Conduct Policies

First, Some Rules

By default, we trust everyone in the scientific community to have integrity, to be honest, and to always follow the evidence regardless of where it may lead. The following policies and guidelines outline how personal data is used and foster trust among participants in scientific events organized by non-profit associations.

Integrity above all else

Privacy Policy

We are dedicated to initiating and supporting projects that develop and promote trustworthy AI practices, ensuring the safety and privacy of citizens. We aim to create a collaborative environment where international teams can work together on groundbreaking projects, with logistical support provided by the institute and financial support from project partners and sponsorship foundations. Our mission is to unite academia and industry members, leveraging their combined expertise to develop innovative and impactful solutions. We invite project proposals from researchers, practitioners, and organizations who share our vision and commitment to advancing AI in a responsible and ethical manner.

Personal Information: We collect personal information such as names, email addresses, affiliations, topics of interest, and contact details for event registration, communication, and participation in technical committees and in any review process.
Payment Information: For payment purposes, we collect payment details through secure payment processors.
Third Party: When a third party is used for handling particular activities, the data is used as outlined in their terms of service.

Event Management: Personal data is used to manage event logistics, communicate with participants, and coordinate technical reviews. This data can be used to further improve our process.
Communication: We use email addresses to send event updates, information about future events, and relevant announcements.
Publications: Names and affiliations of authors and reviewers may be published in event scientific materials and proceedings.

Security Measures: We implement industry-standard security measures to protect personal data from unauthorized access, disclosure, or alteration.
Data Access: Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel involved in event organization. They are adequately instructed to prevent and protect data.

First contact: For all scientific events, the first contact is solely intended for an invitation, based on your published research interests (websites, published papers).
Explicit Consent after a First Contact: By replying and/or registering for our events or submitting papers, participants consent to the collection and use of their personal data as outlined in this policy.
Withdrawal of Consent: Participants can withdraw their consent at any time by contacting us. However, this may affect their ability to participate in certain event activities, including member privileges.

Third Parties: Personal data may be shared with third parties such as payment processors, publication platforms, and event partners, in compliance with applicable data protection laws.
Personal (not sensitive) data (e.g., names, affiliation, email addresses, publications materials, public websites (corporation, LinkedIn), etc.) will be shared with third parties (e.g., sponsors, partners) for purposes such as higher visibility. The data will be used as per the third party’s terms of service.
Legal Requirements: We may disclose personal data if required by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., frauds, forged signatures, etc.)

Retention Period: Personal data is retained for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, including future event communications, unless a longer retention period is required by law.
Data Deletion: Participants can request the deletion of their personal data by contacting DTRS representatives

Access and Correction: Participants have the right correct their personal data (affiliation, emails, topics of interests, etc.) by contacting DTRS representatives
Data Portability: Participants can request a copy of their personal data
Contact and Complaint: Participants can ask any privacy-related information

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Changes will be communicated to participants via email and posted on our website.

For additional questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please see FAQ on the DTRS site or contact DTRS representatives

Ethics and Malpractice Policy

This Ethics and Malpractice Policy outlines the ethical standards and procedures for handling malpractice for DTRS for both conferences and journals.

DTRS acts and observe the Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statements following the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

The collection of responsibilities and expectations presented below are mainly based on the guidelines and standards developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and are enforced during each phase of processing a contribution for publication.

Integrity in Research and Publication
- Ensure all research presented is original, properly cited, and free of plagiarism.
- Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest (for accurate peer-reviews and transparent contributions).
- Results must be reported accurately without fabrication or manipulation (a critical take on potentially disappointing results is better appreciated than dishonesty or exaggerations). Fabricated data are frowned upon. Scientific achievements in the body of contributions should support the promises of the statements in the abstract.
Review Process
- Reviewers should be fair and unbiased.
- Reviewers should disclose conflicts of interest and recuse themselves if necessary.
- Reviewers must provide constructive feedback and avoid personal criticism.
Authorship and Contribution
- Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the research.
- All contributors should be properly acknowledged.
- Financial support and scientific support (if not authoring) should be acknowledged.
Data Transparency
- Authors must make their data available for verification if requested.
- Proper data management practices should be followed to ensure accuracy and reproducibility.
Academic Misconduct
- Any form of academic misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, and falsification, is strictly prohibited.
- Misconduct will be addressed according to the procedures outlined below.

Reporting Misconduct
- Suspected misconduct can be reported to the Ethics Committee.
- Reports should include sufficient details and evidence to facilitate investigation.
Investigation Process
- The Ethics Committee will review allegations impartially and confidentially.
- A preliminary assessment will determine if a full investigation is warranted.
- If necessary, an independent panel of experts may be convened.
Consequences of Misconduct
- Authors found guilty of misconduct may face retraction of their papers, notification of their institution, and bans from future submissions.
- Reviewers and committee members found guilty of misconduct may be removed from their positions and banned from future involvement.
Appeals
- Individuals accused of misconduct have the right to appeal decisions by contacting us.
- Appeals must be submitted in writing within 4 weeks.

Disclosure Requirements
- o Authors, reviewers, and committee members must disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
- o Transparency is essential to maintain the integrity of the review and publication process.
Managing Conflicts
- o Steps will be taken to manage and mitigate conflicts of interest to ensure unbiased decision-making by the DTRS managing teams

Protecting Information
- All information related to submissions and reviews will be kept confidential.

