1. General Statement and Ethical Principles

The International Journal of Islamic Education, Research and Multiculturalism (IJIERM) is an international, peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by Yayasan Pendidikan Islam dan Multikultural (Islamic and Multicultural Education Foundation). The journal is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, editorial independence, transparency, and responsible scholarly communication. This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement establishes the ethical responsibilities of authors, editors, editorial board members, peer reviewers, and the publisher throughout the scholarly publication process.

IJIERM's ethical policies are informed by the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), particularly its Core Practices and guidance on research integrity, peer review, authorship, conflicts of interest, complaints, and post-publication corrections. The journal promotes originality, methodological rigor, accurate research reporting, respect for intellectual property, protection of research participants, and accountability for the published scholarly record. All parties involved in the publication process are expected to act honestly, fairly, professionally, and in accordance with applicable laws and recognized ethical standards.

2. Responsibilities of the Publisher

Yayasan Pendidikan Islam dan Multikultural, as the publisher of IJIERM, is responsible for supporting the integrity, sustainability, and independence of the journal's scholarly publishing activities. The publisher shall:

1. Safeguard editorial independence and the integrity of the publication process.

2. Ensure that financial, institutional, political, or commercial interests do not improperly influence editorial decisions.

3. Support editors in addressing allegations of research and publication misconduct.

4. Maintain transparent information concerning journal ownership, management, publication charges, copyright, and licensing.

5. Support appropriate procedures for handling complaints, appeals, corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions.

6. Facilitate responsible communication with authors, research institutions, other journals, and relevant parties when ethical concerns arise.

7. Support the preservation and accessibility of the scholarly record through the journal's established publishing and archiving arrangements.

The publisher shall not interfere with editorial decisions for the purpose of increasing publication revenue, favoring particular authors, or promoting institutional interests.

3. Responsibilities of Editors and the Editorial Board

3.1. Editorial Independence and Publication Decisions

The Editor-in-Chief and authorized editors are responsible for decisions concerning manuscripts submitted to IJIERM. Editorial decisions must be based on scholarly merit, originality, methodological rigor, validity of findings, relevance to the journal's Focus and Scope, ethical compliance, and the recommendations of qualified peer reviewers. Editors may consult editorial board members and external reviewers when making publication decisions. Acceptance or rejection must not be influenced by author nationality, institutional affiliation, ethnicity, religious belief, gender, political opinion, personal relationships, or financial considerations unrelated to scholarly merit.

3.2. Fair and Impartial Evaluation

Editors must evaluate manuscripts consistently, fairly, and without discrimination. Manuscripts must undergo appropriate editorial screening and peer review in accordance with the journal's published Peer Review Process. Editors must avoid preferential treatment of manuscripts submitted by colleagues, institutional partners, editorial board members, or individuals with whom they have personal or professional relationships.

3.3. Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, reviewer identities, review reports, unpublished research data, and related editorial communications. Information may be disclosed only to individuals who are legitimately involved in manuscript evaluation, publication administration, or a justified investigation. Editors must not use unpublished materials or privileged information obtained through manuscript handling for personal research, professional advantage, or other unauthorized purposes.

3.4. Conflicts of Interest

Editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, academic, or personal relationship that could compromise their impartiality. Editors with significant conflicts of interest must withdraw from handling the affected manuscript, and responsibility must be transferred to an appropriately qualified and independent editor. Manuscripts submitted by members of the editorial team must undergo independent evaluation and must not receive preferential treatment.

3.5. Editorial Responsibility for Research Integrity

Editors must respond appropriately to credible concerns involving plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, inappropriate authorship, manipulated peer review, citation manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and other potential ethical violations. Editors must assess available evidence fairly and provide affected parties with an appropriate opportunity to respond before reaching conclusions, except where immediate action is necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

4. Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

4.1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer reviewers assist editors by providing independent, objective, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations of manuscripts. Reviewers must assess the manuscript's originality, theoretical relevance, methodological rigor, reliability of findings, depth of scholarly discussion, and contribution to existing knowledge. Reviewers must apply the journal's Author Guidelines and Peer Review Process consistently.

