01. Fundamental Principles of Publication Ethics

All participants in the publication process are expected to uphold the following fundamental principles:

02. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to Jurnal PGSD UNIGA are responsible for the originality, accuracy, ethical conduct, and scholarly integrity of their work.

2.1 Originality and Exclusive Submission

• Submitted manuscripts must be original scholarly works.
• Manuscripts must not have been previously published in substantially the same form or be under consideration by another journal simultaneously.
• Authors must disclose any relevant previous dissemination, related publications, or overlapping manuscripts.
• Duplicate, redundant, or simultaneous submissions are not permitted.

2.2 Plagiarism and Proper Attribution

Authors must properly acknowledge the ideas, words, data, methods, images, and other materials originating from other sources. All borrowed material must be cited in accordance with appropriate academic referencing standards. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism and inappropriate text recycling, is unacceptable.

2.3 Accuracy of Research Data

Authors must report research methods, data, analysis, and findings honestly. Fabrication, falsification, selective manipulation of results, misleading image manipulation, and intentional misrepresentation of evidence constitute serious breaches of research integrity.

2.4 Authorship and Contributions

• Authorship must reflect substantial intellectual or scholarly contributions to the research.
• All listed authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission.
• All authors share responsibility for the integrity of the published work.
• Gift, honorary, guest, and ghost authorship are unacceptable.
• Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately, with their consent where necessary.
• Changes to authorship or author order after submission require a reasonable explanation and written agreement from all affected authors, subject to editorial approval.

2.5 Citation and References

Authors must cite relevant and verifiable scholarly sources. References must accurately correspond to the sources cited in the manuscript. Fabricated references, citation manipulation, and unnecessary self-citation intended to influence citation metrics are unacceptable.

2.6 Funding and Competing Interests

Authors must disclose relevant research funding, financial support, institutional relationships, and actual or potential competing interests that may influence the research or its interpretation. If no relevant competing interests exist, an appropriate declaration should be provided.

2.7 Author Responsibility for Published Content

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, interpretation, and integrity of all content in their manuscripts, including content produced or assisted by digital tools or artificial intelligence.

03. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for maintaining the quality, fairness, confidentiality, and integrity of the journal's editorial process.

• Evaluate manuscripts based on scholarly quality, originality, relevance, and compliance with journal requirements.
• Ensure that editorial decisions are not influenced by authors' nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, political views, institutional affiliation, or personal relationships.
• Maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and editorial correspondence.
• Select qualified and independent reviewers with relevant expertise.
• Manage actual or potential conflicts of interest in editorial assignments.
• Provide clear and reasoned editorial decisions to authors.
• Investigate credible allegations of research misconduct and publication-ethics violations.
• Consider appropriate corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when the reliability of published work is questioned.
• Ensure that commercial, financial, or institutional considerations do not override editorial independence.

04. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an essential role in improving the quality and credibility of scholarly publications. Reviewers are expected to:

• Accept review assignments only when they possess appropriate expertise and can complete the review within the agreed timeframe.
• Evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly, and constructively.
• Provide clear comments supported by scholarly reasoning and relevant evidence.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and not share or use unpublished manuscript content for personal or professional advantage.
• Declare any actual or potential competing interests and decline assignments when impartiality may be compromised.
• Identify relevant published research that has not been cited and alert the editor to suspected plagiarism or substantial overlap.
• Avoid direct communication with authors regarding confidential editorial matters unless authorized by the editor.
• Protect confidential manuscripts when using digital or AI-assisted tools.

05. Peer Review and Editorial Decision-Making

Jurnal PGSD UNIGA applies a peer-review process to assess the scholarly quality and suitability of submitted manuscripts. Each submission is initially examined by the editorial team for relevance, completeness, originality, and compliance with the journal's requirements.

Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial assessment may be sent to qualified reviewers in accordance with the journal's declared peer-review model.

Reviewers evaluate the following aspects:

• Originality and scholarly contribution.
• Relevance to the journal's Focus and Scope.
• Clarity of research objectives and research questions.
• Appropriateness of research design and methodology.
• Validity of data analysis and interpretation.
• Quality of scholarly references and academic presentation.

Editorial decisions may include acceptance, minor revision, major revision, or rejection. Reviewers provide recommendations, while the authorized editor remains responsible for the final editorial decision.

