PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

TSAQAFAH (ISSN 1411-0334 | E-ISSN 2460-0008)
Published by University of Darussalam Gontor

TSAQAFAH is a peer-reviewed academic journal committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. This statement outlines the ethical responsibilities of all parties involved in publishing in this journal: authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher. The policy is based on the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) Best Practice Guidelines.

1. ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR JOURNAL PUBLICATION

Publishing in TSAQAFAH contributes to the development of a coherent and respected body of knowledge. It reflects the quality of the authors’ work and the institutions that support them. The peer-review process lies at the heart of scholarly communication, and ethical behavior is therefore essential from all publishing stakeholders.

The Universitas Darussalam Gontor, as the publisher of Tsaqafah, is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of scholarly integrity by ensuring full editorial independence, free from any commercial pressures or external influences that could affect editorial decisions. The publisher also maintains ethical oversight at every stage of the publication process—from submission and peer review to final dissemination—to safeguard transparency, fairness, and academic rigor. Additionally, the University supports constructive communication and collaboration with other journals or publishers when necessary, such as during investigations of publication ethics issues, the verification of prior submissions, or the coordination of corrections or retractions, ensuring that scholarly standards are consistently upheld across the broader academic community.

2. DUTIES OF EDITORS

2.1 Publication Decisions

The editor-in-chief holds the ultimate responsibility for determining which manuscripts are suitable for publication in Tsaqafah, and these decisions must be grounded in the manuscript’s scholarly merit, its relevance to the journal’s academic scope, and the validity and overall significance of the research presented. In making such determinations, the editor-in-chief may consult members of the Editorial Board or qualified reviewers to ensure a fair and informed assessment. All editorial decisions must also adhere to established legal and ethical standards, including those related to libel, copyright, and plagiarism, to protect both the integrity of the journal and the rights of authors. For example, even a methodologically sound study may be declined if it falls outside the journal’s thematic focus or if parts of the text are found to improperly reproduce copyrighted material.

2.2 Fair Play

Editors must evaluate all manuscripts submitted to Tsaqafah solely on the basis of their academic merit, intellectual rigor, and relevance to the journal’s scope, without allowing any form of discrimination to influence their judgment. This means that editorial decisions must never be affected by an author's race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy, as such biases would undermine the fairness and integrity of the scholarly review process. By ensuring that every submission is judged purely on the strength of its scholarship, Tsaqafah upholds an inclusive and ethical editorial environment in which all researchers are treated equitably.

2.3 Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must maintain strict confidentiality regarding all submitted manuscripts and must not disclose any information about a submission to anyone other than the corresponding author, assigned reviewers, potential reviewers being considered for the evaluation, trusted editorial advisers, or the publisher. This confidentiality requirement protects the integrity of the review process and ensures that unpublished ideas, data, and arguments are not shared prematurely or accessed by unauthorized individuals. By restricting manuscript information to only those directly involved in the editorial workflow, Tsaqafah safeguards authors’ intellectual property and upholds the ethical standards expected in scholarly publishing.

2.4 Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Unpublished material contained in submitted manuscripts must never be used in editors’ own research or professional work without the author’s express written consent, as doing so would constitute a serious breach of confidentiality and intellectual property rights. Editors are entrusted with privileged access to original data, arguments, and findings that have not yet been made public, and this information must remain solely within the editorial process until formally published. For example, an editor who reads an innovative theoretical model or discovers new archival evidence in a submitted manuscript may not incorporate or reference that material in their own research unless the author explicitly grants permission. This safeguard ensures that authors’ ideas are protected and that the editorial role is carried out with integrity and impartiality.

