WJSTSD

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Overview

World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development (WJSTSD) is a unique global forum for academics, practitioners and policymakers from around the world to exchange concepts, research, and best practices about science and technology and to provoke forward thinking on the development of a more coherent approach to solving global problems related to sustainable development (SD).

WJSTSD aims to integrate the study of these disciplines to achieve SD and help to stimulate debate with a view to defining common, effective responses to tomorrow’s challenges.

WJSTSD is published by WASD in the United Kingdom (4 Issues per year) 2042-5945 (Print) ISSN: 2042-5953 (Online)  in partnership with Emerald Publishing (2012-2021) and Inderscience Publishers (2004-2009).

Location

World Association for Sustainable Development (WASD), London, UK

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Indexing and Ranking

WJSTSD is listed and indexed in various international Indexing, Ranking and Databases platforms.

Editorial Board

All members of our editorial committee are truly international in terms of their interests and range of specialisation. The validated academic background that they bring to bear on the quality of the review as well as their geographic areas of interest foster a uniquely different editorial experience.

WASD is very grateful for all our distinguished Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) and our Expert Reviewers which include distinguished international academic and professional experts in the different subject areas of the different journals. All our EAB members graciously offering their invaluable comments that have enriched the quality of the papers in all our publications and also for making available to us their valuable time and efforts. 

We continuously looking for nominations for distinguished academic and professional colleagues who will be interested to join the Editorial Advisory Board to support our journals. Please contact Janet Snow (janet.snow@wasd.org.uk) if you have any question and/or you need any help. Please click here to learn more about your duties as member of the EAB. 

We would like also to congratulate all our Authors for their extremely valuable contributions and we hope they continue to support the journal and encourage all their colleagues and friends to also consider the journal for their research outcome.

WASD testimonies
Subject Coverage

WASD produces various publications, to spread information all over the world, and to promote its aims and activities through various other partners. WASD publications are developed to provide an overview of Sustainable Development (SD) and why it is important and to provoke forward thinking on the development of a more coherent approach to solving global problems related to sustainability. In doing so, a holistic approach is used to critically examine the inter-relationship between the natural, the governmental, the economic and the social dimensions of our world and how science and technology can contribute to solutions. And although science, technology and SD are the main focus of our publications, there is no limit as to the articles/chapters that will be considered.

WJSTSD publishes:

  1. Original and applied research that critically examines the interrelationship between the natural, governmental, economic and social dimensions of our world, and how science and technology can contribute to solutions.
    Fundamental and applied research on all aspects of SD.
  2. General and technical reviews of topical and/or controversial subjects that inform and stimulate debate.
  3. Conceptual papers or case studies that highlight the role of Science, technology and innovation (STI) in achieving SD.
  4. Literature reviews or viewpoints on particular topics or trends.
  5. WJSTSD encourages Guest Editors to submit proposals for Special Issues addressing particular issues that fit with the broad theme of the journal or arise from relevant conferences. Special issues focusing on a particular country or region are also welcome.
  6. Book reviews and/or evaluations of other literature and multimedia information packages.

WJSTSD considers a broad range of topics, and papers can address subjects theoretically or empirically through either a descriptive or critical approach. Suitable topics include, but are not limited to:

  1. Science, technology and innovation (STI).
  2. The role of STI in achieving SD.
  3. SD policies and strategies and government involvement in SD practices and regulations.
  4. Research and development for SD outcomes.
  5. ICTs and SD.
  6. Education and SD.
  7. Engineering, industry and sustainable manufacturing systems.
  8. Food security policies and sustainable food production systems.
  9. Future trends in STI.
  10. The impact of travel, transportation and tourism on sustainability.
  11. UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  12. Water, energy and climate change.
  13. The impact of innovation and knowledge on productivity enhancement.
  14. The knowledge-based economy and SD.
  15. Governance, international relations and policy frameworks for SD
  16. The role of the informal sector in sustainable economic growth.
  17. Health technologies and innovation systems addressing diseases for SD
Guidelines for authors

Before submitting your paper, please ensure that you read and fully understand the guidelines for submission below. This will help to ensure a successful submission. This checklist is intended to confirm that you have followed the guidelines closely. Please note that we will return any papers that do not comply with these guidelines so that errors can be corrected before the paper can be considered for suitability for our journals.

  1. Ensure that you read and understand the various aspects of our publishing ethics policy and guidelines, particularly in terms of authorship and research integrity, and that you follow all aspects of our research conduct, especially the Code of Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
  2. Submitted papers should not have been previously published, nor should they be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere (N.B. conference papers may only be submitted if they were not originally copyrighted and have been completely rewritten).
  3. All papers submitted for publication in WASD journals are refereed through a double-blind process.
  4. Please submit your paper online in the form of an MS Word file (no other formats are accepted).
  5. You must indicate the type of paper (see the different types of paper below).
  6. You must include a structured abstract (see below).
  7. You must include 6–10 keywords for your paper.
  8. Your paper should be 3,000–5,000 words in length including references (see typescript preparation).
  9. Your paper must not contain any author details. Author details should be provided in a separate document, including affiliation and email addresses.
  10. You must provide a short biography of 50–100 words for each author, as well as high-definition photos for all authors in white background.
  11. We also request that all authors upload their details to our SDGs Who’s Who Directory (sdgswhoswho.org). Authors need to register online first and then return to the link to upload their details.
  12. Authors must provide their ORCID iDs. If they do not have one, they should register at https://orcid.org and provide us with the identifier.