06. Plagiarism and Research Misconduct

Jurnal PGSD UNIGA does not tolerate practices that undermine the integrity of scholarly research and publication, including:

• Plagiarism and unattributed use of others' work.
• Duplicate or redundant publication.
• Simultaneous submission to multiple journals.
• Fabrication or falsification of research data.
• Inappropriate manipulation of images or research materials.
• Misrepresentation of authorship or contributorship.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest that compromise research integrity.
• Manipulation of citations or peer-review processes.
• Other practices that intentionally mislead readers or compromise the scholarly record.

6.1 Similarity Screening

Submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism or similarity-detection software. Similarity results are evaluated by the editorial team in context, taking into account quotations, references, common terminology, methodological descriptions, and the nature of matching material. A similarity score alone does not establish plagiarism.

6.2 Handling Allegations of Misconduct

When an allegation or credible concern arises, whether before or after publication, the journal may take the following steps:

1. Record and conduct an initial assessment of the allegation and available evidence.
2. Request clarification, explanations, original data, or supporting documentation from the relevant authors or parties.
3. Consult independent experts or the relevant research institution when necessary.
4. Temporarily suspend editorial consideration or publication where justified.
5. Determine appropriate editorial action based on the evidence and the seriousness of the matter.
6. Communicate the outcome to relevant parties, subject to confidentiality and applicable procedures.

Actions may include rejection, correction, publication of an expression of concern, or retraction. The journal aims to provide relevant parties with a fair opportunity to respond before reaching a decision, where appropriate.

07. Research Ethics and Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable laws, institutional requirements, and recognized ethical standards. Authors are responsible for ensuring that participants' rights, dignity, safety, privacy, and welfare are protected.

• Report approval from an appropriate research ethics committee or institutional review board where required.
• Provide the name of the approving institution and approval reference or number when available.
• Obtain informed consent from participants where required.
• For research involving children, obtain parental or guardian permission and child assent where required by applicable ethical standards.
• Protect participants' identities and confidential information.
• Obtain permission for identifiable photographs, recordings, quotations, or personal information where required.
• Explain the applicable ethical basis when formal ethical approval is not required.

Research involving students and teachers in educational settings must pay particular attention to voluntary participation, power relationships, confidentiality, and the prevention of harm or coercion.

08. Data Availability and Reproducibility

Authors are expected to maintain accurate research records and ensure that the data and materials supporting their findings are reliable and traceable.

• Research data must not be fabricated, falsified, or intentionally misrepresented.
• Authors should provide a data availability statement where appropriate.
• Underlying data may be requested by editors when necessary to clarify or verify research findings, subject to privacy, confidentiality, consent, and legal restrictions.
• Authors should identify restrictions on data access and explain the reason for such restrictions.
• Research instruments, procedures, and analytical methods should be described sufficiently to support scholarly assessment and reproducibility.

09. Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when financial, personal, professional, institutional, or other relationships could improperly influence the judgment or activities of an author, reviewer, editor, or publisher.

9.1 Authors

Authors must disclose relevant financial and non-financial interests, funding sources, affiliations, or relationships that may influence the research or interpretation of findings.

9.2 Reviewers

Reviewers must declare circumstances that could affect their impartiality, including personal relationships, professional competition, collaboration, or financial interests involving the authors or research.

9.3 Editors

Editors must not manage manuscripts in which they have a relevant competing interest. Such manuscripts should be assigned to an appropriately independent editor.

The existence of a competing interest does not automatically imply misconduct. Appropriate disclosure and management are required to preserve transparency and impartiality.

10. Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

Jurnal PGSD UNIGA recognizes that generative artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies may be used in scholarly activities. Their use must be transparent, responsible, and subject to human oversight.

• Authors may use AI-assisted tools for appropriate purposes, such as language improvement, provided that they remain responsible for the final content.
• Substantive use of generative AI in manuscript writing, image generation, research design, data collection, or data analysis must be disclosed in the manuscript, particularly in the Methods or an appropriate disclosure statement.
• Authors must identify the AI tool used and explain its role when disclosure is required.
• All AI-generated information, references, citations, translations, and analytical outputs must be independently verified.
• AI must not be used to fabricate research data, invent references, create misleading evidence, or conceal plagiarism.
• AI tools must not be listed as authors or assigned responsibility for the research.
• Editors and reviewers must protect confidential manuscripts and must not upload unpublished content to external AI systems in ways that compromise confidentiality, privacy, or copyright.
• Peer-review judgments and editorial decisions must remain the responsibility of human reviewers and editors.

