Ethics and Malpractice

Publication Ethics and Responsibilities

Kertas of Multidisciplinary Humanitarian Science (KMHS) is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of ethical publishing. We are committed to ensuring integrity, transparency, and fairness throughout the peer-review and publication process. Any form of publication malpractice is strictly prohibited, and every effort will be made to prevent, identify, and address such misconduct.

KMHS serves the global academic and practitioner communities by publishing original, high-quality work that contributes to the advancement of humanitarian knowledge and practice. We expect all authors, reviewers, and editors to adhere to ethical standards in line with the principles set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal maintains best practices for handling issues such as misconduct, retractions, and corrections.

Editorial Responsibilities

  • Editors are responsible for evaluating submissions based on academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

  • Editorial decisions are made impartially and are not influenced by the authors' race, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs.

  • Editors ensure a rigorous, fair, and confidential peer-review process.

  • Editors must protect the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and disclose no information outside the editorial process.

  • Editors must avoid conflicts of interest and are prohibited from using unpublished material for personal research.

  • Editors are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the published record by issuing corrections or retractions and investigating ethical concerns when necessary.

Editorial Board Responsibilities

  • Editorial board members must maintain confidentiality regarding all manuscript submissions.

  • Any conflicts of interest must be disclosed, and members must recuse themselves from decisions where such conflicts exist.

  • Board members are expected to uphold transparency and consistency in the review process and evaluate manuscripts solely on scholarly merit.

Reviewer Responsibilities

  • Reviewers must treat submitted manuscripts as confidential and may not share or discuss them with others.

  • Reviews must be objective, constructive, and based on clear evidence.

  • Reviewers should identify relevant, uncited work and inform editors of any concerns about plagiarism, duplication, or ethical issues.

  • If unable to complete a review in a timely manner or facing a conflict of interest, reviewers must promptly inform the editorial office.

  • Reviewers must avoid reviewing submissions in which there is a conflict of interest due to personal or institutional relationships.

Author Responsibilities

  • Authors must submit original research conducted ethically and in accordance with applicable laws and guidelines.

  • Submissions must not be under review or published elsewhere.

  • All authors must accurately reflect their contributions and take responsibility for the manuscript’s content.

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

  • Authors should describe methods clearly and provide sufficient detail for reproducibility.

  • Authors who discover significant errors or inaccuracies after publication must notify the journal promptly so appropriate action can be taken.

Copyright and Licensing

By submitting a manuscript to KMHS, authors confirm that the work is original and unpublished. Upon acceptance, authors agree to transfer copyright to the publisher. KMHS supports open access publishing, and all articles are released under a Creative Commons license to ensure free, unrestricted global access to knowledge.

A copyright transfer form will be provided upon acceptance and must be completed by all contributing authors.