Sign Languages and Linguistics Convergence Research

Research Ethics Regulations of the Institute of Language Convergence

Article 1 (Purpose)

The purpose of these regulations is to establish the fundamental principles and direction necessary to ensure research ethics and integrity in all activities conducted by the Institute of Language Convergence (hereinafter referred to as "the Institute").

Article 2 (Scope of Application)

These regulations apply to researchers affiliated with the Institute and to individuals directly or indirectly involved in research activities and projects hosted by the Institute.

Article 3 (Responsibilities of Researchers)

Researchers affiliated with the Institute or involved in its hosted research activities and projects must comply with the ethical standards of researchers, promote academic and social development through scholarly research, and faithfully fulfill their duties as researchers by adhering to the following:

1. Maintaining transparency during the research process and refraining from research misconduct such as fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism.

2. Clearly recognizing any financial or personal Conflicts of Interest (COI) that may arise during research planning, data collection, and interpretation, and reporting them to the Editorial Board upon submission.

3. For research involving human subjects, complying with research ethics by obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from the affiliated institution or securing proof of exemption. Furthermore, researchers should strive to reflect the Gendered Innovations Policy, which considers the differences between biological sex and socio-cultural gender in research design and analysis.

Article 4 (Reporting Violations of Ethical Regulations)

When a researcher affiliated with the Institute becomes aware of another researcher’s violation of ethical regulations, they should endeavor to rectify the problem by reminding the researcher in question of the ethical guidelines. However, if the issue is not corrected or if a clear case of ethical violation is revealed, it must be reported to the Institute’s "Research Ethics Committee."

Article 5 (Research Ethics Committee)

A Research Ethics Committee (hereinafter referred to as "the Committee") shall be established within the Institute to deliberate on the compliance with standards and the fulfillment of duties by researchers. The Committee shall deliberate on and determine all matters regarding the establishment and operation of research ethics.

Article 6 (Composition of the Committee)

The Committee shall consist of members of the Editorial Board, including the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief shall concurrently serve as the Chair of the Committee.

Article 7 (Mandate of the Committee)

The Committee shall determine instances of research misconduct and decide on disciplinary measures against individuals who engage in research misconduct.

Article 8 (Instances of Ethical Violations)

The following acts are considered violations of research ethics:

Fabrication: The act of falsely creating, recording, or reporting raw data, research materials, or results that do not exist.

Falsification: The act of distorting research content or results by arbitrarily manipulating or deleting raw data or research materials.

Plagiarism: The act of using someone else’s original ideas or creations—not common knowledge—without appropriate citation, thereby leading third parties to perceive them as one’s own creation. This includes:

a. Using the entirety or a part of another person’s research content exactly as it is without citation.

b. Using a modified version of another person’s work without citation.

c. Utilizing another person’s original ideas without citation.

d. Translating and utilizing another person's work without citation.

Inappropriate Authorship: The act of failing to grant authorship to a person who has made an academic contribution to the research results or content without a justifiable reason, or granting authorship to a person who has not made an academic contribution for reasons of gratitude or courtesy.

Redundant (Duplicate) Publication: The act of a researcher gaining unfair advantage by publishing work that is identical or substantially similar to their own previous research results without proper citation.

Article 9 (Ethical Guidelines on the Use of Generative AI)

1. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, cannot be granted authorship of a manuscript.

2. If generative AI is utilized for idea generation, data analysis, translation, or proofreading, the author must transparently disclose the name of the AI, the scope of its use, and the method of application within the manuscript.

3. The human author bears the ultimate academic and verification responsibility for any issues regarding bias, errors, or plagiarism in the outputs generated by the AI.

Article 10 (Regulations and Prevention of Specially Related Co-authors)

1. Researchers must not unjustifiably list "specially related persons"—such as minors (under 19 years of age) or family members (spouse, children, and relatives within the 4th degree of kinship)—as authors if they did not contribute to the research.

2. If a specially related person makes a substantial contribution to the research and participates as a co-author, the submitting author must report this fact to the Editorial Board in advance and submit a 'Prior Consent Form for the Provision of Personal Information' at the time of submission.

Article 11 (Examination Procedures)

The examination of violations shall follow the procedures determined by the Committee. However, to prevent research misconduct and ensure thorough post-management, the statute of limitations for reporting and verifying violations of these internal research ethics regulations is abolished. As a rule, misconduct shall be investigated thoroughly regardless of the date of occurrence.

Article 12 (Results of Examination)

The Committee shall maintain written records of the examination results, which must include the following: Details of the commissioned examination. The specific misconduct under investigation. The list of committee members and the examination procedures. The grounds for the decision and related evidence. The explanation provided by the member under investigation and the subsequent processing procedures.

Article 13 (Disciplinary Action)

The Committee shall determine the nature of the disciplinary action after concluding the examination and interview investigation. Authors confirmed to have committed research misconduct shall be subject to the following disciplinary actions, depending on the severity of the offense:

1. Cancellation of the manuscript's publication and removal from the journal's index.

2. A ban on submitting manuscripts to this journal for at least three years from the date the misconduct is confirmed.

3. Public notification of the ethical violation on the Institute’s website and official reporting to the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) and KCI.

Article 14 (Follow-up Measures)

The head of the research institute shall concurrently serve as the chairperson of the research ethics committee. The chairperson of the research ethics committee shall review the report prepared by the Committee and take the following actions:

1. The chairperson of the research ethics committee shall immediately implement the decisions of the Committee.

2. If The chairperson of the research ethics committee determines that the results of the examination lack rationality or validity, they may request a re-examination or a supplement to the report from the Committee.

3. If research misconduct involving a specially related co-author (minor or family member) is confirmed, the Committee must mandatorily notify the relevant institutions where the specially related author gained an advantage (e.g., schools related to admissions or affiliated research institutions) of the misconduct.

Article 15 (Miscellaneous)

Matters not specified in these regulations shall be implemented according to the decisions of the Committee. Amendments to the Research Ethics Regulations shall be carried out in accordance with the procedures for amending the Institute’s Articles of Association. The Secretary must document and maintain minutes of the Committee’s meetings.

Supplementary Provisions

1. These regulations shall enter into force on January 1, 2024. 

2. These revised regulations shall enter into force on June 5, 2026.