Submission Preparation Checklist (all items required)

  1. The submission has not been previously published in English, nor is it under consideration by another journal or book; alternatively, an explanation has been provided in the Comments to the Editor.
  2. The text meets the formatting requirements.
  3. The submission file is in Microsoft Word document format.
  4. A plagiarism and AI-generated content report has been provided.
  5. A copyright form, signed by all authors, has been submitted.
  6. Where the research involves human participants or raises privacy concerns, an appropriate data approval or ethical clearance certificate has been provided.
Authors and Authorship

All authors must provide accurate and truthful information about themselves and their contributions to the paper. Each author should clearly explain their role in the research and writing process.

Authors are expected to adhere to the highest standards of research integrity, including fair and ethical practices. Any form of research malpractice, falsification, plagiarism, or misrepresentation is strictly prohibited.

All authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the work or its interpretation. Contributions should be honest, transparent, and appropriately recognised.

Ideally, each author, regardless of their position as first, second, or subsequent author, may have one publication per annual cycle, subject to the journal’s requirements, the quality of the paper, and the author’s active contribution to the research.

Also, the number of authors for a manuscript should ordinarily not exceed three. Submissions listing more than three authors will only be considered where the study constitutes substantial empirical and/or model-based research, and where a clear and justified account of each author’s contribution is provided. Under no circumstances should the total number of authors exceed four.

Typescript Preparation
  1. All authors must provide the following information: full name, position, department, institution, full postal address including email, and biographical notes of approximately 50 words per author (maximum 100 words).
  2. The title should be as concise as possible.
  3. References to successful applications within industry are required.
  4. All references should be cited in the text and included in the reference list.
  5. All references should include an active and accessible link or DOI.
  6. Papers may be updates of previously written material but must be original to the author and, once accepted for publication, must not appear in any other periodical.
  7. Papers must be double-spaced and submitted in A4-sized Microsoft Word format (not PDF) to the Journal Manager, Janet Snow, at admin@wasd.org.uk.
  8. Papers should not exceed 5,000 words (including references).
  9. All papers must be written in UK English. If English is not your first language, you may contact us for editorial support and assistance with proofreading. Contact us: admin@wasd.org.uk
Types of Papers

The following types of papers are sought:

  1. Conceptual: Papers that lay out the landscape, define needs, and propose approaches or solutions. These papers are likely to be discursive and may cover philosophical discussions or comparative studies of others’ work and thinking.
  2. Literature Review: Papers that cite relevant literature. The main purpose is to annotate, summarise, and/or critique the literature in a particular subject area.
  3. Review: Papers that provide an overview or historical examination of industries, systems, methodologies, research, national or industrial differences, cultural differences, or other concepts. These papers are likely to be more descriptive or instructional (“how to” chapters) than discursive.
  4. Case Studies: Empirical work, industry cases, test cases, pilot studies, or similar. Case studies describe actual interventions or experiences within organisations. They may be subjective and do not generally report on research. Legal cases or hypothetical case studies used for teaching purposes also fall into this category.
  5. Research: Papers reporting on any type of research undertaken by the author(s). This may include construction or testing of a model or framework, action research, data testing, market research or surveys, and empirical, scientific, or clinical research.
  6. Viewpoint: Papers based on the author’s opinion and interpretation, including journalistic pieces.
  7. Technical: Papers that describe and evaluate technical products, processes, or services.
Abstracts

The abstract should be approximately 100 words, with a maximum of 150 words. It must be written concisely and clearly, reflecting only the content of the original paper. To produce a structured abstract, please complete the following fields using this template. Four fields are obligatory: Purpose, Design/methodology/approach, Findings, and Original/value of the paper. The other two fields, Research limitations/implications and Practical implications, may be omitted if not applicable.

