Publication Ethics

Sustainability: Educational Innovation and Local Identity is a peer-reviewed journal. This statement outlines the ethical standards expected from all parties involved in the publication process of articles in this journal—namely the authors, editor-in-chief, editorial board, peer reviewers, and the publisher (Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, Universitas Sultannah Nahrasiya). This statement is based on the COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

The publication of articles in Sustainability: Educational Innovation and Local Identity represents a significant contribution to the development of a coherent and respected body of knowledge. It reflects the quality of the authors’ work and the institutions that support them. Therefore, high ethical standards must be upheld by all parties involved—authors, editors, reviewers, publishers, and affiliated institutions.

The Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training at Universitas Sultannah Nahrasiya, as the publisher, is committed to its responsibilities in all stages of the publication process and ensures that commercial interests do not influence editorial decisions.

Allegations of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, and plagiarism. Editors will act in accordance with COPE guidelines to investigate such allegations and will retract or reject a manuscript where necessary.

The initial step involves assessing the validity of the allegation and identifying potential conflicts of interest. Authors will be contacted for a response. Further expert review may be sought. If no misconduct is found, a clarification or correction may be issued. Institutions are expected to conduct appropriate investigations when needed.

Publication Decisions

The editors of Sustainability: Educational Innovation and Local Identity are responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts are published. This decision is based on the significance, originality, and relevance of the work within the scope of the journal, and in accordance with applicable laws and ethical considerations.

Complaints and Appeals

Complaints concerning the journal, editorial staff, or the peer-review process may be submitted via the editorial contact. All complaints will be reviewed and handled in line with COPE procedures.

Fair Play

Editors evaluate manuscripts based on their intellectual merit without regard to the author’s race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or political beliefs.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff are required to keep all information about submitted manuscripts confidential and only disclose it to those involved in the review and publication process.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a manuscript must not be used in the editor's own research without the express written consent of the author.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer reviewers support editorial decision-making and help authors improve their manuscripts through constructive feedback.

Timeliness
Reviewers who are unable to review promptly should notify the editor as soon as possible.

Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents.

Objectivity
Reviews must be conducted objectively with clear and constructive arguments.

Acknowledgment of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant works not cited by the authors and report any plagiarism or significant overlap with other works.

Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers must not evaluate manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest with the authors, institutions, or companies associated with the submission.

Duties of Authors

Reporting Standards
Authors must provide an accurate and objective account of their research with sufficient detail for replication.

Data Access and Reproducibility
Authors should retain raw data and be prepared to provide access if required by the editors. They are also responsible for ensuring the reproducibility of their findings.

Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that their work is original and appropriately cite or quote the work of others.

Multiple and Redundant Publications
Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently.

Acknowledgment of Sources
Proper acknowledgment of prior work must always be given.

Authorship and Contribution
Only those who have made significant contributions should be listed as authors. All co-authors must approve the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
All funding sources and potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed in the manuscript.

Fundamental Errors in Published Work
Authors are required to promptly inform the journal if a significant error is found in their published work and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions.

Ethical Oversight

If the research involves hazardous procedures, human subjects, or animals, the authors must clearly state this and provide appropriate ethical clearance. For research involving sensitive or confidential data, authors must explain how such data is handled and justified.

Intellectual Property (Copyright Policy)

Authors retain copyright and license their work under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The full copyright policy can be accessed here:
https://journal.iainlhokseumawe.ac.id/index.php/sustainability/notice

Peer-Review Process Policy

All manuscripts submitted to this journal undergo a double-blind peer-review process. Full details are available here:
https://journal.iainlhokseumawe.ac.id/index.php/sustainability/peer

Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections

Readers may submit comments, discussions, or corrections related to published articles by contacting the Editor-in-Chief via email. Accepted discussions or corrections will be published in a subsequent issue as a Letter to the Editor. Authors may also reply to such correspondence, which will be published as a Reply to the Letter to the Editor.