Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

1. Ethical Principles and Scope

The International Journal of Multidisciplinary Inquiry (IJMI) is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record through responsible editorial practices, rigorous peer review, and transparent publication procedures. As an international, multidisciplinary, open-access journal, IJMI recognizes that research integrity extends beyond the originality of a manuscript to include the ethical conduct of research, the accurate presentation of findings, appropriate acknowledgment of scholarly contributions, and accountability throughout the publication process.

The journal's publication ethics framework is informed by established principles of responsible scholarly publishing, including guidance developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). These principles apply to all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher. Reference to COPE guidance does not imply membership or formal endorsement.

2. Editorial Governance and Independence

Editorial responsibility for IJMI is exercised through its Managing Editor and appointed Editors-in-Chief, supported by qualified peer reviewers and the journal's wider editorial structure. Manuscripts are considered according to their relevance to the journal's scope, scholarly contribution, methodological appropriateness, originality, and compliance with applicable ethical requirements.

IJMI is published by EDULINK EDUCATION CONSULTANCY, Malaysia. The publisher provides the administrative and institutional support necessary for the journal's operation while respecting the independence of editorial decision-making. Responsibility for evaluating manuscripts and determining their suitability for publication rests with the journal's appointed editorial team, in accordance with its established policies and academic standards.

Editors are expected to exercise impartial professional judgment, preserve the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, and manage submissions without discrimination based on an author's nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, religion, political views, or other characteristics unrelated to scholarly merit. Unpublished information obtained through editorial responsibilities must not be used for personal research or professional advantage without appropriate authorization.

Where an editor has a personal, professional, financial, or institutional interest that could compromise impartiality, responsibility for the manuscript must be transferred to another suitably qualified and independent editor. Manuscripts submitted by members of the editorial team are subject to the same scholarly and ethical requirements as other submissions, with appropriate safeguards against involvement in decisions concerning their own work.

Editorial decisions shall remain independent of article processing charges, institutional relationships, and other commercial considerations. The publisher and editorial team share responsibility for maintaining appropriate confidentiality, addressing publication ethics concerns, and safeguarding the integrity of the published scholarly record.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, and scholarly integrity of manuscripts submitted to IJMI. Submitted work must represent a genuine intellectual contribution and must not have been previously published or be under simultaneous consideration by another journal. Any relevant prior dissemination, including preprints, conference proceedings, or related publications, must be disclosed where appropriate so that the editorial team can assess the circumstances.

Research methods, analytical procedures, findings, and interpretations must be presented accurately and with sufficient clarity to permit informed scholarly evaluation. Authors must acknowledge relevant sources, distinguish their own contributions from those of others, and ensure that quotations, citations, tables, figures, and supporting materials are represented appropriately.

Authorship must reflect substantive scholarly contributions. All listed authors are expected to have approved the submitted manuscript, agreed to its submission, and accepted responsibility for their respective contributions. Individuals who have assisted with the research or preparation of the manuscript without meeting appropriate authorship criteria should be acknowledged where applicable. Any proposed changes to authorship after submission require a satisfactory explanation and agreement from the authors concerned.

Authors must disclose relevant funding, competing interests, ethical approvals, and the use of generative artificial intelligence tools in accordance with the journal's requirements. They are also responsible for securing necessary permissions for copyrighted materials and for ensuring that confidential or personally identifiable information is handled appropriately.

Where questions arise regarding the accuracy, originality, or ethical conduct of a study, authors are expected to cooperate with reasonable editorial inquiries and provide relevant explanations or supporting documentation. Authors who identify significant errors in their submitted or published work should promptly inform the journal so that appropriate action can be considered.

4. Research Ethics and Integrity

IJMI expects research to be conducted and reported in accordance with applicable ethical principles, institutional requirements, and relevant national or international regulations. The ethical obligations associated with a study depend on its disciplinary context, research design, participants, and the nature of the information collected.

