METHOMIKA | EDITORIAL POLICY

Publication Ethics

Upholding research integrity, ethical responsibility, and transparency in scholarly publishing.

Publication Ethics Statement

METHOMIKA: Jurnal Manajemen Informatika & Komputerisasi Akuntansi is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Universitas Methodist Indonesia. The journal is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct throughout the scholarly publication process.

This Publication Ethics Policy outlines the ethical responsibilities of the publisher, journal management, editors, reviewers, authors, and other parties involved in manuscript evaluation and publication.

The policy is informed by the principles and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and aims to safeguard the integrity of published scientific research.

1. Core Ethical Principles

METHOMIKA upholds three fundamental ethical principles in scholarly publishing:

2. Responsibilities of the Publisher and Journal Management

Universitas Methodist Indonesia, as the publisher, and the journal management are responsible for supporting ethical, sustainable, and transparent scholarly publishing.

• Establishing and maintaining the journal's identity, scientific scope, and publication schedule.
• Appointing qualified editorial board members and supporting their professional independence.
• Defining the responsibilities of editors, reviewers, authors, and publishing personnel.
• Maintaining confidentiality of unpublished manuscripts and editorial correspondence.
• Respecting intellectual property rights, copyright, and licensing requirements.
• Providing transparent publication policies and submission guidelines.
• Supporting consistent and timely journal publication.
• Ensuring the availability of appropriate resources for sustainable journal management.
• Maintaining transparent relationships with academic institutions and publishing partners.
• Supporting the investigation and resolution of publication ethics concerns.
• Complying with applicable legal, administrative, and institutional requirements.

3. Responsibilities of Editors and the Editorial Board

Editors are responsible for managing the editorial process fairly and maintaining the scientific quality and integrity of published articles.

• Evaluating manuscripts based on academic merit, originality, methodological rigor, and relevance to the journal.
• Ensuring that editorial decisions are free from discrimination and inappropriate external influence.
• Maintaining confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and peer review information.
• Applying transparent and consistent editorial procedures.
• Selecting qualified reviewers with relevant expertise and avoiding conflicts of interest.
• Communicating editorial decisions and reviewer recommendations clearly and professionally.
• Encouraging constructive manuscript improvement through peer review.
• Supporting corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, or retractions when warranted.
• Protecting the integrity of the scientific record.
• Considering reasonable complaints and appeals through fair procedures.
• Promoting ethical research practices and responsible scholarly communication.

Editors must not use unpublished research material or confidential information obtained during editorial handling for personal research or professional advantage.

4. Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Reviewers play an essential role in maintaining scholarly quality by providing independent, objective, and constructive evaluations.

• Accept review assignments only when they have appropriate academic expertise.
• Decline assignments involving actual or potential conflicts of interest.
• Maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts, research data, and editorial communications.
• Provide objective and evidence-based criticism rather than personal judgments.
• Evaluate the research methodology, analysis, findings, originality, and scholarly contribution.
• Identify relevant weaknesses, unsupported conclusions, and missing references.
• Notify editors of suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabrication, or other ethical concerns.
• Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe or notify the editor of possible delays.
• Reassess revised manuscripts when invited by the editorial team.
• Avoid using confidential manuscript content for personal or professional purposes.
• Refrain from requesting unnecessary citations for personal benefit.

Reviewers must not disclose manuscript content to unauthorized third parties or upload confidential submissions to external AI systems without explicit editorial authorization and appropriate confidentiality safeguards.

5. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted manuscripts represent original, accurate, and ethically conducted research.

• Submitting original manuscripts that have not been published previously or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.
• Ensuring that all listed authors meet the journal's authorship criteria.
• Obtaining approval from all co-authors before submission and publication.
• Accurately reporting research methods, data, analyses, calculations, and findings.
• Properly citing and acknowledging relevant previous research.
• Disclosing funding sources, institutional support, and relevant competing interests.
• Describing important research limitations and potential sources of bias.
• Obtaining ethical approvals and informed consent when applicable.
• Responding professionally and promptly to editorial and reviewer comments.
• Informing editors when significant errors or ethical concerns are identified.
• Submitting withdrawal requests through appropriate editorial procedures.
• Maintaining appropriate documentation supporting the authenticity of their research.

