Ethics Statement
As an established publication with 29 years of history, we strive to uphold the standards of publication for authors, editors and as publisher alike, as has been agreed upon by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in 2018. Thus, our Ethics and Malpractice Statements will largely reflect these standards, and as such will be compatible. For more on these standards in detail, please visit the International Standards for editors and authors as specified by COPE. These statements are laid out chronologically, from the beginning of the research process (for authors), to the submission and editing process (for editors), to the publishing process, and beyond.
1. FOR AUTHORS
As the publisher, it is our responsibility to make it as clear as possible to authors, editors and reviewers regarding our policies and standards befitting our status. We will uphold a high standard for our publication, not only for our benefit but also for the benefit of researchers and readers. We will ensure that papers submitted follow our standards regarding originality, ethics and quality. We will respect the privacy of everybody involved in any research, and will not disclose any identities without any prior approval by the parties involved. We will protect the intellectual property and copyright of authors with regards to their works and findings. Finally, we will ensure that editorial independence are upheld for the sake of meeting our standards.
It is the responsibility of the researchers to ensure that the researches are conducted in an ethical manner. Research subjects must be properly informed of the purpose of the research and fully understand the implications. Subjects must give proper consent with full awareness and of sound mind. Subjects that are not able to give consent (e.g. clinical studies on mental patients or children below the age of consent) must have the written consent by their legal guardians. For researches involving animal subjects, proper approvals from authorities should be obtained prior to the research. Editors have the right to request any proof of research approval, and the rights to reject researches should authors failed to provide any acceptable proofs.
Research writing
Researchers must ensure that their data is accurately collected and measured. Researchers should be honest and be held accountable to their results. Results must not be modified to suit the interest of any third-parties and sponsors (exceptional circumstances, such as for national security reasons, are allowed). Relevant references and quotations, even by the authors themselves on previous researches, must be cited properly (in both the content and the list of references). Be honest – in what the research is about, how it is done, what the research find, what the research imply, and what it did not find. Sometimes, a ‘non-result’ is a result in itself. This publication has zero tolerance for plagiarism – papers that are found to be plagiarized will be rejected, and the authors will be blacklisted from future publications. All papers must be an original work not published elsewhere. Authors are encouraged to use plagiarism detection software prior to submission. Authors should disclose all sources of finding, both direct and indirect. Authors should disclose any interests and relationships that may or may not affect how the results are interpreted that the authors foresee might be questionable by the readers. Competing interests should also be disclosed.
Authorship
Authors must agree amongst each other with regards to contributions of each members. Contents of the paper should be approved by all authors. All authors must be aware, and approve, of who are – and are not – in the list of authors, and the orders of the name as listed. We would not tolerate ghost authors. Should the editors found the paper to be ‘co-authored’ by a non-participating author, the editors have the right to reject the paper. All disputes amongst authors must be dissolved appropriately in a proper manner befitting the status of authors and the research institutions.
Submissions & Corrections
Papers submitted must be an original work that has not been published elsewhere, whether it is in the form of an academic journal or not. Papers submitted must not be in the review of another publications – should the papers are accepted for JPP’s review, authors must withdraw their submissions to other publishers, should the authors choose to continue with publishing in JPP. Authors can recommend reviewers to review the papers as part of the editing process. However, the final decision for reviewers is up to the editors. Reviewers must not be associated with the authors in such a way that may affect the reviewing process. Reviewers must not have any knowledge about the papers and the researches prior to the submission.
2. FOR EDITOR
Fair and balanced
Editors should make their editing decisions in a completely unbiased way. Editorial decisions are based solely on the basis of being an editor, without any interest, commercial or otherwise, that may affect such decisions. There would be no double standards – any papers submitted, regardless of sources, will be judged at the same level. All editors are held accountable to their decisions.
Confidentiality
Editors and chosen peer reviewers should not disclose authors’ material, either to editors of other journals or even to lawyers in court cases, unless with the specific agreement by the authors. Unless the papers are reviewed in an open peer review system, reviewers’ identities are not disclosed unless with permission.
Transparency & Honesty
It is the responsibility of the editors to ensure that any papers submitted are held to a high standard befitting the publications. This necessitates decisions made by the editors that may or may not be agreed upon by the authors. Editorial decisions made by the editors should have valid reasoning that necessitates such decisions, whether it is to ensure it follows the publication standards, or for other reasons that the editors find lacking in the part of the authors. Editors must declare any possible connections and relationships that may affect their editorial decisions. Should the authors find reasonable grounds to dispute any editorial decisions, authors should provide their reasons clearly.
3. FOR PUBLISHER
As the publisher, it is our responsibility to make it as clear as possible to authors, editors and reviewers regarding our policies and standards befitting our status. We will uphold a high standard for our publication, not only for our benefit but also for the benefit of researchers and readers. We will ensure that papers submitted follow our standards regarding originality, ethics and quality. We will respect the privacy of everybody involved in any research, and will not disclose any identities without any prior approval by the parties involved. We will protect the intellectual property and copyright of authors with regards to their works and findings. Finally, we will ensure that editorial independence are upheld for the sake of meeting our standards.
