Publication Ethics and Allegations of Research Misconduct

iSmartEdu: Jurnal Pendidikan Teknologi Informasi is an open access peer-reviewed journal. This statement clarifies the ethical behavior of all parties involved in the act of publishing an article in this journal as well as allegations of research misconduct, including authors, chief editor, associate editor, editorial board, peer-reviewers­­­­­ and publisher (Universitas Negeri Manado). This statement is based on COPE's Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Ethical Guideline for Journal Publication

The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed  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 work of the authors and institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. It is, therefore, essential to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the authors, journal editors, peer reviewers, publisher, and society. Universitas Negeri Manado, as the publisher of iSmartEdu, takes its' duties to oversee all stages of publishing extremely seriously, and we recognize our ethical responsibilities. We are committed to ensuring that advertising, reprint, or other commercial revenue has no impact or influence on editorial decisions. Also, the Faculty of Engineering Universitas Negeri Manado and Editorial Board will assist in communications with other journals and/or publishers where this is useful and necessary.

 

Allegations of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or plagiarism in producing, performing, or reviewing research by authors, or in reporting research results. 

In cases of suspected misconduct, the Editors and Editorial Board will use the best practices of COPE to assist them in resolving the complaint and addressing the misconduct fairly. This process will include an investigation of the allegation by the Editors. A submitted manuscript that is found to contain such misconduct will be rejected. In cases where a published paper is found to contain such misconduct, a retraction can be published and will be linked to the original article.

The first step involves determining the validity of the allegation and an assessment of whether the allegation is consistent with the definition of research misconduct. This initial step also includes determining whether the individual's alleging misconduct has relevant conflicts of interest. 

If possible scientific misconduct or other substantial research irregularities are present, the corresponding author will be informed of the allegation on behalf of the co-authors to provide a detailed response. After the response is received and evaluated, additional review and involvement of experts (such as statistical reviewers) may be obtained. For cases in which it is unlikely that misconduct has occurred, it would be sufficient for authors to clarify and/or provide additional analysis through a written letter to the editor, which may include corrections of the published manuscripts.

Institutions are expected to conduct an appropriate and thorough investigation of the scientific misconduct allegations. Ultimately, the authors, journal editors, and institutions have an essential obligation to ensure the accuracy of the scientific record. By responding appropriately to concerns about scientific misconduct, and taking necessary actions based on evaluation of these concerns (i.e., corrections, retractions with replacement, retractions), iSmartEdu will continue to fulfill the responsibilities of ensuring the validity and integrity of the scientific record.

Publication Decisions

The editor of iSmartEdu 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 be enforced not to conduct libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editors may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

Complaints and Appeals

iSmartEdu has a clear procedure for handling complaints against the journal, Editorial Staff, Editorial Board, or Publisher. The complaints will be clarified to the respective person concerning the claim. The scope of complaints includes anything related to the journal management (i.e., editorial process, found citation manipulation, unfair editor/reviewer, peer-review manipulation). The complaint cases will be processed according to the COPE guideline. The complaint cases should be sent by email to ismartedu@unima.ac.id.

Fair play

An editor 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 editorial staff are prohibited from disclosing 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.