Publication Ethics

Lestari: Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat, published by the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM), Muslim University of Maros, is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes articles resulting from community service activities in the fields of social humanities, science, environmentally sound technology, education, and health.

This statement of publication ethics serves as a guide for all parties involved in the publication process of Lestari: Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat, including journal managers, editors, reviewers, and authors.

This ethical statement is based on The Regulation of the Head of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) No. 5 of 2014 on the Code of Ethics for Scientific Publications, and follows the principles recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The code of ethics in scientific publication upholds three fundamental values:

  1. Neutrality, meaning that publication management must be free from conflicts of interest.
  2. Fairness, meaning that authorship rights are given to those who deserve to be recognized as authors.
  3. Honesty, meaning that all publications must be free from duplication, fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism (DF2P).

All manuscripts submitted to Lestari: Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat must be original, have not been previously published elsewhere, and are not under consideration by another publisher. The similarity index of the manuscript must be less than 30%, as verified by a plagiarism detection tool such as Turnitin.

Duties and Responsibilities

Journal Management
The journal management team is responsible for the overall publication policy and sustainability of the journal. Duties and responsibilities include:

  • Determining the name, scope, editorial policies, and publication frequency of the journal.
  • Appointing the editorial board and managing its composition.
  • Defining the formal relationship between publishers, editors, reviewers, and other parties when necessary.
  • Maintaining the confidentiality of all information related to the publication process.
  • Enforcing intellectual property rights, especially copyright.
  • Reviewing and disseminating journal policies to authors, editors, reviewers, and readers.
  • Ensuring regular and timely publication.
  • Managing financial and legal aspects to sustain journal operations.
  • Building collaboration and dissemination networks for the journal.

Editors
Editors are responsible for maintaining the academic integrity and quality of published manuscripts. Duties and responsibilities of editors include:

  • Balancing the needs of readers and authors.
  • Continuously improving the quality of journal publications.
  • Ensuring an objective, fair, and transparent review process.
  • Upholding academic freedom and objectivity.
  • Maintaining the integrity of authors’ academic records.
  • Issuing corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary.
  • Being responsible for the consistency of the journal’s style and format, while the content remains the author’s responsibility.
  • Encouraging authors to provide ethical clearance documents when applicable.
  • Promoting awareness of publication ethics among authors and reviewers.
  • Remaining open to new and differing opinions.
  • Avoiding decisions influenced by personal or external interests.
  • Assisting authors in revising manuscripts to reach publishable standards.

Reviewers (Peer Reviewers)
Reviewers play an essential role in assessing the scientific quality of manuscripts and assisting editors in making publication decisions. Duties and responsibilities include:

  • Conducting reviews objectively, constructively, and within the agreed timeframe.
  • Declining to review manuscripts when conflicts of interest exist.
  • Maintaining the confidentiality of the manuscript and not using any information for personal advantage.
  • Providing constructive comments and suggestions to improve the manuscript.
  • Evaluating manuscripts based on sound scientific reasoning.
  • Re-reviewing revised manuscripts at the editor’s request.

Authors
Authors hold the primary responsibility for the originality and integrity of their manuscripts. Duties and responsibilities include:

  • Ensuring that all listed authors have made significant contributions to the manuscript.
  • Being collectively responsible for the content of the article, including methodology, analysis, and conclusions.
  • Clearly stating all sources of funding or financial support.
  • Disclosing limitations of the research or community service activity.
  • Responding to reviewer comments professionally and promptly.
  • Informing the editor if the manuscript needs to be withdrawn.
  • Declaring that the manuscript is original, has not been previously published, and is not being considered elsewhere.

Plagiarism Policy

Lestari: Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat strictly prohibits all forms of plagiarism, data fabrication, and falsification. Any manuscript found to violate publication ethics will be rejected or retracted. Authors are encouraged to check their manuscripts using plagiarism detection software before submission.

Handling of Ethical Violations
If any ethical misconduct is identified in a submitted or published manuscript, the editorial team will act according to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. Actions that may be taken include:

  • Rejection of the manuscript or termination of the review process.
  • Retraction of published articles.
  • Notification to the author’s affiliated institution.
  • Prohibition of future submissions by the author.

References
Regulation of the Head of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) No. 5 of 2014 on the Code of Ethics for Scientific Publications.
Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) – Guidelines on Publication Ethics.