Research involving human participants must appropriately address informed consent, voluntary participation, confidentiality, privacy, and the protection of participants from foreseeable harm. Where institutional ethical approval is required, authors must identify the approving body and provide relevant approval information. Where formal approval was not required or an exemption was granted, an appropriate explanation may be requested.

Studies involving animals, clinical procedures, sensitive information, or other activities subject to specialized ethical oversight must comply with the relevant requirements applicable to the research. The journal may request documentation or clarification where ethical compliance cannot be adequately established from the manuscript.

Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, deliberate misrepresentation of findings, and inappropriate duplicate publication are inconsistent with IJMI's publication standards. Authors must not present another person's intellectual work as their own, invent or manipulate research evidence, or conceal substantial overlap with previously disseminated material.

The journal may use similarity-screening tools as part of its editorial assessment procedures. Where similarity reports are obtained, the editorial team will consider the nature and context of the identified matches, including legitimate quotations, references, established terminology, and other appropriately attributed material. A numerical similarity score alone does not establish plagiarism or determine an editorial decision.

Concerns relating to research integrity may result in requests for clarification, further assessment, revision, rejection, or other appropriate action, depending on the seriousness and substantiation of the concern.

5. Generative Artificial Intelligence Use and Disclosure

IJMI recognizes that generative artificial intelligence tools may assist researchers with certain aspects of manuscript preparation, including language refinement, organization, and other supporting activities. Their use must remain consistent with the principles of transparency, scholarly accountability, and research integrity.

Authors are required to disclose material use of generative AI in preparing a submitted manuscript. Such disclosure should identify the tool used and explain the nature of its contribution. Authors who have not used generative AI should provide the corresponding declaration in accordance with the journal's submission requirements.

Responsibility for the manuscript remains entirely with its human authors. Authors must independently assess and verify AI-assisted material, including factual statements, references, quotations, analytical interpretations, and other scholarly content. The use of generative AI does not diminish the obligation to ensure originality, accuracy, methodological integrity, and appropriate attribution.

Generative AI systems cannot be credited as authors because they cannot approve a manuscript, assume responsibility for its content, or meet the accountability requirements associated with scholarly authorship.

Authors must not submit fabricated references, invented data, unsupported findings, or misleading representations of research procedures generated through AI tools. The use of such systems must also respect intellectual property, research confidentiality, participant privacy, and applicable ethical requirements.

Where concerns arise, the editorial team may request clarification regarding the extent or nature of AI assistance. Automated AI-detection results shall not, by themselves, constitute conclusive evidence of misconduct. Additional requirements are provided in IJMI's Generative AI Use and Disclosure Policy.

6. Peer Review and Reviewer Responsibilities

IJMI applies a double-blind peer review model to manuscripts that meet the requirements of initial editorial screening. Under this arrangement, the identities of authors and reviewers are ordinarily concealed from one another to support independent scholarly evaluation.

Reviewers are selected on the basis of relevant expertise, professional competence, and their ability to provide an objective assessment. The editorial team considers reviewers' evaluations when determining whether a manuscript requires revision, is suitable for publication, or should be declined. Responsibility for editorial decisions remains with the authorized editors.

Reviewers are expected to assess manuscripts critically and constructively, considering the clarity of the research purpose, engagement with relevant scholarship, methodological appropriateness, quality of analysis, coherence of arguments, and significance of the contribution. Comments should be expressed professionally, supported by reasoned academic judgment, and directed toward improving the quality of scholarly work.

Review assignments must be treated as confidential. Reviewers must not disclose, circulate, or use unpublished manuscript content for personal research or professional benefit. They should not upload confidential manuscripts or associated review materials to external generative AI systems without explicit journal authorization and appropriate safeguards.

A reviewer who lacks the necessary expertise, cannot complete an assessment within the agreed timeframe, or identifies a competing interest should promptly inform the editorial team. Suspected plagiarism, substantial undisclosed overlap, ethical deficiencies, or other serious concerns identified during review should also be communicated confidentially to the responsible editor.

