1. Ethical Principles and Editorial Commitment

The Journal of Integrated Elementary Education (JIEEd) is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, transparency, accountability, fairness, and ethical conduct throughout the scholarly publishing process.

This Publication Ethics Policy defines the responsibilities of authors, editors, peer reviewers, and the publisher in protecting the reliability and integrity of published research.

The policy is informed by the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), internationally recognized standards of scholarly publishing, and applicable Indonesian scientific journal accreditation requirements.

JIEEd upholds the following fundamental principles:

Originality, accuracy, and integrity of scholarly research.
Fair and independent editorial decision-making.
Rigorous, confidential, and impartial peer review.
Transparent authorship and disclosure of competing interests.
Ethical treatment of research participants, particularly children.
Responsible management and reporting of research data.
Transparent and accountable use of artificial intelligence.
Fair investigation of suspected research or publication misconduct.
Timely correction of the scholarly record when necessary.

This policy applies to all submitted and published manuscripts, including Original Research Articles and Review Articles.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts meet the journal's scientific, ethical, and publication requirements.

2.1 Research Integrity and Reporting Standards

Authors must present an accurate, complete, and objective account of the research undertaken.

Research methods, data, analyses, findings, and conclusions must be reported honestly and transparently.

Authors must not engage in:

Fabrication or falsification of research data or findings.
Inappropriate manipulation or selective reporting of evidence.
Misrepresentation of research procedures or participant information.
Unsupported conclusions or misleading claims.
Deliberate omission of findings that materially affect interpretation.
Fabrication of references, quotations, or scholarly sources.

Manuscripts must contain sufficient methodological information to allow readers to evaluate the appropriateness and credibility of the research.

Review Articles must accurately report their search, selection, appraisal, and synthesis procedures.

2.2 Originality and Acknowledgment of Sources

Authors must submit original scholarly work and properly acknowledge all relevant sources.

Ideas, data, text, images, instruments, and other materials derived from previous publications must be appropriately cited or acknowledged.

Plagiarism, inappropriate text recycling, misleading attribution, and citation manipulation are prohibited.

Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy, relevance, and authenticity of all references.

2.3 Multiple and Concurrent Publication

A manuscript must not be submitted simultaneously to JIEEd and another journal.

Authors must disclose related publications, overlapping datasets, conference papers, preprints, or other prior dissemination when relevant to assessing originality and publication overlap.

Multiple manuscripts derived from a single research project must demonstrate distinct scholarly contributions and provide appropriate cross-references.

Redundant or duplicate publication without adequate disclosure and editorial authorization is unacceptable.

2.4 Accuracy of Published Work

Authors who discover a significant error or inaccuracy in a submitted or published manuscript must promptly inform the editorial office.

Authors are expected to cooperate with reasonable requests for clarification, supporting evidence, correction, or other appropriate editorial action.

3. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship must accurately reflect genuine and substantial scholarly contributions to the research and manuscript.

Each listed author must have contributed meaningfully to the work, participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript, approved the version submitted for publication, and accepted responsibility for their scholarly contribution.

JIEEd does not permit:

Gift or honorary authorship: inclusion of individuals who do not meet authorship requirements.
Ghost authorship: exclusion of individuals who qualify for authorship.
Coercive authorship: inclusion of individuals through inappropriate pressure.
Purchased or fraudulent authorship: authorship obtained through improper financial or other arrangements.

Individuals who contribute without meeting authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately, with their permission.

JIEEd encourages authors to provide transparent contribution statements using the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) where applicable.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors approve the submitted manuscript, authorship order, and required declarations.

Any request to add, remove, or rearrange authors after submission must include a clear justification and documented agreement from the authors concerned. Changes require editorial approval.

4. Research Ethics and Protection of Participants

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international research-ethics requirements.

Authors must obtain appropriate ethical approval when required and report the relevant information in the manuscript.

Where formal ethical approval is not required, authors should provide an accurate explanation of the applicable ethical requirements and safeguards.

4.1 Informed Consent and Voluntary Participation

Research participation must be voluntary and based on adequate information about the study.

Participants must be informed of relevant research procedures, potential risks, confidentiality measures, and their rights, including withdrawal where applicable.

Consent procedures must be appropriate to the participants and research context.

4.2 Research Involving Children

As JIEEd publishes research in elementary education, particular attention must be given to the rights, dignity, safety, privacy, and welfare of children.

Research involving elementary school students must apply appropriate safeguards, including:

Parental or legal guardian consent is required where applicable.
Age-appropriate assent from participating children.
Protection against coercion or inappropriate pressure.
Respect for children's willingness to participate or withdraw.
Confidential handling of student information and educational records.
Appropriate management of research risks.
Permission for the publication of identifiable photographs, recordings, or personal information when applicable.

Permission from a school or educational institution does not automatically replace individual consent or child assent when these are ethically required.

Participation or refusal to participate must not unfairly affect students' educational opportunities, grades, or relationships with teachers.

4.3 Privacy and Confidentiality

Authors must protect identifiable participant information and comply with applicable privacy and data-protection requirements.

Personal information should be anonymized or otherwise appropriately protected unless disclosure is ethically justified and supported by valid authorization.

Special care is required when publishing classroom observations, interviews, case studies, assessment results, photographs, or recordings involving children.

5. Research Data and Transparency

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and appropriate management of research data.

JIEEd encourages transparent reporting and responsible data sharing where legally and ethically permissible.

Authors should provide data-availability information when applicable and explain any relevant restrictions.

Research data must not be fabricated, falsified, improperly manipulated, or selectively reported in ways that materially misrepresent the findings.

Editors may request relevant supporting materials when necessary to investigate credible concerns regarding research integrity.

Authors are not required to disclose data when doing so publicly would violate participant confidentiality, children's privacy, legal obligations, or other legitimate ethical restrictions.

6. Plagiarism and Similarity Screening

JIEEd uses Turnitin to support manuscript similarity screening.

The journal applies a technical similarity threshold of no more than 20%, in accordance with its Author Guidelines.

However, similarity scores are screening indicators rather than definitive evidence of plagiarism.

Editors assess similarity reports by considering the nature, extent, location, and attribution of overlapping material.

A manuscript below the threshold may still contain plagiarism or inappropriate text reuse. Conversely, a similarity report requires contextual evaluation before an allegation of misconduct is established.

Where necessary, authors may be asked to clarify similarities, correct attribution, revise the manuscript, or provide supporting documentation.

Serious or substantiated violations may result in rejection or other appropriate editorial action.

Automated AI-writing detection results must not be treated as conclusive proof that an author has engaged in misconduct.

7. Funding and Competing Interests

Authors must disclose relevant financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably influence, or appear to influence, the research or its interpretation.

Potential competing interests include financial relationships, employment, institutional affiliations, professional collaborations, personal relationships, and other relevant commitments.

Authors must also disclose research funding and, where applicable, the role of funding organizations in the research and publication process.

The absence of relevant competing interests should be explicitly declared when required by the journal.

Disclosure does not automatically disqualify a manuscript. It enables editors to evaluate and manage potential conflicts transparently.

8. Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence

JIEEd recognizes that artificial intelligence may support certain research and manuscript preparation activities when used responsibly and transparently, and in accordance with the journal's AI Use Policy.

8.1 AI Use by Authors

Authors remain fully responsible for all manuscript content, including material developed with AI assistance.

AI tools must not be listed as authors.

Substantive AI use must be disclosed where required, identifying the tool, its purpose, and the relevant stage of research or manuscript preparation.

Authors must independently verify AI-assisted references, claims, analyses, and interpretations.

AI must not be used to fabricate data, invent references, generate misleading findings, conceal misconduct, or process confidential participant information through unauthorized systems.

8.2 AI Use by Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers are prohibited from using generative AI to analyze, evaluate, interpret, or assess submitted manuscripts or to generate peer-review comments and recommendations.

Reviewers must not upload unpublished manuscripts, figures, tables, datasets, supplementary materials, or confidential editorial correspondence to external AI systems.

Peer-review assessments must be based on independent human scholarly judgment.

8.3 AI Use in Editorial Activities

Any permitted AI assistance in limited editorial or administrative activities must comply with confidentiality, data protection, and research integrity requirements.

AI-generated outputs must not replace independent peer review, editorial judgment, ethical investigation, or human responsibility for publication decisions.

The journal's separate AI Use Policy provides more detailed requirements.

9. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for maintaining the scientific quality, ethical integrity, fairness, and independence of the editorial process.

9.1 Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions must be based on scientific merit, originality, methodological rigor, strength of evidence, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's Aims and Scope.

Editors must not discriminate based on authors' nationality, geographical origin, gender, religion, institutional affiliation, professional status, or other characteristics unrelated to scholarly quality.

Editorial decisions must remain independent of inappropriate financial, institutional, commercial, or personal influence.

9.2 Fair Manuscript Evaluation

Editors must ensure that submissions receive appropriate initial screening and, where suitable, independent peer review.

JIEEd applies a single-anonymous (single-blind) peer-review system involving at least two qualified, independent reviewers for manuscripts proceeding to external review.

Reviewers must be selected based on relevant expertise, independence, and the absence of significant competing interests.

Reviewer recommendations are advisory. Final editorial decisions remain the responsibility of authorized editors.

9.3 Confidentiality

Editors and editorial personnel must protect unpublished manuscripts, reviewer reports, research data, and confidential editorial correspondence.

Unpublished information obtained through editorial responsibilities must not be disclosed or used for unauthorized personal or professional purposes.

9.4 Editorial Conflicts of Interest

Editors must disclose relevant competing interests and withdraw from handling manuscripts when their impartiality could reasonably be compromised.

Manuscripts submitted by editorial team members or individuals closely associated with the journal must be handled independently.

The submitting editor must not participate in reviewer selection, manuscript evaluation, or editorial decisions concerning their own work.

9.5 Editorial Accountability

Editors must respond appropriately to credible concerns about research integrity, procedural fairness, and publication ethics.

They are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record, including appropriate post-publication corrective actions.

10. Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers must conduct independent, objective, confidential, and constructive scholarly evaluations.

10.1 Competence and Timeliness

Reviewers should accept assignments only when they possess relevant subject-area and methodological expertise and can complete the review within the agreed-upon timeframe.

They should promptly inform editors when unable to complete an assignment.

10.2 Objectivity and Constructive Feedback

Reviews must focus on the manuscript's scientific content rather than personal criticism of the authors.

Comments should be specific, evidence-based, respectful, and relevant to the research question and methodology.

Reviewers should distinguish between essential scientific concerns and optional recommendations.

10.3 Confidentiality

Submitted manuscripts and related materials are confidential.

Reviewers must not share, distribute, reproduce, or use unpublished manuscript content without appropriate editorial authorization.

They must comply with the journal's restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence in peer review.

10.4 Competing Interests

Reviewers must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other interests that could reasonably compromise their impartiality.

Reviewers with significant conflicts must decline or withdraw from the assignment.

10.5 Research Integrity

Reviewers should inform the editor confidentially when they identify credible concerns regarding plagiarism, data integrity, unethical research practices, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, or other possible misconduct.

Reviewers must not independently contact authors or undertake unauthorized investigations.

They must not exploit the review process to obtain unpublished information or demand unnecessary citations to their own work.

11. Responsibilities of the Publisher

JIEEd is published by the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo Semarang, Indonesia.

The publisher supports the journal's scholarly mission and is responsible for facilitating an ethical, transparent, and professionally managed publication process.

The publisher is committed to:

Supporting editorial independence.
Maintaining appropriate publication infrastructure.
Promoting compliance with publication-ethics requirements.
Supporting the protection of scholarly records.
Cooperating with editors in addressing credible ethical concerns.
Ensuring that institutional or financial interests do not improperly influence editorial decisions.

The publisher respects the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief and authorized editors to make decisions based on scientific and ethical considerations.

12. Allegations of Research and Publication Misconduct

JIEEd takes credible allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously, whether raised before or after publication.

Potential misconduct includes:

Plagiarism and inappropriate text reuse.
Fabrication or falsification of research data.
Manipulation of images, findings, or analytical results.
Redundant or duplicate publication.
Fraudulent authorship or undisclosed authorship changes.
Citation or peer-review manipulation.
Unethical treatment of research participants.
Deliberate misrepresentation of research procedures.
Other serious violations of publication integrity.

12.1 Initial Assessment

Editors assess the nature, credibility, and available evidence supporting an allegation.

An allegation alone is not proof of misconduct.

The journal may request clarification or supporting documentation from the relevant parties.

12.2 Fair Investigation

Concerns are addressed through a proportionate process consistent with relevant COPE guidance.

The process may involve editorial assessment, communication with authors, independent expert consultation, or referral to relevant institutions when necessary.

Individuals with significant competing interests must not determine the outcome of an investigation.

12.3 Editorial Action

Depending on the evidence and the stage of publication, appropriate actions may include:

Requesting clarification or correction.
Returning a manuscript for revision.
Rejecting a manuscript when serious violations are substantiated.
Consulting an institution or other relevant authority.
Publishing a correction or expression of concern.
Retracting a published article when justified.

The purpose of these procedures is to protect research integrity and the scholarly record.

Detailed procedures are provided in the journal's Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy.

13. Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

JIEEd is committed to maintaining the accuracy and reliability of its published scholarly record.

When substantial errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the journal evaluates the available evidence and determines an appropriate response.

13.1 Corrections

Corrections may be issued when errors affect the accuracy, clarity, or completeness of an article but do not fundamentally invalidate its principal findings.

Correction notices should identify the original publication and clearly describe the changes.

13.2 Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be issued when serious questions regarding a publication remain unresolved and available evidence does not yet support a definitive conclusion.

13.3 Retractions

Articles may be retracted when their findings or conclusions are unreliable or when serious ethical or publication-integrity violations justify retraction.

Retraction may be necessary because of research misconduct, major honest errors, compromised peer review, unethical research practices, or other circumstances that materially undermine the reliability of the publication.

The primary purpose of retraction is to correct the scholarly record rather than punish authors.

Retraction notices must be clearly identifiable, publicly accessible, and linked to the original article.

Retracted articles should remain available with clear retraction identification unless exceptional legal or ethical circumstances require otherwise.

14. Complaints and Appeals

JIEEd provides opportunities for authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders to raise legitimate concerns regarding editorial conduct, publication ethics, or procedural fairness.

Authors may appeal editorial decisions when they identify substantial factual, scientific, or procedural grounds for reconsideration.

Appeals must be supported by a clear explanation and relevant evidence.

Disagreement with reviewer opinions alone does not guarantee reconsideration.

Complaints and appeals should be evaluated impartially by the Editor-in-Chief or an independent editor when necessary to avoid conflicts of interest.

The journal aims to respond within a reasonable period, taking into account the complexity of the issue.

Complaints may be submitted through the journal's official editorial contact.

15. Copyright, Licensing, and Intellectual Property

Authors retain copyright to their scholarly work in accordance with the journal's Copyright Notice.

JIEEd publishes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The license permits sharing and adaptation subject to appropriate attribution and applicable ShareAlike requirements.

Authors are responsible for obtaining necessary permissions when reproducing copyrighted figures, photographs, instruments, substantial text, or other third-party materials.

Compliance with copyright and licensing requirements does not replace responsibilities relating to participant consent, confidentiality, or research ethics.

16. Post-Publication Scholarly Discussion

JIEEd supports responsible scholarly discussion of its published articles.

Readers and researchers may communicate evidence-based questions, identify substantive errors, or raise concerns about the reliability of published findings.

Editors may seek clarification from authors, consult independent experts, or publish appropriate notices when warranted.

Scholarly criticism and post-publication discussion must be handled professionally, transparently, and with respect for relevant confidentiality and ethical requirements.

17. Policy Implementation and Review

This Publication Ethics Policy applies to all parties involved in the journal's publication process, including authors, editors, peer reviewers, editorial personnel, and the publisher.

JIEEd periodically reviews its ethical and editorial practices to ensure their continued relevance to scholarly publishing standards, research developments, technological changes, and applicable regulations.

Substantive policy changes will be communicated through the journal's official website.

Related Journal Policies

This policy should be read in conjunction with:

Ethical Guidance

This policy is informed by: