Publication Ethics
Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
Jurnal Ilmiah Kesehatan Delima (JIKD) is an open-access scientific journal that employs a peer-review process and publishes original research articles, literature reviews, and field reports in the health sciences. The journal is published by Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Salsabila Serang, Indonesia, through the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM).
JIKD is committed to maintaining scientific integrity, objectivity, transparency, confidentiality, and accountability throughout the publication process. This publication ethics statement establishes the responsibilities of all parties involved in article publication, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher. The journal's ethical framework is guided by the principles and practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).
A. Responsibilities of Authors
1. Reporting Standards
Authors must present research findings accurately, objectively, and transparently. Data must be reported honestly and must not be fabricated, falsified, or inappropriately manipulated. Manuscripts must contain sufficient methodological information and references to enable readers to understand and evaluate the research findings.
2. Data Access and Retention
Authors should retain research data and supporting documents appropriately. If required for editorial evaluation or verification of research findings, authors may be asked to provide relevant data, while ensuring confidentiality, personal data protection, and compliance with applicable ethical requirements.
3. Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts are original works. Ideas, data, text, images, and other materials belonging to third parties must be appropriately acknowledged and cited. Plagiarism, including the reuse of one's own previously published work without adequate attribution or disclosure, constitutes a breach of publication ethics.
All manuscripts submitted to JIKD may undergo text similarity screening using available screening services. The journal's maximum permitted similarity index is 30%. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected, depending on the nature and extent of the identified similarities. Editors assess similarity indices in the context of the sources and the nature of the overlap, as a similarity score alone does not automatically establish plagiarism.
4. Duplicate, Redundant, or Simultaneous Submission
Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal. Manuscripts must not contain substantial duplication of previously published work without adequate disclosure and justification.
5. Acknowledgment of Sources
Authors must appropriately cite publications, data, research instruments, and other sources that have contributed to their research. Information obtained privately or through confidential services must not be used without appropriate permission from the relevant parties.
6. Authorship
Authorship must reflect substantial contributions to the conception, design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or preparation of the research manuscript. All listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission to JIKD. Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section, where appropriate.
7. Research Ethics and Ethical Approval
Manuscripts reporting research involving human participants, patients, identifiable personal data, or biological materials must comply with applicable research ethics requirements.
For research requiring ethical approval, authors must obtain approval from an authorized research ethics committee before conducting the study. The name of the approving committee and the ethical approval number must be stated in the manuscript, usually in the Methods section. Authors whose institutions do not have their own research ethics committee should seek review from a competent and authorized external ethics committee.
If a study has been formally determined to be exempt from ethical review, authors must provide an exemption statement identifying the institution or body that issued the determination. Exemption must not be based solely on the authors' own decision.
Where required, authors must also state that informed consent was obtained from participants or their legally authorized representatives, in accordance with applicable requirements. Participants' privacy, confidentiality, dignity, and rights must be protected throughout the research and publication processes.
8. Disclosure of Funding and Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose all sources of research funding and any financial, professional, or personal relationships that may influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the conduct of the research or the interpretation of its findings. All relevant conflicts of interest must be disclosed transparently.
9. Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence
Authors must comply with the JIKD AI Policy. The use of generative artificial intelligence tools must be disclosed in accordance with the journal's requirements. AI tools must not be listed as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and entire content of the submitted manuscript.
10. Fundamental Errors in Published Work
If authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in a manuscript that has been submitted or published, they must promptly notify the editor and cooperate in the correction or retraction process, where necessary.
B. Responsibilities of Editors and the Editorial Board
1. Publication Decisions
Editors are responsible for evaluating manuscripts and making editorial decisions based on scientific quality, originality, methodological validity, relevance to the journal's scope, ethical compliance, and reviewers' reports.
2. Fair and Unbiased Evaluation
Manuscripts must be evaluated on their academic and scientific merit, without discrimination based on gender, race, religion, nationality, institutional affiliation, or other irrelevant personal characteristics.
3. Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, research data, author information, reviewer identities, and editorial correspondence. Information may be shared only with authorized individuals involved in the publication process.
4. Conflicts of Interest
Editors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and must not handle manuscripts when such conflicts could compromise their objectivity. Unpublished material must not be used for personal benefit without the authors' appropriate written permission.
5. Management of Peer Review
Editors must ensure that manuscripts are processed through JIKD's double-blind peer-review system and assessed by reviewers with appropriate expertise. Reviewers must be selected based on their competence, objectivity, and potential conflicts of interest.
6. Handling Complaints and Allegations of Ethical Misconduct
Editors must respond appropriately and proportionately to ethical complaints and allegations of publication misconduct, based on the available evidence. Where necessary, editors may request clarification from authors, seek supporting documentation, or communicate with the relevant institutions.
Possible actions include requesting revisions, returning manuscripts for further revision, rejecting submissions, or taking appropriate post-publication action, such as issuing a correction or retracting an article, depending on the circumstances and applicable journal policies.
C. Responsibilities of Reviewers
1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Reviewers provide independent expert assessments to assist editors in making appropriate editorial decisions and to help authors improve the quality of their manuscripts.
2. Timeliness and Competence
Reviewers should accept review assignments only when they have the appropriate expertise and can complete the assessment within the agreed timeframe. Reviewers must promptly notify the editor if they are unable to complete the review or have a relevant conflict of interest.
3. Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review are confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, disclose, or use information from manuscripts for personal gain. Reviewers must comply with the JIKD AI Policy and must not upload confidential manuscripts or review materials to public AI tools.
4. Objectivity and Constructive Feedback
Reviews must be conducted objectively, professionally, and respectfully. Comments must be supported by clear academic reasoning and focus on the scientific substance of the manuscript rather than personal criticism of the authors.
5. Acknowledgment of Sources and Research Integrity
Reviewers should identify relevant publications that have not been cited and notify the editor if they identify substantial similarities with other works, suspected plagiarism, data manipulation, or possible research ethics violations.
6. Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers must disclose financial, professional, personal, competitive, or collaborative relationships that could compromise their objectivity. Reviewers should decline review assignments when relevant conflicts of interest cannot be adequately managed.
D. Responsibilities of the Publisher
1. Editorial Independence
The publisher supports JIKD's editorial independence. Publication decisions must be based on scientific quality, research integrity, ethical compliance, and journal policies, rather than undue external pressure.
2. Publication Integrity
The publisher supports transparent editorial procedures, responsible publishing practices, and the maintenance of an accurate scholarly record.
3. Handling Misconduct and Corrective Actions
The publisher works with the Editorial Board to address suspected publication ethics violations and supports appropriate corrective actions, including corrections, expressions of concern, or article retractions where necessary.
4. Publishing Infrastructure and Preservation
The publisher supports journal publishing infrastructure, DOI management through Crossref, and the appropriate preservation of published scholarly content.
E. Handling Allegations of Publication Ethics Misconduct
JIKD takes allegations of research and publication ethics misconduct seriously. Each allegation is assessed based on the available information and evidence. Relevant parties may be asked to provide clarification or supporting documentation before a decision is made.
Depending on the nature and severity of the alleged misconduct, possible actions include requesting revisions, returning a manuscript for revision, rejecting a submission, correcting a published article, issuing an expression of concern, or retracting an article. Each case is handled proportionately, taking into account scientific integrity, the protection of relevant parties, and applicable journal policies.
