Ethic Policy

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Journal of Academia (JoA), published by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, transparency and ethical scholarly publishing.

JoA follows the principles and guidance established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

This policy outlines the ethical responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editors and editorial board members. It also establishes procedures for addressing research misconduct, conflicts of interest and concerns arising before or after publication.

1. Duties and Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to JoA are required to comply with the following ethical standards.

Originality and Plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must represent original scholarly work that has not been published elsewhere or simultaneously submitted to another journal.
Authors must appropriately acknowledge and cite all sources, including previously published research, data, figures and other intellectual contributions.
Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, redundant publication and inappropriate duplication of published material are prohibited.
Any prior dissemination of the research, including preprints or conference publications, must be disclosed during submission for editorial assessment.

Research Integrity and Accuracy

Authors must ensure that all research findings, methodologies and reported data are accurate and honestly presented.
Fabrication, falsification, selective manipulation or deliberate misrepresentation of research data constitutes research misconduct.
Authors should maintain appropriate research records and provide supporting information when reasonably requested by the editorial team.
Authors must promptly notify the Chief Editor if a significant error or inaccuracy is identified in a submitted or published manuscript.

Submission and Revision

Authors must comply with JoA's Author Guidelines and respond appropriately to editorial and reviewer comments.
Manuscript revisions should be accompanied by a clear explanation of the changes made in response to reviewers' recommendations.
Authors must obtain the necessary permissions for copyrighted material reproduced in their manuscripts.

2. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship must reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the reported research.

All listed authors must have made meaningful contributions to the conception, design, data acquisition, analysis or interpretation of the research.
Authors must participate in drafting or critically reviewing the manuscript, approve the final version and accept accountability for the integrity of the published work.
Individuals who contribute to the research but do not fulfil the authorship criteria should be appropriately acknowledged.
Guest authorship, honorary authorship and the omission of eligible contributors are unacceptable.
The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors approve the manuscript and agree to its submission.
Requests to add, remove or rearrange authors after submission must be supported by a written explanation and agreement from all affected authors.

3. Conflict of Interest and Funding Disclosure

All parties involved in the publication process must disclose relevant conflicts of interest that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their professional judgement.

Authors must declare:

Financial interests, research sponsorships, grants or other sources of funding relevant to the submitted work.
Non-financial competing interests, including professional relationships or other circumstances that could affect the impartiality of the research.
The role of funding organisations, where applicable, in the research and publication process.

A conflict-of-interest declaration must be provided even when no competing interests exist.

Reviewers and editors must disclose potential conflicts of interest and withdraw from the evaluation or decision-making process when impartiality cannot be maintained.

4. Research Ethics and Ethical Approval

JoA requires research involving human participants, animals or other ethically sensitive materials to comply with applicable institutional, national and international ethical standards.

Where relevant:

Studies involving human participants must obtain approval from an appropriate research ethics committee or institutional review board.
Informed consent must be obtained from participants when required, and confidentiality and personal information must be appropriately protected.
Research involving animals must follow recognised animal welfare standards and obtain the necessary institutional approvals.
Authors must provide information on ethical approvals, including approval references where applicable, and explain when formal ethical approval was not required.

The editorial team reserves the right to request supporting documentation or reject manuscripts that fail to demonstrate compliance with applicable ethical requirements.

5. Duties and Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the academic quality and integrity of published research.

Reviewers are expected to:

Evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly and professionally, based on scientific merit, methodological quality, originality and relevance.
Treat submitted manuscripts and associated research information as strictly confidential.
Decline review invitations when they lack appropriate expertise or have competing interests that could compromise their impartiality.
Provide constructive comments supported by clear academic reasoning.
Identify relevant published research that has not been appropriately acknowledged.
Report suspected plagiarism, data manipulation, redundant publication or other ethical concerns directly to the editorial team.
Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe or promptly request an extension when necessary.
Refrain from contacting authors directly regarding manuscripts under review without editorial permission.

Reviewers must not use unpublished manuscript information for personal research or professional advantage.

Confidential manuscript material must not be uploaded to external generative AI platforms without explicit authorisation and appropriate confidentiality safeguards.

6. Duties of the Chief Editor and Editorial Board

The Chief Editor and Editorial Board are responsible for maintaining the integrity, impartiality and quality of the editorial and publication processes.

Editorial Responsibilities

Evaluate submissions based on originality, academic quality, methodological rigour and relevance to the journal's aims and scope.
Ensure that editorial decisions are not influenced by personal relationships or the authors' institutional affiliations.
Maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and disclose relevant information only to authorised individuals involved in editorial assessment, peer review or ethical investigations.
Assign manuscripts to suitably qualified reviewers with appropriate subject expertise.
Ensure that reviewers' comments are assessed fairly and that editorial decisions are adequately supported.
Declare competing interests and arrange independent editorial handling when necessary.
Address allegations of publication misconduct in accordance with established ethical publishing procedures.

The Chief Editor is responsible for making the final editorial decision regarding the acceptance, revision or rejection of manuscripts.

Editorial Board members support the review process, provide academic recommendations and contribute to maintaining the journal's scholarly standards.

7. Peer Review and Editorial Decisions

JoA applies a structured editorial assessment and peer-review process to evaluate submitted manuscripts.

Manuscripts undergo initial editorial screening to determine their suitability for the journal. Submissions meeting the journal's requirements are normally evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise.

Reviewers' evaluations inform editorial decisions, which may include acceptance, revision or rejection.

The editorial team must ensure that manuscripts submitted by editors, editorial board members or individuals with potential competing interests are evaluated independently.

The journal maintains confidentiality throughout the review process and makes editorial decisions based on academic merit.

8. Plagiarism and Research Misconduct

JoA does not tolerate research or publication misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication or deliberate misrepresentation of research findings.

Submitted manuscripts may undergo originality screening using appropriate similarity-detection software.

Similarity reports must be interpreted through editorial assessment. A similarity percentage alone does not establish whether plagiarism has occurred.

Allegations of misconduct will be evaluated according to the available evidence and the guidance issued by COPE.

Depending on the nature and severity of the concerns, editorial actions may include requesting an explanation, seeking corrections, rejecting a manuscript or referring the matter to the relevant institution.

Authors will be given an appropriate opportunity to respond to allegations before a final editorial determination is made.

9. Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

JoA recognises the increasing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in academic research and manuscript preparation.

Authors must comply with the journal's Author Guidelines concerning the responsible use of generative AI.

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI tools in preparing manuscripts, including the tools used and their purposes.
AI assistance must be limited to activities permitted under the journal's Author Guidelines.
AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot assume responsibility for research integrity and publication ethics.
Authors remain fully responsible for verifying the accuracy, originality and validity of all AI-assisted content.
Undisclosed or inappropriate AI use may result in editorial action.

Editors and reviewers remain personally accountable for their assessments and must protect the confidentiality of unpublished manuscripts when using digital or AI-assisted tools.

10. Research Data and Reproducibility

Authors are responsible for ensuring the reliability and reproducibility of their reported research.

Manuscripts should provide sufficient methodological information to allow independent assessment of the research findings.

Authors must retain relevant research records and supporting data in accordance with applicable institutional and disciplinary requirements.

The editorial team may request supporting data or methodological clarification when concerns regarding the validity or reliability of reported findings arise.

Data disclosure and sharing must comply with ethical approvals, confidentiality obligations, intellectual property rights and relevant legal requirements.

11. Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern

JoA is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of its published scholarly record.

When errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the journal will assess the matter and determine an appropriate response in accordance with COPE guidance.

Corrections

A correction notice may be issued when an error affects part of a published article but does not invalidate its principal findings or conclusions.

Retractions

A published article may be retracted when its findings are unreliable because of serious methodological errors, research misconduct or other substantial integrity concerns.

Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be published when credible and significant concerns about an article remain unresolved or require further investigation.

All correction, retraction and expression-of-concern notices will identify the affected article and explain the basis for the editorial action. Such notices will be linked to the original publication.

Retracted articles will ordinarily remain accessible as part of the scholarly record and will be clearly identified as retracted.

12. Manuscript Withdrawal

Authors wishing to withdraw a manuscript before publication must submit a formal written request to the editorial office.

The request should provide the reason for withdrawal and confirmation that all co-authors have been informed and agree to the request.

Withdrawal requests will be considered by the editorial team and processed in accordance with the stage of manuscript evaluation or production.

Once an article has been published, concerns about its reliability or integrity will be addressed through the journal's post-publication procedures rather than ordinary manuscript withdrawal.

13. Complaints and Appeals

JoA is committed to addressing legitimate complaints and appeals fairly and transparently.

Authors, reviewers and readers may raise concerns regarding editorial decisions, peer-review procedures, publication ethics or the integrity of published articles.

Complaints and appeals should be submitted to the editorial office with relevant supporting information.

Appeals against editorial decisions must identify the grounds for reconsideration and provide substantive academic or procedural justification.

Where appropriate, complaints and appeals will be reviewed by an editor or institutional representative who was not directly involved in the disputed decision.

Concerns involving the Chief Editor may be referred to the publisher or an appropriate independent institutional representative.

For enquiries, please refer to the JoA Contact Us page.

14. Open Access, Copyright and Intellectual Property

JoA supports open scholarly communication by providing free online access to published research articles.

Authors are responsible for respecting intellectual property rights and obtaining permission to reproduce third-party copyrighted materials where necessary.

Copyright ownership, publication rights and permitted reuse of published articles are governed by JoA's applicable copyright and Open Access policies and the licence specified for each published article.

The journal is committed to providing clear and consistent licensing information to authors and readers.

15. Commitment to Publication Ethics

JoA remains committed to promoting responsible research practices, maintaining editorial independence and protecting the integrity of the scholarly literature.

The journal will review its publication ethics policies periodically to reflect developments in scholarly publishing standards and relevant guidance from COPE and other recognised organisations.

Reference standards