4.2. Competence and Timeliness

Reviewers should accept review invitations only when they possess sufficient expertise and can complete the assessment within the agreed timeframe. Reviewers who lack the required expertise, identify a significant conflict of interest, or cannot meet the deadline must inform the editor promptly.

4.3. Objectivity and Professional Conduct

Review reports must be respectful, academically justified, specific, and constructive. Personal criticism, discriminatory comments, hostile language, unsupported allegations, and recommendations motivated by personal interests are unacceptable. Reviewers must distinguish essential methodological or ethical concerns from optional suggestions for improving presentation.

4.4. Confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not disclose, distribute, reproduce, or use unpublished information without authorization from the responsible editor. Reviewers must not involve another individual in the review process without prior editorial approval. Confidential manuscripts and research data must not be uploaded to external generative AI platforms without explicit authorization and adequate confidentiality safeguards.

4.5. Acknowledgment of Sources and Research Integrity

Reviewers should identify relevant scholarly work that has been overlooked when such omissions materially affect the quality or interpretation of the manuscript. Reviewers must inform editors of suspected plagiarism, substantial textual overlap, duplicate publication, fabricated data, manipulated images, or other credible research integrity concerns. Requests for additional citations must be based on genuine scholarly relevance. Coercive citation practices intended to increase citations to a reviewer's work or a particular journal are prohibited.

4.6. Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must disclose competing interests arising from professional relationships, recent collaborations, financial interests, institutional connections, personal relationships, or academic competition. Reviewers must decline assignments when such interests may reasonably compromise their independence.

5. Responsibilities of Authors

5.1. Accurate and Transparent Reporting

Authors must present an accurate, honest, complete, and transparent account of their research. Research methods, data collection procedures, analytical approaches, findings, and conclusions must be reported consistently with the work actually conducted. Authors must not fabricate, falsify, selectively manipulate, or misrepresent research data or results. Research claims must be proportionate to the evidence and methodological limitations of the study.

5.2. Originality and Plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must constitute original scholarly work. Authors must appropriately acknowledge all sources of ideas, theories, quotations, research data, figures, and previously published material. Plagiarism, including unattributed copying, inappropriate paraphrasing, substantial unacknowledged text reuse, and misrepresentation of another person's intellectual contributions, is prohibited. IJIERM may use Turnitin or comparable similarity-detection software as part of its editorial assessment. A similarity percentage is a screening indicator and does not independently establish whether plagiarism has occurred.

5.3. Multiple Submission and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit substantially the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously. Duplicate publication, redundant publication, unjustified fragmentation of research findings, and deliberate concealment of related publications are unacceptable. Authors must disclose relevant relationships between submitted manuscripts and previously disseminated work, including preprints, conference proceedings, theses, dissertations, or related articles. Previous dissemination does not automatically constitute unethical duplicate publication. The editorial team evaluates the relationship between the materials, the extent of overlap, applicable rights, and transparency of disclosure.

5.4. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship must reflect substantial scholarly contributions to the research and manuscript. All listed authors must approve the submitted version, accept appropriate responsibility for their contributions, and agree to the submission and publication process. Guest authorship, honorary authorship, ghost authorship, and the unauthorized inclusion or exclusion of contributors are prohibited. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria may be acknowledged with appropriate permission. For multi-authored articles, IJIERM encourages transparent contribution statements using the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT).

Changes to the author list or authorship order must be supported by a clear justification and agreement from all affected authors, subject to editorial evaluation. When an authorship dispute cannot be resolved through documentary clarification, the journal may seek an assessment by the relevant research institution.

