PUBLICATION ETHICS

Journal of Early Childhood Innovation and Learning is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and preventing publication malpractice. The journal strictly follows the ethical principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publication process — the editors, reviewers, authors, and publisher — are expected to adhere to these ethical standards.

1. Duties of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring the integrity and quality of all published content.
They must:

  • Make editorial decisions based solely on academic merit and relevance to the journal’s scope, without discrimination based on gender, race, religion, citizenship, or political beliefs.

  • Ensure that the review process is fair, objective, and timely.

  • Maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and not disclose any information to unauthorized parties.

  • Avoid conflicts of interest with respect to manuscripts under review.

  • Take necessary action when ethical concerns are raised, including correction, retraction, or clarification of published articles.

2. Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers play a crucial role in assisting the editorial decision-making process.
They must:

  • Evaluate manuscripts objectively, based on academic quality and relevance.

  • Maintain confidentiality of the manuscript and refrain from using any unpublished material for personal advantage.

  • Identify any relevant published work not cited by the authors.

  • Notify the editors of any potential conflicts of interest or ethical concerns (such as plagiarism, data manipulation, or duplicate submission).

3. Duties of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality and integrity of their work.
They must:

  • Submit only original works that have not been previously published or under review elsewhere.

  • Properly cite all sources that have influenced their work.

  • Avoid any form of plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or redundant publication.

  • Include all individuals who have made significant contributions as co-authors and obtain consent from all co-authors before submission.

  • Disclose any potential conflicts of interest and sources of financial support for their research.

  • Cooperate fully with editors and reviewers during the revision and publication process.

4. Publisher’s Responsibilities

Sekolah Tinggi Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan Al Islam Tunas Bangsa as the publisher of JECIL:

  • Supports the editors in maintaining academic integrity and ethical publishing practices.

  • Ensures that there is no influence of commercial or political interest in editorial decisions.

  • Works closely with indexing and archiving services to ensure long-term preservation of published materials.

5. Plagiarism and Misconduct

JECIL uses plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin or iThenticate to check all manuscripts prior to publication.

  • Manuscripts with similarity scores exceeding 20% will be returned for revision or rejected.

  • Proven cases of plagiarism, data manipulation, or unethical behavior will result in article retraction and author blacklisting in accordance with COPE guidelines.

6. Retraction Policy

JECIL follows COPE’s Retraction Guidelines. Articles may be retracted if:

  • There is clear evidence of unreliable findings due to misconduct or honest error;

  • The findings have been previously published elsewhere without proper citation;

  • It constitutes plagiarism or unethical research practice.
    Retraction notices will always include the reason for retraction and remain accessible in the journal archive.

7. Ethical Oversight

Any concerns about research ethics (e.g., involving human subjects or educational institutions) must comply with ethical clearance procedures and institutional review board (IRB) standards. Authors must include evidence of ethical approval where applicable.