  1. Purpose: What are the reasons for writing the paper or the aims of the research?
  2. Design/methodology/approach: How were the objectives achieved? Include the main method(s) used for the research. Describe the approach to the topic and the theoretical or subject scope of the paper.
  3. Findings: What was discovered during the work? This refers to analysis, discussion, or results.
  4. Original/value of the paper: What is new in the paper? State the value of the paper and to whom.
  5. Research limitations/implications (if applicable): If research is reported, this section should include suggestions for future research and any identified limitations in the research process. How can the findings be applied to other countries in the region? What are the implications for achieving sustainable development in the country and the region?
  6. Practical implications (if applicable): What outcomes and implications for practice, applications, and consequences are identified? Not all papers will have practical implications, but most will. What changes to practice should result from this research or paper?
Keywords
  1. Provide approximately 6–10 words or phrases to be used for tagging the paper in the publisher’s database. Example: Keyword 1; Keyword 2; Keyword 3; Keyword 4; Keyword 5; Keyword 6.
  2. Selecting appropriate keywords increases the likelihood that researchers will retrieve your paper during a keyword search.
  3. Choose keywords that reflect the specific focus of the paper. Avoid overly broad terms such as “Management” unless the paper addresses the topic on a wide scale. Use the most common term for a concept and do not invent new terms for established concepts.
  4. Think broadly when selecting keywords: for example, if the paper discusses performance appraisal in an electronics factory, it may be useful to include the industry as a keyword. If the research or activity takes place in a specific country, include the country’s name as a keyword.
References
  1. Use the Harvard (name and date) referencing system for citations in the text, with a detailed alphabetical reference list provided at the end of the paper. For example, ‘Hamel (2000) suggests …’, ‘Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) found that …’, or ‘A study of economic change (Nelson and Winter, 1982) has shown that …’.
  2. Footnotes should be avoided. However, brief and specific notes may be included and should be numbered sequentially following the alphabetical reference list.
  3. References should be made only to works that are published, accepted for publication (not merely ‘submitted’), or available through libraries or institutions. Any other sources should be accompanied by a note indicating their availability.
  4. Full references should include all authors’ names and initials, the date of publication, the title of the paper, the title of the publication (in italics), the volume and issue number (for journal articles), the publisher and format (for books and conference proceedings), and page numbers.
  5. Use the Harvard referencing style and consult the following sample: Ahmed, A. and Naim, A. (2026): Managing Artificial Intelligence for accelerating the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development (WJSTSD), Vol. 21, Nos. 1–3, pp. 1–10. WASD: London, United Kingdom. Available at: https://doi.org/10.47556/J.WJSTSD.21.1-2-3.2026.1
Figures
  1. All illustrations, whether diagrams or photographs, are referred to as figures.
  2. Figures should be in black and white (not colour) and numbered sequentially (for example, Figure 1).
  3. All figures should be cited in the text.

Example: In-text citation example: The relationship between technology adoption and productivity improvement is illustrated in Figure 1.

  1. All figures must include a source (for example, Figure 1: Title of the figure. Source: Author(s), year).

Example: Insert figure
Figure 1: Technology Adoption and Productivity Growth
Source: World Bank (2025)

  1. Figures presenting data analysis should be provided in an editable format.
  2. Figures should be placed at the end of the paper or can be inserted within the text
  3. Original line diagrams will be reduced and used directly; therefore, they should be prepared to the highest possible standard.
  4. Please note that lettering may be reduced in size by a factor of two or three, and fine lines may not reproduce clearly.
  5. Electronic copies of all figures must also be provided.
Style
  1. Papers must be clear, concise, and get to the point early. They should not read as promotional material for a country or company. Blatantly promotional content will not be published.
  2. Keep paragraphs short and sentences simple and straightforward.
  3. Authors should write in the active voice and, where possible, avoid technical jargon.
  4. Acronyms must be fully translated into English. The full form should be given the first time it appears in the text, after which the acronym may be used consistently.
  5. Do not assume that the reader is familiar with specific national institutions or corporations.
  6. Authors are encouraged to approach their topic from an international perspective.
  7. Countries and groups of countries should be referred to by their full title, as terms such as ‘China’, ‘Europe’, or ‘America’ can be ambiguous.
  8. Special attention should be given to identifying units of currency by nationality.
Translated Works
  1. Difficulties often arise when translating acronyms, so it is advisable to spell out the acronym in English (for example, IIRP – French personal income tax).
  2. Similarly, labels and suffixes require careful attention where the letters refer to words that have been translated.
  3. The names of mathematical functions may change in translation; these should be checked against an English-language mathematical reference text.
Units of Measurements

Please use the International System of Units (SI) throughout your paper. Imperial units will be converted to SI, except where conversion would alter the meaning of a statement or imply a greater or lesser degree of accuracy.

Tables

  1. All tables should be cited in the text, must include a source, and should be provided in an editable format.
  2. Example of in-text citation: Table 1 presents the distribution of respondents across different industry sectors.
  3. Example of table format/caption:

Table 1: Distribution of Survey Respondents by Industry
Industry Sector Number of Respondents Percentage (%)
Manufacturing 45 30%
Services 60 40%
Technology 30 20%
Others 15 10%
Source: Survey data collected by the author (2026)
Article Processing Charge
  1. Non-Profit Publishing Model: WASD is an independent, non-profit international organisation dedicated to advancing SD through high-quality research, education, policy dialogue, and scholarly publishing. WASD aim to provide scholars and researchers the opportunity FREE of Charge to share their knowledge and experiences from all over the world on major global issues; the emphasis is on the importance of evidence-based planning to overcome the challenges facing various countries’ efforts to achieve a sustainable future. WASD does not operate for commercial profit, and all income generated through publication activities is used solely to support and sustain its publishing operations, editorial services, technological infrastructure, digital archiving, dissemination of research, and continuous improvement of publication quality.
  2. Purpose of APC: To support the costs associated with the publication process, including editorial administration, manuscript management, plagiarism screening, peer review administration, copy-editing, typesetting, production, online hosting, indexing support, digital preservation, and long-term accessibility, WASD charges an APC. Authors are required to pay the APC after receiving an initial editorial acceptance, which confirms that the manuscript has successfully passed peer review and is proceeding to the final stages of the publication process. Following payment, the manuscript will undergo the remaining editorial processes, including final revisions, copy-editing, formatting, and production quality checks. If the manuscript is subsequently unable to satisfy the final editorial or publication requirements and is not accepted for publication, the APC will be refunded in full. Payment of the APC does not guarantee final publication and does not influence editorial decisions, which remain entirely independent and are based solely on scholarly merit, scientific quality, ethical compliance, and successful completion of all publication requirements.
  3. Equitable and Differential APC Policy: Consistent with its mission to promote equitable global participation in scholarly publishing, WASD operates a discriminatory (differential) APC policy based on the country of institutional affiliation of the corresponding author. APC rates are determined according to internationally recognised country income classifications and with reduced APCs for authors affiliated with low-income and lower-middle-income countries. This approach is intended to minimise financial barriers and ensure that researchers from resource-constrained regions have equitable opportunities to publish their work.
Call for Papers
  1. Innovation for Impact: Harnessing Digital and Mobile Technologies for Sustainable Development in Business, Education, Environment, Healthcare, Tourism, and Engineering
  2. Soulful Bytes: Humanizing the Digital Revolution for a Sustainable Tomorrow

