Peer Review Policy

Publishing Ethics & Publication Malpractice Statement

1. General Principles
MJII adheres to the highest standards of publication ethics and follows guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We expect all parties (editors, reviewers, authors, and publishers) to comply with ethical standards to ensure integrity in scholarly publishing.

 

2. Roles and Responsibilities

A. Editors’ Responsibilities
1. Fair Evaluation & Impartiality
- Editors evaluate manuscripts based on intellectual content without regard to race, gender, religion, nationality, or institutional affiliation.
- Ensure a single-blind peer-review process to maintain objectivity.

2. Confidentiality
- Editors must not disclose manuscript details to anyone except reviewers and the publisher.

3. Conflict of Interest
- Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have competing interests.

4. Publication Decisions
- Editors ensure that all published works meet the journal’s standards of originality, significance, and clarity.
- Editors may consult with reviewers and editorial board members for final decisions.

5. Corrections & Retractions
- Editors must promptly correct, retract, or issue expressions of concern if ethical violations (e.g., plagiarism, fraud) are identified.

 

B. Reviewers’ Responsibilities
1. Timely & Constructive Feedback
- Reviewers must provide objective, unbiased, and constructive feedback within the agreed timeframe.

2. Confidentiality
- Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential and not use unpublished information for personal gain.

3. Conflict of Interest
- Reviewers must decline reviewing if they have conflicts of interest (e.g., collaboration with authors).

4. Plagiarism & Ethical Concerns
- Reviewers should alert editors to any suspected plagiarism, fraud, or ethical misconduct.

 

C. Authors’ Responsibilities
1. Originality & Plagiarism
- Authors must ensure their work is original and properly cited.
- Plagiarism (including self-plagiarism/AI Writing), data fabrication, or falsification is unacceptable.

2. Authorship Criteria
- Only those who made significant contributions should be listed as authors.
- Ghost, guest, or gift authorship is prohibited.

3. Data Integrity & Reproducibility
- Authors must provide accurate data and retain raw data for verification if requested.

4. Conflict of Interest Disclosure
- Authors must declare any financial or personal conflicts that could influence the research.

5. Multiple & Concurrent Submissions
- Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously is unethical.

6. Acknowledgment of Sources
- Proper citation of prior work is mandatory.

7. Correction of Errors
- Authors must promptly notify the journal if they discover significant errors in their published work.

 

D. Publisher’s Responsibilities
1. Ensuring Ethical Standards
- The publisher supports editors in enforcing ethical policies.

2. Accessibility & Archiving
- Ensures long-term digital preservation and open-access policies (if applicable).

3. Handling Misconduct
- Investigates allegations of misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, fraud) and takes appropriate action (retractions, corrections, bans).

 

3. Publication Malpractice Statement
MJII takes research and publication misconduct seriously. The following are considered unethical practices:

A. Types of Misconduct
1. Plagiarism – Copying others’ work without proper attribution.
2. Data Fabrication/Falsification – Manipulating or inventing research data.
3. Duplicate Submission – Submitting the same paper to multiple journals.
4. Authorship Disputes – Misrepresenting contributions or excluding rightful authors.
5. Peer Review Manipulation – Suggesting biased reviewers or fake peer reviews.
6. Citation Manipulation – Excessive self-citation or coercive citations.

B. Handling Misconduct
1. Initial Assessment – The editorial board investigates allegations.
2. Author’s Response – The accused author(s) are given a chance to respond.
3. Actions Taken – Depending on severity:
- Correction (for minor errors).
- Retraction (for serious misconduct).
- Blacklisting (banning authors/reviewers for severe violations).
- Notification to Institutions (in cases of fraud or plagiarism).

 

4. Complaints & Appeals
- Authors may appeal editorial decisions with valid reasoning.
- Complaints regarding misconduct should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief.

 

Conclusion
MJII is committed to upholding integrity, transparency, and fairness in scholarly publishing. We follow COPE guidelines and expect all stakeholders to adhere to these ethical standards.