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.

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).
• 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

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.

6. Policy on the Use of AI and Risk-Assessment Framework

The use of Generative AI tools is governed according to risk level rather than tool type. This framework applies across all roles (Authors, Reviewers, and Editors):