Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Publication ethics and malpractice statement for Al-I’lam journal of contemporary Islamic communication and media statement is based on committee on publication ethics’ (COPE) practice guidelines for journal editors.

Al-I’lam is a journal dedicated to presenting, promoting, enhancing and contributing to understanding of Communication, Media, Islam and Muslim in contemporary world.

Unethical behavior is unacceptable and Al-I’lam does not tolerate plagiarism at all. The editorial board is responsible for preventing any form of malpractice.  Authors who submit articles to the Al-I’lam should ensure that manuscript contents are original.

 

 Editors Duties

• Publication Decisions: The editors have the right to decide whether to accept or reject the manuscripts or request corrections.
• Review of Manuscript: The editor ensures that each manuscript is properly evaluated to examine the originality of the contents. After the manuscript passes the test, it will be forwarded to two reviewers for double-blind peer review. Each reviewer will make recommendations to accept the manuscript, to modify or to reject it. The review period will be no more than 30 days.
• Fair Review: The editor must evaluate the manuscript based on its intellectual content regardless of authors’ sex, gender, race, religion, citizenship, etc.
• Confidentiality: The editor must ensure that the manuscripts is kept confidential.
• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: The editor cannot use unpublished materials or disclose the submitted manuscript.

Reviewers Duties

• Confidentiality: The editor and the editorial staff must not disclose any information regarding the submitted manuscripts.
• Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should ensure that authors have acknowledged all sources of data used in the research.
• Standards of Objectivity: Review of submitted manuscripts will be conducted objectively. The reviewers have to express their views clearly.
• Promptness: If a reviewer believes it is not possible for him/her to review the research reported in a manuscript within the designated guidelines, or within stipulated time, he/she should notify the editor, so that accurate and timely review can be ensured.

Authors Duties

• Originality: Authors must ensure that their work is original.
• Acknowledgement of Sources: Author(s) should acknowledge all sources of data used in the research and cite publications used in the research.
• Authorship: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a contribution to the study. The corresponding author should ensure that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.
• Data Access and Retention: Authors should retain raw data related to their submitted papers, and should provide it for editorial review, upon request.

Fundamental errors in published works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her submitted manuscript, the author(s) have to notify.

Conflicts Of Interest

The implemented blind review policy is meant to prevent conflict of interest. It the case of conflict of opinion among the reviewers, the editorial board will resolve it.

Ethics on Post Publication

Amendments: Authors may request changes to their published works for various reasons. Such changes can be divided into four categories, namely Erratum, Corrigendum, Retraction, or Addendum.

Erratum: it refers to a formal notification of a significant error made by the journal during the production process of an article that could potentially affect the scientific integrity of the publication, the reputation of the authors, or the journal itself.

Corrigendum: it is a formal notification of a significant error made by the author(s) of an article that could potentially impact the scientific integrity of the publication, the reputation of the authors, or the journal itself.

Retraction: a formal notice invalidating the results of a published article. All co-authors must sign the retraction stating the error and briefly explaining how the conclusions of the article are affected. In deciding whether to retract, consideration will be given to whether subsequent information not known at the time of publication has seriously undermined or invalidated the main conclusions of the article.

If readers feel that a published paper should be retracted, they should notify the Editor-in-Chief. The editor will then consult with reviewers to determine whether the new information might call into question the main conclusions of the published article. The author of the article will also be given the opportunity to provide an explanation of the request.

Addendum: it is an official notice that offers further details or clarification to a previously published article. It is often issued in response to requests from readers seeking further clarification on a specific aspect of the publication.

Penalties and Sanctions

The Al-I'lam Editorial Board is solely responsible for determining the appropriate action to be taken in cases of plagiarism. Plagiarism is considered a form of scientific misconduct and is a serious violation of publication ethics. The journal takes such misconduct seriously and will address it promptly and accordingly. The Editors-in-Chief, Editorial Boards, and Reviewers are the primary parties responsible for detecting instances of plagiarism in manuscripts submitted to the journal. Given the gravity of such a charge, confidentiality must be maintained throughout the process. The details of the plagiarism charge, along with any supporting materials and the outcome, should only be disclosed to those involved in the review process.

It is important that authors follow due process and maintain confidentiality in all cases of alleged plagiarism, falsification, and other forms of unethical conduct. Such cases will be handled in accordance with the Publication Code of Ethics established by the Editorial Board. If the Editorial Board determines that unethical conduct has occurred, the manuscript in question will be rejected, and if the article has already been published, it will be immediately withdrawn. Depending on the nature of the misconduct, authors may be barred from submitting articles to the journal for a period of one to three years. The journal reserves the right to evaluate issues of misconduct such as plagiarism and redundancy on a case-by-case basis.

Consequences

To the authors: If plagiarism, forgery, fabrication, or substantial omission is found in a manuscript, it is considered unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable. In such cases, editors and/or reviewers must report the alleged misconduct to the Editor-in-Chief, who will take appropriate action and notify the Editorial Board. Depending on the severity of the case, consequences for authors may include notification, rejection of the manuscript, retraction of the published article with a notice on the website, prohibition of submissions to the journal for a specified period of time, and informing the authors' institution of the unethical behaviour for their further action.

To the members of the Editorial Board: the reputation of the journal depends to a great extent on the integrity and fairness of the members of the Editorial Board. Therefore, they are expected to show a high degree of commitment to this goal. If there are complaints of misconduct against a member of the Editorial Board, the complainant should contact the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief will then provide the journal Editorial Board with appropriate documentation to support the violation of publication ethics. If a member of the Editorial Board is found guilty of such unethical conduct, they will be removed from their position. The sanctions imposed on them will be the same as those imposed on authors found guilty of misconduct.

