Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

Verba: Jurnal Bahasa Inggris is an open-access scientific journal published by the English Language Education Study Program under the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM), Universitas Muhammadiyah Sampit, Indonesia. The journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and publication ethics in accordance with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the National Journal Accreditation regulations (SINTA), and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) principles of transparency and best practices.

This ethical statement governs the responsibilities of all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, editorial board members, reviewers, and the publisher. All editorial processes in Verba: Jurnal Bahasa Inggris are conducted transparently, objectively, and free from commercial influence. As a fundamental requirement, manuscripts submitted to this journal must be original works, have not been previously published, and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Authors’ Responsibilities

Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that the submitted manuscript is an original work. Any use of ideas, data, words, or statements from other sources must be properly cited. All manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software in accordance with the journal’s plagiarism policy. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.

Data Access and Retention
Authors are expected to retain research data for a reasonable period after publication. Editors may request access to raw data for evaluation or verification purposes, in line with research transparency principles promoted by DOAJ.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
Authors must not submit the same or substantially similar manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. Duplicate or redundant publication constitutes unethical publishing behavior.

Acknowledgement of Sources
Proper acknowledgment of all sources used in the research is mandatory. Information obtained through private communication or peer review must not be used without explicit written permission.

Authorship of the Paper
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the research. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have approved the final manuscript and its submission. Author contributions follow the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) principles.

Conflict of Interest
Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation of the research results, including financial support, professional relationships, or other competing interests.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works
If authors discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their published work, they are obligated to promptly notify the editor and cooperate in correcting or retracting the article.

Editors’ Responsibilities

Publication Decisions
Editors are responsible for deciding which submitted articles should be published based on the results of a double-blind peer review process conducted by at least two independent reviewers. Editorial decisions are based on the manuscript’s academic quality, originality, and relevance to the journal’s focus and scope.

Fair Play
Editors evaluate manuscripts fairly and objectively without discrimination based on authors’ gender, ethnicity, religious belief, citizenship, or institutional affiliation.

Confidentiality
Editors must ensure the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not disclose any information about a submission to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and editorial board members as appropriate.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Editors must not handle manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest and should delegate such manuscripts to other independent editors.

Handling of Unethical Publishing Behavior
Editors will take appropriate actions in response to ethical complaints or suspected misconduct in accordance with COPE guidelines, including investigation, clarification, correction, or retraction when necessary.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Reviewers assist editors in making editorial decisions and help improve the quality of manuscripts by providing constructive and scholarly feedback.

Promptness
Reviewers should complete reviews within the agreed timeframe or notify the editor if they are unable to perform the review.

Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be used for personal advantage.

Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively, with clear arguments and supported by scholarly evidence. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.

Conflict of Interest
Reviewers must not review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest with the authors, institutions, or funding bodies.

Publisher’s Responsibilities

As the publisher, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sampit ensures that editorial decisions are independent and not influenced by commercial interests. The publisher supports best practices in publication ethics, open access dissemination, and the handling of corrections, clarifications, and retractions in accordance with international standards.

MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

Any suspected ethical misconduct will be handled seriously and transparently following the COPE Flowcharts. Manuscripts that violate publication ethics will be rejected prior to publication. Published articles may be subject to correction, expression of concern, or retraction. Verba: Jurnal Bahasa Inggris is committed to safeguarding academic integrity and maintaining the credibility of scholarly publishing in accordance with SINTA and DOAJ standards.