Publication Ethics

Journal of Information, Technology, Engineering, and Science (JITES)

The Journal of Information, Technology, Engineering, and Science (JITES) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and ensuring the integrity of the academic publishing process. This document outlines the ethical responsibilities of all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher. JITES adheres to the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and expects all stakeholders to follow these ethical guidelines.

1. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to JITES are expected to adhere to the following ethical standards:

Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is original and has not been previously published or submitted elsewhere. All forms of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, are strictly prohibited. Proper citation of all referenced works is mandatory. Manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 20% will be rejected.
Data Integrity: Authors must present accurate data and results. Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data is unethical and unacceptable. Authors should retain raw data for verification if required.
Multiple Submissions: Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously is unethical and will result in rejection.
Authorship Criteria: Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the research. All listed authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission.
Acknowledgment of Sources: Authors must properly acknowledge all sources of funding, institutional support, and relevant prior research.
Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional conflicts of interest that may influence the interpretation of their research.
Ethical Research Practices: For studies involving human participants or animals, authors must ensure that ethical guidelines have been followed, including obtaining necessary approvals from relevant ethics committees.

2. Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

Editors play a crucial role in maintaining the ethical standards of the publication process. Their responsibilities include:

Fair and Objective Evaluation: Editors must evaluate manuscripts based solely on academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope, without bias related to the authors’ race, gender, nationality, or personal beliefs.
Confidentiality: Editors must maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and not disclose information to unauthorized individuals.
Decision-Making: Editors are responsible for making final decisions regarding manuscript acceptance or rejection based on reviewers’ recommendations and the quality of the work.
Handling Misconduct: Editors must actively address ethical issues, including plagiarism, data manipulation, and conflicts of interest. In cases of suspected misconduct, editors will follow COPE guidelines to investigate and take appropriate actions.
Conflict of Interest: Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists.

3. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play a key role in maintaining the quality of published research. They are expected to:

Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents. They should not share, discuss, or disclose any manuscript content without the editor’s permission.
Objectivity and Constructive Feedback: Reviews should be conducted objectively, providing constructive feedback to help authors improve their work. Personal criticism is inappropriate.
Timeliness: Reviewers should complete their reviews promptly. If unable to meet the deadline, they should notify the editor to allow reassignment of the manuscript.
Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that could influence their judgment and decline to review manuscripts where such conflicts exist.
Ethical Awareness: Reviewers should report any ethical concerns they identify in the manuscript, including issues related to plagiarism, data falsification, or unethical research practices.

4. Ethical Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher of JITES is committed to supporting the editorial team in maintaining the highest ethical standards. The publisher’s responsibilities include:

Ensuring Editorial Independence: The publisher does not interfere with editorial decisions and supports editors in managing ethical concerns.
Ethical Oversight: The publisher works with editors to investigate cases of ethical misconduct and take necessary corrective actions, such as issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when appropriate.
Archiving and Accessibility: The publisher ensures the long-term preservation and accessibility of published content in line with open access principles.

5. Handling Ethical Misconduct

JITES takes allegations of misconduct seriously. In cases of suspected unethical behavior, the journal will follow COPE’s flowcharts and guidelines to handle the situation, which may involve:

Conducting a thorough and confidential investigation.
Contacting the authors for clarification or an explanation.
In cases of confirmed misconduct, taking appropriate actions such as:
- Rejecting the manuscript
- Issuing a correction or retraction
- Notifying relevant institutions or authorities

6. Retraction Policy

Articles may be retracted if:

There is clear evidence of data fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.
The article contains unethical research practices or errors that significantly affect the conclusions.
Authors fail to disclose conflicts of interest that could have influenced the study’s outcomes.

A retraction notice will be published to maintain the integrity of the academic record.

7. Appeals and Complaints

Authors who believe their manuscript was unfairly rejected may submit an appeal to the editorial board, providing a detailed justification. The board will review the appeal, and if necessary, consult an independent reviewer. The decision after the appeal process is final.

For questions regarding publication ethics, please contact the editorial team at lppm@untara.ac.id or visit our website at JITES.

Editorial Team
Journal of Information, Technology, Engineering, and Science (JITES)