Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Indonesian Journal of Defence, Security and Strategic Studies is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal follows internationally recognized principles and best practices in scholarly publishing, including the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing developed by COPE, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

The journal expects all parties involved in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, editors, guest editors, and the publisher—to uphold principles of honesty, transparency, fairness, confidentiality, accountability, and respect for academic integrity.

The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, duplicate or redundant publication, manipulation of the peer review process, inappropriate authorship practices, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or any other form of research or publication misconduct.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts represent original and properly conducted research and that the manuscript has not been published previously or is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Authors are expected to:

  • ensure that the submitted work is original and appropriately acknowledges the work of others;

  • provide an accurate and transparent account of the research, methods, evidence, analysis, and findings;

  • avoid fabrication, falsification, manipulation, or selective presentation of research data or evidence;

  • properly cite and acknowledge all sources, ideas, data, and materials derived from other works;

  • avoid plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, and redundant publication;

  • ensure that all individuals listed as authors have made substantial contributions to the research and manuscript and have approved the final version;

  • ensure that individuals who do not meet authorship criteria are not inappropriately listed as authors;

  • disclose relevant financial, institutional, personal, or professional conflicts of interest;

  • disclose sources of research funding and, where applicable, the role of the funder in the research;

  • obtain appropriate ethical approval, informed consent, permission, or other authorization where required by the nature of the research;

  • ensure that confidential, personal, or sensitive information is handled appropriately;

  • cooperate with the journal in addressing questions concerning the integrity or accuracy of the submitted or published work; and

  • promptly notify the journal if a significant error or inaccuracy is identified in a submitted or published article.

Authors should not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.

2. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should reflect substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or development of the research and manuscript.

All listed authors must have made a meaningful contribution to the work, approved the final version of the manuscript, and agreed to be accountable for the integrity of the work.

The journal does not permit:

  • ghost authorship, in which individuals who made substantial contributions are omitted;

  • guest or honorary authorship, in which individuals who did not make a qualifying contribution are listed as authors; or

  • inappropriate changes to authorship during the editorial process without the agreement of all affected authors and appropriate justification.

Any authorship dispute will be handled in accordance with applicable COPE guidance. Where necessary, the journal may request clarification from the authors' institutions or relevant research organizations.

3. Plagiarism and Textual Similarity

The journal considers plagiarism and unattributed use of another person's work to be serious forms of publication misconduct.

Submitted manuscripts may be screened using appropriate similarity-detection tools or other methods of editorial assessment. Similarity scores are not, by themselves, treated as conclusive evidence of plagiarism; editors assess the nature, extent, context, and source of overlapping material.

Where plagiarism or substantial unattributed overlap is identified, the journal may reject the manuscript and, where appropriate, notify relevant institutions or organizations.

If plagiarism is identified after publication, the journal may take appropriate corrective action, including publication of a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the seriousness of the case.

4. Fabrication, Falsification, and Research Misconduct

The journal considers the following to constitute serious research misconduct:

  • fabrication of data, evidence, sources, results, or research processes;

  • falsification or manipulation of research data, evidence, methods, images, or results;

  • inappropriate manipulation or selective reporting that materially misrepresents the research;

  • misrepresentation of research methods or procedures;

  • fraudulent or deceptive citation practices;

  • manipulation of the peer review or editorial process; and

  • other conduct that materially compromises the integrity of the scholarly record.

When credible concerns arise, the journal will assess the available evidence and may request explanations, supporting documentation, research data, ethical approval records, or other relevant information from the authors.

Where appropriate, the journal may refer matters to the relevant institution or research integrity body.

5. Duplicate, Redundant, and Prior Publication

Manuscripts submitted to the journal must not have been published previously in substantially the same form and must not be simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

Authors must disclose relevant prior publications, conference papers, working papers, preprints, datasets, or other related outputs that could substantially overlap with the submitted manuscript.

The existence of a prior conference presentation or other preliminary dissemination does not automatically constitute duplicate publication, provided that the submitted manuscript represents a substantially developed scholarly contribution and the earlier work is appropriately disclosed and cited.

The journal will assess suspected redundant or duplicate publication on a case-by-case basis and may take corrective action when necessary.

6. Conflicts of Interest

All authors, reviewers, editors, and guest editors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, the research, review, or editorial decision.

Conflicts of interest may include financial, institutional, professional, personal, academic, or other relationships.

Editors and reviewers must not participate in the evaluation or decision-making process where a conflict of interest could compromise their independence or impartiality.

Authors are responsible for disclosing relevant funding arrangements and other relationships that may reasonably be perceived as influencing the research.

7. Peer Review Ethics

The journal uses a double-anonymous peer review process as described in its Peer Review Policy.

Reviewers are expected to:

  • maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and all information obtained during the review process;

  • provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations;

  • assess manuscripts solely on their scholarly merits;

  • disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest;

  • decline the review when they do not have appropriate expertise or cannot provide an impartial assessment;

  • identify relevant published work that has not been appropriately acknowledged, where applicable;

  • notify the editor of any suspected plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, or other ethical concern; and

  • not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage.

Reviewers must not share manuscripts or their contents with third parties without authorization from the journal.

8. Editorial Responsibilities and Independence

Editors are responsible for ensuring that editorial decisions are based on the academic quality, originality, relevance, methodological rigour, and scholarly contribution of submitted manuscripts.

Editors must evaluate manuscripts fairly and without discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, gender, institutional affiliation, political views, religious beliefs, or other personal characteristics of the authors.

Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not use unpublished information for personal advantage.

Editorial decisions must remain independent of commercial, financial, political, or institutional interests. The publisher and other parties must not improperly influence editorial decisions.

Editors must disclose and appropriately manage any conflicts of interest and should recuse themselves from manuscripts where their impartiality may reasonably be questioned.

9. Ethical Oversight and Research Involving Human Participants

Authors conducting research involving human participants, personal data, vulnerable populations, or other ethically sensitive subjects must comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements.

Where required, authors must obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board before conducting the research. Authors should provide relevant ethical approval information in the manuscript where appropriate.

Where research involves identifiable individuals or sensitive personal information, authors must obtain appropriate informed consent and protect participants' privacy and confidentiality.

For research that does not require formal ethical approval, authors may be required to provide an appropriate explanation of the ethical basis of the research.

10. Research Involving Animals or Other Regulated Subjects

Where applicable, research involving animals or other regulated research subjects must comply with relevant institutional, national, and international ethical standards.

Authors should provide information regarding ethical approval, relevant regulations, and procedures taken to minimize harm where applicable.

11. Data Availability and Research Transparency

Authors are expected to maintain accurate research records and, where ethically and legally permissible, make supporting data, materials, methodological information, or other relevant research resources available to facilitate verification and reproducibility.

Restrictions on data availability due to confidentiality, privacy, security, legal, institutional, or other legitimate considerations should be appropriately explained.

For research involving sensitive security, defence, intelligence, or classified information, authors must ensure that publication does not disclose information that is legally restricted or improperly obtained.

12. Use of Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their manuscripts when using artificial intelligence or generative AI tools during research or manuscript preparation.

Generative AI tools must not be listed as authors because such tools cannot assume responsibility or accountability for the scholarly work.

Where the use of generative AI materially contributes to the preparation, analysis, generation, or transformation of manuscript content, authors should disclose such use in an appropriate and transparent manner, consistent with the journal's applicable author guidelines.

Authors remain responsible for verifying AI-generated content, including factual claims, references, quotations, data, interpretations, and potential biases.

AI tools must not be used to fabricate data, generate misleading evidence, manipulate peer review, or otherwise compromise research or publication integrity.

13. Citation and Referencing Ethics

Authors must provide accurate and appropriate citations for relevant scholarly work. Citations should reflect genuine intellectual relevance and should not be manipulated to artificially increase citation counts or influence journal metrics.

The journal does not permit coercive citation, citation manipulation, excessive self-citation without legitimate scholarly justification, or reciprocal citation arrangements intended primarily to influence bibliometric indicators.

Editors and reviewers must not require authors to cite their own publications or the journal's publications unless such citations are demonstrably relevant to the scholarly argument.

14. Complaints and Appeals

The journal provides mechanisms for authors and other stakeholders to submit complaints or appeals concerning editorial decisions, peer review, publication procedures, or alleged breaches of publication ethics.

Complaints should be submitted to the Editorial Office with sufficient information and supporting evidence to enable appropriate assessment.

The journal will investigate complaints fairly, confidentially, and in a timely manner. Complaints concerning an editor or editorial decision will, where appropriate, be handled by another qualified member of the editorial team or an independent party.

An editorial decision may be reconsidered when there is evidence of a procedural error, significant misunderstanding, relevant new information, or an ethical concern that may have materially affected the decision.

