Ethics & Publication Malpractice

The Journal of International Students (JIS) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. The journal adheres to the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), as well as relevant standards from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the American Psychological Association (APA).

All parties involved in the publication process—editors, reviewers, authors, and the publisher—are expected to maintain integrity, transparency, and accountability in scholarly publishing.

Editorial Responsibilities

Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on the basis of their academic merit, including originality, significance, methodological rigor, and relevance to the journal’s scope. Editorial decisions are made independently and are not influenced by financial considerations, institutional affiliations, or external pressures.

Editors ensure a fair, unbiased, and confidential peer-review process. They take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred, including plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or unethical research practices. When ethical concerns arise, editors follow COPE guidelines to investigate and resolve issues, including issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must ensure that their work is original, accurately reported, and has not been published or submitted elsewhere. Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given.

Authors are expected to:

  • Provide accurate data and maintain transparency in reporting methods and findings
  • Ensure that all listed authors have made significant contributions to the work
  • Disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest
  • Obtain appropriate ethical approval (e.g., IRB) for research involving human participants
  • Promptly notify the journal of any significant errors discovered after publication

Plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, and falsification constitute unethical behavior and are not tolerated.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers contribute to editorial decisions through objective, constructive, and timely evaluations. They must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents and must not use unpublished information for personal advantage.

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide fair and unbiased feedback supported by clear arguments
  • Identify relevant published work not cited by the authors
  • Alert editors to any suspected ethical issues, including plagiarism or duplication
  • Decline to review manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists

Research Misconduct and Ethical Violations

The journal takes allegations of misconduct seriously. Suspected cases of plagiarism, data manipulation, unethical research, or authorship disputes will be investigated following COPE procedures.

Where misconduct is confirmed, the journal may take actions including:

  • Rejection of the manuscript
  • Publication of corrections or retractions
  • Notification to authors’ institutions or relevant bodies

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. When errors or ethical issues are identified, appropriate measures will be taken, including issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Conflict of Interest

All participants in the publication process must disclose any conflicts of interest that could influence their work. Editors, reviewers, and authors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where such conflicts exist.

Plagiarism Screening

All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection software. Manuscripts found to contain significant overlap with previously published work will be rejected.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions or file complaints regarding the review process. Such cases will be handled transparently and in accordance with established ethical procedures.

Commitment to Ethical Publishing

The journal is dedicated to fostering ethical scholarship and maintaining trust in the academic publishing process. All stakeholders are expected to adhere strictly to these standards to ensure the credibility and quality of published research.