PUBLICATION ETHICS

ETHICS AND PUBLICATION MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

The publication of scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals like Jurnal Al-Ta’lim is a critical foundation in the development of a reliable body of knowledge. It reflects the quality and integrity of the work of authors and their affiliated institutions. To maintain high ethical standards, it is essential that all parties involved—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—adhere to principles of ethical conduct in every stage of the publishing process.

This statement is based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Integrity and Accuracy
Authors must present original and accurate research findings. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements are unethical and unacceptable. Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently.

Originality and Plagiarism
Manuscripts must be entirely the authors’ original work. Any use of words, data, or ideas from others must be properly cited. Plagiarism in all its forms is considered unethical and is unacceptable. The editorial team uses Turnitin to ensure similarity remains below 20%.

Data Access and Retention
Authors may be asked to provide raw data during editorial review and must retain such data for a reasonable time after publication for transparency and verification.

Ethical Research Standards
All research involving human or animal subjects must adhere to institutional and international ethical standards, with appropriate approvals documented.

Disclosure of Conflicts
Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence the interpretation of their work. All funding sources must be clearly acknowledged.

Authorship and Acknowledgement
Authorship should reflect those who significantly contributed to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All co-authors must approve the final version and agree to submission. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

Redundant Publication
Submitting the same research to more than one journal or publishing substantially similar work without proper citation and justification is considered unethical.

Correction of Errors
If a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered after publication, authors must notify the editor promptly for correction or retraction.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

Publication Decisions
Editors are responsible for selecting articles based on scholarly merit, originality, and relevance. These decisions should be made fairly and independently of commercial or personal interests.

Fair Evaluation
Manuscripts must be evaluated solely on intellectual content, without bias related to the authors’ gender, race, religion, citizenship, institutional affiliation, or political views.

Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and only disclose information as necessary during the peer review process.

Conflict of Interest
Editors must not handle manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest and must not use unpublished material for personal research without the author’s explicit written consent.

Transparency and Integrity
Editors must ensure the integrity of the academic record and must be willing to issue corrections, clarifications, or retractions when needed.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Reviewers support editorial decisions by providing constructive evaluations that help improve the manuscript’s quality and academic contribution.

Promptness
If a reviewer is unable to complete a timely review, they should inform the editor and decline the assignment.

Confidentiality
Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential and not disclosed to others unless authorized by the editor.

Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively with clear, reasoned feedback. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.

Identification of Sources
Reviewers should identify missing relevant citations and inform the editor of any ethical concerns or substantial overlap with other works.

Conflict of Interest
Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and decline to review manuscripts where such conflicts exist.

4. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, UIN Imam Bonjol Padang, as the publisher of Jurnal Al-Ta’lim, takes ethical publishing seriously. The publisher supports editors in ethical decision-making and ensures that editorial decisions are free from commercial influence. It provides mechanisms for dealing with errors, misconduct, or ethical disputes, and ensures the permanent availability and preservation of published content through reliable digital archiving.