For all enquires regarding the special issues, please contact the guest editor(s) for the special issue directly.

For other editorial enquires, please Contact:

Guest Editor Guidelines

WASD encourages Guest Editors to submit proposals for Special Issues addressing particular (specific) issue(s) of the broad theme of any of the journals or focusing on a particular country or a region. The following general guidelines may help you in preparing and editing the special issue and you can also check our current call for papers for special issues. Please send your proposal to the Managing Editor Mrs Janet Snow (admin@wasd.org.uk).

General Information

Please send the following details:

  1. Name, title, specialisation, short CV, editorial experience, institution, country, full postal address (preferably with tel., fax and email address).
  2. You are free to choose the topic of your special issue.
  3. You need first to formulate the aims, and objectives as well as focus and subject coverage of the special issue in the form of ‘ call for papers ‘ (to send to invited authors).
  4. Identify authors to invite; and appoint a panel of referees to help you in your task.
  5. You can invite other Co- Guest Editors to help you in your task, if you may wish to do that.
  6. At this stage there are no restrictions on the size and number of high quality papers accepted for publication in the special issue. However, if you would like to publish 12 – 15 papers, for example, you need to invite at least 30 experts to write papers for the special issue.
  7. Guide for authors and sample papers as well as information about the refereeing process and information about other relevant journals can be obtained from our editorial office (admin@wasd.org.uk).
  8. All communications should be handled through the journal portal, and any correspondence should be considered confidential.
Time Table
  1. Timescales from commission to publication should not exceed 12 months. Please be aware: content that has not been accepted within the 12 months may not be published as a special issue.
  2. Guest Editor(s) must ensure to accept the content for the special issue by the agreed deadline and will be published in the agreed Volume and Issue(s). If there are any problems with this deadline at any point, you should notify the Journal Manager as soon as possible.
  3. Allow four months for invited authors to submit the first draft of their papers.
  4. Two month for the refereeing process and to inform the authors with the outcome of the refereeing process and any changes requested by the referees.
  5. Two month for authors to resubmit to you the final manuscript of their papers after incorporating any changes requested by the referees.
  6. When you receive the final manuscripts of all referees, corrected by authors and accepted papers, please send them to us to process for publication.
  7. The publication process takes up to a period of six month from the date in which we receive all the accepted papers.
  8. The corresponding author of each paper will receive, by email, the proofs of his/her paper to check. S/he must return the corrected proofs within fourteen days in order to avoid any delays in publishing the special issue.
  9. It is the responsibility of authors to check and correct any errors in their papers before publication.
Paper Submission
  1. The special issue should consist of approximately 6-7 articles (single issue) or 12-13 articles (double issue), plus an optional guest editorial.
  2. A contents list of the special issue
  3. A title of the special issue
  4. A short Editorial to introduce the special issue each
  5. Complete paper should be supplied in MS Word to the Editor-in-Chief
  6. Title of paper
  7. Names of author(s) and complete addresses with email address of each author
  8. Keywords (up to 10 words)
  9. Biographical notes of no more than 100 words for each author
  10. An abstract of no more than 50 words
  11. references (using the Harvard short reference system)
  12. Each paper must have the Copyright form completed
  13. If the number of articles accepted is not sufficient to fill a journal issue the accepted content will be published as a special section. Any content still under review will be published as regular papers at a later date.
Refereeing Process
  1. The peer review process must be handled in a fair and objective manner, with any editorial decisions made purely on the merit of the paper.
  2. The journal operates a double-blind peer review policy; please keep reviewer identities confidential at all times.
  3. Upon receipt of a new submission reviewers should be invited within 5 business days. Please regularly check your submission and review pipeline, ensuring that the required number of reviewers have accepted the invitation to review. Reviewers for the Journal are usually allocated 30 days to complete their review and submit their comments.
  4. Where possible, please ensure you have a diverse pool of reviewers and do not repeatedly rely on the same reviewer. Additionally, please ensure that reviewers have disclosed any conflicts of interest before they review any articles.
  5. Please ensure that at least 2 reviews are received for each article. If one referee accepted the paper and one rejected it, the paper should be send to a third referee and his/her decision is final.
  6. You can choose your referees to help you, as you may wish, from experts in the subject of the special issue. Please ensure that the reviewers selected have knowledge of the subject area for which they have been invited to review.
  7. Since the refereeing process is a blind one, you can also use some of the authors as referees if you have problems in appointing enough referees.
  8. Refereeing forms of the journals are available upon request which can be adapted for the special issue.
  9. Guest Editors may publish their own article within a special issue they have edited, however, they must not be involved in the review process or editorial decision on that article. If you do wish to submit your own article to the issue, you must contact the Coordinator/Editor to discuss how to manage the review process. Please be aware that multiple article submissions to your own special Issue will not be permitted.
  10. WASD is a member of several Committees on Publication Ethics, and it is expected that any allegation of ethical misconduct will be handled in accordance with the principles outlined by these committees.
  11. WASD supports responsible metrics and citations, and will monitor any perceived attempts to influence journal metrics.
  12. If you become aware of an allegation of ethical misconduct, you must notify the regular Editor and the Content Editor of the Journal as soon as possible.
  13. If, during the course of managing the special issue, you discover that you have a conflict of interest with an article, you must disclose this immediately to the journal Coordinator/Editor to discuss next steps.
Past Special Issues

