PUBLICATION ETHICS

Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement

JOCER: Journal of Civic Education Research is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal follows internationally recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing, including the core practices promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This statement applies to all authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher involved in the publication process.

JOCER is committed to ensuring that all manuscripts are evaluated and published through a fair, transparent, rigorous, and ethical editorial process. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, manipulation of data, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, citation manipulation, peer-review manipulation, or any other form of academic misconduct.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to JOCER are responsible for ensuring that their work meets the highest standards of academic and research integrity.

Authors must:

1. Submit original work that has not been previously published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
2. Ensure that all information, data, findings, and interpretations presented in the manuscript are accurate and honestly reported.
3. Properly acknowledge and cite all sources, ideas, data, quotations, and materials derived from other works.
4. Ensure that the manuscript is free from plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and other forms of research misconduct.
5. Ensure that all individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research are appropriately recognized as authors.
6. Ensure that individuals who have not made substantial contributions are not listed as authors.
7. Obtain approval from all co-authors before submitting the manuscript.
8. Disclose any financial, personal, professional, or institutional conflicts of interest that could influence the research or its interpretation.
9. Obtain appropriate ethical approval or research permission where required by the nature of the research.
10. Protect the privacy, confidentiality, and rights of research participants and obtain informed consent where applicable.
11. Report any significant errors or inaccuracies discovered after submission or publication and cooperate with the editor in correcting the record.
12. Use artificial intelligence or AI-assisted tools responsibly and transparently in accordance with the journal's policy on the use of AI in scholarly publishing.

Authors must not manipulate citations, submit fraudulent information, fabricate reviewer identities, or attempt to influence the peer-review process improperly.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

The Editor-in-Chief and editorial team are responsible for maintaining the academic quality, integrity, and independence of the journal.

Editors must:

1. Evaluate manuscripts based on their academic quality, originality, relevance, methodological rigor, and contribution to the field, without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, institutional affiliation, political perspective, or other personal characteristics.
2. Ensure that editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit and the journal's aims and scope.
3. Maintain confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts and information obtained during the editorial process.
4. Ensure that manuscripts are assigned to qualified and independent reviewers.
5. Manage conflicts of interest fairly and transparently.
6. Prevent personal, institutional, commercial, or political interests from influencing editorial decisions.
7. Ensure that the peer-review process is conducted fairly, objectively, and confidentially.
8. Investigate allegations of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, authorship disputes, peer-review manipulation, and other forms of misconduct.
9. Take appropriate corrective action when ethical violations or significant errors are identified.
10. Publish corrections, retractions, or other editorial notices when necessary to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

Editors must not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for their own research or personal benefit without the explicit permission of the authors.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the academic quality and integrity of JOCER.

Reviewers must:

1. Conduct reviews objectively, fairly, and constructively.
2. Evaluate manuscripts based on academic quality, originality, methodological rigor, relevance, clarity, and contribution to the field.
3. Maintain strict confidentiality regarding manuscripts and all information obtained during the review process.
4. Not use unpublished information, arguments, data, or ideas contained in a manuscript for personal research or other purposes without permission.
5. Identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors where appropriate.
6. Notify the editor of any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated data, or other forms of research misconduct.
7. Declare any potential conflict of interest before accepting an assignment.
8. Decline to review manuscripts when they have a personal, professional, financial, or academic conflict that could compromise their objectivity.
9. Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe or promptly inform the editor if additional time is required.

Reviewers should not recommend citations solely to increase their own citation counts, the citations of their colleagues, or the journal's citation metrics.

4. Peer Review and Editorial Process

JOCER applies a rigorous peer-review process to ensure the quality and integrity of published articles.

Manuscripts normally undergo the following stages:

1. Initial editorial screening.
2. Scope and basic quality assessment.
3. Similarity and plagiarism screening.
4. Assignment to qualified peer reviewers.
5. Independent peer review.
6. Author revision, where required.
7. Editorial evaluation of the revised manuscript.
8. Final editorial decision.
9. Copyediting and proofreading.
10. Publication.

JOCER generally uses a double-blind peer-review system, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from each other during the review process.

The editor may reject a manuscript at any stage if serious ethical, methodological, or scholarly concerns are identified.

5. Plagiarism and Similarity

JOCER has a strict policy against plagiarism and other forms of inappropriate textual or intellectual appropriation.

All submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism or similarity-detection software. A similarity report is considered an editorial screening tool rather than the sole basis for determining plagiarism. The editorial team will assess the nature, context, and source of the similarity.

Manuscripts containing substantial plagiarism, duplicate publication, inappropriate reuse of previously published material, or other serious forms of academic misconduct may be rejected.

Where plagiarism or other misconduct is discovered after publication, JOCER may issue a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or other appropriate notice depending on the severity of the case.

6. Research Misconduct

JOCER considers the following practices forms of research or publication misconduct:

• Fabrication of data or research results;
• Falsification or manipulation of data;
• Plagiarism;
• Duplicate or redundant publication;
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest;
• Inappropriate or fraudulent authorship;
• Citation manipulation;
• Peer-review manipulation;
• Misrepresentation of research methods or results;
• Unauthorized use of confidential information;
• Failure to obtain required ethical approval or participant consent where applicable.