15. Allegations of Misconduct

The journal takes allegations of research or publication misconduct seriously, whether raised before or after publication.

When an allegation is received, the journal may:

  1. conduct an initial assessment of the allegation and available evidence;

  2. request an explanation or relevant documentation from the authors;

  3. consult reviewers, editors, experts, or appropriate research institutions where necessary;

  4. request institutional investigation where the matter falls within the responsibility of the authors' institution;

  5. take appropriate editorial action based on the evidence; and

  6. communicate the outcome to relevant parties where appropriate.

The journal will follow applicable COPE guidance and flowcharts when addressing suspected misconduct or complex publication ethics cases.

16. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the published scholarly record.

When a published article contains a significant error, the journal may publish a correction or other appropriate editorial notice.

A retraction may be considered when there is clear evidence that an article contains seriously unreliable findings, substantial plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, serious ethical violations, or other circumstances that fundamentally compromise the reliability or integrity of the publication.

An expression of concern may be issued when credible concerns exist but the available evidence is insufficient to reach a definitive conclusion, particularly while an investigation is ongoing.

Corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern will be clearly identified and linked to the affected article to preserve the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record.

17. Post-Publication Discussion

The journal supports responsible post-publication scholarly discussion and allows legitimate concerns regarding published articles to be communicated to the Editorial Office.

Post-publication concerns should be supported by appropriate evidence and will be assessed objectively. Authors may be invited to respond to substantive concerns when appropriate.

The journal may initiate a post-publication review when credible evidence indicates that an article may contain significant errors or breaches of research or publication ethics.

18. Editorial and Peer Review Manipulation

The journal does not tolerate manipulation of the editorial or peer review process.

Examples include:

  • submission of fabricated or misleading reviewer identities or contact information;

  • attempts to influence or interfere improperly with reviewer selection;

  • fraudulent peer review reports;

  • coordinated manipulation of citations or editorial decisions;

  • inappropriate communication with reviewers intended to influence their assessments; and

  • any other attempt to circumvent the journal's established peer review procedures.

Where peer review manipulation is suspected, the journal may suspend the review process, replace reviewers, investigate the matter, reject the manuscript, or take post-publication action where necessary.

19. Intellectual Property and Copyright

Authors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts and accompanying materials do not infringe the intellectual property rights of others.

The journal respects copyright, licensing, and other intellectual property rights. Authors retain copyright in accordance with the journal's copyright policy, and published articles are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence unless otherwise stated.

Permission must be obtained where copyrighted material is reproduced beyond what is permitted under applicable law or licensing arrangements.

20. Commercial and Institutional Influence

Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit and are independent of advertising, sponsorship, institutional affiliation, commercial relationships, or other financial considerations.

No author, institution, sponsor, or external party may purchase or otherwise secure preferential treatment in peer review or editorial decision-making.

Where research is funded by an external organization, authors should disclose the funding source and, where relevant, the role of the funder in the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, writing, or decision to submit the manuscript.

21. Special Issues and Guest Editors

Special Issues are subject to the same standards of research integrity, editorial independence, peer review, and publication ethics as regular issues.

Guest editors must comply with the journal's publication ethics policies and disclose conflicts of interest. They must not provide preferential treatment to invited authors or manuscripts associated with themselves, their institutions, collaborators, or funding bodies.

The Editor-in-Chief retains ultimate responsibility for editorial decisions concerning Special Issues.

22. Accountability and Continuous Improvement

The journal regularly reviews its editorial and publication practices to maintain high standards of transparency, integrity, and scholarly quality.

The Editorial Board is responsible for implementing this policy and for taking appropriate action when ethical concerns arise. The journal may update its policies in response to developments in international publishing standards, research integrity practices, and relevant guidance from recognized scholarly organizations.

The Indonesian Journal of Defence, Security and Strategic Studies is committed to cooperating, where appropriate, with authors, reviewers, editors, publishers, research institutions, and other relevant organizations to resolve publication ethics concerns and protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Ethical Framework

This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement is informed by internationally recognized principles and guidance, including:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices;

  • COPE guidance and flowcharts concerning research and publication misconduct;

  • Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME);

  • recognized principles of research integrity and responsible authorship; and

  • applicable national and international laws, institutional requirements, and disciplinary ethical standards.

The journal may consult relevant COPE guidance when addressing individual publication ethics cases and will apply the principles of fairness, proportionality, confidentiality, due process, and protection of the integrity of the scholarly record.