Publication Ethics

UNUBA: Journal of Islamic Education and Technology is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and scholarly integrity. The journal publishes original, rigorous, and ethically conducted research that contributes to the advancement of Islamic education, educational technology, digital innovation, and interdisciplinary scholarship. Unuba adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing developed by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME, and internationally recognized standards of responsible research and publishing. All parties involved in the publication process including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher are expected to uphold these ethical principles throughout the editorial process.

Editorial Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for ensuring that every editorial decision is made solely on the basis of the manuscript's originality, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's aims and scope. Editorial decisions are made independently without discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs. Editors maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, protect the anonymity of the peer-review process, avoid conflicts of interest, and follow established procedures when addressing allegations of plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, authorship disputes, or other forms of research misconduct. When necessary, editors will publish corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must submit original and unpublished work that has not been simultaneously submitted to another journal. Submitted manuscripts should accurately present the research methods, data, findings, and interpretations without fabrication, falsification, selective reporting, or manipulation. Authors are responsible for obtaining appropriate ethical approval when research involves human participants, educational institutions, or sensitive data. All individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions should be listed as authors, while all sources of funding, financial support, and potential conflicts of interest must be transparently disclosed. Authors are expected to retain research data and provide access when requested during editorial review or post-publication investigation. If significant errors are identified after publication, authors must promptly cooperate with the editorial office to publish corrections or retractions.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers play a vital role in maintaining the scientific quality of the journal. Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, constructively, and confidentially based on academic merit and methodological soundness. Reviews should be completed within the agreed review period and supported by clear scholarly arguments. Reviewers should identify relevant published literature that has not been cited, alert editors to potential plagiarism or ethical concerns, and immediately decline the review if any conflict of interest exists with the authors, institutions, or research. Information obtained through peer review must never be used for personal, academic, or commercial advantage.

Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher is committed to safeguarding editorial independence, academic freedom, and research integrity throughout the publication process. Editorial decisions are never influenced by commercial interests, sponsorship, institutional pressure, or advertising. The publisher provides the infrastructure necessary to ensure transparent editorial management, ethical oversight, long-term digital preservation, and compliance with international publishing standards. Allegations of publication misconduct will be investigated thoroughly and fairly in accordance with established ethical procedures and COPE guidance.

Research Integrity and Publication Misconduct

UJIET has zero tolerance for research and publication misconduct. Misconduct includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate or redundant publication, fabricated or falsified data, manipulated images, inappropriate citation practices, paper mill submissions, authorship manipulation, undisclosed use of artificial intelligence in generating research content, peer-review manipulation, and undeclared conflicts of interest. Manuscripts suspected of ethical violations may be rejected at any stage of the editorial process. If misconduct is identified after publication, appropriate actions including corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, or notification of relevant institutions will be taken in accordance with internationally accepted ethical guidelines.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

The journal recognizes the growing role of artificial intelligence in scholarly communication. AI-based tools may be used only to support language improvement, grammar checking, coding assistance, data organization, or similar technical tasks. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, interpretation, ethical compliance, and integrity of all submitted work. Artificial intelligence systems, including generative AI tools, cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the content. Authors should disclose any substantial use of AI technologies within the manuscript where appropriate.

Conflicts of Interest

All authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members are required to disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence—or reasonably be perceived to influence—their judgment during the publication process. When a conflict of interest exists, the affected individual will be excluded from editorial or review decisions related to the manuscript.

Data Availability and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to preserve and, whenever possible, openly share research data, instruments, software, learning materials, and analytical procedures that support the findings of their study. When data cannot be publicly shared because of ethical, legal, or privacy considerations, authors should clearly explain these restrictions within the manuscript while ensuring that sufficient methodological information is provided to enable scholarly verification and replication.

Corrections, Retractions, and Post-Publication Discussions

The journal is committed to preserving the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. When errors that affect the reliability or interpretation of published work are identified, UJIET will publish corrections or errata as appropriate. Articles proven to contain serious ethical violations or unreliable findings may be retracted following a transparent investigation. Expressions of concern may be issued while investigations are ongoing. Post-publication comments and scholarly discussions that contribute constructively to scientific discourse are welcomed and will be considered according to the journal's editorial policies.

Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants, educational institutions, children, vulnerable populations, or personal data must comply with internationally recognized ethical principles and applicable institutional regulations. Authors must confirm that informed consent, confidentiality, privacy protection, and required ethical approvals have been obtained before submitting their work. The journal reserves the right to request supporting documentation verifying ethical approval at any stage of the editorial process.