Editorial Policy

Authorship

Authors must exercise extreme diligence in establishing and confirming their manuscript's authorship before submission. This includes verifying the complete author group, precisely determining the sequence of authors, and explicitly designating the Corresponding Author. Once a manuscript reaches the acceptance stage, the journal maintains a strict policy of preserving the original authorship configuration.

Authorship modifications, such as adding or removing authors, altering the author sequence, or changing the Corresponding Author, are categorically prohibited after manuscript acceptance. In rare circumstances where a critical authorship error is discovered post-acceptance, authors must navigate an exceptionally rigorous review process. This involves preparing a comprehensive written explanation detailing the necessity of the proposed changes, which must be:

• Signed by all original and proposed authors
• Submitted with a formal request for review

The journal fundamentally emphasizes prevention over correction. Authors are therefore strongly advised to conduct thorough internal reviews and reach absolute consensus on authorship before manuscript submission, thereby minimizing potential complications in the publication process.

Peer Review Policy

The International Journal of Teacher Education (IJTE) implements a multi-stage review process designed to ensure the highest quality of published research. Upon submission, each manuscript undergoes an initial screening by the managing editor to ensure compliance with journal guidelines, removal of author-identifying information, and plagiarism checking to preserve the double-blind review system.

Qualified submissions proceed to external review by at least two expert reviewers selected for their domain expertise. Both author and reviewer identities remain confidential to guarantee objectivity. Reviewers provide detailed, constructive feedback that informs the editorial decision process. Authors are required to address reviewer comments comprehensively before acceptance.

Upon acceptance, manuscripts undergo professional copyediting, proofreading, and final author approval prior to publication. Published articles are indexed in academic databases and archived globally.

Publication Ethics

The International Journal of Teacher Education (IJTE) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct in academic publishing. These principles guide all participants—authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers—to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability.

1. Duties of Authors

• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is original and properly cited.
• Authorship: Only contributors with substantial input should be listed as authors.
• Multiple Submissions: Submitting to multiple journals simultaneously is unethical.
• Data Accuracy: All data must be accurate and free of manipulation.
• Conflicts of Interest: All potential conflicts must be declared.
• Reporting Errors: Significant post-publication errors must be promptly disclosed to the journal.

2. Duties of Editors

• Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on academic merit.
• They maintain confidentiality of all submissions.
• They ensure decisions are free from conflicts of interest.

3. Duties of Peer Reviewers

• Maintain strict confidentiality of manuscripts.
• Provide objective, constructive, and unbiased reviews.
• Disclose any conflicts of interest.

4. Duties of the Publisher

• Ensure editorial independence and integrity.
• Support ethical oversight and handle misconduct responsibly.
• Preserve open access and archiving commitments.

Open Access Policy and Fees

The IJTE provides unrestricted open access to all publications. Authors pay no submission fees. A publication fee of ₱3,000.00 is charged only after acceptance.

Anti-Plagiarism Policy

All submissions are screened with Turnitin to verify originality. Manuscripts with significant similarity or unoriginal content are immediately rejected.

Errata, Corrections, and Retractions

In accordance with COPE guidelines, the IJTE corrects or retracts articles when necessary to maintain integrity.

• Errata: Journal-originated errors corrected with linked errata notices and DOIs.
• Corrections: Author errors corrected and linked to original articles.
• Retractions: Issued for serious integrity issues such as plagiarism or data fabrication.

Privacy Statement

Personal information (names, emails) collected during submission is used solely for journal communications and never shared externally. Access is limited to authorized editorial staff.

Archiving, Indexing, and Licensing

The IJTE is a member of Crossref, enabling DOI assignment and increased discoverability. Content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

• Share — copy, redistribute, and adapt the material for any purpose.
• Attribution — credit must be given, with no additional restrictions applied.

Complaints Policy

Complaints should be emailed to ijte@umindanao.edu.ph. All submissions are acknowledged within 30 working days and handled according to COPE guidelines.

Generative AI Policy

Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, GPT-4, Bard) may support research but must be used responsibly. Authors must:

• Clearly identify any AI-generated content.
• Acknowledge AI tool usage in the manuscript.
• Not list AI tools as authors.

Non-disclosure of AI use may lead to rejection or corrective action. Authors should refer to WAME guidelines for best practices.