Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Journal of Islamic Philanthropy & Social Finance (JIPSF) is committed to responsible scholarly publishing, research integrity, editorial independence and transparent publication practices. The journal expects the Editor-in-Chief, editors, editorial board members, reviewers, authors and publisher to act fairly, honestly and professionally throughout the submission, peer review and publication process.

JIPSF refers to recognised principles and guidance on publication ethics when addressing matters relating to editorial conduct, research integrity and publication malpractice. Where a specific matter is not addressed by JIPSF's policies, relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other recognised scholarly publishing practices may be considered.

JIPSF also recognises the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) as a framework for promoting transparency in reporting author contributions.

International Standards and Guidance

JIPSF refers to the following resources:

Publication Ethics

1. Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief and Editors

The Editor-in-Chief and editorial team are responsible for managing the editorial process fairly, objectively and confidentially.

Editors should:

  • assess manuscripts according to the journal's aims and scope and relevant scholarly considerations;
  • consider the originality, methodological quality and scholarly contribution of submissions;
  • maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and editorial correspondence;
  • follow the journal's stated peer review procedures;
  • appoint reviewers with appropriate subject expertise;
  • manage actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest;
  • avoid participating in editorial decisions where a conflict of interest could affect impartiality;
  • consider credible concerns relating to research or publication ethics; and
  • take appropriate action when correction of the published record is necessary.

Editors should not use unpublished information obtained through the editorial process for personal or professional advantage.

Where the Editor-in-Chief, an editor or an editorial board member has a conflict of interest in relation to a manuscript, the individual should not participate in the relevant editorial decision.

2. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers contribute to the assessment and improvement of submitted manuscripts.

Reviewers should:

  • provide objective, constructive and professional evaluations;
  • maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts under review;
  • disclose actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest;
  • assess manuscripts within their area of expertise;
  • identify significant methodological, ethical or research integrity concerns where applicable;
  • identify relevant published work that has not been appropriately cited; and
  • complete reviews within the agreed timeframe where reasonably possible.

Reviewers should not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage.

Citation recommendations should be based on genuine scholarly relevance and should not be made primarily to increase citations to the reviewer, particular authors or the journal.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy and integrity of their submitted work.

Authors should:

  • submit original work that is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal;
  • report research methods, data, results and conclusions accurately;
  • appropriately acknowledge and cite the work of others;
  • avoid plagiarism, fabrication and falsification;
  • disclose relevant competing interests and sources of funding;
  • ensure that authorship accurately reflects scholarly contributions;
  • comply with applicable research ethics requirements;
  • obtain permission for copyrighted material where necessary; and
  • notify the journal of significant errors identified in a submitted or published article.

Detailed requirements concerning submission, authorship, competing interests, funding and generative AI are provided in the relevant JIPSF policies and author requirements.

4. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should reflect substantial scholarly contributions to the research and manuscript.

All listed authors should approve the final version of the manuscript and accept responsibility for their respective contributions.

JIPSF does not support guest, honorary, gift or ghost authorship.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the requirements for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged.

JIPSF recognises the CRediT Contributor Roles Taxonomy as a framework for describing individual contributions.

Any proposed change to the author list after submission should be appropriately justified and agreed by the affected authors before the journal considers the change.

5. Research Ethics and Integrity

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with applicable institutional, national and international ethical requirements.

Where research involves human participants, animals, personal data or other activities requiring ethical oversight, appropriate approval or exemption should be obtained where required.

Where applicable, manuscripts should provide information concerning ethical approval, informed consent and measures taken to protect participant privacy and confidentiality.

JIPSF may request supporting documentation concerning research ethics where appropriate.

6. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers and editors should disclose actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence or reasonably be perceived to influence their judgement.

Conflicts may include financial, professional, institutional or personal interests.

Where a conflict could affect an editorial or peer review decision, the individual concerned should not participate in that decision.

Detailed requirements are provided in the relevant JIPSF Declaration of Competing Interests policy.

7. Funding

Authors should disclose sources of financial support for the research and manuscript preparation where applicable.

Where applicable, the role of funders in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation or decision to submit should also be disclosed.

Detailed requirements are provided in the relevant JIPSF Funding Sources policy.

8. Generative Artificial Intelligence

JIPSF recognises that generative artificial intelligence tools may assist with certain aspects of research or manuscript preparation. However, authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity and scholarly quality of their work.

Generative AI tools:

  • must not be listed as authors;
  • must not be used to fabricate or falsify research data or results;
  • must not be used to create fabricated references; and
  • must not replace the authors' scholarly judgement and accountability.

Where disclosure is required, authors should provide an appropriate statement in accordance with the JIPSF Declaration of Generative AI Use policy.

Editors and reviewers should maintain manuscript confidentiality and should not upload confidential or unpublished manuscript content into external AI systems where this could compromise confidentiality or intellectual property.

9. Intellectual Property, Copyright and Licensing

JIPSF respects applicable copyright and intellectual property rights.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts do not improperly reproduce or use material belonging to others.

Copyright and licensing arrangements for published articles are provided separately through the journal's Copyright and Licensing Policy and relevant publication information.

