1.

PUBLICATION ETHICS

PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal is an essential building block in the development of a coherent and respected network of knowledge. It is a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. It is therefore important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, the journal editors, the peer reviewers, and the publisher. This statement is based on the standard COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

AUTHORS

Reporting Standard

Authors must present the original manuscript, not published in any form, and do not submit the same article to other journals until the publisher gives an answer regarding the feasibility of the manuscript. Authors should provide accurate and accountable research data. Authors must cite the sources appropriately by considering the content of the manuscript either in the form of written publications and personal interviews. Authors who are discovered to make a major error in their own published works are required to notify the publisher or editor and assist with withdrawal or correction of the manuscript.

Originality, plagiarism, and acknowledgment of sources

Authors should adhere to publication requirements that submitted work is original, is not plagiarized, and has not been published elsewhere - fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. If an author has used the work and/or words of others, that this original is been appropriately cited or quoted and accurately reflects individuals' contributions to the work and its reporting.

Data Access and Retention

Authors may be asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review, and should, in any event, be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.

Ethics

Authors should only submit papers only on work that has been conducted in an ethical and responsible manner and that complies with all relevant legislation.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

Authorship of the Paper

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

Fundamental errors in published works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper. If the editor or the publisher learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error, it is the obligation of the author to promptly retract or correct the paper or provide evidence to the editor of the correctness of the original paper. 

2.

EDITORS

The editor of the Alsinah journal is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers must always drive such decisions. The editors may be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editors may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

IMPARTIALITY

An editor at any time evaluates manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

DISCLOSURE AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author. 

3.

REVIEWERS

The purpose of peer review is to assist the editors in making the editorial decisions and help authors to improve the quality of the manuscript. Reviewers must notify their ability to review the manuscript to the editors. The entire manuscript that is currently in the editing process should be treated as confidential unless otherwise it is approved by editors. The editing process should be conducted objectively by providing relevant arguments and not personal criticism of the author. If there is an inadequately published manuscript, reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript, and should not be used by others without the written consent of the author.

Contribution to Editorial Decisions:

Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the paper.

Promptness:

Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse himself from the review process.

Confidentiality

Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

Standards of Objectivity

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Acknowledgment of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers. 

4.

PUBLISHER

It is committed to ensuring that commercial interest has no impact or influence on editorial decisions. In addition, Alsinah will assist in communications with other journals where this is useful to the authors. Finally, we are working closely with all related divisions to set standards for best practices on ethical matters, errors and retractions--and are prepared to provide specialized legal review and counsel if necessary