3. DUTIES OF REVIEWERS

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer reviewers play a crucial role in supporting editorial decision-making (after editorial first assigment) and strengthening the quality of submitted manuscripts by providing constructive, evidence-based feedback that helps both editors and authors; in doing so, reviewers must rely on their scholarly expertise, maintain professional courtesy, and observe the highest standards of ethical conduct. Reviewers who feel unqualified to assess a particular manuscript or unable to complete the review within the required timeframe must promptly inform the editor and withdraw to avoid delaying the editorial process. All manuscripts received for review must be treated as strictly confidential documents and must not be shared, discussed, or disclosed to others unless the editor has granted explicit permission, as reviewers have privileged access to unpublished ideas, data, and interpretations that must remain protected. Reviews must be conducted objectively and respectfully, avoiding personal criticism of the authors; comments should be clearly expressed and supported with sound arguments that focus on the scientific, methodological, or conceptual aspects of the work.

Reviewers are also expected to identify relevant literature that the authors may have overlooked and ensure that any claim of prior reporting is accompanied by an appropriate citation, as well as to alert the editor to potential ethical concerns such as plagiarism, data manipulation, or substantial similarity between the manuscript and other works known to the reviewer. In addition, reviewers must uphold strict confidentiality regarding any privileged information encountered during the peer-review process and must not use unpublished data or ideas for their own research without the authors’ express written consent. They must also disclose any financial, institutional, collaborative, or personal conflicts of interest that could compromise their impartiality—such as having collaborated with the authors recently or working at the same institution—and recuse themselves if their objectivity could reasonably be questioned. For example, if a reviewer recognizes that a manuscript’s methodology closely resembles an unpublished project developed in their own research group, they must not incorporate these ideas into their work nor continue with the review; instead, they should notify the editor to avoid any breach of confidentiality or misuse of privileged information. Through these practices, reviewers help ensure that the peer-review process remains fair, rigorous, and ethically responsible.

4. DUTIES OF AUTHORS

Research/Study Data and Reporting Standards - Authors are required to present an accurate, honest, and objective account of the research conducted. All data, methods, analyses, and findings must be reported clearly and in sufficient detail to allow replication by other researchers. Underlying data must be represented faithfully, without fabrication, manipulation, or selective reporting; knowingly inaccurate or false statements constitute serious ethical misconduct and are unacceptable. Review articles, professional analyses, and scholarly commentaries must also be accurate, balanced, and objective, while editorial or opinion-based works must be clearly identified as such. When requested, authors must provide raw or supporting data for editorial review and, where feasible, make such data publicly accessible in accordance with journal policies and open-data standards. Authors should retain research data for a reasonable period after publication, consistent with best practices. For example, if the study’s conclusions depend heavily on a computational model, the underlying datasets and code should be preserved and shared when appropriate to enable independent verification.

Originality, Plagiarism, and Proper Acknowledgment of Sources - Manuscripts submitted to the journal must be entirely original. Any use of ideas, data, or wording from other works—whether published, unpublished, or privately communicated—must be properly cited or quoted, with permissions obtained when required. Proper acknowledgment of the work of others is essential to situate the research within the broader scholarly record. Authors must cite relevant, reliable, and verifiable literature and ensure that all cited sources can be traced through stable identifiers such as DOIs. Information obtained through personal communication, peer review, or confidential documents must not be used without explicit written permission from the source. All forms of plagiarism—including direct copying, paraphrasing without attribution, or presenting others’ findings as one’s own—are strictly prohibited.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication - Authors must avoid submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously, as concurrent submission constitutes unethical publication practice. Manuscripts describing essentially the same research must not be published in more than one journal of primary publication. Secondary publication (e.g., translations, clinical guidelines, or expanded versions) may be permissible only when all conditions set by scholarly norms—such as those outlined by ICMJE—are met, including full transparency, mutual agreement of all involved journals, and proper citation of the primary publication. Authors must avoid excessive or inappropriate self-citation and refrain from citation manipulation, whether by adding unnecessary references to their own work or agreeing to reciprocal citation arrangements.

Citations and Scholarly Context - Authors must ensure that claims in their articles are supported by relevant, current, and peer-reviewed sources. All citations must be accurate, verifiable, and provided in appropriate context. Excessive citation of a single author, institution, or journal—including their own prior work—must be avoided unless scientifically justified. During peer review, editors and reviewers may recommend additional citations for legitimate academic reasons. However, authors should report any citation suggestions that appear to serve personal or institutional gain rather than scholarly purpose.