Regular Reviews
- This policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it remains current and effective.
- Feedback from stakeholders will be considered in updates to this policy.

For questions or concerns regarding this Ethics and Malpractice Policy, please contact us

AI-content Use and Disclosure Policy

This policy outlines the standards for authors using AI-generated content in submissions to DTRS international events, including conferences and journals.

Transparency
- Authors must disclose the use of AI in generating any part of their submission.
- Clearly state the AI tools and methods used.
Accuracy and Integrity
- Ensure AI-generated content is accurate and appropriately verified.
- AI use must complement and not replace original author contributions.
Plagiarism and Attribution
- Properly attribute all AI-generated content.
- Avoid plagiarism by ensuring original work is credited accurately.

Applications
- AI may be used for data analysis, drafting, or enhancing content, but authors must remain responsible for the final submission.
- Clearly define AI’s role in the research and writing process.
Content Review
- Human oversight is required to review and verify AI-generated content.
- Authors must ensure the quality and relevance of the content.

Acknowledgment
- Include an acknowledgment section specifying AI’s contribution, by indicating what Sections, and/or statements were generated.
- Disclose the extent of AI involvement in the research and writing process; a honest percentage number is well valued.
Ethical Use:
- AI must be used ethically, ensuring the integrity and originality of the research.
- Avoid over-reliance on AI that might compromise academic rigor

Regulatory Compliance:
- Adhere to relevant regulations and standards governing AI use and academic integrity.
- Monitor and update practices to maintain compliance.
Incident Management:
- Establish procedures for reporting and addressing issues related to AI generated content.
- Promptly address any policy violations.

Feedback and Updates:
- DTRS regularly seek feedback from authors and committees’ members to improve AI use practices.
- Updates of this policy will periodically occur to reflect advancements in AI technology and ethical standards.

For questions or concerns regarding this AI-Content Use and Disclosure Policy, please contact a DTRS representative.

Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism Policy

This policy outlines the standards and procedures for preventing and addressing plagiarism and self-plagiarism for DTRS in organizing international events, including conferences and journals.

Plagiarism
- Using someone else’s work, ideas, or expressions without proper attribution.
- Includes copying text, figures, data, or concepts.
Self-Plagiarism
- Self-plagiarism is detected when reusing one’s own previously published work (entirely or partially) without proper citation and explicit justification.
- Another case includes submitting the same or substantially similar work to multiple venues.

Originality
- All submissions must be original and not previously published or under consideration elsewhere.
- Authors must properly cite all sources and contributions from others.
- Citations must be explicit, and the source being reported in the References section.
Proper Attribution
- Use appropriate citation styles to credit the original authors and sources; the narrative should convey clarity on what is the authors’ contribution versus state-of-the-art.
- Ensure all co-authors approve the submission and are properly credited. The results of the peer-reviews process should be shared by the contact-author with all the authors.
- Adding a co-author is allowed, when the comments requested extra work fulfilled by an author having not being previously listed.

Plagiarism Detection Tools

DTRS logistics teams might utilize plagiarism detection tools to pre-screen all submissions.
Manual checks may be conducted for additional verification, in special cases, mainly based on peer-reviewers’ suggestions.

Author Guidelines

Authors should use proper citation practices and ethical writing, e.g., use the authors names and list the reference at Reference section. Quote any ideas and/or narrative borrowed from your peers; acknowledge them and highlight your contribution on top of it.

Initial Review
- Suspected cases of plagiarism are promptly raised in the prescreening process and/or indicated by peer-reviewers.
- The contact author and all the authors (if there are any) will receive the information needed and will have the opportunity to respond by using the rebuttal process.
Investigation
- A designated DTRS committee will conduct a thorough investigation, involving independent reviewers if necessary.
- The extent and intent of the plagiarism will be evaluated, and a final decision will be issued.
Consequences
- Minor infractions may result in a warning and a request for correction.
- Severe cases may lead to rejection, retraction, and notification to the author s institution.
- Repeat offenders may be banned from future submissions to DTRS events

Review Process

The committee will assess the extent of reused content and its impact on the originality of the submission.
The committee will determine whether proper attribution was provided for previously published work.

Consequences

If minor, the committee will require proper citation and adjustments to the manuscript for minor cases.
Contributions with significant unoriginal content will be rejected with helpful feedback.
The authors in question will be informed on the need for transparency in future submissions.

Appeal Process
- Authors can appeal decisions by submitting a written request outlining their case
- Appeals will be reviewed by an independent committee; the output of this phase is final.
Revisions
- Authors may revise and resubmit their work after addressing plagiarism concerns.
- Revisions must be accompanied by a detailed explanation of changes made.

Policy Review:

DTRS will regularly review and update this policy to reflect best practices and technological advancements.
DTRS will incorporate feedback from Board and experts of the Technical and Scientifical Advisory Committees to enhance effectiveness of all measures.

Education and Training

DTRS enforces the effort for education and training for authors, reviewers, and committee members on ethical standards and plagiarism prevention.

For questions or concerns regarding this Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism Policy, please contact a DTRS representative