Publication Ethics & Malpractice

The Politeknik & Kolej Komuniti Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (PMJSSH) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal’s Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement is guided by the principles and best practice guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

All manuscripts submitted to PMJSSH are screened using Turnitin plagiarism-detection software. A similarity index of up to 30% may be considered acceptable. However, the similarity score alone does not determine whether plagiarism has occurred. The Turnitin similarity report will be reviewed to determine whether inappropriate textual overlap or plagiarism is present. The journal reserves the right to request revisions or reject a manuscript where such issues are identified.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must ensure that manuscripts submitted to PMJSSH are original, have not been published previously and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere. The work and words of others must be appropriately acknowledged and cited. Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, manipulation of data or research findings, and deliberately misleading statements constitute unethical publishing behaviour and are unacceptable.

Authors should not submit manuscripts describing substantially the same research to more than one journal or publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently, or publishing substantially the same research in multiple publications without appropriate acknowledgement, constitutes unethical publishing behaviour.

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, analysis or interpretation of the work. The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included, that all listed authors have approved the final manuscript and that they have agreed to its submission for publication.

Where applicable, authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary ethical approval, informed consent and permission for the research and materials used in the manuscript.

If authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must promptly notify the Editor and cooperate with the journal to correct or retract the article where necessary.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of their work. All sources of financial support or funding for the research should be clearly acknowledged.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must treat all manuscripts received for review as confidential documents and must not disclose or discuss any information obtained through the peer-review process without authorisation from the Editor.

Reviews must be conducted objectively, fairly and constructively. Reviewers should provide clear and reasoned comments to assist authors in improving their manuscripts and to support the Editor in making an informed editorial decision. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate. Reviewers should also identify relevant published work that has not been appropriately cited and inform the Editor of any substantial similarity, suspected plagiarism or other ethical concerns identified during the review process.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any potential conflict of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, personal, institutional or other relationships that could affect their impartiality. Reviewers should decline to review a manuscript where such a conflict exists.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring that editorial decisions are made fairly and independently based on the academic merit, relevance, originality and quality of the manuscript. Editorial decisions must not be influenced by the authors’ race, gender, religion, nationality, institutional affiliation, political beliefs or other personal characteristics.

Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and information relating to authors and reviewers throughout the editorial and peer-review process. Unpublished information contained in a submitted manuscript must not be used for an Editor’s own research without the written consent of the author.

Editors should take appropriate action when ethical concerns are raised regarding a submitted or published article. Where corrections or retractions are necessary, PMJSSH will take appropriate editorial action in accordance with the journal’s policies and relevant COPE guidelines.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Editors must disclose any potential conflict of interest relating to a submitted manuscript and must not participate in the review process or editorial decision where such a conflict may compromise their impartiality. This also applies to manuscripts submitted by members of the Editorial Board.