Authorship and Contributor Responsibilities - Authorship is reserved for individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the study. Those who assisted in more limited ways—such as language editing, technical support, or data collection—should be acknowledged appropriately but not listed as authors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed co-authors meet authorship criteria, have reviewed and approved the final manuscript, and consent to submission. Changes in authorship after submission are permitted only in exceptional circumstances, must be justified, and require approval from all authors and editorial discretion. Authors share collective responsibility for the integrity of the work and must cooperate in addressing any concerns or questions raised post-publication. Authors must also use accurate institutional affiliations and follow journal guidelines on territorial or jurisdictional claims.

Research Ethics: Hazards, Human Subjects, and Animal Welfare - Authors must clearly identify any unusual hazards associated with chemicals, methods, or equipment described in the manuscript. For studies involving human or animal subjects, authors must comply with ethical standards and provide evidence of approval by the appropriate institutional review boards or ethics committees. Human research must adhere to the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki, while animal studies must follow recognized international guidelines such as ARRIVE, the U.K. Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, EU Directive 2010/63/EU, or relevant national regulations. Manuscripts must include statements confirming informed consent for human participation and protecting participants’ privacy rights. Clinical trial reports must follow recognized best practices, including registration and adherence to CONSORT guidelines. Any personal data, patient images, or case details must be accompanied by written consent retained by the author and provided upon request.

Conflicts of Interest and Funding Transparency - Authors must fully disclose all financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could create actual or perceived conflicts of interest. Examples include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid testimony, and patent applications. All sources of financial support must be acknowledged, including the role of sponsors in study design, data collection, analysis, writing, and publication decisions. If funders had no influence on the research process, this must be explicitly stated. Conflicts of interest must be disclosed at the earliest possible stage.

Notification of Fundamental Errors and Post-Publication Responsibility - If an author discovers a significant error, inaccuracy, or methodological flaw in their published work, they must promptly notify the journal and cooperate fully in issuing a correction or retraction. If editors or publishers become aware of such issues independently, authors must provide evidence or clarification upon request. For example, if an author discovers that incorrect statistical code affected the published results, they must immediately inform the editorial office so the issue can be formally corrected, preserving the accuracy of the scholarly record.

Image Integrity - Images in a manuscript must accurately represent the original data. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color are acceptable only if they do not distort or obscure information. Manipulation that alters, inserts, removes, or enhances specific features is considered unethical and may result in rejection or retraction. Journals may require submission of original images or deposition in an appropriate repository.

5. PUBLISHER'S RESPONSIBILITIES

The University of Darussalam Gontor, as the publisher of Tsaqafah, upholds its duty as guardian of the scholarly record by ensuring that the journal operates with integrity, transparency, and independence, and by supporting editors and reviewers in maintaining the highest ethical standards throughout the publication process.

The publisher is committed to safeguarding full editorial independence, ensuring that no commercial interests—such as advertising, sponsorship, or reprint revenue—influence editorial decisions or compromise academic judgment. In fulfilling its ethical role, the University ensures that all journal policies reflect best practices in scholarly publishing, uphold COPE guidelines, and preserve the interests of both the academic community and society at large.

The publisher provides editors with technical guidance, procedural assistance, and legal support when necessary, including facilitating communication with other publishers or journals to investigate potential ethical issues, errors, or allegations of misconduct. Additionally, the University promotes education on responsible publishing practices, particularly for early-career researchers, to strengthen the community’s understanding of research integrity.

The publisher also oversees the proper handling of corrections, retractions, and ethical concerns to ensure that the scholarly record remains accurate and trustworthy. For example, if a significant error is reported in a published article, the University works with the editor to investigate the issue promptly and implement a formal correction or retraction in accordance with COPE procedures, thereby maintaining the credibility and reliability of Tsaqafah as an academic publication.

See also Generative AI Policy