6. Research and Publication Misconduct

METHOMIKA does not tolerate research and publication misconduct, including:

• Plagiarism: Presenting another person's ideas, text, data, or work without appropriate acknowledgment.
• Data Fabrication: Inventing research data, results, or observations.
• Data Falsification: Manipulating research materials, methods, or results in a misleading manner.
• Duplicate Publication: Republishing substantially the same work without appropriate disclosure and justification.
• Simultaneous Submission: Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals at the same time.
• Inappropriate Authorship: Gift, guest, ghost, or coercive authorship practices.
• Citation Manipulation: Adding irrelevant citations to artificially influence citation metrics.
• Peer Review Manipulation: Providing false reviewer identities or otherwise compromising the review process.
• Misleading Image Manipulation: Inappropriately altering research images or visual evidence.
• Misrepresentation: Providing inaccurate declarations, ethical approvals, research information, or author contributions.

7. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

Allegations of misconduct may be reported to the editorial office before or after publication. Reports should provide sufficient information to allow a reasonable preliminary assessment. The editorial team will handle allegations fairly, confidentially, and without prejudging the individuals involved.

The proposed procedure includes:

1. Receiving and documenting the allegation.
2. Conducting an initial assessment of its relevance and supporting evidence.
3. Requesting explanations or supporting documentation from the parties involved when appropriate.
4. Seeking independent expert opinions or institutional assistance when necessary.
5. Determining appropriate editorial action based on available evidence.
6. Communicating the outcome to relevant parties while protecting confidentiality.
7. Correcting the scholarly record when the allegation affects published research.

Depending on the findings, editorial actions may include manuscript rejection, additional review, correction, expression of concern, retraction, or referral to the relevant research institution.

8. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship must reflect genuine intellectual contributions to the research. All authors must meet the journal's Authorship Criteria and approve the submitted and final versions of their work. Individuals who contribute without qualifying for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately. Changes to authorship must be documented and approved through established editorial procedures.

9. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose financial, professional, personal, institutional, or other relationships that could reasonably influence the research or editorial process.

Editors and reviewers with significant competing interests should withdraw from handling affected manuscripts. The editorial team may request additional disclosures or assign independent personnel when appropriate.

10. Ethical Oversight and Research Data

Research involving human participants, personal data, confidential organizational information, or other ethically sensitive materials must comply with applicable laws, institutional requirements, and relevant research ethics standards.

• Appropriate ethical approval must be obtained when required.
• Informed consent must be obtained when applicable.
• Personal and confidential information must be protected.
• Research methods and data processing procedures must be reported transparently.
• Data must not be fabricated, falsified, or selectively manipulated to mislead readers.
• Authors should preserve sufficient research records to support reasonable verification.
• Data sharing should respect privacy, intellectual property, legal obligations, and legitimate confidentiality restrictions.

11. Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence tools, including generative AI systems and large language models, cannot be recognized as authors because they cannot accept accountability for research accuracy, integrity, and scholarly content.

Authors must disclose substantive use of AI-assisted technologies in research, manuscript preparation, data analysis, or image generation, indicating the tools used and their purposes.

Authors remain responsible for verifying all AI-assisted content, including citations, data, results, and interpretations. The use of AI must not facilitate plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or misleading representation of research findings.

12. Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

METHOMIKA recognizes the importance of preserving an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record. When significant errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the editorial team may take appropriate action.

• Correction: Issued when an error requires amendment but does not invalidate the principal findings.
• Expression of Concern: Issued when substantial concerns about an article require investigation or clarification.
• Retraction: Considered when findings are unreliable, serious misconduct is established, or other significant grounds justify withdrawal from the scholarly record.

Published notices should clearly identify the affected article, explain the reason for the editorial action, and remain accessible to readers. Retractions are intended to correct the scholarly record, not to punish authors.

13. Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders may submit concerns regarding editorial decisions, publication procedures, or possible ethical violations through the journal's official communication channels.

Complaints and appeals should include a clear explanation and relevant supporting evidence. The editorial team will evaluate such matters fairly and, where appropriate, seek independent advice or institutional assistance. Appeals do not automatically result in reversal of previous editorial decisions.

14. Post-Publication Discussion

METHOMIKA encourages responsible scholarly discussion of published research. Readers and researchers may communicate substantive questions, comments, or concerns to the editorial office. Where appropriate, authors may be invited to respond, and the editorial team may consider publishing clarifications, corrections, or other relevant notices.

Full English Publication Policy

Effective from Volume 11, Number 1 (April 2027), manuscripts intended for publication in METHOMIKA must be written entirely in English. Editorial correspondence, reviewer reports, author responses, revisions, and scholarly discussions throughout the publication process must also be conducted in English.

Policy References

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Core Practices.

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Retraction Guidelines.

METHOMIKA: Jurnal Manajemen Informatika & Komputerisasi Akuntansi
Published by Universitas Methodist Indonesia
Publication Frequency: April and October
Official Journal Website