Managing Artificial Intelligence for Accelerating the Implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

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March 2026

Greening the Future in Arab World: Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development

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March 2026

Implementing the United Nations Agenda 2030: progress, challenges and the role of universities

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July 2025

Human Capital, Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development

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April 2024

Gamification, serious games, simulations, and immersive learning environments in knowledge management initiatives

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September 2022

The Critical Role of Capacity Building in Achieving Sustainable Development in Africa

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May 2011

Microbial Immobilisation Technology for Wastewater Treatment

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February 2010

Technology in Engineering Education

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September 2008

An Update on the Developments in Future Business and Technology Part I: Future Technology and Engineering Management

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May 2007

Africa Can Escape Poverty

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September 2005

 

Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy

The World Association for Sustainable Development (WASD) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, fairness, and accountability throughout the publication process. As an international organisation dedicated to advancing sustainable development (SD) through research, education, innovation, and policy engagement, WASD recognises that ethical publishing is fundamental to preserving public trust and ensuring the credibility of scholarly communication.

WASD acts in accordance with the principles and guidance established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and supports the continuous development and implementation of internationally recognised ethical standards throughout the scholarly publishing community. All authors, editors, reviewers, editorial board members, guest editors, and publishing staff are expected to comply with this policy.

This policy applies to all journals, conference proceedings, books, edited volumes, reports, policy papers, and other scholarly publications published or sponsored by WASD.

Statement of Commitment

WASD is committed to promoting responsible scholarship that advances sustainable development through integrity, transparency and academic excellence. By adhering to internationally recognised ethical standards and the principles established by COPE, WASD seeks to protect the integrity of the scholarly record, strengthen public trust in research, and foster an inclusive, respectful and accountable publishing environment for the global academic community.

Core Ethical Principles

  1. Academic Honesty and Integrity: All participants must uphold the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and professionalism in conducting, reporting, reviewing, and publishing research. Any form of academic misconduct is unacceptable.
  2. Transparency Throughout the Research and Publication Process: Research and publication activities should be conducted openly and transparently. Authors, reviewers, and editors must provide accurate information and disclose any relevant interests or circumstances that may affect the publication process.
  3. Originality of Scholarly Work: All submitted work must be original and represent the authors' own research and intellectual contribution. Proper acknowledgement and citation of the work of others are essential.
  4. Fairness and Impartiality: Editorial decisions and peer review should be based solely on scholarly merit, without discrimination or bias relating to nationality, gender, ethnicity, religion, institutional affiliation, or personal beliefs.
  5. Editorial Independence: Editors shall make publication decisions independently and free from commercial, political, institutional, or personal influence, ensuring the integrity and credibility of the publication process.
  6. Respect for Intellectual Property: All participants must respect copyright, authorship, and intellectual property rights. Appropriate permission, attribution, and acknowledgement must be provided for the use of third-party material.
  7. Accountability for Published Research: Authors are responsible for the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of their published work. Editors and reviewers also share responsibility for maintaining the quality and trustworthiness of the scholarly record.
  8. Respect for Research Participants and Society: Research involving human participants, animals, organisations, or communities must be conducted ethically, with appropriate approvals, informed consent where required, and due consideration for societal welfare.
  9. Responsible Innovation and Ethical Use of Emerging Technologies: Emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), should be used responsibly, transparently, and ethically. Human oversight and accountability must be maintained at all stages of the research and publication process.
  10. Continuous Improvement of Publication Standards: WASD is committed to continuously reviewing and enhancing its publication policies and practices to reflect evolving international standards, ethical guidance, and best practices in scholarly publishing.