5.5. Data Availability, Retention, and Reproducibility

Authors must maintain accurate research records and retain underlying data or relevant documentation for a reasonable period consistent with institutional requirements, applicable laws, and disciplinary standards. Where appropriate and ethically permissible, authors should make data available to support verification, transparency, and further scholarly inquiry.

Authors may be requested to provide supporting data, research instruments, analysis documentation, or other materials to the editorial team when reasonable concerns arise regarding research validity or integrity. The journal recognizes that confidentiality, informed consent, intellectual property, data protection requirements, and other legitimate restrictions may prevent public release of certain research materials. Authors must provide an appropriate data availability statement where required by the journal.

5.6. Acknowledgment of Sources and Citation Integrity

Authors must accurately cite sources that substantively support the research problem, theoretical framework, methodology, analysis, and discussion. References must be genuine, verifiable, relevant, and accurately represented. Fabricated references, misleading citations, citation cartels, and unnecessary citation requests intended to manipulate bibliometric indicators are prohibited. Authors are not required to cite publications from IJIERM unless those publications are genuinely relevant to their research.

5.7. Funding and Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose relevant financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably influence the conduct, interpretation, or reporting of their research. All funding sources, grants, sponsorships, and other material support must be declared where applicable. Disclosures must accurately reflect the circumstances of the research.

5.8. Correction of Significant Errors

Authors who identify significant errors or inaccuracies in submitted or published work must promptly inform the editorial office and cooperate in appropriate corrective actions. Depending on the seriousness of the issue, these actions may involve manuscript revision, clarification, correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

6. Ethical Oversight and Research Involving Human Participants

IJIERM recognizes the ethical responsibilities associated with research involving individuals, educational institutions, religious communities, and culturally diverse populations. Research involving human participants must comply with applicable institutional requirements, laws, and ethical standards. Where relevant, authors must explain:

1. The ethical approval or institutional authorization obtained.

2. The procedures used to obtain informed consent.

3. Measures taken to protect confidentiality and personal information.

4. Procedures for protecting vulnerable participants.

5. Any risks, benefits, or ethical concerns associated with the research.

6. The basis for a formal ethics review exemption, where applicable.

Particular care is required when conducting research involving children, vulnerable populations, religious minorities, or communities whose participation may involve heightened risks of identification, discrimination, or social harm. Authors must respect the privacy, dignity, cultural identity, and autonomy of research participants. Direct quotations, interview excerpts, photographs, and identifiable personal information must be published only when appropriate consent and ethical safeguards are in place. Where research participants explicitly agree to be identified, the applicable consent and ethical circumstances must be considered. Authors must not falsely claim that ethical approval or informed consent was obtained.

7. Research Data, Images, and Documentary Evidence

All research data, images, quotations, statistical results, interview transcripts, and documentary evidence must be reported honestly and accurately. Fabrication, falsification, selective alteration, inappropriate image manipulation, and misrepresentation of source material are prohibited. The use of illustrative, reconstructed, or synthesized material must be clearly identified and must not be presented as authentic field evidence. Editors may request reasonable supporting documentation when substantial concerns regarding data authenticity or research procedures arise. Such requests must respect applicable confidentiality, privacy, and legal requirements.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Technologies

IJIERM recognizes that artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies may support legitimate research and scholarly writing activities. However, authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and scholarly validity of their work. The following requirements apply:

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

2. Substantive use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies must be disclosed transparently.

3. Authors must identify the tool and explain its role in research or manuscript preparation.

4. AI-generated information, references, analytical outputs, and quotations must be independently verified.

5. AI must not be used to fabricate data, invent interview statements, generate fictitious references, or misrepresent research procedures.

6. The privacy and confidentiality of research participants and unpublished materials must be protected.

7. Authors remain responsible for copyright compliance and ethical use of generated content.

Editors and reviewers must also protect confidential manuscript information when considering the use of AI-assisted tools.

