Publication Ethics

This Publication Ethics explains the ethical behavior of all parties involved in the publication of articles in Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE), including authors, editors, peer-reviewers, and publishers (Universitas Airlangga). This statement is based on Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

  1. ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR JOURNAL PUBLICATION

The publisher and editor of the Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE) are responsible for the journal's ethics. They are also committed to making editorial decisions that are not influenced by commercialization or outside pressure. The scientific method is supported and embodied by peer-reviewed articles. It is critical to agree on ethical standards for all parties involved in the publishing process: authors, journal editors, peer reviewers, publishers, and societies.

  1. PUBLICATION DECISION-MAKING
  • The editor of the Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE) holds full responsibility and authority for deciding which manuscripts are to be published. Editorial decisions are made based on the results of peer review and the manuscript’s scientific relevance, originality, clarity, and contribution to the field of epidemiology
  • Editors ensure that every decision is made independently, without influence from commercial interests, personal relationships, or conflicts of interest. The decision-making process follows the journal’s editorial policies, the advice of the editorial board, and applicable legal and ethical considerations, including those related to defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism
  • Editors may consult with other editorial board members or reviewers when necessary to ensure that decisions are fair, objective, and based solely on academic merit.
  • All decisions are made with integrity, transparency, and in accordance with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
  1. EDITOR POLICIES
    1. Editorial Principles
      • The editor is accountable for journal content and accountability based on procedures and policies that apply to maintain the journal's quality and integrity
      • Independence and editorial integrity are critical components of making fair and impartial decisions. This includes keeping decision-making separate from commercial and political considerations and ensuring that papers are reviewed solely on scientific grounds
      • The editor safeguards the author's material as well as the reviewer's identity. A web-based article submission system helps to support this confidentiality process
      • The editor offers advice to authors who promote transparency and accurate reporting. The author's obligation to declare funding sources and relevant financial and non-financial conflicts of interest is governed by the guide. Digital image files, images, and tables must adhere to field-specific standards. Images must not be altered in a misleading way from the original findings
      • The editor employs anti-plagiarism software to perform extensive plagiarism, duplication, or publication tests
      • The editor ensures the accuracy of published articles through the correction process. The editor takes action based on the severity of the errors. These actions include:
        1. Article replacement due to editorial errors or, in rare cases, a conflicting result that, if ignored, can pose serious health risks. The editor will replace the published article with a new one that has been corrected by the author and checked by editors, and this will be noted in the document's history and on the announcement page
        2. The published article contained violations of the professional code of ethics, such as multiple submissions, false claims of authorship, plagiarism, fraudulent use of data, or the like. Retracted means that the article content (HTML and PDF) has been removed and replaced with HTML and PDF pages stating that the article has been retracted in accordance with the Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE) policy
        3. According to the court's rulings, removing an article violates the law. In this case, the article will be removed and replaced with a notice stating that it was removed for legal reasons
  1. Editorial Processes
    • The Decision Whether to Review

The Editor will first review articles that are submitted to the journal. Papers may be rejected at this stage if they do not meet the journal's goals and scope, or if they are of poor quality. This is an objective decision.

  • Interaction with Peer Reviewers
  • The editor must choose a peer-reviewed who has expertise in the field of the article. The editor ensures that the review process is completed within the time frame specified. Editorial policy changes must be communicated to all peer reviews on a regular basis. Peer reviewers should be specifically asked to evaluate ethical issues in research and publication (that is, whether they believe the research was conducted and reported ethically, or if they suspect plagiarism, falsification, or excessive publication)
  • The editor has the authority to disqualify the reviewer if he fails to complete the assignment as specified above. Editors are responsible for monitoring the quality and timeliness of peer reviews and providing feedback to reviewers
    • Process of Articles To be Published

Articles to be published have been checked for plagiarism using the Turnitin application and corrected by an internationally certified professional proofreader

  1. Editorial Decision-Making
    • Editorial and Journal Processes

All editorial processes must be made clear in the author's information. Every editor must be aware of the journal's policies, vision, and scope. The Editor-in-Chief is ultimately responsible for all decisions.

  • Editorial Conflicts of Interest

Editorial conflicts of interest may not be involved in decisions about papers where they have a conflict of interest, such as if they work or have worked in the same institution as the author and collaborate with them, if they own shares in a specific company, or if they have a personal relationship with the author.

