Publication Ethics

Statement

The Journal of Geo-environmental Sustainability is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all necessary precautions to prevent publication malpractice. This policy outlines the expected ethical conduct of everyone involved in the publication process, including authors, the editor-in-chief, associate editors, the editorial board, reviewers, and the publisher. This declaration is based on the COPE website and Rector Regulation 133/R/III/2017 of Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta. Our responsibility is to publish original works that are valuable to the intellectual community, presented in the best possible format and adhering to the highest standards. We expect both our reviewers and authors to uphold these standards. Key attributes that help us achieve our mission include honesty, originality, and fairness from authors, and fairness, objectivity, and confidentiality from editors and reviewers. The Journal of Geo-environmental Sustainability is committed to maintaining high ethical standards, addressing issues of misconduct, and offering legal guidance when necessary.

Allegation of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or plagiarism in conducting, reviewing, or reporting research. Editors are responsible for preserving the scientific record's accuracy and integrity when authors are found to have engaged in misconduct or other serious irregularities in published articles. Editors and the Editorial Board will follow COPE's best practices to investigate allegations of misconduct. If misconduct is identified in a submitted manuscript, it will be rejected. If discovered in a published study, a retraction with a link to the original publication may be issued.
The first step in assessing allegations is to evaluate the validity of the claim and whether it meets the definition of research misconduct, considering any conflicts of interest the accused may have. Allegations are discussed with the corresponding author, who must respond on behalf of all coauthors if there is a possibility of scientific misconduct or significant research irregularities. After receiving and evaluating the response, further examination and consultation with experts may be needed. Clarifications or new analyses, published as letters to the editor, often suffice if wrongdoing is unlikely.
Institutions must investigate scientific misconduct claims thoroughly and properly. Ensuring the accuracy of the scientific record is a shared responsibility among authors, journals, and institutions. The Journal of Geo-environmental Sustainability will continue to uphold its duty of ensuring the validity and integrity of the scientific record, responding appropriately to concerns about scientific misconduct, and taking necessary actions such as corrections, retractions with replacement, and retractions.

Disputes and Appeals

The Journal of Geo-environmental Sustainability has a defined process for handling complaints against the publication, editorial staff, editorial board, or publisher. Complaints will be addressed by the relevant individual. Complaints can include issues related to the editorial process, citation manipulation, unfair editors/reviewers, peer-review manipulation, etc. Complaint handling will follow COPE regulations.

Ethical Review

Authors must adhere to ethical standards for research involving human and animal subjects. If the study involves chemicals, people, animals, techniques, or equipment with exceptional risks, authors must explicitly state this in the paper and provide legal and ethical clearance if requested. Confidential data and business/marketing strategies used in research should be securely protected.
The following paragraphs outline the duties and responsibilities of editors, authors, and reviewers to ensure excellent publication practices.

Editors' Obligations and Responsibilities

Publication Decisions

Editors ensure that every manuscript submitted for publication undergoes peer review by at least two subject-matter experts. The Principal Editor decides which manuscripts to publish, considering the work's validity, significance to researchers and readers, reviewers' comments, and relevant legal considerations. The Editor may consult with other editors or reviewers when making this decision.

Play Fair

Editors evaluate manuscripts based on academic merit, importance, originality, study validity, and clarity, without considering the author's race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, citizenship, religion, political philosophy, or institutional affiliation. Government policies or external organizations do not influence editing and publishing decisions. The Principal Editor has complete control over the journal's editorial content and publication timing.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must keep all submission details confidential, discussing them only with the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher if necessary.

Conflict of Interest and Disclosure

Editors will not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for their own research without the author's written consent. They will maintain confidentiality and not exploit privileged information or ideas for personal benefit. Editors will delegate manuscripts with conflicts of interest to other editorial board members.

Management of Unethical Behavior

Editors and publishers should respond appropriately to ethical concerns about submitted or published manuscripts, investigating even years after publication if necessary.

Authors' Obligations and Responsibilities

Reporting Standards

Authors must provide an accurate account of their work and results, followed by an objective discussion of the significance. Manuscripts should include sufficient detail and references to allow replication. Review articles should be thorough, objective, and comprehensive. False or intentionally inaccurate statements are unethical.

Data Access and Retention

Authors should be prepared to provide raw data for editorial review and retain it for a reasonable period after publication.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure their work is original and properly cite or quote others' work. All forms of plagiarism are unethical and forbidden. Manuscripts will be checked for originality using plagiarism detection software, and a letter of assurance of originality must accompany submissions.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publications

Authors should not publish the same research in multiple journals or submit a work under consideration elsewhere. Concurrent submissions are unethical.

Source Acknowledgment

Authors must properly acknowledge others' work and list sources that influenced their research. Unpublished information from third parties cannot be used without explicit, written consent. Confidential information gained through services such as manuscript review must not be used without written consent from the involved authors.

Authorship of the Paper

Authorship should be limited to those who significantly contributed to the research. Co-authors should be listed for significant contributions, and other contributors should be acknowledged. The corresponding author must ensure all co-authors approve the manuscript's submission.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

Authors must promptly notify the journal editor or publisher of significant errors in their published work and cooperate to retract or correct the manuscript.

Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects

Authors must disclose any hazards associated with their work and ensure all procedures comply with laws and institutional guidelines. Informed consent must be obtained from human subjects, and their privacy must be respected. Research involving humans must follow the Declaration of Helsinki guidelines.

Declaration of Competing Interests

Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could bias their work, including the role of sponsors in the research. Potential conflicts of interest must be stated in the manuscript.

Image Integrity

Image manipulation is prohibited except for clarity adjustments that do not misrepresent the original data. Authors must follow journal guidelines for graphical images and may be required to provide original images as supplemental material.

Duties and Responsibilities of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Reviewers assist the editor in making editorial decisions and may help authors improve their manuscripts through constructive feedback.

Promptness

Reviewers should promptly notify the editor if they are unable to review a manuscript or cannot complete the review in a timely manner.

Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and not share them with others without the editor's permission.

Standards of Objectivity

Reviews should be objective and constructive, avoiding personal criticism of the author. Reviewers should support their opinions with clear arguments.

Source Acknowledgment

Reviewers should identify relevant published work not cited by the authors and inform the editor of any substantial similarity between the manuscript and other published content.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must keep privileged information confidential and not use it for personal advantage. They should not review manuscripts where they have conflicts of interest due to relationships with the authors or related entities.