Ethical Statement

Ethical Statement

The Langkit Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that adopts a double-blind review system. Editors, reviewers, and authors are expected to follow the ethical standards in research and publications. The journal supports and adheres to the guidelines of the Committee on Publications Ethics (COPE).

The Journal only accepts original works, free of plagiarism, and not under consideration by another journal. It has the right to retract a work that, after publication, is discovered to have breached research and publication ethics.

Authorship

The journal defines an author as one who has made a significant academic contribution to the article and its revision when asked for. Authors should also be accountable for their submissions by ensuring that facts are accurate, that all borrowed ideas and extracts from other works are properly cited, and that submissions do not contain libelous statements contrary to the law.  

Langkit does not settle questions of authorship, which the contributing authors should have settled before submission. The journal expects that the order of authors in the byline has already been agreed upon before submission, and foremost in the discussion should be the relative contribution by every author toward the study and writing of the manuscript.  

            Authors are advised to include in their submission the following,

  1. Author’s Contribution. A description of the contribution by every author to the research and writing of the article in the case of articles with two or more authors. Categories of description include concept, design, literature search, data acquisition, data analysis, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review.
  2. Conflict of Interest Disclosure. A possible conflict of interest must be disclosed to the editors of Langkit before submission.
  3. Acknowledgement of research and publication funds, and individuals who helped in the research phase, but whose contribution does not warrant authorship.
  4. Ethics Approval. Approval of the study submitted for publication by a certified Institutional Research Ethics Review Board.
  5. Similarity Checker Results. Authors need to submit a similarity checker (e.g., Turnitin) result with a similarity index not higher than 15%.

Affiliations

Misrepresentation of affiliation is unacceptable. Authors who transferred institutions before the publication of their work must retain their first institution, and the current institution mentioned in the Acknowledgement of the Notes section. Authors whose work was derived from a dissertation or thesis must list the name of their school, but only after the institution in which they are employed. Change of affiliation is not a valid reason to remove an author if the authorship criteria are met. 

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

            The Langkit Journal adheres to the MSU–Iligan Institute of Technology Ethical Use of AI Policy. To promote transparency and provide clear guidance to authors, readers, and reviewers regarding the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies, the Journal reiterates the following policies:

  1. The use of AI is limited to grammar and sentence refinement, as well as the organization of ideas to improve clarity.
  2. The use of AI is strictly prohibited in sections involving core analysis, arguments, and conclusions. The Journal upholds the primacy of original thinking and the generation of new ideas.

Plagiarism and Malpractice Policy

Plagiarism or the use of unattributed text, including and/or data from a previously published work, without consent or acknowledgement, is strictly prohibited. This also includes prior publication by the author. To prevent plagiarism, all submissions should include similarity checker results with a similarity index not higher than 15%. Based on the result of this similarity checker, the editors of Langkit have the final decision to consider for review or reject the submission.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

The Editor-in-chief (EIC) oversees the publication processes and production of the journal. They are responsible for the content of the journal as well as its decision-making processes. They assign the Section Editors for each submission, approve the selection of external reviewers, and have the final approval on the decision of the submitted articles.

The Section Editors manage the peer review process of the articles assigned to them. They are responsible for the initial evaluation of the submissions in terms of adherence to the guidelines prescribed by the Journal. They also select reviewers and make recommendations on acceptance. Section Editors communicate with authors on the need to revise the manuscript. They help identify emerging research themes, solicit manuscripts, organize special issues and promote the Journal in their academic communities.

The Managing Editor (ME) oversees the daily operations of the Journal. In coordination with the EIC, they vet reviewers and their affiliations and enforce ethical guidelines such as checking for plagiarism and verifying authors’ affiliations. They also manage the social media account and submission system of the journal and remind Section Editors of deadlines and other tasks that they need to complete. The ME also sends certificates of review to the reviewers. Additionally, the ME manages the website of the Journal to ensure its aesthetic appeal and technical quality.  They also assist the Section editors in the marketing of the Journal and facilitate the necessary requirements for indexing. In coordination with the layout artist, the ME also ensures the online publication of the Journal.

