About the Journal

The Presidency University Journal (PUJ) stands as a beacon of scholarly excellence and interdisciplinary innovation in a rapidly evolving academic landscape. This peer-reviewed platform is dedicated to rendering rigorous academic inquiry and advancing the frontiers of knowledge across diverse disciplines, including Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), Business Administration, English, Law, Economics and Physical Science.

At PUJ, we are committed to upholding the highest international research integrity and academic rigor standards. Our mission is to provide a credible and trustworthy forum where groundbreaking ideas meet practical applications, transcending traditional boundaries to address the complex challenges of the modern world. By embracing a multidisciplinary approach, we aim to create a synergy between the sciences, humanities, and social sciences, fostering holistic perspectives that enrich our understanding of global phenomena.

With contributions from distinguished academics, industry experts, and innovative thinkers worldwide, PUJ aspires to become a leading voice in shaping future discourses. Each publication undergoes meticulous review processes to ensure quality, relevance, and originality, reflecting our unwavering commitment to academic excellence. We invite scholars, researchers, and professionals to explore, engage, and contribute to PUJ—a journal that not only represents the cutting edge of research but also exemplifies the trust and credibility essential to academic progress. Let us pave the way for a future driven by innovation, knowledge, and transformative ideas.

Aims and Objectives

The primary aim of PUJ is to advance the understanding of how innovation can drive sustainable development. The specific objectives are:

  • To publish high-quality, original research articles, reviews, and case studies that explore the relationship between innovation, development, and sustainability.
  • To foster interdisciplinary dialogue among researchers from diverse fields such as economics, environmental science, engineering, social sciences, and public policy.
  • To serve as a resource for policymakers, practitioners, and academics seeking to apply innovative solutions to real-world sustainability challenges.
  • To contribute to the global discourse on sustainable development by highlighting best practices, emerging trends, and critical issues. 

Scope and Themes

PUJ will cover many topics at the intersection of innovation, development, and sustainability. Key themes include, but are not limited to:

  • Technological Innovation for Sustainability: Exploration of how emerging technologies—such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and biotechnology—can contribute to sustainable development.
  • Sustainable Business Practices: Examination of how businesses can innovate to reduce their environmental footprint and contribute to social well-being while remaining profitable.
  • Policy and Governance: Analysis of policies and governance frameworks that promote innovation while ensuring sustainable development outcomes.
  • Social Innovation and Community Development: Investigation of how social innovations—such as new forms of social organization, collaborative economy models, and grassroots movements—can drive sustainable development.
  • Sustainable Urban and Rural Development: Studies on how innovation can contribute to the sustainable development of urban and rural areas, including smart cities and sustainable agriculture.

Target Audience

PUJ is designed for a diverse audience that includes:

  • Academics and Researchers: Scholars across disciplines who are engaged in research on innovation, development, and sustainability.
  • Policymakers: government officials and international organizations involved in creating and implementing policies for sustainable development.
  • Business leaders and entrepreneurs: professionals who are interested in adopting or investing in sustainable and innovative business practices.
  • Non-governmental organizations (NGOs): organizations working on the ground to promote sustainable development and innovation.
  • Students: Graduate and undergraduate students studying subjects related to innovation, development, and sustainability.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Presidency University Journal (PUJ)

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)

Elsevier

The Presidency University Journal (PUJ) is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. All parties involved in the act of publishing — authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher — are expected to observe the ethical principles set out in this statement. These principles safeguard the quality and credibility of the research PUJ publishes and protect the interests of authors, readers, and the wider scholarly community.

This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement is based on the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and on the publishing ethics recommendations of Elsevier, adapted to the policies and context of the Presidency University Journal. Readers may consult COPE's guidance directly at https://publicationethics.org/guidance. PUJ is committed to reviewing and updating this statement as standards in publication ethics evolve.

  1. Peer Review Policy

PUJ operates a double-blind peer-review process: the identities of the authors and the reviewers are concealed from one another throughout the review. Authors are therefore required to prepare their manuscripts so that they do not reveal their identity, whether directly or indirectly (for example, in self-referential citations, acknowledgements, file properties, or funding details that would identify them).

Every manuscript deemed suitable in an initial editorial assessment is sent to at least two independent expert reviewers. Reviewers evaluate the originality, rigour, clarity, and scholarly contribution of the work and advise the editor, who takes the final decision. The editorial decision — acceptance, revision, or rejection — rests with the journal's editors and is based on the manuscript's academic merit and its relevance to the journal, independent of the authors' background, affiliation, or personal characteristics.

