Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

1) Commitment to ethical publishing

Journal of Public Affairs and Political Studies (JPAPS) is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. The journal upholds recognized best practices in publication ethics, transparency, and responsible research communication.

2) Duties of Authors

Authors are expected to:

• Submit original manuscripts that are not published and not under review elsewhere.

• Present research honestly and accurately, including methods, data sources, and findings.

• Provide proper citations and acknowledge all sources and contributions.

• Ensure authorship integrity (no gift/guest/ghost authorship). All listed authors must have made a meaningful scholarly contribution and approve the final version.

• Disclose funding sources and conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial) that may influence interpretation.

• Ensure compliance with ethical and legal requirements for studies involving human participants (e.g., informed consent, confidentiality, and relevant approvals where applicable).

• Disclose any substantive use of AI tools that materially contributed to the manuscript (e.g., generating text, analyses, figures). AI tools must not be listed as authors; human authors remain fully responsible for the content.

3) Duties of Editors

Editors and the Editorial Board will:

• Make decisions based on scholarly merit, relevance to scope, originality, and clarity, without discrimination.

• Maintain confidentiality of submissions and reviewer identities according to journal policy.

• Manage conflicts of interest by recusing themselves from handling manuscripts where impartiality could be compromised.

• Take reasonable steps to identify and address misconduct, including plagiarism, redundant publication, data fabrication/falsification, inappropriate authorship, and peer-review manipulation.

• Apply editorial decisions consistently and ensure due process for ethics concerns, complaints, and appeals.

4) Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

• Provide reviews that are objective, constructive, and timely.

• Treat manuscripts as confidential documents.

• Declare conflicts of interest and decline reviews when appropriate.

• Alert editors to potential concerns, such as plagiarism, redundant publication, major methodological flaws, or ethical issues.

5) Peer review integrity (Double-blind peer review)

JPAPS applies a double-blind peer review process, in which author identities are not disclosed to reviewers and reviewer identities are not disclosed to authors. The journal is committed to an independent, fair, and evidence-based evaluation of manuscripts. Any attempt to compromise the review process—such as falsified reviewer identities, coercive citation, or manipulation of reviewer recommendations—will be treated as misconduct and handled according to the journal’s procedures.

6) Plagiarism, redundant publication, and citation ethics

JPAPS does not tolerate plagiarism, excessive text overlap, duplicate submission, or redundant publication. Submissions may be screened using similarity checks. Inappropriate citation practices—such as citation manipulation or irrelevant citation padding—are not permitted.

7) Handling allegations of misconduct

When misconduct is suspected (before or after publication), the journal will:

1. Conduct an initial assessment and request clarification and supporting information from the authors.

2. Seek expert advice when necessary.

3. In serious cases, contact relevant institutions or responsible bodies when escalation is warranted.

4. Decide on outcomes proportionate to the evidence and severity.

8) Corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern

To maintain the accuracy of the scholarly record, JPAPS may issue:

• Corrections for honest errors that do not invalidate the main conclusions.

• Retractions when findings are unreliable due to major error or misconduct, with a transparent notice linked to the original article.

• Expressions of Concern when serious concerns exist but an investigation is ongoing.

9) Data access, transparency, and confidentiality

Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to provide a data availability statement and share supporting materials, while respecting privacy, confidentiality, legal restrictions, and ethical obligations (particularly relevant in governance and political research).

10) Complaints and appeals

Authors may submit complaints or appeals regarding editorial decisions, peer review, or publication ethics. Appeals will be evaluated fairly by the Editor-in-Chief or a designated senior editor/board member not involved in the original decision to avoid conflicts of interest.

Editorial contact (Complaints & Appeals):
Editor-in-Chief: Roni Ekha Putera
Email: admin@jpaps.tabikdc.org

11) Note on continuous publishing

JPAPS applies ethical oversight throughout the publication lifecycle. Under the continuous publishing model, post-publication updates (e.g., corrections or retractions) are issued promptly when required to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.