Publication Ethics

 

Journal of Information Systems and Digital Technologies (JISDT) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Department of Information Systems, Kulliyyah of ICT, Internatiuonal Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). This policy outlines the ethical responsibilities of all parties involved in the publication process: authors, editors, reviewers, the publisher, and affiliated institutions.

These guidelines are consistent with the COPE Principles of Transparency, Best Practice Guidelines, and the COPE Code of Conduct (https://publicationethics.org).

We encourage the best standards of publication ethics and take all possible principles of transparency and measures against publication malpractices. The publisher plays its role of guardianship over all processes of publishing seriously, and we perform our ethical and other tasks.

 

Peer Review Process

A manuscript undergoes a double-blind review process. The reviews are managed by the section editors. Authors are required to upload revised versions and reply to reviewer's comments.

 

Publication Frequency

The Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology, The International Journal of Information Systems and Digital Technology (JISDT) is published twice a year - in July and January.

 

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

 

Plagiarism Policy

1. Policy Overview

The Journal of Information Systems and Digital Technologies (JISDT) is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. Plagiarism in any form is strictly prohibited and is considered a serious ethical violation. The following policy outlines JISDT stance on plagiarism and the specific actions that will be taken when plagiarism is identified.

2. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as the use of another person’s ideas, text, data, or work—whether published or unpublished—without appropriate citation or acknowledgment, thereby presenting them as one’s own. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Copying text, figures, tables, or results from another source without proper citation
  • Paraphrasing substantial content without acknowledgment
  • Self-plagiarism (reusing one’s own previously published material without disclosure)

Plagiarism is considered a form of academic fraud and can result in serious consequences including manuscript rejection, bans on future submissions, reputational damage, or institutional penalties.

3. Acceptable Similarity Threshold

All submitted manuscripts are screened for similarity using Turnitin.com. A maximum similarity index of 24% is allowed. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold will be returned to the authors for revision and resubmission.

4. Scope of Application

The plagiarism policy applies regardless of:

  • The source of the copied material
  • Whether the original source was itself plagiarized
  • Whether the source is known or anonymous
  • The type of publication (journal article, webpage, thesis, etc.)
  • Whether permission was granted by the original author
  • Whether the copied material is from the author’s own previous work (self-plagiarism)

 

5. Levels of Plagiarism and Consequences

Cases of detected plagiarism are reviewed by the JISDT Editorial Board, which will determine appropriate actions based on severity:

  • Minor Plagiarism Definition: A small sentence or brief excerpt is copied without proper citation, without affecting the originality of the work. Action: Authors will receive a warning and be asked to revise and properly cite the source.
  • Moderate Plagiarism Definition: A substantial sentence, paragraph, or data segment is copied without attribution, including uncredited use of other authors’ findings or interpretations. Action: The manuscript will be automatically rejected.
  • Severe Plagiarism Definition: A significant portion of the manuscript is plagiarized, including copied data, methods, results, or original ideas from other sources. Action: The manuscript will be rejected, and the authors will be permanently banned from submitting future work to JISDT.

 

6. Final Notes

JISDT reserves the right to update this policy at any time and take additional disciplinary action if warranted. Authors are strongly encouraged to ensure the originality of their work and properly cite all sources to maintain academic credibility.

 

Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Board

 

Publication Decisions: Editors are responsible for determining which submitted manuscripts meet the standards for publication, based on scholarly value, originality, clarity, and relevance. Decisions are made in alignment with the journal’s scope, ethical standards, and applicable legal requirements (e.g., copyright, libel, plagiarism).

Fair Play: Manuscripts are evaluated solely on academic merit, regardless of the authors’ race, gender, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, or political beliefs.

Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must treat all manuscripts in confidence and must not share any manuscript-related information with anyone outside the publication process—except the corresponding author, peer reviewers, editorial advisors, or the publisher.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Editors must not use unpublished material from submitted manuscripts for their own research without the author’s explicit written consent. Any potential conflict of interest must be disclosed.

Responsibilities of Authors

  • Reporting Standards: Authors must present an accurate and honest account of their research, with sufficient detail and references to allow replication. Fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of data is considered unethical.

  • Originality and Plagiarism: Manuscripts must be entirely original. Authors must properly cite or quote any content, ideas, or words derived from other works. All submissions are checked for plagiarism, and suspected cases will be acted upon in accordance with the AISM Plagiarism Policy.

  • Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication: Authors should not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. Submitting identical or substantially similar manuscripts to multiple journals constitutes unethical publishing behavior.

