Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

KJISE: Kiswah Journal of Islamic Studies and Education upholds the highest standards of publication ethics. The editorial board, authors, reviewers, and publishers are expected to adhere to ethical principles to ensure the integrity of academic research and publication. This statement is based on guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Responsibilities of the Editors

Fair and Impartial Decision-Making

  • The editorial team evaluates submitted manuscripts based solely on academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal's scope, regardless of the author’s race, gender, religion, nationality, or institutional affiliation.
  • Decisions to accept or reject a manuscript are based on the paper’s significance, clarity, and validity.

Confidentiality

  • Editors must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and editorial board members.
  • Unpublished materials must not be used by editors for their own research without written consent from the author.

Handling Conflicts of Interest

  • Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest due to personal, financial, or academic relationships with any of the authors or institutions.
  • The journal has a clear policy to address any conflicts of interest to ensure transparency.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authorship and Originality

  • Authors must ensure that their work is original and has not been published elsewhere or is under consideration for publication in another journal.
  • Proper acknowledgment and citation of previous research must be provided. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited.
  • All co-authors must have significantly contributed to the research and approve the final manuscript before submission.

Data Accuracy and Integrity

  • Authors must provide accurate and reliable data supporting their research findings.
  • Fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of data is considered unethical. Authors should be prepared to provide raw data if requested.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

  • Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest that could influence their work.

Corrections and Retractions

  • If significant errors or inaccuracies are discovered after publication, authors must notify the editor immediately.
  • The journal reserves the right to publish errata, corrections, or retract articles in cases of serious ethical breaches.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Confidentiality

  • Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and should not be shared with others without permission from the editor.

Objectivity and Constructive Feedback

  • Reviews should be conducted objectively and provide constructive criticism to improve the manuscript.
  • Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.

Timeliness

  • Reviewers should complete their reviews within the agreed timeframe. If unable to meet the deadline, they should inform the editor promptly.

Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

  • Reviewers must recuse themselves from reviewing manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest, such as direct competition or close collaboration with the authors.

4. Plagiarism and Ethical Violations

  • The journal uses plagiarism detection software to screen submitted manuscripts. Any manuscript with a similarity index exceeding acceptable thresholds will be rejected.
  • Cases of plagiarism, data falsification, or unethical research practices will be reported to the author’s institution and funding bodies, and appropriate actions (retraction, publication ban, etc.) will be taken.

5. Retraction Policy

Articles may be retracted if:

  • There is clear evidence of research misconduct, plagiarism, or ethical violations.
  • The findings are unreliable due to fabrication or falsification of data.
  • Ethical issues such as authorship disputes or conflicts of interest arise.
  • A correction is insufficient to address the issue, requiring full retraction.

6. Ethical Oversight

  • Research involving human subjects must comply with ethical guidelines and have appropriate institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee approval.
  • Authors must ensure informed consent was obtained for research involving human participants.

7. Publisher’s Responsibilities

  • The publisher ensures that publication ethics policies are upheld and takes action in cases of alleged misconduct.
  • The journal is committed to ensuring long-term preservation of published content through LOCKSS and CLOCKSS archival systems.