Ethics and Malpractice Statement

PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE IN MALAYSIAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL GEOGRAPHY (MJTG)

The Malaysian Journal of Tropical Geography (MJTG) is a peer-reviewed international journal committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. The prevention of publication malpractice is a fundamental responsibility of the Editorial Board.
All parties involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the editorial team, are expected to adhere strictly to the journal’s ethical policies and to comply with the principles outlined below.

Editor's Responsibilities
1. Editors shall evaluate manuscripts solely on the basis of their academic merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope. Editors must not use unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research without the author’s explicit written consent.
2. Editors must ensure that each manuscript is evaluated for its intellectual content without discrimination based on sex, gender, race, religion, nationality, or political philosophy of the authors.
3. Editors are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the peer-review process and must not disclose the identity of reviewers to authors.
4. Editors must ensure that all information related to submitted manuscripts is treated as confidential prior to publication.

Editorial Board Responsibilities
1. The Editorial Board is responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts should be published, based on the journal’s editorial policies and the outcomes of the peer-review process.
2. The Editorial Board must ensure that all information related to submitted manuscripts is kept confidential.
3. The Editorial Board is accountable for all content published in the journal and has full authority to accept or reject manuscripts. However, published articles do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Editorial Board or the Management Team of the Malaysian Journal of Tropical Geography, the Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya.
4. The Editorial Board shall take appropriate and timely action when ethical concerns or complaints are raised regarding submitted or published manuscripts. This includes conducting fair, transparent, and thorough investigations in accordance with established ethical guidelines.

Reviewer's Responsibilities
1. Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be shared with or discussed with others, except as authorized by the editor.
2. Reviewers must declare any potential conflicts of interest related to the manuscript, the authors, or the research funding.
3. Reviews should be conducted objectively and constructively. Reviewers should avoid personal criticism and provide clear, well-supported evaluations and recommendations.
4. If a reviewer is unable to complete the review within the stipulated timeframe, the reviewer must promptly inform the editor so that alternative arrangements can be made.

Author's Responsibilities
1. Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. Any use of the work or words of others must be properly cited and acknowledged. Plagiarism in any form constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.
2. Authors must ensure that the manuscript has not been previously published and is not under consideration by another journal. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.
3. Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all eligible co-authors are included, that no inappropriate authors are listed, and that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript and agreed to its submission.
4. If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in a submitted or published manuscript, the author must promptly notify the editor and cooperate in correcting or retracting the paper. If the editor or publisher becomes aware of a significant error through a third party, the author is obliged to provide clarification, correction, or retraction as appropriate.

The ethical statement of MJTG is guided by the principles and best practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).