Editors should make their editing decisions in a completely unbiased way. Editorial decisions are based solely on the basis of being an editor, without any interest, commercial or otherwise, that may affect such decisions. There would be no double standards – any papers submitted, regardless of sources, will be judged at the same level. All editors are held accountable to their decisions.
4. FOR REVIEWERS
Reciprocity
Reviewing for journals is a professional activity that provides value for the field as a whole, and should be encouraged. Authors who submit manuscripts to The Journal are normally expected to reciprocate by accepting an invitation to review manuscripts for The Journal.
Double-Blind Peer-Review
The Journal follows a double-blind peer-review process, whereby both the Authors and the Reviewers do not know each other. Peer review is fundamental to the scientific publication process and the dissemination of knowledge. Peer reviewers are experts chosen by the Editor-in-Chief to provide assessment of a written research manuscript, with the aim of improving the reporting of research and identifying the most appropriate and highest quality material for The Journal. The full paper undergoes a double-blind peer-review by Reviewers, who revise the paper without bias, avoiding personal criticisms concerning the Authors, and properly motivating their judgments. They shall structure their observations in order to improve the clarity of the paper contents, and any potential criticisms has to be constructive.
Quality of Review
Manuscripts received by The Journal will be evaluated by the Editorial board that will judge whether a manuscript is of potential interest to the readers of The Journal. Manuscripts that are of interest, formatted according to the guideline for Authors and presented fairly well are sent for review. Typically one or two reviewers are employed. Manuscript may be sent to other specialized experts such as on statistics or a particular technique where a scientist in that particular technique is needed to evaluate it.
Reviewers are assessed on the quality of review and other performance characteristics by the Editor-in-Chief to assure optimal journal quality and performance. These ratings should also contribute to decisions on reappointment to The Journal’s Editorial Board and to ongoing review requests. Individual performance data on Reviewers are available to the Editor-inChief but otherwise kept confidential. Reviewers should avoid doing or saying anything that could identify them to the Authors of a manuscript they are reviewing or reviewed.
Reviewers can recommend for particular course of action. However, the Editor-in-Chief may have to make a decision based on conflicting advice from different reviewers. The most useful reports, therefore, provide the Editor-in-Chief with the information on which a decision should be based.
All reviewers are informed of the journal’s expectations, and Editor-in-Chief will make every effort to assist reviewers in improving the quality of review. The Editor-in-Chief will access the quality of review routinely by ratings of review quality and other performance characteristics periodically.
Responsibility of Reviewers
Reviewers should assess the manuscript sent to them for scope, accuracy, quality, relevance and contribution to the field. They should inform and return the manuscript to the Editor-in-Chief if they decide that the manuscript is not within their field of expertise or that they are not able to complete the review in the stated time.
The manuscript for review is privileged information. Reviewers must treat it as confidential and it should not be retained or copied in whatever means. The manuscript should not be shared with the Reviewers’ colleagues without the explicit permission of the Editor-in-Chief. Reviewers and Editor-in Chief must not make any personal or professional use of the data, arguments, or interpretations (other than those directly involved in its peer review) prior to publication. Such use may constitute as conflict of interest and is an unacceptable behavior.
In cases of suspected misconduct, Reviewers should notify the Editor-in-Chief in confidence, and should not share their concerns with other parties. Reviewers must review all submissions objectively, fairly and professionally. Reveal any ethical misconduct encountered while reviewing to the Editor-in-Chief for further action.
Moreover, Reviewers should ensure the originality of a submission and be alert to any plagiarism and redundant publication and must not discuss the content of the submission without permission. Lastly, Reviewers are expected to adhere to the time allocated for the review process. Requests for extension to review the submission is at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.
Timeliness
Reviewers should be prompt with their reviews. If a Reviewer cannot meet the deadline, he/she should inform the Editor-in-Chief immediately to determine whether a longer time period or another Reviewer should be appointed. Typically, the time to complete a review is four weeks.
5. ADVERTISING
Our journal maintains and upholds a clear and transparent advertising policy to ensure editorial integrity and reader trust. We do not permit any party to advertise or use any content on our site for commercial purposes. Any advertising proposals are subject to review and must align with the relevance and suitability of the content based on our requirements. Therefore, any such intent must receive approval from the board.
6. DIRECT MARKETING
Our journal strictly adheres to policies on direct marketing to safeguard our platform and protect the privacy of our readers. We do not engage in or permit any unnecessary or inappropriate direct marketing activities through our website. Any form of promotional content must be approved in advance by our board and must comply with relevant regulations. All marketing efforts are conducted internally and solely for the purposes of Malaysian Journal of Student Advancement.