Publication Malpractice

JIPSF considers publication malpractice to include conduct that may compromise the originality, reliability or integrity of the scholarly record.

Potential forms of publication malpractice include:

  • plagiarism;
  • inappropriate self-plagiarism;
  • fabrication;
  • falsification;
  • duplicate or redundant publication;
  • simultaneous submission;
  • inappropriate authorship or contributorship;
  • citation manipulation;
  • peer review manipulation;
  • misuse of confidential information;
  • unethical research practices; and
  • other conduct that may seriously compromise the integrity of scholarly publication.

An allegation or similarity result does not by itself establish misconduct. JIPSF will consider the circumstances and available evidence before determining appropriate action.

1. Plagiarism

JIPSF does not accept plagiarism.

Submitted manuscripts may be checked using appropriate similarity detection tools as part of the editorial assessment process.

Similarity results should be considered together with the nature, extent and context of the identified material. A similarity percentage alone does not establish plagiarism.

Where plagiarism is identified, JIPSF may reject the manuscript or take appropriate action where the article has already been published.

2. Fabrication and Falsification

Fabrication refers to making up research data, results or other research information.

Falsification refers to manipulating research materials, data, procedures or results in a way that misrepresents the research.

Where credible concerns arise, JIPSF may request clarification or supporting information and may refer the matter to the relevant institution or authority where appropriate.

3. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Authors should not submit substantially the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.

Authors should disclose previous publications or submissions containing substantial overlapping material.

Where duplicate or redundant publication is identified, JIPSF may reject the manuscript or take appropriate corrective action where the material has already been published.

4. Authorship Misconduct

Authorship should accurately reflect contributions to the research and manuscript.

JIPSF does not support guest, honorary, gift or ghost authorship or the inappropriate exclusion of individuals who made substantial contributions.

Detailed requirements concerning authorship and changes to authorship are provided in the relevant JIPSF Authorship and Changes to Authorship policies.

5. Citation Manipulation

Citations should have a genuine scholarly purpose and be relevant to the manuscript.

JIPSF does not support coercive citation, excessive irrelevant self-citation or other practices intended primarily to artificially increase citation counts.

6. Peer Review Manipulation

JIPSF does not permit deliberate manipulation of the peer review process, including fabricated reviewer identities, fraudulent review reports or impersonation of reviewers.

Where peer review manipulation is suspected, the journal may suspend the editorial process while the concern is considered.

7. Unethical Research Practices

Research involving human participants, animals, personal data or other activities requiring ethical oversight should comply with applicable ethical requirements.

Where credible concerns arise regarding unethical research practices, JIPSF may request clarification or supporting documentation and may refer the matter to the relevant institution or authority where appropriate.

8. Misuse of Confidential Information

Authors, reviewers and editors should not use confidential or unpublished information obtained through submission, editorial assessment or peer review for personal, academic or commercial advantage.

Handling Allegations of Publication Malpractice

JIPSF will consider credible allegations concerning research or publication malpractice relating to submitted or published articles.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

  1. conduct an initial assessment of the concern;
  2. request clarification or supporting information;
  3. seek appropriate independent advice;
  4. contact the relevant institution or authority where appropriate;
  5. suspend the editorial or publication process while the matter is considered; and
  6. take appropriate editorial action.

The journal will seek to handle such matters fairly and confidentially.

Where a matter falls primarily within the responsibility of an author's institution or another competent authority, JIPSF may refer the matter to that body and cooperate as appropriate.

1. Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern

JIPSF seeks to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the published scholarly record.

Where a significant error, misconduct or other issue affects the reliability or integrity of a published article, the journal may publish:

  • a correction;
  • a retraction;
  • an expression of concern;
  • a clarification; or
  • another appropriate editorial notice.

Such actions will be considered according to the circumstances and available evidence and may take account of relevant COPE guidance.

Post-publication notices should be appropriately linked to the affected article to maintain transparency and the integrity of the scholarly record.

2. Complaints and Appeals

JIPSF provides authors and other relevant parties with an opportunity to raise concerns regarding editorial processes, peer review or publication ethics.

Complaints and appeals should be submitted through the journal's designated editorial contact.

The journal will consider complaints and appeals fairly and confidentially. Where appropriate, an appeal may be considered by an editor or editorial board member who was not involved in the original decision.

Where a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, the matter may be referred to an appropriate editorial board member or the publisher for consideration.

3. Related JIPSF Policies

This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement provides the overarching ethical framework for JIPSF. It should be read together with the journal's more specific policies and author requirements.

Where a separate JIPSF policy provides detailed requirements for a particular matter, the relevant policy should be consulted.

These include, where applicable:

  • Peer Review Policy
  • Plagiarism Policy
  • Authorship Policy
  • Changes to Authorship Policy
  • Declaration of Competing Interests
  • Funding Sources
  • Declaration of Generative AI Use
  • Copyright and Licensing Policy
  • Corrections, Retractions and Withdrawal Policy

JIPSF may revise its publication ethics policies when necessary to reflect developments in responsible scholarly publishing.