Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
Al-Mazaahib: Jurnal Perbandingan Hukum is a peer-reviewed academic journal that upholds the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. This statement outlines the ethical principles and responsibilities expected of all parties involved in the publication process — editors, reviewers, authors, and the publisher — in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices (2019) and Elsevier Publishing Ethics Guidelines.
This ethical statement is developed and implemented by Al-Mazaahib Research Center, based on and fully aligned with the standards of COPE and Elsevier, to ensure transparency, accountability, and academic integrity throughout the publication process.
quick link:
https://publicationethics.org/membership/code-of-conduct
https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/publishing-ethics#0-publishing-ethics
Duties of the Publisher – Al-Mazahib Research Center
1. Guardianship of the Scholarly Record
Al-Mazahib Research Center is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record in all publications. The Center supports editors and reviewers in ensuring that every article published meets the highest standards of academic honesty, originality, and scholarly contribution. The publisher is responsible for ensuring that best ethical practices are implemented in all editorial and publication processes in accordance with international standards (e.g., COPE, Elsevier’s Ethics Guidelines).
2. Safeguard Editorial Independence
Al-Mazahib Research Center ensures complete independence of the editorial process. Editorial decisions are made solely based on academic merit, free from any influence of commercial, institutional, or personal interests. Advertising, sponsorship, or reprint activities do not interfere with editorial policies or the integrity of published content.
3. Support for Editors and Reviewers
Al-Mazahib Research Center provides technical, procedural, and legal support to editors and reviewers in handling ethical issues, potential misconduct, and retraction processes. Al-Mazahib Research Center also facilitates the use of plagiarism detection tools (such as Turnitin) and promotes the implementation of COPE Core Practices across the editorial workflow.
4. Promotion of Ethical Publishing Standards
Al-Mazahib Research Center promotes awareness of publication ethics through education and dissemination of ethical guidelines for authors, reviewers, and editors. This includes training and consultation related to issues such as authorship, data falsification, conflict of interest, and responsible research conduct.
5. Managing Conflicts of Interest
All editors, reviewers, and staff associated with Al-Mazahib Research Center must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest that could affect their impartiality in the editorial process. The publisher ensures transparency and may disclose such conflicts when relevant. No staff member may use confidential information obtained through their role for personal or financial gain.
6. Collaboration for Best Practice
Al-Mazahib Research Center actively collaborates with other publishers, academic associations, and ethical bodies to uphold and develop best practices in scholarly publishing. The Center continually reviews and improves its policies to ensure adherence to the highest international ethical standards.
Duties of Editors – Al-Mazahib Research Center
Editors of Al-Mazahib: Jurnal Perbandingan Hukum are entrusted with maintaining the scholarly integrity, fairness, and ethical standards of the publication process. To ensure this, the following duties and responsibilities are established:
1. Publication Decisions
a. Editors are fully and independently responsible for deciding which articles should be published.
b. Decisions are made based on the academic merit, originality, and relevance of the work to readers and researchers.
c. Editors may be guided by the policies of the editorial board and are bound by applicable legal requirements concerning libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
d. Editors may consult with other editors or reviewers to reach a final decision.
2. Peer Review
a. Editors ensure that all submitted manuscripts undergo a fair, unbiased, and timely peer review process.
b. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent and competent reviewers in the relevant field.
c. Editors must select external reviewers with appropriate expertise and avoid the selection of fraudulent or unqualified reviewers.
d. Potential conflicts of interest and inappropriate self-citation suggestions from reviewers must be evaluated carefully to maintain impartiality.
e. Ediotrial members are prohibited from reviewing manuscripts. If an editor member is one of the authors, the manuscript will be handled by another independent editor and an independent external reviewer unknown to the editor.
3. Fair Play
a. Editors evaluate manuscripts based solely on their intellectual content, without discrimination based on race, gender, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, political orientation, or other personal characteristics.
b. Editorial policies must encourage transparency, honesty, and clarity in the research reporting process.
c. All communication with authors and reviewers should take place through the official submission system.
d. A clear and transparent mechanism for authors to appeal editorial decisions shall be established jointly by the editor and publisher.
4. Citations and Journal Metrics
a. Editors must not attempt to influence journal rankings or citation metrics by requesting unnecessary references.
b. Authors are not required to cite articles from Al-Mazahib or from editors/reviewers unless scientifically justified.
c. Editors may remove inappropriate citation suggestions before sending reviewer comments to authors.
5. Confidentiality
a. Editors must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and all communications with reviewers, unless explicitly agreed otherwise.
b. Reviewer identities must remain confidential unless open peer review is implemented and consent is given.
c. Unpublished materials and ideas obtained through peer review must not be used for personal gain or research purposes without the author’s written consent.
d. In cases of suspected ethical violations, editors may share limited and relevant information with other editors or institutions as needed to support ethical investigation.
6. Declaration of Competing Interests
a. Editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest prior to or during their term of service.
b. Editors must not be involved in the decision-making process for papers in which they have a conflict of interest, including those authored by themselves, family members, or colleagues.
c. Any such manuscripts will undergo an independent review process, and the disclosure of conflicts will be clearly stated in the published article.
