Publication Ethics and Malpractice

This is the statement of ethics for INSIGHT Journal (IJ), published by UiTM Press, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). IJ is committed to selecting and publishing articles through a double-blind peer-review process. The guidelines in this ethics statement are based on the principles upheld by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). It outlines the ethical responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editorial board members and the chief editor.

Duties of Authors

Originality and Plagiarism: Authors are responsible for submitting only new and original work. If they use the work or words of others, these must be properly cited or quoted.
Accuracy: Authors must ensure their work is factually accurate and does not contain unsubstantiated or illegitimate material. The work must not have been previously published in other journals.
Simultaneous Submissions: Authors must ensure that the article is not being reviewed or considered by other journals simultaneously. Articles may only be published after receiving a formal rejection from another journal or after the journal officially accepts a withdrawal request.
Corrections: Authors must inform the Chief Editor or publisher if any inaccuracies are found in their published work, allowing for corrections or retraction if necessary.
Accountability: Authors must make significant contributions to their work and take responsibility for any shortcomings.
Revisions and Copyright Transfer: Authors must address corrections and improvements suggested by reviewers or editors and submit the required Copyright Transfer Agreement.
Proprietary and Personal Rights: Authors must ensure that their manuscript does not violate the proprietary or personal rights of others, including copyrights and privacy rights.
Conflicts of Interest: Authors must declare if they have any financial interest or affiliation with organizations or entities that have a vested interest in the subject matter of the manuscript.

Duties of Reviewers

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any competing interests before agreeing to review a submission.
Refusal to Review: Reviewers must decline to review any manuscript if they have a conflict of interest or insufficient expertise in the subject matter.
Objective Review: Reviewers must evaluate all submissions objectively, fairly, and professionally.
Reporting Ethical Misconduct: Reviewers must report any ethical misconduct encountered during the review process to the Chief Editor for further action.
Ensuring Originality: Reviewers should ensure the originality of the submission and remain vigilant for signs of plagiarism or redundant publication.
Confidentiality: Reviewers must seek permission from the publisher before disclosing any content from the submission and must not use it for personal benefit.
Timeliness: Reviewers must adhere to the allotted review timeline and request an extension from the Chief Editor if necessary.

Duties of Editorial Board Members

Assisting in Manuscript Selection: Editorial board members assist the Chief Editor in the selection process of manuscripts for publication.
Evaluating Content and Language: Editorial board members evaluate the content and language of manuscripts selected by the Chief Editor and make recommendations regarding their quality and suitability for the journal.
Providing Feedback: Board members provide constructive feedback on the quality and suitability of manuscripts within the scope of the journal.
Re-Evaluating Revised Manuscripts: Editorial board members assist in re-evaluating revised manuscripts after authors have addressed reviewers' comments.
Promoting the Journal: Editorial board members are encouraged to promote the journal at national and international conferences, seminars, symposiums, and workshops.

Duties of Chief Editor

Fair Evaluation: The Chief Editor ensures that manuscripts are evaluated fairly and solely on their intellectual merit, without bias.
Confidentiality: The Chief Editor ensures that all manuscript details are kept confidential and only shared with those directly involved in the publishing process.
Decision-Making: The Chief Editor is responsible for deciding when and which articles are to be published.
Soliciting Feedback: The Chief Editor actively seeks feedback from board members, reviewers, and authors on how to improve the journal’s quality and visibility.
Clear Instructions to Authors: The Chief Editor provides clear guidance to authors on the submission process and expectations for their manuscripts.
Reviewer Selection: The Chief Editor ensures that appropriate reviewers are selected for each manuscript.
Originality Check: The Chief Editor ensures that authors submit only original work that has not been plagiarized or published elsewhere. The editorial office may use plagiarism detection software to check for similarities with existing literature.

Reporting and Transparency

Research Integrity: Authors must report their results clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation. The methods used should be described in sufficient detail to allow others to replicate and confirm the findings.
Abstract Quality: The abstract should clearly outline the introduction, problem statement, quantitative results, and quantitative conclusions. Any formulae and equations must be correctly typed. Articles that do not comply with these guidelines may be returned for revision or permanently rejected.

Conflicts of Interest

Disclosure: Authors must disclose any financial support or relationships that could influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of funding for the research should be clearly stated.

Authorship and Collaboration

Authorship Criteria: Only individuals who have made significant contributions to the research should be listed as authors. Other contributors who participated in specific aspects of the work should be acknowledged in the acknowledgments section.
Corresponding Author: The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors are appropriately listed and have approved the final manuscript before submission.

Multiple or Redundant Publications

Simultaneous Submissions: Authors must not submit manuscripts describing the same research to multiple journals simultaneously. This is considered unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
Redundant Publication: Authors must not publish the same manuscript in different journals without proper acknowledgment of the original work.

Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism

Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are free from plagiarism. All sources must be appropriately cited, even if the ideas or work are paraphrased.
Self-Plagiarism: Self-plagiarism occurs when authors recycle portions of their previous work without proper citation. Authors should avoid submitting slightly modified versions of previous publications to different journals without acknowledgment.

Reprints and Permissions

Open Access: All research articles published in the INSIGHT Journal are freely available to the public via the internet, without any restrictions or fees. The journal follows an open-access policy to ensure that all research is accessible to a wide audience.