Publishing policies

Intelligence, Mathematics and Society is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal published by NOOS Research Lab. These policies describe the responsibilities of authors, reviewers, and editors and the principles used to assess manuscripts and maintain the published record.

Editorial assessment and peer review

Submissions are first considered for their fit with the journal's scope, completeness, clarity, and suitability for further assessment. Editors may request clarification or return a manuscript that does not meet these requirements. Manuscripts selected for review are assessed by reviewers with relevant expertise.

The journal uses single-anonymous peer review: reviewers know the authors' identities, while reviewer identities remain confidential to authors. Authors receive the editorial decision and comments intended for them. Confidential comments to the editor are not shared as author-facing reports.

Review considers the originality and significance of the contribution, the appropriateness of the methods or reasoning, the support for the conclusions, and the clarity of presentation. Editors make the final decision and may request revisions, accept a manuscript, or decline publication. A request for revision does not constitute acceptance.

Competing interests and editorial responsibility

Authors must declare financial and nonfinancial interests relevant to the work. Reviewers and editors should disclose circumstances that could affect, or reasonably appear to affect, impartial judgment. A reviewer who cannot assess a manuscript impartially should decline the assignment; an editor with a competing interest should step aside from its assessment. Editorial decisions should rest on the scholarly merits of the work.

Confidentiality

Unpublished manuscripts, review reports, and editorial correspondence must be treated as confidential. Reviewers and editors must not share these materials outside the authorized assessment process or use unpublished information for personal advantage. Confidential manuscripts and reports must not be uploaded to external AI services. Authors should avoid including personal or confidential information that is unnecessary for assessing the research.

Originality, authorship, and research integrity

Submissions must present original work, acknowledge sources accurately, and must not be under simultaneous consideration by another journal. All listed authors should have made a substantive contribution, approve the submitted version, and accept responsibility for the work. Contributors who do not meet authorship requirements should be acknowledged appropriately.

Authors must report methods, evidence, and results honestly. Fabricated or misleading data, plagiarism, inappropriate image manipulation, and misrepresentation of sources or findings are incompatible with publication. Funding, competing interests, required ethics approvals, consent arrangements, and data and code availability should be reported accurately. Relevant restrictions on access to research materials should be explained.

Generative AI and AI-assisted tools

Authors must disclose substantive AI assistance, identifying the tool and explaining its use. AI use within the research method should be described sufficiently for readers to assess the approach; assistance with manuscript preparation should also be transparent. Authors must verify generated content, references, and attributions and remain accountable for the manuscript. An AI tool cannot fulfil the responsibilities of an author and must not be listed as one.

Reviewers and editors retain responsibility for their assessments and decisions. AI assistance does not replace independent scholarly judgment or remove confidentiality obligations.

Decisions, revisions, and enquiries

Editorial decisions and revision requests are communicated through the submission workflow. Authors should respond to the points raised, supply the requested revision materials, and explain any substantive disagreement. Questions about a decision should identify the manuscript and the specific matter requiring clarification and may be directed to the Editor-in-Chief at edit@nooslab.cn.

Corrections and concerns about published work

Authors and readers should report significant errors or concerns to edit@nooslab.cn, identifying the article and providing the relevant evidence. The editorial team and publisher assess the concern, retain relevant records, and may seek clarification from the authors. Where warranted, the journal may issue a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction, with an explanation of the change to the published record.

Open access and publication charges

Published articles are freely available online. The journal charges no article processing charges (APCs). Publication follows completion of the editorial process. Saving or submitting a manuscript does not itself transfer copyright. During submission, the author must agree to the Exclusive Publishing Agreement on behalf of all authors. The exclusive publishing rights take effect only upon acceptance; authors retain copyright and the scholarly-use rights reserved in that agreement. Reuse must respect the rights and any licence identified with the article; questions about reuse and publication arrangements should be directed to the Editorial Manager at em@nooslab.cn.