Allegations of misconduct will be assessed fairly and confidentially. Where appropriate, the journal may request supporting evidence, contact the authors' institutions, or take other measures consistent with recognized publication-ethics practices.

7. Authorship and Contribution

Authorship should be based on substantial contributions to the conception or design of the research, acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data, substantial contribution to drafting or critically revising the manuscript, and approval of the final version.

All listed authors must have made meaningful contributions to the work and must accept responsibility for the integrity of the research.

Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged.

Any change to the authorship list after submission must be justified and approved by all authors and the Editor-in-Chief before publication.

8. Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that could influence the research, review, or editorial decision.

Conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to:

• Financial relationships;
• Employment or institutional relationships;
• Personal relationships;
• Academic competition or collaboration;
• Professional interests;
• Funding relationships.

Disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically constitute grounds for rejection or exclusion. The purpose of disclosure is to ensure transparency and allow appropriate management of potential conflicts.

9. Human Participants and Research Ethics

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical standards and relevant institutional, national, and international regulations.

Where applicable, authors should obtain approval from an appropriate research ethics committee or institutional review board before conducting the research.

Authors must ensure that participants' rights, privacy, dignity, safety, and confidentiality are protected. Informed consent should be obtained where required.

Personal or identifying information should not be published without appropriate permission and ethical justification.

10. Use of Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Tools

JOCER recognizes that artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies may be used as research or writing support tools.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical standards of their manuscripts.

AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors.

Where AI-assisted tools have been used substantially in preparing a manuscript, authors should transparently disclose their use in accordance with the journal's AI policy. Authors must verify all AI-generated content, references, data, quotations, and interpretations before submission.

The use of AI tools does not relieve authors of responsibility for plagiarism, copyright infringement, fabrication, falsification, or inaccurate information.

Editors and reviewers must not upload confidential manuscript content to publicly accessible AI systems or other third-party tools that may compromise manuscript confidentiality.

11. Data Integrity and Availability

Authors are responsible for maintaining accurate research records and supporting data.

Where appropriate and ethically permissible, authors are encouraged to make research data, materials, instruments, code, or other supporting resources available to facilitate verification and reproducibility.

Data containing confidential, personal, or sensitive information should not be publicly disclosed where doing so would violate ethical or legal requirements.

12. Corrections, Retractions, and Post-Publication Issues

JOCER is committed to maintaining an accurate and reliable scholarly record.

If a significant error is identified after publication, the journal may publish an appropriate correction or amendment.

If an article is found to contain serious errors, research misconduct, plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, or other circumstances that invalidate its findings or violate publication ethics, the journal may retract the article.

Retractions and corrections will be handled transparently and will remain linked to the original publication where possible.

13. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may appeal an editorial decision or submit a formal complaint regarding the editorial or peer-review process.

Appeals and complaints should provide clear reasons and relevant supporting information. They will be considered objectively by the editorial team.

Where a complaint concerns a member of the editorial team, the matter will be handled by an independent editor or another appropriate authority to avoid conflicts of interest.

14. Editorial Independence

JOCER and its editorial team maintain editorial independence in making publication decisions.

Editorial decisions are based on academic quality, originality, relevance, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and contribution to the field. Decisions must not be influenced by commercial interests, sponsorship, institutional pressure, political considerations, or personal relationships.

The publisher does not interfere with editorial decisions concerning the acceptance, revision, rejection, or publication of manuscripts.

15. Ethical Oversight

JOCER is committed to appropriate ethical oversight of all aspects of scholarly publishing.

The journal may investigate concerns related to research ethics, publication misconduct, conflicts of interest, participant protection, and other ethical matters.

Where necessary, the journal may seek advice from relevant experts, editorial advisors, research institutions, ethics committees, or other appropriate authorities.

16. Allegations of Misconduct

Any allegation of publication or research misconduct will be taken seriously and investigated in a fair, confidential, and impartial manner.

The editorial team may request explanations or supporting documentation from the authors and, where necessary, contact relevant institutions or organizations.

Appropriate action may include:

• Requesting clarification or correction;
• Rejecting a manuscript;
• Publishing a correction;
• Publishing an expression of concern;
• Retracting an article;
• Restricting future submissions where justified;
• Notifying relevant institutions or authorities.

JOCER aims to protect both the integrity of the scholarly record and the rights of all parties involved.

17. Publisher's Commitment

CV Tirta Pustaka Press, as the publisher of JOCER, supports the editorial team in maintaining academic integrity and publication ethics.

The publisher is committed to:

• Supporting editorial independence;
• Maintaining the integrity and accessibility of the scholarly record;
• Providing appropriate infrastructure for peer review and publication;
• Supporting corrections and retractions when necessary;
• Protecting the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts;
• Taking appropriate action when serious publication-ethics violations are identified.

JOCER is committed to continuously improving its publication practices in accordance with internationally recognized standards of scholarly publishing and research integrity.