  1. REVIEWER POLICIES
    1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions

A double-blind review process is used by the journal. Peer review helps editors make editorial decisions and communicate with authors via editorial communication. Reviewers can also assist authors in improving the quality of their papers based on their expertise.

  1. Accuracy

If reviewers are unable to complete their review within the specified time frame, they must inform the editor immediately so that alternative arrangements can be made.

  1. Confidentiality

The received article must be treated as a confidential document by reviewers. They may not be shown or discussed with others without the permission of the editors.

  1. Standards of Objectivity

Papers must be evaluated by editors and reviewers based on their content. The review comment must be respectful of the authors. The reviewers must provide justification for their decisions and recommendations.

  1. Acknowledgments of Sources

The reviewer must identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the author. A reviewer should also draw the editor's attention to any significant similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper about which they are personally aware.

  1. Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Peer review information or special ideas must be kept confidential and not used for personal gain. Keeping this in mind, the author's identity is not revealed to the reviewer. As a result, it is expected that conflicts of interest between reviewers and authors be avoided.

  1. AUTHOR POLICIES
    1. Content of Article
      • The author is responsible for the contents of their publications and must use the methods of analyzing and displaying the correct data, checking calculations, and presenting data
      • The author must present the images, research tables, and other findings from the study honestly, with no falsification or manipulation of inappropriate or misleading data
      • To present their findings clearly and unambiguously, authors must attempt to describe their methods
      • The author must adhere to the reporting guidelines and write an article for the Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE)
      • When an author cites someone else's work, the identity of the work must be clearly written in both quotations and references
      • It is not permissible for authors to copy references from other publications if they have never read the cited work
      • For studies involving humans or animals, authors must:
        • Obtain approval from a recognized research ethics committee
        • Include the institution’s name and ethics approval number in the manuscript
        • State that informed consent was obtained from all participants (or their legal guardians)
        • Articles that lacking ethical approval considerations for human or animal subjects will be rejected for publication
        • Have been performed in accordance with the principles stated in the Declaration of Helsinki
  1. Originality
  • Copyright laws and conventions must be followed. Previous research findings must be acknowledged and properly cited
  • Data, text, images, or ideas derived from other sources must be properly cited
  • If the findings have previously been published or are being considered for publication elsewhere, the author must notify the editor
  • Adaptations for different audiences must be clearly labelled as such, must acknowledge the original source, and must adhere to copyright conventions and applicable permit requirements. Before republishing any work, the author must obtain permission from the original publisher
    1. Authorship and Acknowledgment

Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE) requires that all listed authors meet the following authorship criteria:

  • Contributed substantially to the conception, data collection, analysis, or interpretation of research findings
  • Participated in drafting the manuscript or providing critical revisions of its scientific content
  • Approved the final version of the manuscript prior to publication
  • Agreed to be accountable for the accuracy and integrity of all aspects of the research
  • Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgment section
  • Adding or removing authors after submission is only permitted with written consent from all authors
  • All research funding sources must be identified and disclosed, including direct and indirect financial support such as equipment or material supplies, as well as other support such as specialist statistics or writing assistance
  1. Adherence to Peer Review and Publication Conventions
    • Articles submitted to the Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE) must be original works that have not been previously published or are under consideration for publication elsewhere. Authors are not permitted to submit the same manuscript to another journal simultaneously while it is under review in JBE
    • After receiving conditional acceptance, authors must notify editors if they withdraw their work from review or choose not to respond to reviewers' comments. If the author wishes to withdraw their article during the review process, the journal will penalize them
    • Authors must respond to reviewers' comments professionally and promptly
    • Authors must notify editors immediately if they discover errors in any work submitted, received, or published. If a violation of the professional code of ethics is discovered in the Article, such as multiple submissions, false claims of authorship, plagiarism, fraudulent use of data, or the like, the author is expected to take joint responsibility for the integrity of the research and report and must cooperate with the editor in issuing a replacement, retraction, or removal, as necessary
  2. CONTINUITY AND TIMELINESS OF PUBLICATION

In the event of any delay or missed issue relative to the planned publication schedule (January, May, September), the Editor shall publish a formal announcement explaining the cause and will release the delayed issue at the earliest opportunity. Any historical deviations from the schedule will be documented in the journal archive.

