request major revisions and re-review for manuscripts with excessively high similarity rates. The journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards academic misconduct. If academic misconduct is detected at any stage of review, editing, or after publication, the manuscript will be rejected, or a retraction notice will be issued for published papers. The journal also reserves the right to notify the authors' affiliated institutions and the academic community.
Data Authenticity and Reproducibility: The authors are responsible for ensuring the authenticity and traceability of the research data. The journal encourages authors to share the raw data supporting the paper's conclusions within a reasonable scope to enhance the reproducibility of the research.
Editorial Review and Peer-Review System
Peer Review System: The journal employs a strict double-blind peer review system. After submission, the editorial department conducts a preliminary review. Submissions that do not pass the initial review are directly rejected. Manuscripts that pass the preliminary review are sent to at least two experts in the relevant field for anonymous external review. Authors must provide a point-by-point response to the reviewers' comments and submit a revised version of the manuscript. The final decision on acceptance is made by the Editor-in-Chief or the Editorial Board. The editorial team strictly adheres to the code of professional ethics for scientific journal editors throughout the entire processing of manuscripts.
Editorial Rights: Authors are solely responsible for the content of their manuscripts. In accordance with the Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China, the journal has the right to make textual revisions and deletions to the manuscript. For any modifications that involve significant changes to the original meaning, the authors' confirmation will be sought.
Review and Revision Timeline: The journal usually provides the initial decision on a manuscript within 2 to 3 months. Authors are expected to return their revised manuscripts within the specified timeframe. In special circumstances, authors may contact the editorial department by phone or email.
Editorial Board and Staff Submissions: Editorial board members and journal staff must adhere to all review and editorial procedures of the journal when submitting their own manuscripts. They are not permitted to participate in the review process, editorial handling, or acceptance decisions for papers authored by themselves, their family members, or colleagues. Such manuscripts are handled by other editors without conflicts of interest to ensure the independence of the peer review process.
Open Access, Copyright, and Archiving Policy
Open Access:
Option A (Fully Open Access): The journal is an open-access journal. All articles are permanently and freely available for readers to read and download on the journal's website upon publication. All open-access articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This allows third-party users to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, provided they give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. The material may not be used for commercial purposes, and if the material is remixed, transformed, or built upon, the modified material may not be distributed. For more details, please visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
Please select Option A or the following based on the journal's actual policy:
Option B (Hybrid/Subscription-based): This journal is a subscription-based journal. However, authors may choose to make their articles open access upon payment of an Article Processing Charge (APC). Open access articles are published under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
Copyright Ownership: Authors publishing in this journal are required to sign a "Copyright Transfer Agreement," transferring the entire copyright of the paper (including but not limited to the rights of reproduction, distribution, and information network dissemination) to the editorial department worldwide.
Archiving and Data Security: The editorial department maintains permanent archives of both the print and electronic versions of each issue and backs up all information on the editorial department's servers. Additional information and forms provided by the authors during submission are also archived.
Complaints and Suggestions Policy
1.Scope
This journal accepts formal complaints and reasonable suggestions from authors, readers, reviewers, and other stakeholders concerning the editorial process (including initial review, peer review, final decision, and copyediting), review timelines, academic misconduct findings, and acceptance/rejection decisions. For concerns regarding published articles, please refer to the journal's "Correction and Retraction Policy."
2.Submission
Complaints or suggestions must be submitted in writing to the editorial office via email at: fhclkxygc@163.com. The subject line should be clearly marked with "Complaint/Suggestion," the manuscript ID (if applicable), and the core issue.The submission should include:Full name and affiliation of the complainant;Contact information;The relevant manuscript title or DOI;A clear description of the issue and, where applicable, the desired resolution;Supporting evidence or relevant documentation.
3.Handling Procedure
Acknowledgment: The editorial office will confirm receipt of the complaint within 3 working days and assign a designated staff member to manage the case.
Investigation: Depending on the nature of the issue, the Editor-in-Chief or an assigned editorial board member will lead an investigation. This may involve reviewing editorial records, correspondence, and consulting with relevant reviewers. The investigation period is generally within 15 working days; complex cases may require an extension, of which the complainant will be informed.
Response: Upon completion of the investigation, the editorial office will provide a formal written response to the complainant, detailing the findings and the basis for the decision.
Appeal: If the complainant is not satisfied with the initial outcome, they may appeal to the journal's sponsor (Beijing FRP Research & Design Institute Co., Ltd.) for further review.
4.Confidentiality and Fairness
The journal strictly protects the confidentiality of the complainant. The submission of a complaint will not negatively affect the complainant's rights regarding their submissions. All complaints are handled objectively, impartially, and based on verifiable evidence.
Correction and Retraction Policy
Published articles (both online and in print) are considered the final version of record. This journal generally does not alter published articles except under the following circumstances, to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.
1.Corrections
Applicable Situations: For minor errors that do not affect the core conclusions or scientific reliability of the article, such as typographical errors, data entry mistakes, formula or symbol errors, or figure/table labeling errors.