The Members of the International Editorial Board assist the MSU-IIT Editorial Board in the dissemination and strengthening the presence of the journal in the international scene; review articles; provide advice and mentorship on journal policies and its direction; and help the EIC  in resolving conflicts in decisions regarding submissions and editorial policies.

The EIC and the Editorial Board are guided by the journal’s principles as well as the laws of the Philippines concerning libel, copyright infringement, ownership, and plagiarism in following the processes of publication and production of the journal.

The Editorial Board is guided by fairness, objectivity, and confidentiality in the evaluation of submissions for their intellectual quality. To ensure that these will be observed, parties who have access to the submissions’ information are the authors/s, EIC, and, in some instances, members of the Editorial Board.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Journal reviewers play a critical role in the academic publishing process by evaluating the scientific quality of the submitted articles. They are chosen for their scholarship and reputation in their respective fields. Through the review form of the Journal, they assess the originality, importance, and accuracy of the research, including methodology, data analysis, and conclusion. More importantly, they provide constructive feedback and offer detailed suggestions to authors on how to improve the manuscript. Reviewers are the first step in editorial decisions; they recommend to editors whether the manuscript can be accepted, revised, or rejected. Reviewers are also encouraged to submit the reviews on time to facilitate efficient publication processes.

Peer Review Process

The Journal follows the double blind review process. The steps outlined below are to be followed to facilitate the review process:

  1. Preliminary review. All submitted manuscripts through the submission system of the Journal are initially reviewed by the Section Editors for compliance with the guidelines of the Journal, particularly on the technical conventions/aspects and completeness of submission. If the articles are deemed to be lacking, they are returned to the authors. If the articles are satisfactory, then the Section Editors evaluate them for content and decide whether the articles are substantial enough to be sent to external reviewers.
  2. Peer review process. The manuscripts that passed the preliminary review are sent to two external reviewers. Manuscripts should not bear any indications of the identity of authors. Using the review form of the journal, the reviewers assess the manuscript’s quality, validity, significance, and clarity based on its content, methodology, and contribution to the scholarly field. The reviewers are given at least two months to review the articles.
  3. Editor’s decision. Based on the reviewers’ recommendation, the editor makes one of the following decisions:

Accept: The paper is ready for publication

Minor revisions: The author must make small changes before acceptance.

Resubmit for second round : The author must make significant changes, and the paper will likely undergo another round of review.

Reject/Decline: The paper is not suitable for publication in the journal.

  1. Communication and revision. The Section Editor sends the reviewers’ anonymous reviews to the author. The author revises the manuscripts accordingly and submits them again for review, if necessary. Depending on the depth and gravity of the feedback, the author is given a maximum of 45 days to revise the manuscript.
  2. Acceptance and publication. Once a manuscript is finally accepted, it proceeds to the production phase and is published.

Complaints and Appeals

The Journal generally follows COPE guidelines to manage complaints and appeals. The Journal commits to address key concerns like processes, editorial decisions, and research misconduct. Authors can appeal rejections if they suspect policy violations or misunderstandings. Other concerns like delays, conflicts of interests and ethical breaches are also addressed by the Journal.

Langkit’s processes of handling such complaints and appeals are the following:

  1. The complainant sends a detailed complaint addressed to the EIC through its official email address: langkit@g.msuiit.edu.ph.
  2. The Editorial Board acknowledges the complaint within five working days and assigns the Managing Editor to check its veracity and validity.
  3. The Editorial Board members, excluding the involved member, review and investigate the case. They may request a member of the International Editorial Board to be part of the investigation should they need further assistance and expertise. Should it not be resolved in this level, then the complaint will be brought to the Office of the Research Dissemination (of which the Journal is under) or if it involves issues, to the Ethics Committee of the University.
  4. A final decision is made, which may include corrections, retractions, or apologies.
  5. The complainant is informed of the outcome once the decision has been reached.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest, and Other Issues

            Disclosures of conflicts of interest (CI) and other issues ensure the integrity of an academic journal. It also allows readers to evaluate potential biases. Thus, Langkit requires all authors and reviewers to include disclosure of  CI and other issues in their submissions. Such conflicts include financial aspects like funding, employment and  copyright issues.

            Non-disclosure of CI may lead to corrections or retractions of the publication of articles.