Continuous Review

  1. Ongoing Policy Development: WASD recognises that publication ethics continue to evolve alongside advances in research practices, scholarly publishing, and emerging technologies. The Association is committed to regularly reviewing and updating its publication ethics policies to ensure they remain relevant, effective, and aligned with current best practice.
  2. Alignment with International Standards: This policy will be periodically revised to reflect the latest guidance issued by COPE, developments in international publishing standards, advances in research integrity, and the ethical implications of emerging technologies, including AI.
Artificial Intelligence Policy
  1. General Principles: WASD recognises the growing role of AI in scholarly publishing while affirming that responsibility for the originality, accuracy, integrity, ethical compliance, and appropriate attribution of published work always rests with the human authors. AI tools cannot be credited as authors, as they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for scholarly content.
  2. Permitted Uses: Authors may use AI responsibly to support manuscript preparation, including language editing, grammar correction, formatting, improving readability, translation, coding assistance, data visualisation based on verified human-generated data, and the development of clearly identified conceptual illustrations. Authors remain fully responsible for reviewing, verifying, and validating all AI-assisted outputs before submission.
  3. Prohibited Uses: Generative AI must not be used to create original research findings, fabricate or manipulate data, generate fictitious references, produce literature reviews as original scholarship, write substantial sections of manuscripts, create misleading figures or false images, or otherwise misrepresent evidence. Presenting AI-generated content as original human scholarship constitutes research misconduct and may result in editorial action.
  4. Disclosure of AI Use: Any significant use of AI during manuscript preparation must be disclosed transparently within the manuscript. Authors should specify the name and version of the AI system used, describe its purpose, and explain the extent of its contribution. Failure to disclose material AI use may lead to rejection of the manuscript or appropriate post-publication action in accordance with WASD's publication ethics policies.
Responsibilities of Authors
  1. Originality: Authors must submit original work that has not been published previously or is under consideration by another publisher. Any overlap with earlier publications must be fully disclosed, and all sources must be properly acknowledged. Duplicate, redundant, fragmented ("salami") or simultaneous publication is considered unethical and will not be accepted.
  2. Research Integrity: Authors are expected to conduct and report research honestly, accurately, and transparently. Fabrication or falsification of data, manipulation of results, selective reporting of findings, and misrepresentation of research methods constitute serious breaches of research integrity. Authors should retain original data and provide supporting documentation when requested to verify the accuracy of their findings.
  3. Ethical Approval: Research involving human participants, personal data, animals, vulnerable groups, or clinical studies must receive appropriate ethical approval from a recognised ethics committee before the study begins. Authors must provide details of the ethical approval, including the approval reference number where applicable, confirm that informed consent was obtained where required, and demonstrate compliance with relevant national and international ethical standards.
  4. Informed Consent: Authors conducting research involving identifiable individuals must obtain informed consent before participation. Participants should be fully informed about the purpose of the research, potential risks and benefits, confidentiality arrangements, how their data will be used, publication intentions, and their right to withdraw from the study without prejudice.
  5. Authorship: Authorship should accurately reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the research. Authors should have contributed significantly to the conception or design of the study, data collection, analysis or interpretation, manuscript preparation, or critical revision, and must approve the final version before submission. All authors share responsibility for the integrity of the published work. Gift authorship, honorary authorship, and ghost authorship are unacceptable. Any changes to authorship after submission require the written consent of all authors and approval from the editor.
  6. Citation and Attribution: Authors must provide accurate and appropriate acknowledgement of all sources, including previous publications, datasets, software, images, figures, tables, intellectual contributions, and funding sources. References should be complete, accurate, and directly relevant to the research. Citation manipulation, including excessive self-citation, coercive citation, and citation stacking, is strictly prohibited.
  7. Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal interests that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the conduct, interpretation, or presentation of their research. Full disclosure enables editors, reviewers, and readers to assess the research objectively and promotes transparency throughout the publication process.
  8. Funding Disclosure: Authors must clearly disclose all sources of financial support for the research. This includes identifying funding agencies, grant numbers where applicable, and any involvement of sponsors in the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or publication of the research. Such disclosure promotes transparency and helps readers evaluate potential sources of bias.
  9. COPE Flowcharts and Guidance: Authors are encouraged to consult COPE's flowcharts and guidance, which outline the procedures and decision-making processes for addressing concerns relating to publication ethics, including suspected plagiarism, authorship disputes, duplicate publication, data fabrication, image manipulation, and other forms of research misconduct. These resources support good publication practice and promote adherence to internationally recognised ethical standards.
Responsibilities of Editors
  1. Fair and Objective Decision-Making: Editors are responsible for ensuring that all editorial decisions are fair, objective, transparent, and based solely on scholarly merit. Manuscripts should be evaluated according to their originality, academic quality, methodological rigour, ethical compliance, and relevance to the aims and scope of the publication.
  2. Confidentiality: Editors must maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and related correspondence throughout the editorial and peer review process. Information obtained during manuscript handling must not be disclosed or used for personal or professional advantage.
  3. Conflicts of Interest: Editors must identify and appropriately manage any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest. Where a conflict exists, the editor should withdraw from the editorial process and delegate responsibility to another suitably qualified editor.
  4. Editorial Oversight: Editors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts undergo an appropriate, fair, and timely peer review process. They should uphold high standards of research integrity, investigate allegations of publication misconduct, and address ethical concerns in accordance with the principles and guidance of COPE.
  5. Impartiality and Non-discrimination: Editorial decisions must never be influenced by commercial interests, institutional pressure, political considerations, or the nationality, race, religion, gender, or personal relationships of the authors. Editors are expected to promote fairness, equality, and academic integrity throughout the publication process.

