Ethics and Malpractice

Publication Ethics and Responsibilities

Kertas of Mathematical and Data Science (KMDS) is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. The journal is committed to ensuring integrity, transparency, and fairness throughout the peer-review and publishing process. Any form of publication malpractice, including plagiarism, data fabrication, or unethical authorship practices, is strictly prohibited, and all reasonable measures will be taken to prevent and address such misconduct.

KMDS serves the academic and professional community by publishing original, high-quality research that contributes to the fields of mathematics, statistics, and data science. We expect all contributors—authors, reviewers, and editors—to adhere to the highest ethical standards. The journal follows the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and aligns with best practices in handling ethical issues, retractions, and corrections.

Editorial Responsibilities

  • Editors are responsible for deciding which manuscripts meet the journal's standards and fall within its scope, based on originality, scientific merit, and relevance.

  • Editorial decisions are made impartially, without consideration of authors’ race, gender, ethnicity, religious belief, political views, or institutional affiliation.

  • Editors ensure that the peer-review process is rigorous, fair, and confidential.

  • Editors must not disclose information about submitted manuscripts to anyone outside the editorial and review process.

  • Editors must avoid conflicts of interest and may not use unpublished materials from submitted manuscripts for personal research.

  • Editors are accountable for maintaining the integrity of the published record by issuing corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary.

Editorial Board Responsibilities

  • Editorial board members must treat all manuscripts with confidentiality and impartiality.

  • They must disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from decisions where such conflicts arise.

  • Members are expected to evaluate submissions based solely on their academic quality and ensure transparency and consistency in the editorial process.

Reviewer Responsibilities

  • Reviewers must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential and not discuss or share them with unauthorized individuals.

  • Reviews should be conducted objectively, providing constructive, evidence-based feedback.

  • Reviewers should identify relevant prior work not cited by the authors and alert editors to potential ethical concerns, including plagiarism.

  • If unable to review within the required timeframe or if a conflict of interest exists, reviewers must inform the editors promptly.

  • Reviewers must avoid reviewing manuscripts where personal or institutional conflicts of interest are present.

Author Responsibilities

  • Authors must submit original work conducted in accordance with ethical standards and applicable regulations.

  • The manuscript must not have been published previously or be under review by another journal.

  • All authors must accurately represent their contributions and take collective responsibility for the content.

  • Proper citation of others’ work is required, and any conflicts of interest or financial support must be fully disclosed.

  • Research methods must be described clearly and with sufficient detail to allow reproducibility.

  • If an error or significant issue is discovered post-publication, authors must notify the editorial office to initiate appropriate action.

Copyright and Licensing

By submitting a manuscript to KMDS, authors confirm that the work is original and not previously published. Upon acceptance, authors agree to transfer copyright to the publisher. KMDS supports Gold Open Access, and all published articles are distributed under a Creative Commons license to facilitate global and unrestricted access to research.

A copyright transfer form must be completed upon acceptance and is available for download from the journal’s website.