  • Acknowledgment of Sources: All sources of information, data, or prior research that influenced the manuscript must be properly acknowledged and cited.

  • Authorship Criteria: Only those who made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research should be listed as authors. Others who contributed in a more limited way should be acknowledged. The corresponding author must ensure all co-authors approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission.

  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that may influence their research or interpretation. All sources of funding must also be acknowledged.

  • Fundamental Errors in Published Works: If an author identifies a significant error in their published work, they must notify the editor promptly and cooperate to correct or retract the article as needed.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

While not explicitly detailed in the original version, the following section ensures clarity and completeness.

  • Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer reviewers assist editors in making publication decisions and help authors improve their work through constructive feedback.

  • Promptness: Reviewers should complete their evaluations within the agreed timeframe. If they cannot meet the deadline, they should notify the editor promptly.

  • Confidentiality :Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and not shared or discussed with others outside the review process.

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

  • Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant works that have not been cited by the author and report any suspected ethical issues, including plagiarism or duplicate submission.

 

Ownership and management

IIUM owns the journal and manages it through the office of IIUM Journal Publication and a team of Editors.

 

Publishing schedule

The The Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology, The International Journal of Information Systems and Digital Technology (JISDT) is published twice a year in May and November.

 

Publisher’s Responsibility

The IIUM Journal Publication will help ensure good practice is maintained according to the above standards.

IIUM Press is not responsible for verifying copyright permissions provided by the author. Any breach of copyright laws will result in retracting the published article/material and reporting to relevant authorities at the authors' institutions.

 

Procedures for dealing with unethical behaviour

Identification of unethical behaviour

  • If any misconduct or unethical behaviour is reported to the editor or publisher at any time. The information and identity of the complainant shall be treated with strict confidentiality.
  • In case of any report of misconduct or unethical behavior, sufficient information and evidence should be provided in order for an investigation to be conducted. All allegations shall be taken seriously and treated fairly.

 

Investigation

  • The editor shall make an initial decision. He may consult with or seek advice from the publisher/editorial board, if appropriate.
  • Evidence shall be gathered, while maintaining the strictest confidentiality at all times.

 

Minor breaches

  • A minor misconduct might be dealt appropriately by the editor himself. The author shall be given the opportunity to respond to any allegations.

  

Serious breaches

  • In case of serious misconduct, the editor, in consultation with the publisher/editorial board/experts, should make a decision on a suitable action, depending on the severity of the offence.

 

Outcomes (in increasing order of severity, to be applied separately or together)

  • Informing or educating the author or reviewer in case of a misunderstanding of acceptable standards.
  • A warning letter be issued to the author or reviewer found culpable of the misconduct.
  • Publication of a formal notice with details of the misconduct.
  • Publication of an editorial with details of the misconduct.
  • A formal letter to the head of the author's or reviewer's employers or funding agency.
  • Formal retraction or withdrawal of a publication from the journal altogether, including informing, Abstracting & Indexing services and the readership of the publication.
  • Barring on contributions from an author or reviewer for a defined period.
  • Reporting the case and outcome to a professional organisation / higher authority for further investigation and action.

 

Ethical Statement

The manuscript must represent original work by the author(s). None of the material should be covered by any copyright; if copyrighted material exceeding approximately 100 words from a journal article or approximately 500 words from a book is used, the author(s) has/have to obtained written permission for its use. Furthermore, the author(s) work should not infringe any intellectual property rights/secrecy laws of any person/organization/government/public or private agency, nor should it contain any defamatory matter.

IIUM Press does not bear any responsibility for verifying copyright permissions provided by the author(s). Any breach of copyright laws will result in retraction of the published article/material as well as reporting to relevant authorities at the authors' institutions. 

 

Copyright Notice

The Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology, The International Journal of Information Systems and Digital Technology (JISDT) follows the open access policy.

Consent to publish: The Author(s) agree to publish their articles with IIUM Press.

 

Declaration: The Author(s) declare that the article has not been published before in any form and that it is not concurrently submitted to another publication, and also that it does not infringe on anyone’s copyright. The Author(s) holds the IIUM Press and Editors of the journal harmless against all copyright claims.

 

Transfer of copyright: The Author(s) hereby agree to transfer the copyright of the article to IIUM Press, which shall have the exclusive and unlimited right to publish the article in any form, including in electronic media. However, the Author(s) will reserve the right to reproduce the article for educational and scientific purposes provided that written consent of the Publisher is obtained. For the article with more than one author, the corresponding author confirms that he/she is authorized by his/her co-author(s) to grant this transfer of copyright.