Editorial Independence

  1. Editorial Autonomy: WASD fully supports the principle of editorial independence. Editors retain full authority over editorial decisions without interference from sponsors, advertisers, funding bodies, institutional leadership, authors, or any other external party.
  2. Independent Publication Decisions: Publication decisions shall be based exclusively on the originality, methodological quality, scholarly significance, ethical compliance, and relevance of the manuscript to the journal. Editorial judgement must remain free from commercial, political, or personal influence to safeguard the integrity, credibility, and independence of WASD publications.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
  1. Objectivity and Fairness: Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly, and solely on their scholarly merit. Reviews should be impartial, evidence-based, and free from personal bias or discrimination.
  2. Confidentiality: All manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, discuss, or disclose the content of submitted manuscripts with anyone without prior authorisation from the editor.
  3. Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence their judgement. Where a conflict exists, reviewers should decline the invitation to review the manuscript.
  4. Timeliness: Reviewers should complete reviews within the agreed timeframe. If they are unable to meet the deadline or lack the necessary expertise, they should inform the editor promptly so that alternative arrangements can be made.
  5. Constructive and Respectful Feedback: Reviewers should provide clear, constructive, and professional feedback that assists authors in improving their work. Criticism should focus on the content of the manuscript and never on the personal characteristics of the authors.
  6. Ethical Responsibilities: Reviewers should remain vigilant for potential ethical concerns, including plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication or falsification, image manipulation, authorship disputes, and other forms of research misconduct. Any suspected ethical issues should be reported confidentially to the editor.
  7. Appropriate Use of Confidential Information: Reviewers must not use unpublished information or ideas obtained through the peer review process for personal, academic, or commercial advantage. Manuscripts under review must not be shared with third parties or uploaded to AI systems or other external platforms. Reviewers are responsible for completing reviews personally and must not delegate the review to another individual without prior approval from the editor.
Plagiarism Policy
  1. Commitment to Originality: WASD has zero tolerance for plagiarism and is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity. Authors are expected to submit original work and to acknowledge appropriately the ideas, words, data, and intellectual contributions of others.
  2. Forms of Plagiarism: Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, verbatim copying, mosaic plagiarism, paraphrasing without proper attribution, self-plagiarism, image plagiarism, data plagiarism, and the misappropriation of ideas or other intellectual property. Any form of plagiarism is considered a serious breach of publication ethics.
  3. Plagiarism Screening: All manuscripts submitted to WASD may be screened using recognised plagiarism-detection software before and, where necessary, after publication. Similarity reports will be assessed carefully to distinguish legitimate overlap from unethical plagiarism.
  4. Editorial Action: Where plagiarism is confirmed, WASD will take appropriate action in accordance with its publication ethics policy and the guidance of COPE. Depending on the severity of the misconduct, actions may include rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction, retraction of the article, notification of the author's institution, and restrictions on future submissions to WASD publications.
Misconduct Policy

Data Integrity

  1. Preservation of Research Data: Authors are responsible for preserving the original research records and underlying data that support their published findings. Research data should be accurate, complete, securely retained, and made available for verification where appropriate, subject to legal, ethical, and confidentiality requirements.
  2. Responsible Data Reporting: Authors must present research data honestly and without distortion. The manipulation of datasets, fabrication or falsification of data, and selective reporting or omission of significant findings constitute serious breaches of research integrity and may result in editorial action.
  3. Verification of Originality and Author Cooperation: WASD reserves the right to request supporting information or original materials from authors to verify the originality, authenticity, and integrity of a submitted work whenever concerns arise. Authors are expected to cooperate fully and provide a satisfactory explanation where requested. Failure to provide appropriate evidence or an adequate explanation may result in editorial action, including rejection of the manuscript, a temporary prohibition on future submissions to WASD publications, or other appropriate sanctions. In cases involving serious or confirmed research misconduct, WASD may notify the relevant institution or other appropriate authorities in accordance with COPE principles and guidance.

Image Integrity

  1. Accurate Representation of Research: Images, figures, and other visual materials must accurately represent the original observations and research findings. Any adjustments should be limited to legitimate enhancements, such as changes to brightness, contrast, or colour balance, provided they are applied consistently and do not alter the scientific meaning or misrepresent the underlying data.
  2. Prohibited Image Manipulation: Undisclosed image manipulation that alters, obscures, enhances, removes, or otherwise misrepresents research findings is strictly prohibited. Any permitted modifications should be transparent and must not compromise the accuracy, integrity, or reliability of the published work.

Confidentiality

  1. Protection of Confidential Information: Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff must maintain the strict confidentiality of all information obtained during the submission, peer review, and publication process. This includes submitted manuscripts, reviewer identities, editorial correspondence, unpublished findings, and any other confidential material.
  2. Appropriate Use of Confidential Information: Confidential information obtained through editorial or peer review activities must never be disclosed to unauthorised individuals or used for personal, academic, professional, or commercial advantage. All participants are expected to safeguard the integrity and trust of the publication process by handling confidential information responsibly and ethically.

