Publication  Ethics  and  Malpractice  Statement  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Artificial  Intelligence    Updated  June  2021      The  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Artificial  Intelligence  affirms  that  plagiarizing  another  person'ʹs   existing   words   or   ideas   without   explicitly   acknowledging   the   original   author   and  source   constitutes   a   completely   unacceptable   breach   of   academic   and   professional   conduct.  
Plagiarized  words  and  expressions  also  carry  potentially  severe  ethical  and  legal  consequences  to  all  parties.  As  a  consequence,  AAAI  will  immediately  remove  any  manuscript  or  publication  that  does  not  meet  the  standards  listed  in  this  ethics  and  malpractice  statement.    

Author  Responsibilities  As  creators  of  the  work,  authors  have  a  number  of  responsibilities  when  submitting  their  paper  or  manuscript  to  AAAI.  They  must  warrant:  1.  That  the  papers  they  submit  are  their  own  original  work    2.  That  no  portion  of  their  paper  (including,  but  not  limited  to,  graphics  and  figures)  has  been  previously  published  unless  written  consent  from  the  previous  publisher  and  AAAI  have  been  obtained  prior  to  submission  3.  That  the  paper  is  not  currently  under  consideration  for  publication  elsewhere    4.   That  the  authors  listed  on  the  paper  accurately  reflect  those  persons  who  actually  did  the  work  and  contributed  to  the  paper  in  a  meaningful  way  5.  That  they  have  identified  and  acknowledged  all  sources  used  in  the  creation  of  their  paper  or  manuscript,  including  any  graphics,  images,  tables,  and  figures,  and  also  including  any  persons  who  do  not  meet  the  criteria  for  authorship  6.  That  they  have  notified  AAAI  of  any  conflicts  of  interest  they  might  have  with  regard  to  the  work  7.  That  all  sources  of  financial  support  for  the  project  have  been  disclosed,  especially  if  it  might  be  construed  to  influence  the  results  or  interpretation  of  their  paper  or  manuscript          8.  That  any  errors  discovered  after  submission  of  the  paper  will  be  disclosed  to  AAAI.  

Editor  and  Program  Chair  Responsibilities  The  editor  and  program  chairs  have  final  responsibility  for  determining  which  articles  or  papers  will  be  published.  They  may  confer  with  other  editors,  members  of  the  editorial  board  or  pro-­‐‑  gram   committee,   or   other   designated   reviewers   in   making   this   decision.   The   decision   will   be  constrained  by  legal  requirements  regarding  libel,  copyright  or  trademark  infringement,  and  by  the   AAAI   policy   on  plagiarism,   including  self-­‐‑plagiarism.   The   editor   and   program   chairs   will  evaluate  manuscript  and  paper  submissions  without  regard  to  race,  gender,  sexual  orientation,  religious  belief,  ethnic  origin,  or  citizenship.  
The  editor  and  program  chair  must  maintain  confidentiality  of  submitted  materials  and  may  not  use   unpublished   materials   in   their   own   research   without   the   express   written   consent   of   the  author.  Notwithstanding  the  foregoing,  the  editor  and  program  chair  may  disclose  aggregated  information   or   de-­‐‑identified   information,   including,   but   not   limited   to   metadata   and   meta-­‐‑reviews,   and   information   that   does   not   identify   any   individual,   without   restriction   and   in  accordance  with  AAAI’s  privacy  policy.    
Editors   are   expected   to  make   fair   decisions   free   from   commercial,   political,   and   personal   bias.  
They  are  expected  to  disclose  all  conflicts  of  interest,  abstain  from  involvement  in  any  decision  about  a  paper  in  which  they  have  such  a  conflict,  and  abide  by  the  guidelines  of  the  AAAI  Conflict  of  Interest  Policy  for  Editors.    

Reviewer  Responsibilities  Reviewers  must  notify  AAAI  of  any  conflicts  of  interest  or  loyalty  and  remove  themselves  from  those  duties  or  responsibilities  to  which  the  conflict  relates.  
Reviewers  must  treat  the  papers  assigned  to  them,  and  the  reviews  they  write,  as  confidential  documents.  Neither  the  papers  nor  the  reviews  may  be  shown  to  or  discussed  with  others  except  as  authorized  by  the  editor  or  program  chair,  or  the  submitting  author.  
Reviewers  must  also  keep  information  pertaining  to  the  submission  confidential  in  all  respects.  
No  information,  including  content  deliberations,  decisions  on  papers,  or  discussions  with  other  reviewers  (including  their  identities)  may  be  disclosed  to  outside  persons.  
Reviewers  may  not  make  use  of  any  information  contained  in  the  material  they  review  unless  that  material  is  available  to  the  general  public.    
Notwithstanding   the   foregoing,   the   Reviewer   may   disclose   aggregated   information   or   de-­‐‑identified  information,  including,  but  not  limited  to  metadata  and  meta-­‐‑reviews,  and  information  that  does  not  identify  any  individual,  without  restriction  and  in  accordance  with  AAAI’s  privacy    2    policy.  
Reviewers  must  bring  to  the  attention  of  appropriate  person  any  information  that  might  be  rea-­‐‑  son  to  reject  publication  of  the  submission.  
Reviewers  must  report  any  suspicion  of  serious  misconduct  to  AAAI.  
Reviewers  must  evaluate  submissions  only  for  the  intellectual  content.  Personal  criticism  of  the    3    author   is   inappropriate.   Referees   should   express   their   views   clearly,   and   support   their  conclusions.  
Reviewers  must  issue  their  review  in  a  timely  fashion  and  notify  the  editor  or  program  chair  if  prompt  review  is  not  possible.  Under  such  circumstances,  the  reviewers  must  excuse  them-­‐‑  selves  from  the  review  process.    
Editorial  Board  /  Program  Committee  Responsibilities  The  editorial  board  and  program  committee  must  keep  information  pertaining  to  submissions  confidential.  
A  board  or  program  committee  member  must  disclose  any  conflict  or  duality  of  interest  and  relinquish  responsibilities  and  duties  which  would  otherwise  arise.  
The  editorial  board  and  program  committee  must  evaluate  submissions  only  for  the  intellectual  content.  
The   editorial   board   or  program   committee   bears  responsibility   for   recommending   publication  decisions  for  submissions.  
Notwithstanding  the  foregoing,  the  editorial  board  and  program  committee  may  disclose  aggregated  information  or  de-­‐‑identified  information,  including,  but  not  limited  to  metadata  and  meta-­‐‑reviews,  and  information  that  does  not  identify  any  individual,  without  restriction  and  in  accordance  with  AAAI’s  privacy  policy.    

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