PUJ is committed to fair, timely, and constructive review, and to protecting the confidentiality of all material under consideration.

  1. Duties of Authors

2.1 Reporting Standards and Originality

Authors must present an accurate, honest, and objective account of their work and its significance. Submitted manuscripts must be original, must not have been published previously, and must not be under consideration elsewhere. Fabrication, falsification, or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable. Underlying data should be represented accurately, and the work should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to evaluate or replicate it where applicable.

2.2 Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that all submitted work is entirely their own, and that the words, ideas, data, and findings of others are appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in any form — including presenting another's work as one's own, copying or paraphrasing substantial portions of another work without attribution, and claiming results derived from research conducted by others — is unethical and unacceptable.

PUJ uses Turnitin to screen submissions for textual similarity and plagiarism. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarised material may be rejected at any stage, and confirmed cases will be handled in accordance with COPE guidance.

2.3 Citation and Acknowledgement of Sources

Authors must give proper and accurate acknowledgement of the work of others and cite the publications that have influenced their study. All sources must be referenced consistently in the citation style specified in the journal's author guidelines. Citations must be genuine and relevant; citation manipulation — including excessive self-citation, or citations inserted solely to increase the citation counts of the authors or of another party rather than to serve the scholarly content — is prohibited. Information obtained privately (through conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties) must not be used or reported without the explicit written permission of the source, and information obtained confidentially (such as in refereeing manuscripts or grant applications) must not be used without the written consent of those involved.

2.4 Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship must be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions must be listed as co-authors, and others who participated in substantive aspects of the work should be acknowledged. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate co-authors — and no inappropriate ones — are included, that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript, and that all have agreed to its submission for publication. Any change to authorship after submission must be approved by all authors and justified to the editor.

2.5 Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time, nor publish research describing essentially the same study in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting a previously published paper for consideration elsewhere is unacceptable. Work previously presented at a conference may be submitted, provided the original source is clearly identified and acknowledged.

2.6 Third-Party Material and Permissions

Where a manuscript includes material (such as text, figures, tables, images, or other content) owned by a third party, it is the author's responsibility to obtain any necessary permission or license to reproduce that material, to acknowledge it appropriately, and to bear any fees or claims arising from its use.

2.7 Data Access and Retention

Where relevant, authors may be asked to provide the raw data associated with their manuscript for editorial review, and should be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable period after publication. Where practicable, authors are encouraged to make their data accessible to enable verification and reproducibility.

2.8 Research Ethics and Human or Animal Participants

For research involving human participants, personal data, or animals, authors must confirm that the work was conducted in accordance with the relevant ethical and legal standards, that appropriate approvals were obtained from the relevant ethics committee or authority, and that informed consent was secured where required. A statement to this effect should be included in the manuscript.

2.9 Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

At the earliest possible stage, authors must disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that could be construed to influence their results or their interpretation. All sources of financial support for the work must be disclosed. Examples of interests to be declared include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications or registrations, and grants or other funding.

2.10 Fundamental Errors in Published Work

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is their obligation to notify the journal's editor promptly and to cooperate in retracting or correcting the article. Should the editor learn of such an error from a third party, the author must promptly retract or correct the work, or provide the editor with evidence of the correctness of the original.

  1. Duties of Editors

3.1 Publication Decisions and Editorial Independence

The editors are responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts are published, on the basis of their scholarly quality, originality, and relevance to the journal, and informed by peer review. Editorial decisions are made independently and are not influenced by commercial, political, or personal interests, nor by the authors' affiliation, nationality, gender, ethnicity, religion, or other personal characteristics.

3.2 Fair Play

Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on their intellectual content and academic merit, without discrimination.

3.3 Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher, as appropriate. Unpublished material disclosed in a submission must not be used by an editor in their own research without the author's explicit written consent.

3.4 Conflicts of Interest

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, and must require the same of their editorial colleagues.

3.5 Integrity of the Published Record and Handling of Misconduct

Editors will safeguard the integrity of the published record, issuing corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when needed. When ethical concerns are raised regarding a submitted or published manuscript, editors will take reasonable and proportionate action in accordance with COPE guidance and flowcharts, giving authors a fair opportunity to respond to any allegation.

  1. Duties of Reviewers

4.1 Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review assists editors in making decisions and, through constructive communication, may assist authors in improving their manuscripts. Any invited reviewer who feels unqualified to review a manuscript, or who cannot review it promptly, should notify the editor and decline the invitation.

