Publication Ethics Statement

The Caroliniana Undergraduate Research Journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and ethical practice in all stages of the publication process. Our policies are grounded in transparency, fairness, and academic honesty, and reflect established best practices in scholarly publishing.

Author Responsibilities

Original Work: Submissions must be the author(s)' original work and must not have been previously published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.
Plagiarism: All forms of plagiarism—including direct copying, paraphrasing without attribution, and self-plagiarism—are strictly prohibited. Suspected cases will be investigated and may result in rejection or retraction.
Citation of Sources: Authors are expected to cite all sources that materially influenced their work.
Acknowledgment of Contributions: Individuals who made significant contributions but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential and not share or discuss them outside the review process.
Impartiality: Reviews should be objective, constructive, and free from personal bias.
Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves when appropriate.

Editorial Responsibilities

Fair Decision-Making: Editors evaluate submissions on academic merit and relevance, regardless of authors' identities or affiliations.
Conflict of Interest: Editors must recuse themselves from handling submissions where a conflict exists.
Confidentiality: Editors are responsible for maintaining confidentiality throughout the review process.

Academic Misconduct

The journal does not tolerate academic misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or unethical research practices. Suspected violations will be reviewed by the editorial board and, if necessary, referred to appropriate university offices for investigation and action.

AI Usage Policy

CURJ recognizes that generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, DALL·E) are increasingly used in academic contexts. To maintain integrity and transparency:

Disclosure: Authors must clearly indicate if and how AI tools were used in preparing the manuscript (e.g., drafting, editing, figure generation).
Verification: Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and ethical use of all content, including AI-generated material, and must verify and edit AI output as needed.
Prohibited Uses: Undisclosed or improper use of AI — including representing AI-generated analysis or results as solely the author's original work — is prohibited and may lead to rejection or retraction.

Suspected misuse of AI will be investigated by the editorial board and may result in rejection, retraction, or referral to the appropriate university office.

Reporting & Contacts

Concerns about ethical breaches should be reported to the editorial board. When reporting, include relevant evidence and correspondence.

curj@usc.edu

Inclusivity & Ethics

CURJ is committed to inclusive excellence. Discriminatory language, unethical treatment of research subjects, or other conduct that violates ethical norms will result in disqualification from the review or publication process.

For full policy details, please consult the Submission Agreement and the University Libraries' guidance on research ethics.