Publication Ethics

Frontier Management Science (FMS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, and responsible scholarly communication. The journal follows ethical principles for authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers to ensure that all published works are original, transparent, reliable, and free from misconduct.

Publication ethics in FMS apply to all stages of the editorial and publication process, including manuscript submission, editorial screening, peer review, revision, acceptance, publication, and post-publication handling.

1. General Ethical Principles

FMS is committed to promoting:

  • Academic honesty and integrity
  • Originality and transparency
  • Fair and objective peer review
  • Editorial independence
  • Confidentiality of manuscripts
  • Responsible authorship and contributorship
  • Proper citation and acknowledgment
  • Ethical treatment of research participants
  • Prevention of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and duplicate publication
  • Transparent correction, retraction, and complaint handling

All parties involved in the publication process must follow ethical standards and act professionally.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts are original, accurate, ethical, and not under consideration elsewhere.

Authors must ensure that:

  1. The manuscript is original and has not been published previously.
  2. The manuscript is not being reviewed by another journal at the same time.
  3. All data, findings, and interpretations are presented honestly and accurately.
  4. All sources are properly cited and referenced.
  5. All authors have made meaningful contributions to the work.
  6. All listed authors have approved the final manuscript.
  7. Conflicts of interest are clearly disclosed.
  8. Funding sources are acknowledged.
  9. Research involving human participants follows ethical standards.
  10. Any use of generative AI tools is disclosed where appropriate.

Authors must not submit manuscripts containing plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, manipulated images, duplicate publication, or misleading information.

3. Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must submit only original work. Any use of another person’s ideas, words, data, figures, tables, or materials must be properly cited and acknowledged.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Copying text without citation
  • Paraphrasing without proper acknowledgment
  • Using another author’s ideas without credit
  • Reusing figures, tables, or data without permission or citation
  • Self-plagiarism or excessive text recycling from previous publications
  • Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal

All manuscripts submitted to FMS may be checked using plagiarism or similarity detection tools. Manuscripts with serious plagiarism or unethical similarity may be rejected. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

4. Data Accuracy, Fabrication, and Falsification

Authors must present research data and findings honestly and accurately.

The following practices are strictly prohibited:

  • Fabricating data or results
  • Falsifying research findings
  • Manipulating data, images, tables, or figures
  • Omitting important data to mislead readers
  • Reporting false methods, samples, or analysis
  • Presenting unsupported conclusions

Authors may be asked to provide raw data, research instruments, or supporting documentation during the review process. Failure to provide such information when reasonably requested may lead to rejection or further investigation.

5. Duplicate Submission and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time. Manuscripts that are under review elsewhere must not be submitted to FMS.

Redundant publication includes:

  • Publishing the same findings in multiple journals without disclosure
  • Submitting a manuscript that substantially overlaps with a previous publication
  • Dividing one study into several papers without clear justification
  • Reusing substantial parts of previous work without citation

If overlap exists with previous work, authors must clearly disclose this to the editorial office and properly cite the related publication.

6. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant scholarly contributions to the research.

Significant contributions may include:

  • Conceptualization of the study
  • Research design and methodology
  • Data collection
  • Data analysis and interpretation
  • Drafting the manuscript
  • Critical revision of intellectual content
  • Final approval of the manuscript

All listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged in the acknowledgment section.

FMS does not support guest authorship, gift authorship, honorary authorship, or ghost authorship.

7. Changes in Authorship

Any request to add, remove, or rearrange authors after submission must be submitted to the editorial office with a clear explanation. The request must be approved by all authors, including the author being added or removed.

Changes in authorship after acceptance are generally discouraged and will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.

8. Conflict of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any potential conflict of interest that may influence the research, review, or editorial decision.

Conflicts of interest may include:

  • Financial relationships
  • Employment or institutional connections
  • Personal relationships
  • Academic competition
  • Research collaboration
  • Funding or sponsorship influence
  • Political, religious, or ideological interests related to the manuscript topic

A conflict of interest does not automatically prevent publication, but it must be transparently disclosed.

Authors may use the following statement when no conflict exists:

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.

9. Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support, grants, sponsorship, institutional support, or other funding related to the research.

Examples:

This research received no external funding.

Or:

This research was supported by [name of funding agency], grant number [grant number].

Funding disclosure helps readers understand potential influences on the research process.

10. Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants, surveys, interviews, experiments, personal data, organizations, or sensitive information must follow appropriate ethical standards.

Authors should state whether:

  • Ethical approval was obtained
  • Informed consent was obtained
  • Participation was voluntary
  • Participant confidentiality was protected
  • Personal data were anonymized or handled responsibly

Example statement:

This study obtained informed consent from all participants. Participation was voluntary, and all responses were anonymized to protect participant confidentiality.

If ethical approval was not required, authors should explain why.

Example:

Ethical approval was not required because the study did not involve sensitive personal data, vulnerable participants, or experimental intervention.

