Publication Ethics

PT Agung Media Publisher upholds the highest standards of integrity in scholarly publishing by adhering strictly to the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We recognize that ethical clarity is not a formality, but a foundational requirement for maintaining trust among authors, reviewers, readers, indexing bodies, and the broader academic community. For this reason, our publication ethics policy is written, publicly accessible, and implemented consistently across all journals under our management.

Plagiarism is treated as a serious violation of academic conduct. Every submitted manuscript is screened using reliable similarity detection tools before entering the review process. Text recycling, improper citation, data manipulation, and unacknowledged borrowing of ideas are all categorized as ethical breaches. When detected, such cases lead to immediate rejection or further investigation depending on severity. For example, it is not uncommon for a manuscript to appear original at first glance, but similarity screening may reveal that substantial sections were copied from previously published work. In such instances, the manuscript is returned to the author with a formal explanation, and the case is documented as part of our ethical monitoring system.

Conflicts of interest must be transparently disclosed by authors, reviewers, and editors. Any financial, institutional, or personal relationship that could influence the objectivity of the research or its evaluation must be declared in writing. A common case occurs when a reviewer is assigned a manuscript authored by a colleague from the same institution. In this situation, the reviewer is required to decline the assignment to preserve impartiality. Likewise, authors must disclose funding sources or affiliations that may be perceived as influencing the research outcome.

Our peer-review process follows a strict double-blind model to ensure fairness and academic rigor. Neither the author nor the reviewer is aware of each other’s identity during the evaluation process. This approach minimizes bias related to reputation, institution, nationality, or academic status. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent experts in the relevant field. Editorial decisions are based solely on the reviewers’ academic assessment and the manuscript’s scholarly merit. This system ensures that publication decisions are grounded in quality rather than personal or institutional influence.

Article retraction is conducted when serious ethical violations are discovered after publication, such as fabricated data, undisclosed plagiarism, or fraudulent authorship claims. Retraction is not considered a punishment, but a corrective mechanism to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record. For instance, if post-publication review reveals that data in an article were manipulated, the article will be formally retracted with a clear public notice explaining the reason. The original article remains accessible but is clearly marked as retracted to maintain transparency.

Publication malpractice, including duplicate submission, false authorship, citation manipulation, and unethical research practices, is actively monitored and addressed. Authors who submit the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously, or who add names of individuals who did not contribute to the research, are subject to sanctions including blacklisting from future submissions. These practices undermine the credibility of scholarly communication and are treated with utmost seriousness.

Clear articulation of publication ethics is also a crucial requirement for journal indexing and accreditation. Indexing bodies such as the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) frequently reject journals not because of poor article quality, but because their ethics statements are vague, incomplete, or not publicly visible. PT Agung Media Publisher ensures that its ethics policy is explicit, comprehensive, and easily accessible on every journal website to meet international indexing standards.

Through these measures, PT Agung Media Publisher affirms its commitment to ethical, transparent, and responsible scholarly publishing, ensuring that every article published contributes credibly and honorably to the advancement of knowledge.