4.2 Promptness

Reviewers should complete their reviews within the agreed timeframe and inform the editor promptly if an extension is required.

4.3 Confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review are confidential documents and must be treated as such. Reviewers must not share, discuss, or disclose them to others except as authorised by the editor, and must not retain or copy them for personal use.

4.4 Standards of Objectivity

Reviews must be conducted objectively and courteously. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly and support them with argument and evidence.

4.5 Acknowledgement of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors, and should draw the editor's attention to any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and any other published work of which they have personal knowledge.

4.6 Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must not use unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own purposes without the author's written consent, and must not use privileged information or ideas obtained through review for personal advantage. Reviewers must decline to review any manuscript in which they have a conflict of interest.

  1. Duties of the Publisher

The Presidency University Journal is published by Presidency University. The publisher supports the editors in maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record, respects editorial independence, and ensures that good publication practice is upheld. In cases of alleged or proven misconduct, the publisher works with the editors to clarify the situation and to take appropriate measures, including the publication of corrections, clarifications, retractions, and expressions of concern where warranted. The publisher is committed to the permanent availability and preservation of published scholarship and to the ethical policies described in this statement.

  1. Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

PUJ recognises the growing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted tools in research and writing, and sets the following requirements to preserve the integrity, originality, and accountability of published work.

6.1 For Authors

Generative AI tools must not be listed as an author of a submitted manuscript. Authorship carries responsibilities — including accountability for the work, and the ability to approve the final version and respond to queries — that only human authors can fulfil.

Where authors use generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, such use must be limited to improving the language, readability, and presentation of the work. It must not replace the core scholarly tasks of the author, such as producing original analysis, interpreting data, or drawing scientific conclusions. Authors who use such AI tools must disclose this clearly in their manuscript (for example, in a dedicated statement or in the acknowledgements), naming the tool used and describing how it was used.

Authors remain fully responsible for the entire content of their manuscript, including any portion produced with the assistance of AI. This includes responsibility for the accuracy of all statements, the absence of plagiarism and fabricated content (including fabricated or inaccurate citations), and compliance with all other duties in this statement.

PUJ uses Turnitin, including its AI-writing detection capability, to screen submissions. Manuscripts found to contain more than 40% AI-generated content will not be accepted for publication and will be returned to the authors or rejected. PUJ recognises that AI-detection tools are not infallible; detection results are considered alongside editorial judgement, and authors may be asked to explain or revise their work.

6.2 For Reviewers and Editors

To protect the confidentiality of the peer-review process, reviewers and editors must not upload manuscripts, or any part of them, into generative AI tools or other online platforms, as doing so may breach the confidentiality and proprietary rights of the authors and may result in the content being retained or reused by third parties.

Peer review is a fundamentally human responsibility. Reviewers must not use generative AI to produce their review reports; the critical assessment, judgement, and reasoning of the review must be the reviewer's own. Editors must likewise not use AI tools in any way that compromises the confidentiality, fairness, or integrity of the editorial process. Any permitted use of AI-assisted technology by reviewers or editors that does not involve uploading confidential content, and that does not replace their own judgement, should be disclosed to the journal.

  1. Article Processing Charges (APC) and Fees

The Presidency University Journal does not charge any Article Processing Charges (APCs). There are no submission fees, no publication fees, and no charges of any kind levied on authors at any stage of the submission, review, or publication process. PUJ is an open access journal and provides immediate open access to all of its published content free of charge to both authors and readers.

  1. Complaints, Appeals, Corrections, and Retractions

PUJ welcomes genuine complaints and appeals concerning its editorial processes or published content. Complaints should be directed to the editorial office and will be handled promptly, fairly, and confidentially.

Where errors are identified in published articles, the journal will publish corrections. Where serious problems are found — such as confirmed misconduct, unreliable findings, or ethical breaches — the journal may issue an expression of concern or a retraction, following COPE's Retraction Guidelines. Authors will be given a fair opportunity to respond to any allegation before a final decision is made.

  1. Statement of Basis

This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement is based on the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and on the publishing ethics recommendations of Elsevier, adapted to the policies and context of the Presidency University Journal. Readers may consult COPE's guidance directly at https://publicationethics.org/guidance. PUJ is committed to reviewing and updating this statement as standards in publication ethics evolve.

Last Updated: 9 July 2026