11. Confidentiality and Privacy

Authors must protect confidential information obtained during research. Personal data, organizational data, interview responses, and confidential documents must not be disclosed without permission.

Editors and reviewers must also maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not share manuscript content with unauthorized individuals.

12. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for making fair, objective, and independent editorial decisions.

Editors must:

  1. Evaluate manuscripts based on academic merit and journal scope.
  2. Ensure that peer review is fair, timely, and confidential.
  3. Avoid discrimination based on nationality, gender, religion, political views, ethnicity, institutional affiliation, or personal background.
  4. Protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
  5. Manage conflicts of interest appropriately.
  6. Take reasonable steps to prevent publication misconduct.
  7. Respond to ethical complaints or allegations responsibly.
  8. Ensure that corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern are issued when necessary.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by commercial interests, personal relationships, author identity, or APC payment.

13. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an important role in maintaining the quality and integrity of published research.

Reviewers must:

  • Provide objective, constructive, and respectful comments
  • Evaluate manuscripts based on scholarly merit
  • Maintain confidentiality
  • Declare any conflict of interest
  • Avoid using unpublished manuscript content for personal advantage
  • Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe
  • Inform the editor of suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, or ethical concerns

Reviewers should not provide personal criticism of authors. Feedback should focus on improving the manuscript.

14. Peer Review Integrity

FMS applies a double-blind peer review process. The identities of authors and reviewers are kept confidential during the review process.

Any attempt to manipulate the peer review process is considered unethical. This includes:

  • Suggesting fake reviewers
  • Using false reviewer identities
  • Interfering with reviewer independence
  • Submitting fraudulent reviewer information
  • Pressuring editors or reviewers

Manuscripts involved in peer review manipulation may be rejected or retracted.

15. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based solely on:

  • Relevance to the journal scope
  • Originality
  • Academic quality
  • Methodological rigor
  • Ethical compliance
  • Contribution to knowledge, practice, or policy

APC payment, institutional affiliation, nationality, religion, gender, or personal background does not influence editorial decisions.

16. Use of Generative AI

Authors may use generative AI tools for language editing, grammar correction, formatting assistance, or idea organization. However, AI tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot take responsibility for the integrity, originality, accuracy, and accountability of the research.

Authors must take full responsibility for any AI-assisted content and must verify the accuracy of all statements, citations, references, data, and analysis.

If generative AI tools are used substantially, authors should disclose their use in the manuscript.

Example:

The authors used generative AI tools for language refinement and grammar checking. The authors reviewed, edited, and approved the final manuscript and take full responsibility for its content.

Generative AI must not be used to fabricate data, create false citations, manipulate images, or misrepresent research findings.

17. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

FMS may issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

A correction may be issued when an article contains an honest error that does not invalidate the main findings.

A retraction may be issued when an article contains serious ethical or scientific problems, such as:

  • Plagiarism
  • Fabricated or falsified data
  • Duplicate publication
  • Serious methodological error
  • Unethical research conduct
  • Peer review manipulation
  • Invalid or misleading findings

An expression of concern may be issued when there is a serious unresolved question about the integrity of a published article.

18. Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, readers, or other parties may submit complaints or appeals to the editorial office if they believe there has been an error, unfair treatment, ethical concern, or procedural problem.

Complaints and appeals should be submitted in writing with clear explanation and supporting evidence. The Editor-in-Chief will review the case and may consult editorial board members or independent experts when necessary.

The appeal process does not guarantee a change in editorial decision.

19. Post-Publication Discussion

FMS welcomes responsible post-publication discussion. Readers may contact the editorial office if they identify errors, ethical concerns, or issues related to published articles.

The journal will review post-publication concerns carefully and take appropriate action when necessary.

20. Publisher Responsibilities

The publisher, Yayasan Ghalih Pelopor Pendidikan (Ghalih Foundation), supports the editorial independence of FMS and is responsible for maintaining the journal platform, publication access, archiving support, and ethical publishing infrastructure.

The publisher does not interfere with editorial decisions and supports the journal’s commitment to transparency, academic integrity, and open-access dissemination.

21. Ethical Misconduct Handling

When suspected ethical misconduct is reported or identified, FMS will conduct an initial assessment. If necessary, the journal may contact authors, reviewers, institutions, or other relevant parties for clarification.

Possible actions include:

  • Requesting explanation or supporting documents
  • Returning the manuscript for correction
  • Rejecting the manuscript
  • Publishing a correction
  • Publishing an expression of concern
  • Retracting the article
  • Informing relevant institutions if serious misconduct is confirmed

All cases will be handled carefully, fairly, and confidentially.

22. Ethical Commitment

By submitting a manuscript to Frontier Management Science (FMS), authors confirm that they have read, understood, and agreed to follow the journal’s publication ethics policy.

FMS is committed to publishing reliable, original, and ethically responsible research that contributes to management science, innovation, entrepreneurship, business strategy, digital transformation, sustainability, and related fields.