For additional guidance, see the COPE position on Authorship and AI Tools.

11. Intellectual Property and Copyright

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted manuscripts do not infringe the intellectual property rights of others.

• Authors must obtain permission to reproduce copyrighted material where permission is required.
• All third-party content, including figures, tables, photographs, instruments, and substantial quotations, must be appropriately acknowledged.
• Copyright ownership, licensing arrangements, and reuse permissions are governed by the journal's separately published Copyright and Licensing Policy.
• Publication fees and any other applicable charges must be communicated transparently through the journal's official information channels.

12. Complaints and Appeals

Jurnal PGSD UNIGA provides a channel for authors, reviewers, readers, and other relevant parties to raise concerns regarding editorial conduct, peer review, publication decisions, or potential ethical violations.

Complaints and appeals should be submitted in writing to the editorial office and should include the relevant manuscript information, a clear explanation of the concern, and supporting evidence where available.

Appeals must identify a specific procedural, factual, or scholarly concern that may have affected the editorial decision. Disagreement with an editorial outcome alone does not guarantee that the decision will be reversed.

13. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

Jurnal PGSD UNIGA is committed to maintaining the accuracy and reliability of the scholarly record. When significant problems are identified in published work, the journal will assess the available evidence and determine appropriate action.

13.1 Corrections

A correction may be issued when an error affects the accuracy, clarity, or completeness of a published article but does not invalidate its overall findings and conclusions. The correction notice should clearly identify the article and the nature of the correction.

13.2 Retractions

Retraction may be considered when there is reliable evidence that the findings or conclusions are substantially unreliable, or when serious publication misconduct compromises the integrity of the article. A retraction notice should explain the reason for the action and remain clearly linked to the affected article.

13.3 Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be issued when credible questions have arisen about a published article but the available evidence is insufficient to reach a final conclusion. Such a notice informs readers while further assessment or investigation is undertaken.

13.4 Withdrawal Before Publication

Requests to withdraw a manuscript before publication must be submitted by the corresponding author with an explanation. The editorial office may request confirmation from all authors when necessary, particularly where authorship or ethical concerns exist.

14. Post-Publication Discussion

The journal recognizes the importance of scholarly discussion after publication. Readers and researchers may communicate substantive comments, corrections, or concerns regarding published articles through the editorial office.

Submissions for post-publication discussion should be evidence-based, respectful, and relevant to the scholarly content. Authors of the original article may be invited to respond where appropriate. The journal may publish corrections, responses, or other notices when justified by the editorial assessment.

15. Confidentiality and Data Protection

All personal and confidential information obtained through the submission, peer-review, and publication process must be handled responsibly.

• Unpublished manuscripts must not be disclosed to unauthorized persons.
• Reviewer identities and reports must be handled according to the journal's declared review model.
• Personal information must only be used for legitimate editorial and publishing purposes.
• Authors, reviewers, and editors must protect confidential research data and participant information.
• Confidential material must not be used for personal, commercial, or professional advantage.

16. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher supports the editorial team in maintaining ethical and transparent scholarly publishing practices. The publisher is expected to:

• Provide appropriate infrastructure and administrative support for the journal's editorial and publishing processes.
• Respect editorial independence and ensure that publication decisions are not improperly influenced by commercial or institutional interests.
• Support appropriate action when credible allegations of misconduct arise.
• Maintain transparency regarding journal ownership, publication procedures, copyright, licensing, and publication-related charges.
• Cooperate with editors and relevant institutions when necessary to protect the scholarly record.

17. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions must be based on scholarly quality, relevance, originality, research integrity, and compliance with the journal's policies. The publisher, sponsors, authors, reviewers, or other parties must not exert inappropriate influence over editorial decisions.

Editors are responsible for protecting the integrity and independence of the editorial process and for ensuring that all manuscripts are treated fairly and consistently.

18. Ethical Standards and References

This policy is informed by recognized international guidance on publication ethics and responsible scholarly publishing. The following resources provide additional information: