Publication Ethics

Al Furqan is committed to the highest standards of publication ethics. Our policies follow the COPE Core Practices and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, WAME). All parties involved (authors, editors, reviewers and the publisher) are expected to follow them.

1. Duties of editors

Fair decisions. Manuscripts are judged only on their scholarly merit, originality, clarity and relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to the authors’ race, gender, religion, nationality, institution or political views.
Confidentiality. Editors share information about a manuscript only with the corresponding author, reviewers and, where necessary, the publisher.
Conflicts of interest. An editor who has a competing interest (for example, a colleague, student or co-author of the authors) withdraws from handling the manuscript. Manuscripts submitted by editorial board members are handled by another editor and undergo the same double-blind review; their authors take no part in the decision.
Publication decisions. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision based on reviewers’ reports and editorial assessment, and is accountable for everything published.
No citation manipulation. Editors and reviewers never ask authors to cite the journal or their own work unless it is scholarly necessary.

2. Duties of reviewers

Help editors reach decisions and help authors improve their work, through objective, constructive and timely reports.
Decline if they feel unqualified, cannot report on time, or have a conflict of interest.
Treat manuscripts as confidential documents and do not use unpublished material for their own research, nor upload it to generative AI tools.
Point out relevant published work that has not been cited, and alert the editor to any substantial similarity with other publications or suspected misconduct.

3. Duties of authors

Originality. Submit only original work that has not been published and is not under consideration elsewhere. Properly cite and quote the work and words of others.
Data and sources. Present data, texts and sources accurately; fabrication, falsification and selective reporting are unacceptable. Be ready to provide primary materials (e.g. interview data, manuscript images) on request.
Authorship. List as authors only those who made a substantial contribution to the conception, research, writing or revision and who approve the final version. Changes in authorship after submission require written agreement from all authors.
Research ethics. Research involving human participants must obtain informed consent and protect participants’ privacy; ethical approval should be stated where applicable.
Disclosure. Declare funding sources and any conflicts of interest, and disclose the use of generative AI (see our Generative AI Policy).
Errors. Promptly notify the editor if a significant error is found in their published work and cooperate in correcting or retracting it.

4. Duties of the publisher

Universitas Tarbiyatut Tholabah Lamongan guarantees editorial independence, provides the infrastructure for publication, DOI registration and long-term preservation, and supports the editors in handling misconduct, corrections and retractions.

5. Handling misconduct

Suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication or falsification, citation manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest or authorship disputes are investigated following the COPE flowcharts. The authors are given the opportunity to respond. Depending on the outcome, the manuscript may be rejected, the article corrected or retracted, and the authors’ institution may be informed.

6. Corrections, retractions and expressions of concern

Correction (erratum/corrigendum): issued when a part of an otherwise reliable article proves to be misleading.
Retraction: issued when findings are unreliable because of misconduct or honest error, or in cases of plagiarism or duplicate publication. Retracted articles remain online, clearly marked “Retracted”, with a linked retraction notice.
Expression of concern: issued while an investigation is ongoing or inconclusive.

7. Complaints and appeals

Authors may appeal an editorial decision by writing to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days, explaining why the decision should be reconsidered. Appeals are assessed by an editor not involved in the original decision, who may seek an additional review. Complaints about the journal’s processes or staff can be sent to alfurqan@iai-tabah.ac.id; they will be acknowledged within 7 days and handled according to COPE guidance.