Publication Ethics

FORUM is a scholarly journal publishing academic articles on developments in philosophy and theology. The journal accepts original articles that have not been published or are not under consideration elsewhere. FORUM is firmly committed to upholding strict and accountable publication ethics, applying these standards to the publisher, editors, reviewers, and authors involved in the publication process.

Publisher’s Responsibilities

  1. FORUM ensures the protection of privacy, intellectual property rights, copyright, and editorial independence.
  2. The publisher upholds academic freedom for editors and reviewers in carrying out their duties.
  3. All published articles have been properly edited, peer-reviewed, and formatted according to scholarly journal standards.

Editors’ Responsibilities

  1. Editors are responsible for determining the suitability of submitted articles, adhering to legal provisions concerning defamation, copyright, and plagiarism.
  2. Editors and the editorial team maintain the confidentiality of all information related to submitted manuscripts unless explicit permission is granted by the author.
  3. Editorial decisions are made fairly, without commercial or personal bias, and in line with the peer-review process.
  4. Decisions are not influenced by an author's race, gender, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, or political ideology.
  5. Editors may not use unpublished materials from submitted manuscripts for personal research or benefit without written consent from the author. Confidential information obtained during the review process must be kept private and not used for personal advantage.

Authors’ Responsibilities

  1. Authors are responsible for preparing manuscripts ethically, honestly, and accountably, following the accepted conventions of academic writing.
  2. Authors must ensure their work meets publication requirements, including originality, absence of plagiarism, and not being submitted or published elsewhere.
  3. Authors are obligated to present their research and ideas clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation.
  4. Authors are responsible for providing accurate information and confirmations related to the submitted manuscript.
  5. Proper acknowledgment of the work and ideas of others must be given through appropriate citations and referencing.
  6. Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal or publication simultaneously.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

  1. Reviewers assist editors in making editorial decisions by providing objective, well-argued, and constructive feedback.
  2. Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of all manuscript information and may not use it for personal advantage.
  3. Reviewers are responsible for identifying any issues related to citations, referencing, and potential plagiarism in the manuscripts they review.
  4. Reviewers are accountable for providing clear recommendations regarding the suitability of manuscripts for publication.

 

Dealing with Misconduct

To uphold its publication ethics, FORUM applies the following procedures in cases of ethical violations:

  1. The journal has clear policies to detect and address instances of plagiarism, data fabrication, and other research misconduct.
  2. Authorship must reflect significant contributions to the research, and all listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript.
  3. FORUM provides a transparent mechanism for resolving disputes and conflicts relating to publication ethics.
  4. If research misconduct or errors are identified after publication, appropriate measures such as retractions, corrections, or editorial notes will be issued.
  5. Investigations into alleged misconduct are conducted fairly, impartially, and confidentially, with appropriate action taken when misconduct is confirmed.

 

Screening for Plagiarism

All manuscripts submitted to FORUM are subject to plagiarism screening using Turnitin software. The journal applies a maximum similarity tolerance of 20%. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold will be returned to the author for revision or rejected.

 

Digital Archiving

FORUM utilizes the following digital archiving systems to preserve its published content and ensure ongoing accessibility:

  • Indonesia One Search (IOS)
  • Indonesian Scientific Journal Database (ISJD)
  • Garuda (Garba Rujukan Digital)

These services enable participating libraries to create permanent archives of this journal’s content for preservation and restoration purposes.

 

Review Guidelines

All manuscripts submitted to FORUM undergo a double-blind peer review process by a minimum of two qualified reviewers based on their expertise in relevant fields. Reviewers provide objective assessments and recommend the manuscript’s suitability for publication.

The review process is guided by the following criteria:

  1. Use of clear, proper, and academic Indonesian or English.
  2. A title that is concise and effectively reflects the content of the manuscript.
  3. An abstract that succinctly summarizes the purpose, scope, methodology, results, conclusions, and keywords.
  4. An introduction that clearly outlines the research problem, background, objectives, current scientific context, and theoretical framework.
  5. A results and discussion section that analyzes findings, relates them to the conceptual framework or hypothesis, and compares them to previous studies.
  6. A conclusion that presents a clear, logical summary of the study’s findings and arguments, based on the data obtained.
  7. References that are current, relevant, and consistent with the required format.

Reviewer recommendations may include:

  1. Accepted: Manuscript is suitable for publication without revision.
  2. Accepted with Major Revision: Manuscript can be published after significant revisions by the author.
  3. Accepted with Minor Revision: Manuscript requires minor corrections in formatting and/or language, which can be handled by the editorial team.
  4. Rejected: Manuscript is not suitable for publication.

 

Post-Publication Ethical Review

In cases where ethical violations, including plagiarism or research misconduct, are identified after publication, the Editorial Board reserves the right to retract the article.

Similarly, if an author identifies ethical issues in their own published work, they may formally request the Editorial Board to retract the article for necessary revisions or corrections. All post-publication ethical concerns are handled in accordance with international academic publishing standards