Procedure: The journal will publish a "Correction Notice" on its official website and in a future issue. This notice will detail the original error and the correction, and will be linked to the original article. A new version of the corrected article may be posted with a note indicating the update date. The original version will remain accessible for archival purposes to ensure the transparency of the record. The corrected version is the one that should be cited.
2.Retractions
Applicable Situations:
The article contains serious scientific errors that invalidate its findings or conclusions.
The article is found to involve academic misconduct, including but not limited to data fabrication, image manipulation, plagiarism, redundant or duplicate publication, or inappropriate authorship.
Procedure: The editorial board will initiate an investigation. If the concerns are substantiated, a "Retraction Notice" will be issued. This notice will clearly state the reason for the retraction, the findings of the investigation, and the final decision. The original article will remain online but will be clearly watermarked as "Retracted," and readers will be directed to the retraction notice for details.
Sanctions: Depending on the severity of the misconduct, the journal may impose sanctions, including notifying the authors' institutions, a ban on accepting submissions from the involved authors for a period of 5 to 10 years, and recovery of any honorariums paid.
3.Author-Initiated Requests
Authors who discover a significant error or ethical issue in their own published work are expected to promptly notify the editorial office in writing, providing a detailed explanation and supporting evidence.
Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
To uphold research integrity and publication ethics, this policy establishes guidelines for the responsible use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the research and publishing lifecycle. This policy applies to all authors, peer reviewers, and editors of Composites Science and Engineering. The core principle is that human accountability and scholarly judgment are non-transferable.
(A) For Authors
1. Prohibited Uses:
The journal will not accept manuscripts where AI is used for the following core academic activities:
Formulating research questions, theoretical frameworks, or core arguments.
Conducting research design, empirical analysis, data interpretation, or drawing conclusions.
Rewriting or paraphrasing existing work to avoid detection (e.g., "AI-assisted plagiarism").
Fabricating or creating false data, citations, figures, or other materials.
2. Permitted Uses:
AI tools may be used as auxiliary aids in a limited capacity, such as for:
Language polishing, grammar correction, and improving readability.
Literature search and organization.
Data organization, formatting, and basic analysis.
Checking reference formats.
3. Disclosure and Transparency:
Authors must submit a mandatory AI Use Statement with their manuscript, detailing:
The name and version of the AI tool(s) used.
The specific purpose and part of the manuscript where AI was used.
Key prompts or questions input into the AI.
Confirmation that the authors have reviewed, verified, and are fully responsible for the AI-generated content.
Sample AI Use Statement:
"In preparing this manuscript, the authors used [AI Tool Name & Version] to assist with [specific purpose, e.g., language editing and literature summarization]. The outputs were critically reviewed, fact-checked, and revised by the authors. The authors take full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of this work."
4. Authorship and Responsibility:
AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. All submitted content, including any AI-assisted portions, is the sole responsibility of the human authors.
(B) For Peer Reviewers
1. Prohibition on AI-Assisted Reviewing:
Reviewers must not delegate the evaluation of a manuscript to AI tools. The core tasks of peer review—assessing scientific validity, originality, and significance—must be performed by the reviewer's own expertise.
2. Permitted and Prohibited AI Use:
Permitted: Reviewers may use AI tools only to improve the clarity or language of their own review comments, provided they do not upload any part of the manuscript itself. They remain fully responsible for the content of their review report.
Prohibited: Uploading any part of the manuscript, its figures, or related materials to a public or unsecured AI platform is strictly forbidden due to confidentiality obligations. Reviewers must only use AI tools that are private and do not retain or learn from the uploaded content.
3. Disclosure:
Reviewers must disclose to the editor if they have used AI in any substantive way (beyond simple language polishing), specifying the tool and its purpose.
(C) For Editors
1. Human-Centric Decisions:
All editorial decisions, including acceptance, rejection, and reviewer selection, must be made by human editors. AI must not be used to make automated editorial judgments.
2. Permitted AI Use:
Editors may use AI tools (ideally developed or vetted by the publisher) for supportive tasks only, including:
Preliminary checks for completeness and format.
Identifying potential reviewers.
Language editing of accessory content (e.g., summaries, press releases).
Generating administrative communication.
3. Confidentiality:
Editors must adhere to strict confidentiality and must not upload any unpublished manuscript or related data to a public or unsecured AI system. Only publisher-approved, secure tools may be used to handle manuscript content.
4. Training:
The editorial office will provide regular training to editors on the ethical use of AI, data security, and evolving best practices.
(D) Violations and Sanctions
For Authors: Failure to comply with this policy may result in rejection, retraction of a published article, notification of the authors' institutions, and a ban on future submissions for a period of 3 to 10 years.
For Reviewers: Misuse of AI, especially concerning confidentiality, will result in immediate dismissal from the journal's reviewer pool and may be reported to their institution.
For Editors: Violations of confidentiality or misuse of AI in editorial decisions will be addressed by the Editorial Board and may lead to removal from their editorial role.