The journal's detailed procedures for reviewer selection, manuscript evaluation, revisions, and editorial decisions are addressed in its Peer Review Policy.

7. Conflicts of Interest and Funding Disclosure

Transparency concerning competing interests is essential to maintaining confidence in scholarly publication. IJMI requires authors, editors, and reviewers to disclose circumstances that could reasonably influence, or be perceived to influence, their professional judgment.

Competing interests may arise from financial relationships, employment, institutional affiliations, personal connections, research collaborations, professional commitments, or other relevant circumstances. Their existence does not necessarily indicate misconduct or invalidate a scholarly contribution; however, appropriate disclosure enables the journal to assess whether safeguards are required.

Authors must submit a Conflict of Interest Declaration, including a statement confirming the absence of competing interests where applicable. Relevant funding sources should be acknowledged, together with any substantive role played by funders in the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or reporting of the research.

Editors and reviewers must disclose relevant competing interests before undertaking editorial or review responsibilities. Where impartiality cannot reasonably be maintained, the individual concerned should withdraw from the relevant process and an appropriate alternative arrangement should be made.

IJMI reserves the right to request additional information where a disclosed or subsequently identified competing interest raises questions concerning the independence or integrity of the publication process.

8. Research Misconduct and Post-Publication Actions

Allegations of research or publication misconduct will be considered according to the nature of the concern, the information available, and the principles of fairness, confidentiality, and proportionality. Concerns may originate from authors, reviewers, editors, readers, institutions, or other individuals with relevant information.

An initial assessment will determine whether the allegation warrants further inquiry. Depending on the circumstances, the journal may seek clarification from the authors, examine relevant manuscript or publication records, consult independent expertise, or communicate with the institution responsible for the research. Where appropriate, institutional investigations may be necessary to establish matters beyond the journal's authority or capacity.

Individuals concerned should be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to substantive allegations. The journal will seek to protect confidential information while ensuring that the integrity of the scholarly record is not compromised.

Where errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, IJMI may issue a correction, retraction, or expression of concern, as appropriate to the circumstances.

A correction may be issued when an identifiable error requires amendment but does not fundamentally undermine the reliability of the publication. Retraction may be considered where findings are unreliable, serious ethical violations are established, or the publication record requires substantive correction. An expression of concern may be appropriate where significant unresolved questions remain and readers should be informed while further assessment is undertaken.

Such notices should clearly identify the affected article, explain the reason for the editorial action to the extent appropriate, and remain linked to the original publication. Retraction serves to maintain the reliability of the scholarly record and does not necessarily imply a determination of deliberate misconduct.

9. Complaints, Appeals, and Policy Administration

IJMI recognizes the importance of providing reasonable mechanisms for addressing concerns about editorial conduct, manuscript decisions, publication procedures, and compliance with ethical standards.

Complaints should be submitted through the journal's official communication channels and should identify the matter concerned, the relevant circumstances, and any supporting information. The journal will assess complaints according to their substance and may request additional information where necessary.

Authors may appeal an editorial decision where there are reasonable grounds to believe that a material factual misunderstanding, procedural irregularity, or other substantive issue affected the assessment. An appeal should explain the grounds for reconsideration and provide relevant supporting information. Disagreement with an editorial decision alone does not establish grounds for an appeal.

Where practicable, appeals and complaints involving an editor should be reviewed by another suitably qualified individual who was not directly responsible for the matter concerned. The journal will seek to resolve concerns fairly and within a reasonable timeframe, taking account of their complexity.

The publisher and the editorial team are responsible for maintaining and reviewing the journal's publication ethics framework. Policies may be revised to reflect developments in scholarly publishing, relevant ethical guidance, operational requirements, or applicable legal obligations.

All participants in the publication process are expected to observe these standards and to contribute to an editorial environment characterized by academic independence, transparency, confidentiality, and responsible scholarly conduct.