Publication Ethics

EDUCHILD Journal of Early Childhood Education is a peer-reviewed electronic journal. This statement clarifies the ethical behavior of all parties involved in the act of publishing an article in this journal, including the author, the chief editor, the Editorial Board, the peer-reviewer, and the publisher (Early Childhood Islamic Education Study Program, Faculty of Tarbiyah, IAIN Bone). This statement is based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Section A: Publication and Authorship

1. All submitted papers are subject to strict peer-review by at least two national and/or international reviewers who are experts in the relevant field.
2. Review process is conducted through blind peer review.
3. Review criteria include relevance, soundness, significance, originality, readability, and language quality.
4. Possible decisions include acceptance, acceptance with revisions, or rejection.
5. Revision requests do not guarantee acceptance of the revised manuscript.
6. Rejected articles will not be re-reviewed.
7. Paper acceptance is subject to legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
8. No research may be published in more than one journal.

Section B: Authors’ Responsibilities

1. Authors must certify that their manuscripts are original works.
2. Authors must certify that the manuscript has not been published elsewhere.
3. Authors must certify that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.
4. Authors must participate in the peer review process.
5. Authors are obliged to provide retractions or corrections of errors.
6. All listed authors must have significantly contributed to the research.
7. Authors must confirm that all data presented are real and authentic.
8. Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest to the editors.
9. Authors must identify all sources used in the manuscript.
10. Authors must report any errors found in their published work to the editors.

Section C: Reviewers’ Responsibilities

1. Reviewers must treat all manuscript information as confidential.
2. Reviews should be objective and free from personal criticism.
3. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
4. Reviewers should identify relevant uncited published work.
5. Reviewers must alert the Editor-in-Chief to any substantial similarity or overlap with other published works.
6. Reviewers must avoid reviewing manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.

Section D: Editors’ Responsibilities

1. Editors have full authority to accept or reject articles.
2. Editors are responsible for the content and overall quality of the publication.
3. Editors should consider the needs of authors and readers in improving the journal.
4. Editors must ensure the integrity of the academic record.
5. Editors should publish corrections or errata when necessary.
6. Editors must be aware of research funding sources.
7. Decisions should be based on importance, originality, clarity, and relevance.
8. Editors should not overturn previous decisions without valid reason.
9. Editors must preserve reviewer anonymity.
10. Editors must ensure compliance with ethical research standards.
11. Editors should accept papers only when reasonably certain.
12. Editors must act on suspected misconduct and pursue resolution.
13. Editors must not reject papers based on suspicion alone; proof is required.
14. Editors must prevent conflicts of interest among all parties involved.

Allegation of Research Misconducts

Research misconduct includes fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or plagiarism in conducting, reviewing, or reporting research. If misconduct is identified, editors must ensure the accuracy and integrity of the scientific record.

In cases of suspected misconduct, the editorial team will follow COPE’s best practices to investigate and resolve complaints fairly. This includes:

1. Assessing the validity of the allegation and potential conflicts of interest.
2. Requesting a detailed response from the corresponding author on behalf of all co-authors.
3. Conducting further reviews or consulting experts if needed.
4. Publishing clarifications or corrections when misconduct is unlikely.
5. Rejecting manuscripts found to contain misconduct.
6. Publishing retractions for articles confirmed to involve misconduct.

The journal is committed to conducting thorough investigations and taking appropriate actions to maintain the integrity of the scientific record. This policy follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), accessible at https://publicationethics.org/misconduct.