Section A: Publication and authorship

1. 1. All submitted papers are subject to a strict peer-review process by reviewers that are experts in the area of the particular manuscript.
2. 2. The review process is a double-blind peer review.
3. 3. The factors that are taken into account in the review are relevance, soundness, significance, originality, readability, and language.
4. 4. The possible decisions include acceptance, acceptance with revisions, or rejection.
5. 5. If authors are encouraged to revise and resubmit a submission, there is no guarantee that the revised submission will be accepted.
6. 6. Rejected articles will not be re-reviewed.
7. 7. The paper acceptance is constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
8. 8. No research can be included in more than one publication.

Section B: Authors’ responsibilities

1. 1. Authors must certify that their manuscripts are their original work.
2. 2. Authors must certify that the manuscript has not previously been published elsewhere.
3. 3. Authors must certify that the manuscript is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere.
4. 4. The authors must participate in the peer-review process.
5. 5. Authors are obliged to provide retractions or corrections of mistakes.
6. 6. All Authors mentioned in the paper must have significantly contributed to the research.
7. 7. The authors must state that all data in the paper are real and authentic.
8. 8. The authors must notify the Editors of any conflicts of interest.
9. 9. The authors must identify all sources used in the creation of their manuscript.
10. 10. Authors must report any errors they discover in their published paper to the Editors.

Section C: Reviewers’ responsibilities

1. 1. Reviewers should keep all information regarding papers confidential and treat them as privileged information.
2. 2. Reviews should be conducted objectively, with no personal criticism of the author.
3. 3. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
4. 4. Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors.
5. 5. Reviewers should also call to the Editor in Chief’s attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.
6. 6. Reviewers should not review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

Section D: Editors’ responsibilities

1. 1. Editors have complete responsibility and authority to reject/accept an article.
2. 2. Editors are responsible for the contents and overall quality of the publication.
3. 3. Editors should always consider the needs of the authors and the readers when attempting to improve the publication.
4. 4. Editors should guarantee the quality of the papers and the integrity of the academic record.
5. 5. Editors should publish errata pages or make corrections when needed.
6. 6. Editors should have a clear picture of research funding sources.
7. 7. Editors should base their decisions solely on the papers’ importance, originality, clarity, and relevance to the publication’s scope.
8. 8. Editors should not reverse their decisions nor overturn the ones of previous editors without serious reason.
9. 9. Editors should preserve the anonymity of reviewers.
10. 10. Editors should ensure that all research material they publish conforms to internationally accepted ethical guidelines.
11. 11. Editors should only accept a paper when reasonably certain.
12. 12. Editors should act if they suspect misconduct, whether a paper is published or unpublished, and make all reasonable attempts to persist in obtaining a resolution to the problem.
13. 13. Editors should not reject papers based on suspicions; they should have proof of misconduct.
14. 14. Editors should not allow any conflicts of interest between staff, authors, reviewers, and board members.

Section F: Conflict of Interest Statement

All participants in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, and editors, must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could affect the review, interpretation, or publication of a manuscript. Conflicts may be financial, personal, professional, institutional, or otherwise capable of influencing objectivity.

Authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and funding sources at the time of submission. Reviewers should declare any competing interests and decline review assignments when impartiality cannot be maintained. Editors and editorial board members must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists.

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may result in corrective actions, including the publication of an Expression of Concern, article retraction, or other measures consistent with COPE guidelines. Transparency in the disclosure of competing interests is essential to maintaining the integrity and credibility of the scholarly record.

Section G: Handling Allegations of Misconduct

Research and publication misconduct includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, authorship disputes, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and peer-review manipulation. When misconduct is suspected, the journal follows the relevant COPE guidance:

1. 1. The editor gathers evidence and assesses the concern confidentially.
2. 2. The authors (or reviewer) concerned are contacted and given the opportunity to respond.
3. 3. Depending on the findings, actions may include requesting revision, rejecting the manuscript, or publishing a correction, expression of concern, or retraction.
4. 4. In serious cases, the matter may be reported to the institution of the authors or reviewers concerned.

Section H: Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern 

Correction (Erratum)

• Published when a small part of an otherwise reliable article is found to be inaccurate or misleading.

Retraction

• Issued when findings are unreliable because of misconduct or major error, or in cases of plagiarism or duplicate publication, in accordance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines. Retracted articles remain online, clearly marked as retracted, with a linked retraction notice.

Expression of Concern

• Issued when there is serious concern about an article but the investigation is inconclusive or still ongoing.

Section I: Appeals and Complaints

Authors who believe an editorial decision was made in error may submit an appeal to the Editor-in-Chief, explaining the reasons and responding in detail to the reviewers' and editor's comments. Appeals are considered by an editor who was not involved in the original decision, and the outcome of the appeal is final.

Complaints about the journal's processes, editors, or reviewers, and concerns about published articles, can be sent to melekit@uwks.ac.id. All complaints will be acknowledged and handled confidentially and fairly.