PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

HIJAI: Journal on Arabic Language and Literature (E-ISSN: 2621-1343) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal fully committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics at all stages of the publishing process. This publication ethics statement outlines the moral and professional standards of behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing scientific articles, including: Authors, Editors, Peer Reviewers, and the Publisher.

This statement is based on the guidelines and Code of Conduct set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

1. Duties of Authors

• Reporting Standards: Authors must present an accurate, objective, and transparent account of the research performed. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and reference to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works. If authors have used the work and/or words of others, this must be appropriately cited using APA Style. Plagiarism in all its forms (including claiming ownership of another’s work, copying or paraphrasing without attribution, and self-plagiarism) constitutes serious publishing misconduct. HIJAI strictly enforces a maximum Similarity Index of less than 15% (verified via Turnitin/iThenticate).
• Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication: An author should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
• Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as Co-Authors. Individuals who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project (e.g., language editing or technical assistance) should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section. The Corresponding Author must ensure all co-authors have approved the final version of the paper and agreed to its submission for publication.
• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All authors must disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project must be clearly disclosed.
• Fundamental Errors in Published Works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper (via an erratum or corrigendum).

2. Duties of Editors

• Publication Decisions: The Editors of HIJAI are responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. Editors evaluate manuscripts based on intellectual merit (such as relevance to the Focus & Scope, scientific novelty, methodological rigor, and clarity of language) without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
• Confidentiality: The Editors and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the Corresponding Author, Reviewers, potential Reviewers, other Editorial Advisers, and the Publisher, as appropriate.
• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author. Editors must recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors or institutions connected to the papers.
• Involvement and Cooperation in Investigations: Editors shall take reasonable responsive measures when ethical complaints have been presented concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper. Such measures generally include contacting the author and giving due consideration to the respective complaint or claims made, as well as further communication to relevant institutions and research bodies if necessary.

3. Duties of Reviewers

• Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review assists the Editor in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communications with the author, may also assist the author in improving the quality of the paper.
• Promptness: Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the Editor immediately and decline the invitation to review.
• Confidentiality: Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the Editor.
• Standards of Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments and constructive feedback.
• Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by theHere is the comprehensive Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement translated into English. It is fully aligned with standard COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) principles, referencing the journal's policies (such as a maximum Turnitin similarity index below 15%, CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing, and authors retaining copyright). --- ### HTML Code (Ready to paste into OJS Editor) ```html

  PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

  HIJAI: Journal on Arabic Language and Literature (E-ISSN: 2621-1343) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal fully committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics across all stages of the publishing process. This statement outlines the moral and professional codes of conduct expected from all parties involved: Authors, Editors, Peer Reviewers, and the Publisher.

  This publication ethics statement is drafted in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

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  1. Duties of Authors

  • Reporting Standards: Authors must present an accurate, objective, and transparent account of the research performed. Underlying data should be represented truthfully without falsification. Manuscripts must contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
  • Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. Proper acknowledgment of the work, ideas, or words of others must be provided using the required citation style (APA Style). All forms of plagiarism—including passing off another's paper as one's own, copying or paraphrasing substantial parts without attribution, or self-plagiarism—are serious ethical violations. HIJAI strictly enforces a maximum Similarity Index threshold of less than 15% (via Turnitin or iThenticate).
  • Multiple or Concurrent Publication: Authors should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently is considered unethical publishing behavior.
  • Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All significant contributors must be listed as co-authors. Individuals who contributed to specific aspects (e.g., language editing or technical assistance) should be recognized in the Acknowledgments section. The Corresponding Author must verify that all co-authors have approved the final version and agreed to its submission.
  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the research must be clearly stated.
  • Fundamental Errors in Published Works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is their obligation to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate to retract or correct the paper (via an erratum or corrigendum).

  2. Duties of Editors

  • Publication Decisions: The editors of HIJAI are responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts will be published. Manuscripts are evaluated based on their intellectual merit (relevance to Focus & Scope, scientific novelty, methodological rigor, and clarity) without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.
  • Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the Corresponding Author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.
  • Editorial Independence and Conflicts of Interest: Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without express written consent from the author. Editors should recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors or institutions linked to the papers.
  • Involvement and Cooperation in Investigations: Editors must respond promptly when ethical complaints are raised regarding a submitted or published paper. Measures generally include contacting the author and giving due consideration to the complaint, as well as escalating to relevant institutions or research bodies when necessary.

  3. Duties of Peer Reviewers

  • Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review assists editors in making informed decisions and, through editorial communications with the author, helps improve the quality of the manuscript.
  • Promptness and Availability: Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the assigned manuscript or knows that a prompt review will be impossible should immediately notify the editor and decline the invitation.
  • Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.
  • Standards of Objectivity: Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments and constructive feedback.
  • Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. Reviewers must also notify the editor of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper.

  4. Handling Misconduct & Sanctions

  If publishing misconduct (such as plagiarism, data fabrication/falsification, duplicate submission, or false authorship claims) is confirmed, the editorial board of HIJAI will follow COPE guidelines and implement the following measures:

  1. Written Warning: Issuing a formal warning letter detailing the breach of ethics to the author(s).
  2. Manuscript Rejection: Immediate rejection of the manuscript currently under review or editing.
  3. Article Retraction: Formal retraction of the published article online, accompanied by an official Retraction Notice published on the journal's website.
  4. Publishing Ban (Blacklisting): Declining future submissions from the author(s) for a specified timeframe (e.g., 1 to 3 years).
  5. Institutional Notification: Reporting serious violations to the author’s affiliated institution or funding agency.

  5. Copyright, Licensing, and Open Access

  • Open Access: HIJAI provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
  • Copyright: Authors retain full copyright of their work without restrictions (*authors retain copyright*).
  • Licensing: All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0), allowing others to share and adapt the work provided proper attribution is given and derivative works are distributed under the same license.