9. Conflicts of Interest and Editorial Independence

All participants in the editorial process must disclose relevant competing interests. Conflicts of interest may arise from financial relationships, employment, research collaborations, institutional affiliations, personal relationships, academic competition, or other circumstances that could affect impartial judgment. A disclosed conflict does not automatically constitute misconduct. However, it must be managed transparently and appropriately. Editors must determine whether disclosure, reassignment, reviewer replacement, independent oversight, or other safeguards are necessary. Publication fees, sponsorships, advertising arrangements, and other commercial interests must not determine manuscript acceptance.

10. Allegations of Research and Publication Misconduct

IJIERM takes credible allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously, whether raised before or after publication. Potential misconduct includes:

• Plagiarism and substantial unattributed copying.

• Data fabrication or falsification.

• Misleading manipulation of research images or statistical results.

• Duplicate or redundant publication.

• Authorship manipulation or misrepresentation.

• Undisclosed serious conflicts of interest.

• Citation manipulation.

• Compromised or fabricated peer review.

• Unauthorized use of confidential or copyrighted materials.

• Misrepresentation of ethical approval or informed consent.

• Other practices that materially undermine the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal may receive concerns from authors, reviewers, readers, editors, institutions, or individuals reporting potential misconduct.

Procedure for Handling Allegations

1. The editorial office records the concern and evaluates whether sufficient information is available for preliminary assessment.

2. The Editor-in-Chief or an appropriately independent editor examines the available evidence.

3. Individuals with relevant conflicts of interest must not manage the investigation.

4. The affected authors or parties are normally given a fair opportunity to respond to specific concerns.

5. Editors may request original data, supporting documentation, institutional clarification, or independent expert assessment where appropriate.

6. When necessary, the journal may consult the relevant research institution, publisher, or another journal.

7. The journal determines appropriate editorial action based on the evidence, the reliability of the scholarly work, applicable policies, and relevant COPE guidance.

8. Decisions and material correspondence are documented confidentially.

Allegations must be assessed fairly and without presuming misconduct before sufficient evidence is available. The identity of individuals reporting concerns should be protected where appropriate and reasonably possible. The journal may act to protect the published record when substantial reliability concerns are established, even if a separate institutional investigation is ongoing.

11. Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

IJIERM is committed to maintaining an accurate and reliable scholarly record. Post-publication concerns are handled according to the seriousness of the issue and its implications for the reliability and integrity of the published article.

11.1. Corrections

A correction may be issued when an article contains a significant but limited error that does not invalidate its principal findings and conclusions. Correction notices should identify the affected article, explain the error and its correction, and be linked to the original publication.

11.2. Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be issued when credible and serious questions regarding a publication remain unresolved and readers should be alerted while appropriate assessment or investigation continues. An expression of concern does not necessarily establish that misconduct has occurred.

11.3. Retractions

Retraction may be necessary when the findings or conclusions of a published article are unreliable, when serious ethical violations materially compromise the publication, or when other circumstances justify withdrawal of the work from the trusted scholarly record. Retraction decisions must be based on the integrity and reliability of the publication, not solely on the intention or culpability of the authors. Retraction notices should:

1. Clearly identify the affected article and its authors.

2. Explain the reasons for retraction in an accurate and proportionate manner.

3. Be linked to the original article.

4. Be freely accessible.

5. Identify the party issuing the retraction where appropriate.

6. Be reflected in article metadata and relevant publication records.

Retracted articles should ordinarily remain accessible with clear retraction labeling to preserve transparency and the scholarly record, except where compelling legal, privacy, or safety considerations justify restricting access. Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions must not be used as punitive measures against authors but as mechanisms for protecting the accuracy and integrity of scholarly communication.

