Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statements

1. Introduction

J-EBI (Jurnal Ekonomi dan Bisnis Islam) is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Institut Agama Islam Sufyan Tsauri Majenang (INSIMA), Indonesia. The journal is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and academic integrity throughout the publication process. This statement outlines the ethical principles and responsibilities of authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher to ensure that all manuscripts are handled fairly, transparently, and professionally.

J-EBI expects all parties involved in the publication process to uphold the principles of honesty, objectivity, accountability, confidentiality, and respect for intellectual property. Any form of publication misconduct is treated seriously and may result in appropriate corrective action.

2. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to J-EBI are expected to comply with the following ethical standards:

  1. Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must submit original work and appropriately acknowledge the ideas, words, data, and findings of other researchers. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism that misrepresents previously published work as new, is unacceptable.

  2. Exclusive Submission: Manuscripts must not have been published previously or be under consideration by another journal at the same time.

  3. Accuracy of Research: Authors must present research methods, data, results, and interpretations accurately. Fabrication, falsification, selective manipulation, or misleading presentation of research findings is prohibited.

  4. Authorship and Contribution: Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research and manuscript. All listed authors must approve the final version and agree to its submission. Contributions that do not qualify for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately.

  5. Acknowledgment of Sources: All relevant sources must be cited accurately. Citation practices intended primarily to inflate citation counts or manipulate journal metrics are unacceptable.

  6. Research Ethics: Research involving human participants or personal data must comply with applicable ethical standards, including informed consent, confidentiality, and approval from an appropriate ethics committee where required.

  7. Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research.

  8. Corrections and Retractions: Authors are expected to cooperate with the editorial team if errors or ethical concerns are identified after submission or publication.

  9. Use of Artificial Intelligence: Authors must use generative artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly and disclose its use when required by the journal's AI policy. AI tools must not be listed as authors, and authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the submitted work.

3. Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring that editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, relevance to the journal's focus and scope, originality, methodological quality, and compliance with publication ethics.

Editors shall:

  1. Evaluate manuscripts fairly and objectively, without discrimination based on authors' identity, institutional affiliation, nationality, gender, religion, or other personal characteristics unrelated to scholarly merit.

  2. Maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and related information.

  3. Select qualified reviewers whose expertise is relevant to the manuscript.

  4. Manage conflicts of interest and ensure that manuscripts are not handled by editors with competing interests.

  5. Make editorial decisions independently, based on the manuscript's quality, reviewers' recommendations, and the journal's editorial standards.

  6. Investigate suspected research or publication misconduct fairly and confidentially.

  7. Take appropriate action when misconduct or serious errors are identified, including requesting revisions, rejecting manuscripts, issuing corrections or expressions of concern, or retracting published articles where justified.

  8. Protect the integrity of the scholarly record and avoid editorial practices that improperly manipulate citations or publication metrics.

4. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the quality and integrity of the journal's publications. Reviewers are expected to:

  1. Provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based assessments of manuscripts.

  2. Evaluate manuscripts according to their originality, relevance, theoretical contribution, methodological rigor, quality of analysis, and clarity of presentation.

  3. Maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and not share, reproduce, or use unpublished material for personal or professional advantage.

  4. Disclose potential conflicts of interest and decline a review when impartiality may be compromised.

  5. Identify relevant published work that has not been cited and alert editors to potential plagiarism, duplicate publication, data inconsistencies, or other ethical concerns.

  6. Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe or promptly inform the editor if an extension or withdrawal is necessary.

  7. Refrain from using discriminatory, offensive, or personal comments in review reports.

5. Responsibilities of the Publisher

Institut Agama Islam Sufyan Tsauri Majenang (INSIMA), as the publisher of J-EBI, supports the journal's commitment to ethical publishing and academic integrity. The publisher shall respect editorial independence and cooperate with the editorial team in addressing substantiated allegations of publication misconduct.

The publisher supports appropriate procedures for investigating ethical concerns, correcting the scholarly record, and preserving published content. Commercial, institutional, or personal interests must not improperly influence editorial decisions.

6. Publication Misconduct

J-EBI considers the following actions examples of research or publication misconduct:

  • Plagiarism: Using another person's words, ideas, data, or work without proper acknowledgment.

