Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The International Journal of Shariah in Economics and Governance (IJSEG) is a peer-reviewed international journal committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, and responsible scholarly communication. The prevention of publication malpractice is a fundamental responsibility shared by all participants in the publication process.

Accordingly, authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the Editorial Board are expected to uphold the principles of academic integrity and to comply with the ethical standards set out in this statement. IJSEG's publication ethics principles are informed by the guidelines and best practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Editor's Responsibilities

Editors shall evaluate submitted manuscripts objectively and exclusively on the basis of their academic quality, originality, significance, methodological rigour, and relevance to the scope of the journal, without discrimination based on the author's gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, institutional affiliation, political views, or other personal characteristics.
Editors shall maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and shall not disclose information about a manuscript to anyone other than the relevant authors, reviewers, editors, and authorised journal personnel.
Editors shall ensure the integrity, fairness, and confidentiality of the peer-review process. Under the journal's applicable review model, editors shall take appropriate measures to protect the identities of authors and reviewers.
Editors shall not use unpublished information or materials contained in submitted manuscripts for their own research or personal advantage without the explicit written permission of the authors.
Editors shall identify and manage potential conflicts of interest and shall not participate in editorial decisions concerning manuscripts in which they have a personal, professional, financial, or other competing interest.
Editors shall take appropriate and timely action when they receive credible allegations concerning plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, authorship disputes, conflicts of interest, or other forms of publication misconduct.
Where ethical concerns arise, editors shall conduct or facilitate a fair and appropriate investigation and, where necessary, issue corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, or other appropriate notices in accordance with established publication-ethics principles.

Editorial Board Responsibilities

The Editorial Board is responsible for maintaining the academic quality and ethical integrity of the journal and for making or overseeing decisions concerning the publication of submitted manuscripts.
Editorial decisions shall be based on the scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, relevance, and contribution of manuscripts, and shall not be influenced by commercial, personal, political, or other inappropriate considerations.
Members of the Editorial Board shall maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and all information obtained through the editorial and peer-review process.
Members of the Editorial Board shall disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest and shall recuse themselves from editorial decisions where appropriate.
The Editorial Board shall take reasonable and timely measures in response to substantiated allegations or concerns relating to publication ethics and research integrity.
The publication of an article does not necessarily imply that its contents represent the views or official position of the Editorial Board, the Management Team, the Department of Shariah, Economics and Governance, the Academy of Islamic Studies, or Universiti Malaya, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Reviewer's Responsibilities

Manuscripts received for review shall be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers shall not disclose, copy, distribute, use, or discuss the manuscript or its contents with any third party without prior authorisation from the editor.
Reviewers shall provide objective, constructive, fair, and evidence-based assessments. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate.
Reviewers shall disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest that could affect their objectivity. A reviewer should decline an invitation where a significant conflict of interest exists.
Reviewers shall not use unpublished information, arguments, data, or ideas obtained through the peer-review process for personal research or other purposes without the author's permission.
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors where such omissions are significant. Any allegation of substantial similarity between the manuscript under review and another published or unpublished work should be brought confidentially to the attention of the editor.
Reviewers should accept assignments only when they possess appropriate expertise and can provide a timely and thorough assessment.
If a reviewer is unable to complete the review within the stipulated period, the reviewer should promptly inform the editor so that an alternative reviewer may be appointed.

Authors' Responsibilities

Authors must ensure that their submitted work is original and that all sources, ideas, data, quotations, and other contributions derived from the work of others are appropriately acknowledged and cited. Plagiarism, including substantial unattributed use of another person's work, is unacceptable.
Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. Duplicate, redundant, or overlapping publication must be disclosed to the editor where relevant.
Authors must ensure that the manuscript accurately represents the research undertaken and that the data, findings, interpretations, and conclusions are presented honestly and transparently. Fabrication, falsification, manipulation of data, and other forms of research misconduct are unacceptable.
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the research and who have participated sufficiently in the work to take responsibility for their contribution.
The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all legitimate contributors are appropriately recognised as authors, that no inappropriate authors are included, and that all listed authors have approved the final manuscript and agreed to its submission for publication.
Individuals who have contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged, with their permission where applicable.
Authors must disclose any financial, professional, personal, or other relationships that could constitute a potential conflict of interest.
Authors should disclose the sources of funding and other forms of financial or institutional support relevant to the research and publication.
Where applicable, authors must ensure that research involving human participants, personal data, animals, or other regulated subjects has received the appropriate ethical approval and complies with relevant institutional and legal requirements.
Authors must cooperate with the editors in addressing questions concerning the accuracy, integrity, originality, authorship, or ethical conduct of the research.
If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in a manuscript after submission, the author must promptly notify the editor and cooperate in correcting the manuscript.
If a significant error is identified after publication, authors have a responsibility to promptly inform the journal and cooperate with the editor in issuing an appropriate correction, retraction, or other necessary notice.

Allegations of Publication Misconduct

IJSEG takes allegations of publication misconduct seriously. Such allegations may include, but are not limited to:

Plagiarism or substantial unattributed use of published or unpublished work;
Fabrication or falsification of research data;
Duplicate or redundant publication;
Inappropriate or disputed authorship;
Undisclosed conflicts of interest;
Manipulation or inappropriate interference with the peer-review process;
Unethical research practices; and
Other forms of academic or publication misconduct.

Where a credible concern is raised, IJSEG will assess the matter fairly and confidentially and may undertake an appropriate investigation. The journal may request explanations, supporting documentation, institutional clarification, or other relevant evidence where necessary.

Where misconduct is established or a serious error affects the integrity of the published record, IJSEG may publish a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other appropriate editorial notice.

Corrections and Retractions

IJSEG is committed to preserving the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. When errors or ethical concerns are identified in published material, the journal will take appropriate corrective action proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the issue.

Corrections will normally be issued where a factual or substantive error does not invalidate the overall scholarly contribution of the article. Retraction may be considered where the published work contains serious errors, unreliable findings, plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, or other circumstances that substantially compromise the integrity of the publication.

Any correction or retraction will be documented transparently and linked to the affected publication where technically possible.

Editorial Independence

IJSEG is committed to editorial independence. Editorial decisions shall be based on scholarly and ethical considerations and shall not be improperly influenced by commercial interests, personal relationships, institutional pressure, political considerations, or other external factors.

Ethical Framework

The ethical principles of IJSEG are informed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and relevant international standards of responsible scholarly publishing. The journal may refer to established publication-ethics guidance when addressing complex or exceptional cases of suspected misconduct.

All authors, reviewers, editors, and Editorial Board members are expected to cooperate in maintaining the integrity, credibility, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record.