Ethical Guidelines for Human Subjects Research

To comply with ethical principles, researchers who wish to conduct studies with human participants must meet a number of conditions. These include:

• Obtaining prior approval from an institutional review board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee.
• Submitting evidence of IRB or ethics committee approval of the research, with any information that could lead to the identification of study participants removed from the approval document prior to submission to the Al-I'lam.
• Certification of compliance with ethical procedures in the submission of the manuscript
• Submission of a report on how informed consent was obtained, or a rationale for why consent was not obtained.
• Ensure that written consent was obtained from an identified individual for the use of their data.

Research Integrity

Al-I'lam Journal is committed to promoting responsible research practices and maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.

Research findings must be reported accurately and transparently. Fabrication, falsification, selective manipulation of data, inappropriate image manipulation, intentional misrepresentation of findings, or concealment of significant information is prohibited.

Authors should retain relevant research data and supporting documentation for an appropriate period after publication and make such information available when reasonably requested, subject to ethical, legal, confidentiality, intellectual property, or data protection requirements.

Where the Editorial Team identifies credible concerns relating to data integrity, research conduct, or the reliability of published findings, the journal may request explanations, supporting documentation, raw data, institutional clarification, or other relevant evidence.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

Editors and reviewers must protect the confidentiality of all manuscripts submitted to the journal.

Personal data and confidential information obtained during the editorial or peer-review process must be handled responsibly and used only for legitimate editorial and publication purposes.

Information relating to authors, reviewers, research participants, institutions, or confidential research materials must not be improperly disclosed.

Complaints and Appeals

Al-I'lam Journal recognises the right of authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders to raise legitimate concerns regarding editorial decisions, publication procedures, ethical issues, or published content.

Authors may submit an appeal where they believe an editorial decision was based on a significant misunderstanding, factual error, procedural irregularity, or other reasonable grounds.

Appeals must provide a clear and evidence-based explanation and should address the specific reasons underlying the original editorial decision.

Complaints concerning editorial conduct, peer review, ethical concerns, conflicts of interest, publication delays, or other matters will be reviewed fairly and objectively.

Where appropriate, complaints and appeals will be handled by an editor or responsible person who was not directly involved in the original decision.

Submission of an appeal does not guarantee that an editorial decision will be reversed.

Corrections and Amendments

Al-I'lam Journal is committed to maintaining an accurate and reliable scholarly record.

Where minor errors are identified after publication that do not affect the overall validity or conclusions of an article, the journal may issue a correction, corrigendum, or erratum.

Corrections should clearly identify the original publication and explain the nature of the amendment.

Significant errors that materially affect the interpretation, reliability, or conclusions of an article may require further editorial action, including retraction where appropriate.

Retractions

A published article may be considered for retraction where there is clear evidence that its findings are unreliable due to misconduct or major error, including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, unethical research practices, serious authorship violations, manipulation of the publication process, or other substantial breaches of publication ethics.

Retraction decisions will be made following appropriate investigation and consideration of the available evidence.

Where an article is retracted, a clear retraction notice will be published and linked to the original article. The notice should explain the reason for retraction while maintaining appropriate fairness and transparency.

Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record and protect its integrity rather than to punish authors.

Expressions of Concern

Where serious concerns have been raised regarding a published article but the available evidence is inconclusive or an investigation is still ongoing, Al-I'lam Journal may issue an Expression of Concern.

An Expression of Concern may remain in place until sufficient information is available to determine whether correction, retraction, or no further action is required.

Handling Allegations of Publication Misconduct

Al-I'lam Journal takes allegations of publication misconduct seriously.

Potential misconduct may include, but is not limited to, plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate submission, redundant publication, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, unethical research practices, manipulation of citations, manipulation of the peer-review process, or other deliberate breaches of accepted scholarly standards.

When an allegation is received, the journal will conduct an initial assessment to determine whether sufficient grounds exist for further investigation.

Authors or other individuals concerned will normally be given an opportunity to respond to the allegations and provide relevant clarification or evidence.

Where appropriate, the journal may seek advice from independent experts, the author's institution, research ethics committees, funding organisations, or other relevant bodies.

Depending on the findings, possible actions may include rejection of a manuscript, correction of a published article, retraction, publication of an editorial notice, restriction on future submissions, or referral of the matter to the relevant institution or authority.

All allegations will be handled as confidentially, objectively, fairly, and transparently as reasonably possible.

Citation Practices

Authors must ensure that references are relevant, accurate, and appropriately support the content of the manuscript.

Citation manipulation, including unnecessary citations intended primarily to increase the citation count of an author, journal, institution, or publication, is considered unethical.

Al-I'lam Journal does not require authors to cite articles published in the journal unless those articles are genuinely relevant to the submitted research.

Editors and reviewers must not pressure authors to include unnecessary citations for the purpose of increasing citation metrics.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently based on academic and scholarly considerations.

The publisher, sponsoring institution, funding bodies, advertisers, or other external parties must not improperly influence decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of individual manuscripts.

The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board are responsible for maintaining the independence and integrity of editorial decision-making.

Commitment to Ethical Publishing

Al-I'lam Journal is committed to continuously reviewing and improving its editorial policies and publication practices in accordance with recognised principles of responsible scholarly publishing.

The journal seeks to promote academic integrity, transparency, fairness, accountability, editorial independence, and confidence in the scholarly publication process.

All authors, editors, reviewers, and other parties involved in the publication process are expected to uphold these principles and cooperate with the journal in maintaining the quality, credibility, and integrity of Al-I'lam Journal.