Respectful Conduct

  1. Professional and Respectful Behaviour: WASD is committed to fostering a scholarly environment founded on mutual respect, professionalism, inclusion, and academic integrity. All participants in the publication process are expected to communicate courteously and respectfully in all interactions.
  2. Unacceptable Conduct: Harassment, discrimination, intimidation, bullying, abusive language, or any form of offensive or inappropriate behaviour towards authors, reviewers, editors, editorial staff, or other participants will not be tolerated. WASD reserves the right to take appropriate action where such conduct undermines the integrity or professionalism of the publication process.

Appeals and Complaints

  1. Appeals Against Editorial Decisions: Authors who believe that a significant procedural error, factual misunderstanding, or ethical concern may have affected an editorial decision may submit a reasoned appeal to the Editor-in-Chief within the specified timeframe. Appeals should provide clear evidence supporting the request for reconsideration and should not simply express disagreement with the editorial judgement. Appeals will be reviewed independently, where appropriate, in accordance with WASD's publication policies and the principles of COPE. The outcome of the appeal shall be considered final.
  2. Complaints Procedure: WASD is committed to maintaining a fair, transparent, and respectful publication process. Concerns relating to editorial procedures, peer review, publication ethics, or professional conduct should be submitted in writing with supporting information. All complaints will be acknowledged, assessed confidentially, and reviewed objectively by the appropriate editorial authority. Where necessary, additional information may be sought from the parties involved before a decision is reached. Editorial decisions made on academic merit will not normally be reconsidered unless there is evidence of a significant procedural or ethical issue. Complaints that are repeated without new evidence or are found to have no reasonable basis may not be considered further after appropriate review.

Allegations of Misconduct

  1. Reporting and Investigation: WASD takes all allegations of publication and research misconduct seriously. Allegations may include plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, unethical research practices, authorship disputes, duplicate publication, image manipulation, citation manipulation, reviewer misconduct, editorial misconduct, or any other breach of publication ethics. All concerns will be investigated fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with the principles and guidance of COPE.
  2. Fair Process: Investigations will be conducted impartially and with due process. All individuals involved will be given a fair opportunity to respond to the allegations before any decision is reached. Where misconduct is confirmed, WASD will take appropriate corrective action to protect the integrity of the scholarly record and uphold the highest standards of publication ethics.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern and Retractions

  1. Post-Publication Corrections: Where published work is found to contain significant errors, inaccuracies, or ethical breaches, WASD may issue corrections, corrigenda, errata, expressions of concern, or retractions, as appropriate. These measures are intended to preserve the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of the scholarly record while ensuring transparency for readers.
  2. Retractions: Retractions will be issued where there is clear evidence that published findings are unreliable or that serious publication misconduct has occurred. Retraction notices will remain permanently linked to the original publication to maintain a complete and transparent scholarly record.
Copyright, Licensing and Intellectual Property
  1. Copyright Compliance: WASD’s policy is to acquire copyright for all contributions, once accepted for publication, your Article will be published in the journal, and will be stored and distributed electronically, in order to meet increasing library and faculty demand, and to deliver it as an individual article copy or as part of a larger collection of articles to meet the specific requirements of a particular institution. Authors are therefore responsible for ensuring that they hold the necessary rights and permissions for all material included in their submissions. Where third-party content is used, appropriate permission must be obtained before publication, unless its use is permitted under applicable copyright law.
  2. Respect for Intellectual Property: Authors must respect copyright, licensing agreements, and intellectual property rights throughout the research and publication process. Proper acknowledgement and attribution must be provided for all copyrighted or licensed materials used within a submission. As publisher, WASD reserves the right to refuse to publish your article where its publication creates legal liability, or where circumstances come to light that were not known to the Editor, including prior publication, conflict of interest, manifest error etc. WASD is the ultimate custodian of academic quality and integrity and will ensure that this will be done only in exceptional circumstances and on reasonable grounds. In such circumstances the Article will be returned to the Author together with all rights in it.
Open Access Policy
  1. Commitment to Open Access: WASD is committed to the unrestricted dissemination of high-quality scholarly research to advance sustainable development, knowledge sharing, and global academic collaboration. All articles published by WASD are made freely and permanently available online immediately upon publication, without subscription charges, registration requirements, or access restrictions. Readers may access, read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, and link to the full text of published articles without financial, legal, or technical barriers.
  2. Creative Commons Licensing: All open access articles published by WASD are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence. This licence permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction, adaptation, and commercial reuse of the published work in any medium or format, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source, a link to the licence is provided, and any changes made are clearly indicated.
  3. Open Access Agreement: Authors whose manuscripts are accepted for publication are required to sign a WASD Open Access Agreement confirming their acceptance of publication under the (CC BY 4.0) Licence. By signing the agreement, authors confirm that they have the necessary rights to grant the licence and agree to the terms of open access publication, thereby supporting the widest possible dissemination, accessibility, and reuse of their research.
  4. Author Rights: Authors retain copyright in their work while granting WASD the non-exclusive right to publish, disseminate, archive, and identify itself as the original publisher. The CC BY 4.0 Licence enables authors to maximise the visibility, accessibility, and impact of their research while ensuring appropriate attribution for all subsequent uses.
  5. Further Information: Details of the (CC BY 4.0) Licence, including the rights and responsibilities of authors and users, are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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