Ethics and Malpractice

QURANICA EDU: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Studi Islam is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by the Yayasan Griya Belajar Cinta Quran Karanganyar, Indonesia. The journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. This statement is based on the principles and best practices developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), including the COPE Core Practices and COPE Guidelines. This policy applies to all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, editorial board members, and the publisher.

Ethical Principles of Publication

The publication of peer-reviewed articles contributes to the development of a credible and trustworthy body of scholarly knowledge. Ethical publishing practices ensure the integrity of academic records and strengthen confidence in scientific communication. All parties involved in the publication process are expected to maintain honesty, transparency, accountability, academic integrity, and professionalism.
 
Editorial decisions are made independently and are not influenced by commercial interests, sponsorship, advertising, or other external factors.
  • Peer Review Process
All manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo a Double-Blind Peer Review process.
Each submission is initially evaluated by the editorial team to assess:
  • relevance to the journal scope,
  • academic quality,
  • originality,
  • compliance with author guidelines,
  • ethical suitability.
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening and plagiarism check are reviewed by at least two independent reviewers with expertise relevant to the manuscript topic and who are not part of the journal’s editorial staff.

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on:

  • originality and novelty,
  • methodological rigor,
  • scholarly contribution,
  • clarity and organization,
  • adequacy of references,
  • ethical compliance.
If necessary, additional reviewers may be assigned. The final decision regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection is made by the Editor-in-Chief or Handling Editor based on reviewers’ reports and editorial evaluation. The journal does not guarantee manuscript acceptance or a fixed review timeframe.
 
Authorship and Contributorship
 
Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the research and manuscript preparation.

Authors should have contributed significantly to:

  • study conception or design,
  • data acquisition,
  • analysis or interpretation,
  • manuscript drafting or critical revision.
All authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that:
  • all eligible contributors are listed as authors,
  • no inappropriate authors are included,
  • all co-authors approve the submitted version.
Changes in authorship after submission require written approval from all authors and editorial consent. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

Complaints and Appeals

The journal provides a transparent mechanism for handling complaints, appeals, and ethical concerns related to editorial processes. Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a reasoned explanation supported by evidence to the editorial office.

Complaints regarding:

  • editorial misconduct,
  • peer review manipulation,
  • ethical violations,
  • conflicts of interest,
  • publication malpractice,
will be investigated fairly, objectively, and confidentially in accordance with COPE recommendations. The Editor-in-Chief may consult the Editorial Board or independent experts when necessary.

Conflicts of Interest and Competing Interests

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that could influence the evaluation, interpretation, or publication of a manuscript. Conflicts of interest may include:
  • financial relationships,
  • institutional affiliations,
  • research funding,
  • consultancies,
  • employment,
  • personal relationships,
  • academic competition.
Editors and reviewers must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts exist. All sources of financial support must be disclosed in the manuscript.

Data Sharing and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to maintain accurate research records and provide access to underlying data where appropriate and ethically permissible.

Authors may be requested to submit:

  • raw data,
  • supporting documentation,
  • methodological details,
  • ethical approval documentation.
Fabrication, falsification, selective reporting, or manipulation of research data constitutes serious ethical misconduct. Where applicable, authors are encouraged to deposit datasets in recognized repositories.

Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants, personal data, sensitive materials, or animals must comply with recognized ethical standards and institutional regulations.

Authors must clearly provide:

  • ethical approval information,
  • informed consent statements,
  • permissions obtained from relevant authorities where applicable.
The journal reserves the right to reject manuscripts that fail to comply with ethical requirements.

Intellectual Property and Copyright

Authors retain copyright of their published work while granting the journal the right of first publication. Articles are published under the open-access policy and licensing terms specified on the journal website. Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts do not infringe upon copyrights, intellectual property rights, or third-party permissions. Proper acknowledgment and citation of all sources are mandatory.

Plagiarism Screening and Research Misconduct

All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin or iThenticate before entering the peer review process. The journal strictly prohibits all forms of publication malpractice and research misconduct, including but not limited to:
  • plagiarism,
  • self-plagiarism,
  • duplicate publication,
  • data fabrication,
  • data falsification,
  • citation manipulation,
  • image manipulation,
  • fraudulent authorship,
  • undeclared conflicts of interest,
  • peer review manipulation.
Editors and the publisher take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of manuscripts involving research misconduct. The journal will not knowingly encourage, permit, or tolerate unethical behavior or publication malpractice.

Allegations of Research Misconduct

The journal follows COPE guidelines and established international ethical standards in handling allegations of research misconduct. Allegations of misconduct may be raised by reviewers, readers, editors, institutions, or third parties before or after publication. Allegations may involve:
  • plagiarism,
  • fabricated or falsified data,
  • unethical research practices,
  • duplicate publication,
  • citation manipulation,
  • authorship disputes,
  • peer review manipulation,
  • undisclosed conflicts of interest,
  • other violations of publication ethics.
Upon receiving an allegation, the editorial office will:
  1. conduct an initial assessment,
  2. contact the corresponding author for clarification,
  3. evaluate supporting evidence,
  4. consult editors, reviewers, or external experts if necessary,
  5. follow COPE flowcharts and ethical procedures.
During the investigation process, the manuscript may be suspended from review or publication. If misconduct is confirmed, the journal may take appropriate actions, including:
  • rejection of the manuscript,
  • publication of corrections,
  • issuance of expressions of concern,
  • article retraction,
  • removal of published content,
  • notification to authors’ institutions or funding bodies.
All investigations will be conducted fairly, objectively, confidentially, and without conflicts of interest.

Duties of Editors

Editors are responsible for:

  • ensuring fair and unbiased editorial decisions,
  • maintaining confidentiality,
  • preventing conflicts of interest,
  • safeguarding publication integrity,
  • ensuring ethical compliance.
Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on academic merit without discrimination based on race, gender, nationality, religion, ethnicity, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs. Unpublished materials disclosed in submitted manuscripts must not be used in editors’ own research without written consent from the authors.

Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers must:

  • provide objective and constructive evaluations,
  • maintain confidentiality,
  • disclose conflicts of interest,
  • identify relevant uncited work,
  • report suspected ethical misconduct.

Reviewers should decline review invitations if:

  • they lack relevant expertise,
  • conflicts of interest exist,
  • timely review cannot be completed.

Information obtained through peer review must not be used for personal advantage.

Duties of Authors

Authors must:

  • present accurate and original research,
  • avoid plagiarism and redundant publication,
  • appropriately acknowledge sources,
  • disclose conflicts of interest,
  • provide authentic data,
  • cooperate in correction or retraction procedures when necessary.

Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously constitutes unethical publishing behavior. Authors bear full responsibility for the integrity of the submitted work.

Post-Publication Discussions, Corrections, and Retractions

The journal supports post-publication academic discussion and correction of the scholarly record. When significant errors, ethical concerns, or misconduct are identified, the journal may publish:

  • corrections,
  • clarifications,
  • corrigenda,
  • expressions of concern,
  • retractions.
Retraction procedures follow COPE Retraction Guidelines. Authors are expected to cooperate fully in correction and retraction processes.

Archiving and Accessibility

The journal is committed to ensuring long-term digital preservation and accessibility of published content through journal archiving and indexing systems used by the publisher.