  • Data Fabrication: Inventing data, results, or research observations.

  • Data Falsification: Manipulating research materials, processes, data, images, or results in ways that misrepresent the research.

  • Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Publishing substantially overlapping work without appropriate disclosure or justification.

  • Simultaneous Submission: Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time.

  • Authorship Misconduct: Inappropriate inclusion or exclusion of authors, gift authorship, ghost authorship, or misrepresentation of individual contributions.

  • Citation Manipulation: Inappropriately adding citations to inflate citation counts or influence journal metrics.

  • Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest: Failing to disclose interests that could materially affect the research or its evaluation.

  • Ethical Violations: Conducting research without required ethical approval or consent, or improperly handling confidential or personal data.

  • Peer-Review Misconduct: Manipulating the review process, breaching reviewer confidentiality, or submitting fraudulent reviewer identities or reports.

  • Misuse of AI Tools: Using AI to fabricate data or references, misrepresent authorship or research activities, or otherwise compromise research integrity.

These examples are not exhaustive. Other practices that undermine the reliability, transparency, or integrity of scholarly publishing may also be investigated.

7. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

When suspected misconduct is reported or identified, J-EBI will assess the concern fairly and confidentially. The journal may consider information from authors, reviewers, readers, editors, institutions, or other credible sources.

The procedure may include:

  1. Initial Assessment: The editorial team evaluates the allegation and determines whether there is sufficient information to proceed.

  2. Request for Explanation: Where appropriate, the authors or other relevant parties are invited to provide an explanation and supporting evidence.

  3. Further Investigation: The journal may examine manuscript records, relevant data, review reports, similarity-checking results, or other evidence. When necessary, the journal may contact the relevant institution or organization.

  4. Editorial Decision: The editor determines an appropriate response based on the evidence, the seriousness of the concern, and the applicable publication policies.

  5. Communication and Documentation: Relevant parties are informed of the decision as appropriate, and the journal maintains records of the investigation and its outcome.

The journal will seek to protect confidentiality, avoid premature conclusions, and provide a fair opportunity for relevant parties to respond. Where a concern cannot be resolved adequately by the journal alone, the matter may be referred to the relevant institution or appropriate authority.

8. Possible Editorial Actions

Depending on the nature and severity of the misconduct, and the stage of the publication process, J-EBI may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Reject the manuscript before publication.

  • Request clarification, supporting data, or corrective revisions.

  • Suspend editorial processing while an investigation is conducted.

  • Reject a manuscript or discontinue consideration when serious ethical concerns are substantiated.

  • Publish a correction or an expression of concern for a published article, where appropriate.

  • Retract a published article when its findings are unreliable or serious ethical breaches warrant retraction.

  • Inform relevant institutions or organizations when justified by the evidence and circumstances.

  • Restrict future submissions from individuals responsible for serious or repeated misconduct, where justified and consistent with fair editorial procedures.

Any action will be proportionate to the findings and intended to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

9. Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

J-EBI is committed to maintaining an accurate and transparent scholarly record. Errors identified after publication will be assessed according to their nature and potential impact.

  • Correction: Issued when an error can be corrected without invalidating the overall reliability of the article.

  • Expression of Concern: Issued when there are credible concerns about an article but the available evidence is insufficient for a final determination, or an investigation remains unresolved.

  • Retraction: Issued when an article's findings are unreliable or when serious misconduct or ethical violations justify withdrawing the article from the valid scholarly record.

Notices will clearly identify the affected article and explain the reason for the action. The original publication record will be handled transparently in accordance with the journal's correction and retraction policy.

10. Confidentiality and Fair Process

All allegations of misconduct will be handled with due regard for confidentiality, fairness, and the rights of the parties involved. Information will be shared only with individuals or organizations who have a legitimate role in assessing or resolving the matter, subject to applicable legal and institutional requirements.

J-EBI will avoid making public allegations before adequate assessment and will base its decisions on relevant evidence. The journal's procedures are intended to protect research participants, authors, reviewers, editors, and the integrity of scholarly communication.

11. Commitment to Ethical Publishing

J-EBI expects authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher to uphold the principles described in this statement. By submitting a manuscript, authors acknowledge their responsibility to comply with the journal's publication ethics requirements and related editorial policies.