12. Complaints and Appeals

IJIERM recognizes the right of authors and other relevant parties to raise legitimate concerns regarding editorial procedures and publication ethics. Complaints may concern editorial conduct, review procedures, conflicts of interest, inappropriate communication, delays, or alleged breaches of the journal's policies. Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they can identify a material procedural error, factual misunderstanding, or substantial issue affecting the fairness of the evaluation. Complaints and appeals must be submitted through the journal's official communication channels with a clear explanation and relevant supporting evidence. Where practicable, an appeal should be assessed by an editor who was not responsible for the original disputed decision. The editorial team may request further information or independent expert assessment. Disagreement with a reviewer's academic opinion or an unfavorable editorial decision alone does not guarantee reconsideration or reversal. All complaints and appeals must be handled professionally, fairly, and with appropriate confidentiality.

13. Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Licensing

Authors and other contributors must respect copyright, intellectual property rights, and applicable publication licenses. IJIERM's copyright ownership, publishing rights, open access arrangements, and permitted forms of reuse are governed by its official Copyright and Licensing Policy and Open Access Policy. Authors are responsible for obtaining required permissions to reproduce copyrighted figures, tables, photographs, or other third-party materials. Material derived from previously published sources must be appropriately attributed. The journal's standard licensing arrangements must be clearly communicated to authors and readers, and the license attached to each published article must be respected.

14. Peer Review Integrity

IJIERM is committed to independent, confidential, fair, and rigorous peer review. The journal's review model, reviewer selection procedures, editorial decisions, and revision requirements are described in its Peer Review Process. Editors must take reasonable measures to identify potentially fraudulent reviewer identities, inappropriate reviewer recommendations, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and attempts to manipulate the peer review process. Reviewers must not seek personal advantage from privileged information obtained during peer review. Authors must not attempt to influence reviewer selection or editorial decisions through deception, impersonation, undisclosed relationships, or other improper practices. Manuscripts submitted by editors or editorial board members must be handled through an appropriately independent editorial procedure.

15. Post-Publication Discussion and Scholarly Criticism

IJIERM supports responsible post-publication discussion and evidence-based scholarly criticism. Readers, researchers, and other interested parties may submit substantiated concerns, comments, or requests for clarification regarding published articles through the journal's official communication channels. Editors will assess whether the concern requires author clarification, scholarly correspondence, editorial investigation, correction, expression of concern, or retraction. Authors should ordinarily be given an opportunity to respond to substantive criticisms affecting their published research. Scholarly disagreement alone does not constitute misconduct.

16. Transparency and Documentation

IJIERM is committed to transparent and accountable editorial governance. The journal seeks to maintain appropriate documentation of manuscript submissions, reviewer assignments, review reports, editorial decisions, revisions, author declarations, and actions taken in response to publication ethics concerns. The journal's policies concerning Focus and Scope, Author Guidelines, Peer Review Process, Open Access, copyright, publication fees, and post-publication corrections should be publicly accessible and consistent with actual editorial practice. Confidential information must be protected in accordance with applicable privacy and data protection requirements. Editorial policies should be periodically reviewed and updated to reflect relevant developments in scholarly publishing standards and research ethics.

17. Ethical Responsibilities of the Academic Community

IJIERM recognizes that research integrity is a shared responsibility. Authors, reviewers, editors, readers, academic institutions, and the publisher all contribute to preserving the reliability and credibility of scholarly communication. The journal encourages the responsible reporting of errors, constructive criticism, transparent disclosure of competing interests, and cooperation in resolving research integrity concerns. No party should retaliate against individuals who raise concerns in good faith.

18. Commitment to Responsible Scholarly Publishing

IJIERM is committed to fostering trustworthy scholarly communication in Islamic Education, Islamic Studies, and Multicultural Studies through responsible editorial management, independent peer review, transparent ethical standards, and respect for the rights of authors and research participants. The journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement should be read together with its Focus and Scope, Author Guidelines, Peer Review Process, Open Access Policy, Copyright and Licensing Policy, and relevant post-publication policies.

This statement is informed by internationally recognized publication ethics principles, including guidance issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).