  1. DATA SHARING POLICY
  • Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE) supports transparency and reproducibility in research. Authors are encouraged to make the data underlying their findings publicly available in recognized repositories whenever possible
  • Authors should include a Data Availability Statement describing where and how the data can be accessed, or the reasons for not sharing data. Shared data must ensure participant confidentiality and comply with ethical and legal standards
  • All datasets cited must be properly referenced in the manuscript
  1. ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT
  • Allegations of ethical misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, undisclosed conflicts of interest) will be handled according to COPE’s procedures
  • Complaints may be submitted via email to jbe@fkm.unair.ac.id with relevant supporting evidence
  • The Editor will conduct a preliminary investigation, contact the authors involved, and may consult the authors’ affiliated institution if necessary
  • Corrective actions may include manuscript rejection, article retraction, or temporary submission bans
  1. APPEALS PROCESS
  • Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions if they believe the review process was unfair or factually incorrect
  • Appeals must be submitted in writing within 30 days of the decision notice, providing clear justification and supporting evidence
  • Appeals should be sent to jbe@fkm.unair.ac.id, and will be evaluated by an editorial board member not involved in the initial decision
  • The appeal decision is final
  1. COMPLAINTS PROCESS
  • Complaints regarding editorial procedures, reviewer conduct, or publication ethics may be submitted by authors or readers to jbe@fkm.unair.ac.id
  • The editorial office will acknowledge receipt within 14 working days and aim to resolve the issue within 60 working days
  • All complaints will be handled confidentially and will not affect future publication opportunities
  1. CORRECTIONS, EXPRESSIONS OF CONCERN, AND RETRACTIONS POLICY
  • Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE) is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record
    • Correction (Erratum): Issued for minor errors that do not alter the study’s conclusions
    • Clarification (Addendum): Published to add important information post-publication
    • Retraction: Applied to articles involving serious ethical violations or significant methodological errors
  • All retractions will specify the reason and indicate whether they were requested by the author or editor, following official COPE procedures
  • Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions related to corrections or retractions by providing new evidence or clarifications within 30 days of notification
  1. ANONYMIZATION, CONFIDENTIALITY, AND INFORMED CONSENT
  • Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE) ensures the confidentiality of participants, reviewers, and editors throughout the editorial process
  • Breaches of privacy or unauthorized use of personal data will be treated as serious ethical violations
  • Author(s) must:
    • Remove all identifying information of participants from the manuscript
    • Obtain written consent when including personal data, images, or recordings
    • Clearly state in the manuscript that such consent has been obtained
  1. REVENUE SOURCES AND SPONSORSHIP
  • Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE) is funded Universitas Airlangga, without commercial sponsorship
  • The journal does not charge subscription fees, and all articles are freely available as open access
  • If sponsorship is introduced in the future, it will be transparently declared and will not influence editorial decisions
  • Currently, Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE) does not accept any form of commercial advertising. If this policy changes, all advertisements will be reviewed to ensure they align with the journal’s scientific mission and do not influence the editorial process
  1. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) POLICY
  • Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE) recognizes the increasing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in research, writing, and data analysis. To ensure the integrity and transparency of the scientific record, the following policy is applied:
    • AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, etc.) CANNOT BE LISTED as authors or co-authors. Only humans can take responsibility for the content of a published work. Authors are fully accountable for the accuracy, originality, and ethical integrity of the manuscript, including any content generated with the assistance of AI
    • Authors must clearly disclose the use of AI tools in the preparation of their manuscripts include language editing and to generate the idea. Disclosure should appear in the Acknowledgments or Methods section, specifying the tool’s name, version, and purpose
    • The use of AI to fabricate, falsify, or manipulate data or references; generate images or results without validation; create content that may misrepresent human authorship or ethical approval; is strictly prohibited and will be treated as research misconduct following COPE guidelines
    • Editors and reviewers may use AI tools only for administrative purposes (e.g., grammar checking or similarity analysis). AI tools must not be used to evaluate or summarize manuscripts or confidential content during peer review, ensuring confidentiality and integrity of the review process
    • Jurnal Berkala Epidemiologi or Periodic Epidemiology Journal (JBE) follows the COPE Core Practices and adheres to international publication ethics standards. Any suspected misuse of AI tools in submitted manuscripts will be investigated under COPE’s Guidelines for Ethical Editing and Misconduct Handling
    • If AI misuse is discovered after publication (e.g., undisclosed use or fabricated content), the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction in accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines