Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement (COPE)

1. Ethical Publishing Principles

The International Journal of Education and Learning Studies (IJELS), published by PT. Intelektiva Global Nusantara, is committed to responsible scholarly publishing, editorial independence, research integrity, transparency, confidentiality, and accountability.

This statement is informed by the core practices and relevant guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the principles of transparency and best practice in scholarly publishing.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

• Evaluate manuscripts based on originality, academic relevance, methodological quality, scholarly contribution, and ethical compliance.
• Make decisions without discrimination or inappropriate commercial, institutional, or personal influence.
• Manage independent and confidential double-blind peer review in accordance with the journal's published review policy.
• Select qualified reviewers and address relevant conflicts of interest.
• Protect confidential submissions, unpublished findings, and reviewer information.
• Evaluate credible misconduct allegations fairly and preserve appropriate editorial records.
• Arrange corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when justified by the evidence.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Provide objective, constructive, timely, and evidence-based reviews.
• Maintain confidentiality and refrain from sharing or misusing unpublished manuscripts.
• Disclose conflicts of interest and decline unsuitable review assignments.
• Identify relevant uncited work and alert editors to suspected ethical problems.
• Avoid discriminatory remarks, personal criticism, coercive citations, and inappropriate use of manuscript information.
• Do not upload confidential manuscripts to external AI services without explicit editorial authorization and appropriate confidentiality safeguards.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

• Submit original work that is not simultaneously under consideration elsewhere.
• Report research methods, data, analyses, results, and limitations accurately and transparently.
• Provide appropriate citations and obtain necessary permissions for third-party materials.
• Ensure that authorship reflects genuine scholarly contributions and that all authors approve the submission.
• Disclose funding, competing interests, and relevant use of AI-assisted tools.
• Obtain appropriate ethical approval, participant consent, and permissions where applicable.
• Preserve relevant research records and provide supporting materials when reasonably requested, subject to confidentiality and legal restrictions.
• Notify the journal promptly if a significant error or ethical concern is discovered.

5. Responsibilities of the Publisher

PT. Intelektiva Global Nusantara supports journal administration, publication infrastructure, dissemination, preservation arrangements, and ethical publishing procedures.

The publisher must respect editorial independence and cooperate appropriately with editors, authors, and relevant institutions in resolving publication integrity concerns.

6. Plagiarism, Originality, and Redundant Publication

IJELS prohibits plagiarism, substantial unattributed textual overlap, duplicate submission, redundant publication, and inappropriate reuse of previously published content.

Manuscripts are subject to similarity screening. The journal normally applies an internal overall similarity threshold of 20%, with editorial consideration of exclusions, the sources and nature of overlap, and proper attribution. The numerical score alone does not establish or exclude plagiarism.

7. Research Misconduct and Citation Integrity

Data fabrication, falsification, misleading image manipulation, selective misrepresentation of findings, peer-review manipulation, citation manipulation, and other serious departures from research integrity are prohibited.

Editors may request explanations, supporting records, independent assessments, or institutional investigation findings where appropriate.

8. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship must be based on substantial scholarly contributions. Guest, gift, ghost, honorary, and coercive authorship are not permitted.

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors require an explanation and appropriate written agreement from all affected authors. The editor may request additional documentation before approving changes.

9. Conflicts of Interest and Editorial Independence

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose relevant financial, professional, institutional, personal, and intellectual competing interests. Conflicts must be assessed and appropriately managed.

Editorial decisions are based on academic merit and are independent of publication fees, sponsorship, institutional affiliations, and publisher interests.

10. Ethical Oversight and Participant Protection

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional requirements. Ethics approval, an applicable exemption, informed consent, and consent for publication must be documented where required.

Studies involving children, vulnerable populations, or sensitive educational records require particular attention to privacy, consent, confidentiality, and participant welfare.

11. Research Data, Transparency, and Reproducibility

Authors are expected to report methods and analyses with sufficient clarity to support scholarly evaluation and, where feasible, reproducibility.

Relevant data availability statements, supporting materials, and explanations of access restrictions should be provided when applicable. Ethical, privacy, contractual, and legal protections take precedence over unrestricted data disclosure.

12. Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Tools

Generative AI systems cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain fully accountable for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and proper attribution of all submitted material.

Substantive use of generative AI in manuscript preparation, data analysis, image generation, or other research processes must be disclosed in accordance with journal requirements. AI-generated references, claims, and analytical outputs must be independently verified.

13. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

Credible allegations submitted before or after publication are assessed fairly, confidentially, and proportionately. The procedure may involve:

1. Recording and reviewing the allegation and supporting evidence.
2. Identifying and managing relevant editorial conflicts of interest.
3. Requesting clarification or documentation from relevant parties.
4. Consulting independent experts or competent research institutions where appropriate.
5. Determining the editorial response based on the available evidence.
6. Documenting the decision and implementing necessary corrective action.

Reports from anonymous sources or whistleblowers may be considered when supported by sufficiently specific and verifiable evidence.

14. Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, and readers may submit complaints or appeals through the journal's official contact channel. Submissions should identify the concern and provide supporting evidence.

Appeals are evaluated fairly by an appropriately qualified and unconflicted editor. Reconsideration does not guarantee acceptance or reversal of an editorial decision.

15. Post-Publication Discussion and Corrections

IJELS welcomes evidence-based scholarly discussion and reports of concerns about published articles through its editorial contact channel.

When warranted, the journal may publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction. Such notices should explain the reason for the action and remain linked to the affected article, preserving the scholarly record.

16. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Submitted manuscripts, unpublished research information, reviewer identities, editorial records, and personal data must be handled confidentially and used only for legitimate publishing or research-integrity purposes, subject to applicable law.

17. References and Ethical Guidance

• COPE Core Practices
• COPE Guidance
• Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing