Publication Ethics
The realm of publications is governed by ethical principles. Consequently, all individuals involved in the journal are required to adhere to these ethical standards. Therefore, Khizanah al-Hikmah aligns with the author's guidelines established by our university, outlined as follows:
1. The Responsibilities of the Publisher
- As the journal's publisher, the Department of Library Science of UIN Alauddin Makassar must stand as a guardian of the scholarly papers published by the journal.
- The publisher must fully support the huge efforts made by the editors.
- As a peer-review journal, the publisher must build solid communication with the reviewers.
- The publisher should have relationships with other institutions in the field. Besides, we must also provide editors with technical, procedural, and legal support. And the most important thing is to educate authors/researchers on publishing ethics.
2. The Responsibilities of the Editors
Publication Decision
- The editor of the journal is solely and independently responsible for deciding which articles submitted to the journal should be published.
Peer-Review
- The editor shall ensure that the peer review process is fair, unbiased, and timely.
- Research articles must typically be reviewed by at least two expert reviewers.
- The editor must maintain good communication with reviewers.
- The editor evaluates the originality of each submitted manuscript.
- They must implement a fair and suitable peer review process, ensuring that the procedures are clearly communicated to authors, including which journal sections will undergo review.
- The editor is also responsible for selecting reviewers with the necessary expertise for the manuscript while avoiding those with potential conflicts of interest.
Fair Play
- The editor should evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content regardless of race, gender, sexual, orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
- The editor shall use the journal's standard electronic submission system for all journal communications.
- The editor shall establish, along with the publisher, a transparent mechanism for appeal against editorial decisions.
3. The Responsibilities of the Reviewers
Contribution to Editorial Decisions
- Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and, through the editorial communications with the author, may also assist the author in improving the paper. Peer review is an essential component of formal scholarly communication, and lies at the heart of the scientific method.
Promptness
- If a chosen peer reviewer believes they lack the necessary expertise to assess the research in a manuscript or cannot complete the review within the required timeframe, they should notify the editor and withdraw from the review process.
Contribution to Editorial Decisions
- Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the paper. Peer review is an essential component of formal scholarly communication, and lies at the heart of the scientific method.
Standard of Objectivity and Competing Interests
- Reviews should be conducted objectively. Reviewers should be aware of any personal bias they may have and take this into account when reviewing a paper. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
- If a reviewer suggests that an author includes citations to the reviewer's (or the associates') work, this must be for genuine scientific reasons and not to increase reviewer's citation count or enhance the visibility of their work (or that of their associates).
Source Acknowledgement
- The reviewer is expected to identify any relevant published work that the author has not cited in the manuscript. If a reviewer remarks on an observation, derivation, or argument that has already been documented, they must reference the appropriate source. Additionally, if a reviewer knows of significant similarities or overlaps between the manuscript and other published work, they must inform the editor.
4. The Responsibilities of the Authors
- The author(s) must ensure that his/her manuscript does not infringe any copyright laws and must indemnify the editors and publisher against any copyright infringement.
- It is the authors' responsibility to obtain permission to use copyrighted material and provide such evidence upon submitting the manuscript.
Post-Publication Ethics
- Amendments: Any necessary corrections or clarifications to published articles will be made promptly to ensure the journal's accuracy and integrity. Amendments will be clearly noted, indicating the nature of the change and the reason for it.
- Erratum: An erratum will be issued if an error is identified in a published article that affects its content but not its overall findings or conclusions. This will correct the mistake and be clearly linked to the original article.
- Correction: If authors discover an error after publication, they should notify the editor to issue a correction. This correction will address any inaccuracies introduced during the research or writing process.
- Retraction: If significant issues, such as misconduct, duplication, or major errors in the findings, arise post-publication, the article may be subject to retraction. Retractions will be published and clearly marked as such, with the reasons for the retraction explained in detail. The original article will remain accessible but clearly labeled as retracted.