Publication Ethics

JOURNAL POLICY   /   PUBLICATION INTEGRITY

Publication Ethics

Principles and responsibilities for ethical authorship, independent editorial decisions, fair peer review, and a trustworthy scholarly record.

APLIKATIF  —  Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities

OUR COMMITMENT

APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities is a peer-reviewed journal published by Lembaga Riset dan Inovasi Masyarakat Madani. This policy outlines the ethical responsibilities of authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher before, during, and after publication.

The journal is guided by the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Editorial decisions should reflect the quality, validity, originality, and relevance of the work, without improper influence from financial, institutional, or personal interests.

DETAILED INTEGRITY POLICIES

These dedicated policies set out the applicable reporting, disclosure, assessment, and post-publication procedures.

01   /   EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Duties of Editors

Publication decisions

Editors assess manuscripts for academic merit, methodological soundness, originality, relevance, and the reliability of their evidence. The Editor-in-Chief or an appropriately designated editor is responsible for the publication decision, informed by peer-review reports and journal policies. Legal and ethical requirements, including those related to copyright and plagiarism, must be respected.

Fair and unbiased evaluation

Manuscripts are evaluated for their intellectual content without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or political views.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff protect information about unpublished submissions and disclose it only to those legitimately involved in evaluation or journal management, such as authors, reviewers, prospective reviewers, authorized editorial advisers, and the publisher when appropriate.

Unpublished material and conflicts of interest

Editors must not use unpublished manuscript material or privileged information for personal research or advantage without the author’s explicit consent. An editor with a relevant conflict must disclose it and arrange independent handling in accordance with the Conflict of Interest Policy.

02   /   PEER-REVIEW INTEGRITY

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to editorial decisions

Reviewers provide evidence-based, constructive assessments that help editors decide whether a manuscript meets the journal’s scholarly standards and help authors improve their work.

Competence and promptness

A reviewer who lacks the necessary expertise or cannot complete a review within the agreed period should inform the editor promptly and decline or withdraw from the assignment.

Confidentiality and objectivity

Manuscripts received for review are confidential and may not be shared or discussed without editorial authorization. Reviews must be objective, respectful, and supported by clear arguments; personal criticism is unacceptable.

Acknowledgement of sources

Reviewers should identify relevant uncited scholarship and inform editors of significant similarities or possible overlap with existing publications that come to their attention.

Conflicts of interest

Reviewers must disclose relationships or interests that could compromise impartiality, avoid using privileged information for personal benefit, and decline or withdraw when a significant conflict exists.

03   /   RESPONSIBLE SCHOLARSHIP

Duties of Authors

Accurate reporting and methodological transparency

Authors must report their research accurately, represent data faithfully, discuss findings without deliberate distortion, and provide sufficient methodological information and references for readers to assess the reliability of the work.

Data access and retention

Authors should retain underlying research materials for an appropriate period and provide relevant data to editors for reasonable verification requests, subject to ethics approvals, confidentiality duties, participant consent, privacy requirements, and applicable law.

Originality, plagiarism, and source acknowledgement

Submissions must present original work. Authors must cite and acknowledge borrowed ideas, wording, data, and other contributions appropriately. Plagiarism, unattributed appropriation, and misleading presentation of prior work are unacceptable.

Multiple or concurrent submission

The same manuscript must not be submitted to more than one journal for consideration at the same time. Redundant publication or substantial undisclosed overlap with other publications is unacceptable. Relevant preprints or earlier dissemination should be transparently disclosed to the editor.

Authorship and approval

Authorship should reflect significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the work. All qualifying contributors should be included as authors; other substantive contributions should be acknowledged as appropriate. The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript and its submission.

Funding and conflicts of interest

Authors must disclose funding sources and relevant financial or non-financial interests that could reasonably be perceived to influence the work. The Conflict of Interest Policy provides the detailed declaration and management procedures.

Fundamental errors after publication

Authors who identify a significant error or inaccuracy in a published article must inform the journal promptly and cooperate with the editorial team in assessing and implementing an appropriate correction or other post-publication action.

04   /   PUBLISHER RESPONSIBILITY

Duties of the Publisher

Editorial independence

Lembaga Riset dan Inovasi Masyarakat Madani supports editorial autonomy. Advertising, reprint income, publication fees, sponsorship, or other commercial considerations must not determine the scientific acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.

Support for ethical publishing

The publisher supports the editorial team in handling credible integrity concerns and, where appropriate, in communicating with institutions, other journals, or publishers. Responsibility for scientific editorial decisions remains with the editors or appropriately independent handling editors.

05   /   PUBLICATION INTEGRITY

Allegations, Corrections, and Retractions

Possible misconduct

The journal takes credible reports of plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, misleading authorship, manipulation of peer review, unethical research, and other publication integrity concerns seriously. An allegation is not equivalent to an established finding. Reports are assessed under the Research Misconduct Policy.

Overlapping publication and text recycling

Substantial undisclosed overlap, duplicate publication, and inappropriate reuse of previous material are not acceptable. Any legitimate reuse or preprint-related disclosure must be transparent and evaluated under the journal’s submission and publication policies.

Correcting the published record

Material errors or reliability concerns may lead to a correction (including an erratum or corrigendum), an Expression of Concern, or a retraction, depending on the evidence and its effect on the article. Minor spelling or formatting errors generally do not justify retraction. The Correction, Expression of Concern, and Retraction Policy governs editorial assessment, notices, links, and metadata follow-up.

EDITORIAL WORKFLOW

Responding to an ethics concern

1. Receive and document the concern and supporting evidence
2. Identify conflicts of interest and assign independent handling when required
3. Seek clarification, author responses, and expert or institutional advice when appropriate
4. Make a reasoned editorial decision and preserve a confidential record
5. Publish or update a notice when action is needed to protect the scholarly record

EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE

Raise a publication ethics concern

Readers, authors, reviewers, and institutions may contact the editorial office with specific information about the relevant manuscript or article and any supporting evidence. Serious allegations are handled with due process, confidentiality, and appropriate editorial independence.

Contact the Editorial Office →

jurnalaplikatif@gmail.com

RELATED JOURNAL GUIDANCE

COPE — Publication Ethics  •  APLIKATIF — Peer Review Process  •  APLIKATIF — Plagiarism Policy  •  APLIKATIF — Contact

APLIKATIF   |   Publisher: Lembaga Riset dan Inovasi Masyarakat Madani