7. Vigilance Over the Published Record
a. Editors are responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the published record.
b. They must investigate and address reports of research or publication misconduct (including plagiarism, falsification, and manipulation).
c. When ethical breaches are confirmed, editors, in coordination with the publisher, must issue appropriate corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.
d. Editors must also remain updated on the latest publication ethics policies and best practices.
8. Use of Generative AI in the Editorial Process
Editors shall adhere to Al-Mazahib’s policy regarding the responsible use of generative AI tools. AI must not replace human judgment in editorial decision-making or peer review, and any AI use must be disclosed and transparent.
Duties of Reviewers – Al-Mazahib Research Center
1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer review plays a crucial role in assisting the editor to make informed editorial decisions and helps authors improve their manuscripts through constructive feedback. Reviewers are expected to conduct a scientific and critical evaluation of the manuscript and to identify any potential ethical issues such as plagiarism, data fabrication, or substantial overlap with other published works.
If a reviewer feels unqualified to assess the research reported in a manuscript or is unable to complete the review in a timely manner, they must notify the editor and decline the review invitation. Reviewers should always communicate their feedback respectfully and professionally, in accordance with good reviewing etiquette.
2. Standards of Objectivity and Competing Interests
All reviews must be conducted objectively, and personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should clearly express their views with supporting arguments.
Reviewers are required to declare any potential conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment and should consult with the editor if there is any concern of bias. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include, but not limited to:
a. Collaboration with the author(s) within the past three years;
b. Employment or affiliation with the same institution as the author(s);
c. Close personal relationships or other associations with the author(s).
If a conflict of interest exists, reviewers should recuse themselves from the review process to maintain the integrity and objectivity of the evaluation.
3. Citations
Reviewers should not suggest citations to their own work or that of their associates unless there are legitimate scientific reasons to do so. The intent should never be to increase personal citation counts or visibility. Editors reserve the right to remove inappropriate citation suggestions from reviewer comments before forwarding them to the authors.
4. Confidentiality
All manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers are not permitted to share or discuss the manuscript with anyone without prior authorization from the editor. Direct contact with the authors is not allowed.
Information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and must not be used for personal advantage or research purposes. If reviewers wish to involve colleagues or students in the review for educational purposes (co-review), prior approval from the editor is required to ensure confidentiality and proper acknowledgment.
5. Use of Generative AI in Peer Review
Reviewers shall adhere to Al-Mazahib’s policy regarding the responsible use of generative AI tools. AI must not replace human judgment in editorial decision-making or peer review, and any AI use must be disclosed and transparent.
Al-Mazahib Research Center is committed to maintaining the highest standards of fairness, confidentiality, and transparency in the peer review process, in alignment with the ethical guidelines of COPE, Elsevier, and international best practices.
Duties of Authors
1. Reporting Standards
Authors must present an accurate and objective account of their research work. Data should be reported truthfully and precisely, with sufficient detail and references to enable replication. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. Review articles or opinion pieces must also be written clearly and be properly identified as such.
2. Data Access and Retention
Authors may be requested to provide the underlying research data for editorial evaluation and are expected to retain such data for a reasonable period after publication. Whenever possible, authors should ensure public access to their data in accordance with the journal’s data-sharing policy.
3. Originality and Acknowledgment of Sources
Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. If the authors have used the work or words of others, appropriate acknowledgment and citation must be given. All forms of plagiarism, including paraphrasing without proper attribution, are considered unethical and unacceptable.
4. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
Authors should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one primary journal or submit the same manuscript to multiple journals concurrently. Republishing the same work in another form (such as translation or extended version) is permissible only with prior consent from the editors and proper citation of the original source.
5. Citations
All statements based on other works must be properly cited using verifiable, relevant, and recent references (preferably with DOIs). Authors must avoid excessive or inappropriate self-citation, citation manipulation, or mutual citation agreements intended to artificially increase citation counts.
6. Confidentiality
Information obtained through confidential services, such as manuscript reviewing or editorial communication, must not be used without the explicit written permission of the author or the involved party.
7. Authorship of the Paper
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. All those who made significant contributions must be listed as co-authors. Others who participated in certain aspects (e.g., language editing or data analysis) should be acknowledged.
The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript and agreed to its submission.
8. Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies
The use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools is permitted only as a technical aid and not as a replacement for an author’s intellectual contribution. Any use of AI in writing, data analysis, or image generation must be transparently disclosed in the manuscript.
9. Jurisdictional Claims and Institutional Affiliation
Authors should use the full and official name of their institution or its standard abbreviation. Any geographical maps or territorial representations included in the article must be strictly academic and should not imply political or jurisdictional claims.
10. Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects
If the research involves hazardous materials, human participants, or animals, authors must clearly identify these in the manuscript. All studies involving humans must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and include informed consent. Animal studies must follow the ARRIVE Guidelines or equivalent ethical standards.
11. Declaration of Competing Interests
All authors must disclose any potential financial or personal conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of their work. All sources of funding and the role of sponsors (if any) must be stated clearly and transparently.
12. Notification of Fundamental Errors
When authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they are obliged to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate in retracting or correcting the paper as necessary.
13. Image and Data Integrity
Manipulation of images, figures, or data that could mislead readers is strictly prohibited. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color are acceptable only if they do not obscure or misrepresent original data.
14. Retraction, Correction, and Withdrawal Policy
The policy on Retraction, Correction, and Withdrawal can be viewed here