The International Journal of Adolescent and Pediatric Health (IJAPH) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics, research integrity, editorial independence, transparency, and responsible scholarly communication.

IJAPH is guided by recognized principles and recommendations in scholarly publishing, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations, and other relevant ethical guidance applicable to biomedical and health research.

This statement applies to authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to IJAPH are responsible for ensuring that their work is accurate, original, ethically conducted, and transparently reported.

Authors must:

• submit original work that has not been published in substantially the same form elsewhere;
• ensure that the manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal;
• accurately present research methods, data, analyses, and findings;
• avoid fabrication, falsification, inappropriate manipulation, plagiarism, and redundant publication;
• appropriately cite and acknowledge all relevant sources;
• ensure that all listed authors meet appropriate authorship criteria and have approved the final manuscript;
• disclose financial and non-financial conflicts of interest;
• disclose all relevant sources of funding;
• obtain appropriate ethics approval, exemption, or waiver where required;
• obtain informed consent, parental or guardian permission, and assent where applicable;
• protect the privacy and confidentiality of research participants;
• disclose relevant use of artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technologies;
• respond honestly to editorial queries and requests for clarification; and
• cooperate with correction, retraction, or other post-publication procedures where necessary.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, originality, and ethical compliance of their submitted and published work.

2. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the work.

IJAPH does not accept:

• guest authorship;
• honorary authorship;
• ghost authorship; or
• inappropriate exclusion of individuals who meet authorship criteria.

All authors should approve the submitted and final versions of the manuscript and accept responsibility for their contributions.

Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

Any authorship dispute should be resolved by the authors and, where necessary, their institutions. The journal may request clarification or supporting documentation where authorship concerns arise.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for maintaining the integrity, fairness, confidentiality, and independence of the editorial process.

Editors should:

• assess manuscripts according to their relevance, scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and suitability for the journal;
• ensure that editorial decisions are free from inappropriate commercial, financial, institutional, or personal influence;
• maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and editorial communications;
• select reviewers with appropriate expertise and without known conflicts of interest;
• apply the journal's peer-review policies consistently;
• disclose and manage their own conflicts of interest;
• avoid using unpublished manuscript content for personal or professional advantage;
• investigate credible concerns regarding publication ethics or research integrity; and
• take appropriate post-publication action when necessary.

Editors must not discriminate on the basis of authors' nationality, ethnicity, gender, institutional affiliation, political beliefs, or other irrelevant personal characteristics.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, confidential, and evidence-based evaluations.

Reviewers must:

• evaluate manuscripts fairly and within their area of expertise;
• maintain confidentiality of manuscripts and review materials;
• not share or use unpublished manuscript content for personal advantage;
• disclose conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment;
• decline the review when they cannot provide an impartial assessment;
• identify significant methodological, ethical, or reporting concerns where relevant;
• notify the editor of suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, or other serious ethical concerns; and
• provide reviews in a respectful and professional manner.

Reviewers must not attempt to influence authors to cite their own work or other publications for inappropriate reasons.

5. Confidentiality

Submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and other unpublished materials are treated as confidential.

Editors, reviewers, and journal staff must not disclose manuscript information to unauthorized persons.

Confidential materials must not be used for personal, academic, commercial, or competitive advantage.

Where artificial intelligence tools are used in editorial or review activities, confidential manuscript content must not be uploaded into systems that cannot ensure appropriate confidentiality and data protection.

6. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial, professional, personal, institutional, or other relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their judgment.

Editors and reviewers with relevant conflicts of interest should recuse themselves from the manuscript.

Funding sources must not influence:

• peer review;
• reviewer selection;
• editorial decisions;
• acceptance or rejection of manuscripts; or
• the interpretation of research findings.

7. Research Ethics

Research involving human participants, identifiable personal data, human biological materials, or animals must comply with the IJAPH Research Ethics Policy and applicable institutional, national, and international ethical requirements.

Where applicable, manuscripts must include:

• ethics committee approval information;
• approval or reference number;
• informed consent procedures;
• parental or guardian permission;
• assent procedures for minors;
• approved waiver or exemption information; and
• statements regarding participant confidentiality.

Research involving vulnerable populations, including children and adolescents, requires appropriate safeguards.

8. Plagiarism, Duplicate Publication, and Text Reuse

IJAPH does not tolerate plagiarism, undisclosed duplicate publication, redundant publication, or inappropriate text reuse.

Submitted manuscripts may be screened using appropriate similarity-detection tools.

Similarity reports are used as screening aids and not as automatic proof of plagiarism.

The editorial team evaluates:

• the nature of overlapping content;
• appropriate citation and attribution;
• the extent and location of overlap;
• possible redundant publication; and
• the scholarly context of the similarity.

Actions are based on the nature and severity of the issue.

9. Data Fabrication, Falsification, and Manipulation

Fabrication, falsification, selective alteration, inappropriate manipulation, or intentional misrepresentation of research data is prohibited.

Where credible concerns arise, the editorial team may request:

• raw or supporting data;
• ethics documentation;
• methodological clarification;
• image or figure source files; or
• other relevant records.

Serious concerns may be referred to the authors' institution or another appropriate authority when justified by the available evidence.

10. Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Technologies

AI and AI-assisted technologies must be used responsibly and transparently.

AI systems must not be listed as authors or co-authors.

Human authors remain fully responsible for:

• the accuracy of the manuscript;
• originality;
• citation and attribution;
• interpretation of findings;
• confidentiality;
• research integrity; and
• all submitted content.

Authors should disclose relevant use of AI-assisted technologies where appropriate.

Editors and reviewers must protect confidential manuscript content and must not use AI systems in ways that compromise confidentiality or data protection.

11. Publication Malpractice

Publication malpractice may include, but is not limited to:

• plagiarism;
• fabrication or falsification;
• duplicate or redundant publication;
• inappropriate authorship;
• undisclosed conflicts of interest;
• unethical research practices;
• manipulation of peer review;
• inappropriate citation practices;
• misuse of confidential information; and
• deliberate misrepresentation of research or publication records.

All allegations will be assessed fairly and proportionately based on available evidence.

Possible editorial actions may include:

• requesting clarification or correction;
• returning a manuscript for revision;
• rejecting a manuscript;
• publishing a correction;
• issuing an expression of concern;
• retracting a published article;
• contacting relevant institutions or authorities where serious misconduct is reasonably established; or
• taking other appropriate measures necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

IJAPH does not impose sanctions solely on the basis of an allegation or an automated similarity score.

12. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

IJAPH is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the published scholarly record.

A correction may be issued when an error does not invalidate the overall findings but requires clarification.

A retraction may be considered where there is reliable evidence of serious error, misconduct, unreliable findings, plagiarism, unethical research, or other circumstances that substantially compromise the integrity of the article.

An expression of concern may be issued when serious questions remain unresolved while an investigation is ongoing.

Post-publication actions are handled in accordance with the journal's Correction, Retraction, and Withdrawal Policy and recognized publication ethics principles.

13. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision by submitting a reasoned explanation and relevant supporting information to the Editorial Office.

Complaints regarding:

• editorial procedures;
• peer review;
• publication ethics;
• conflicts of interest;
• research integrity; or
• other journal practices

will be reviewed fairly and confidentially.

Where practicable, appeals or complaints should be assessed by an editor who was not materially conflicted in the original decision.

Submission of an appeal does not guarantee reversal of an editorial decision.

14. Publisher Responsibilities

PT Inovasi Multi Guna, as the publisher of IJAPH, supports the journal's administrative and technical operations while respecting editorial independence.

The publisher supports:

• maintenance of the OJS publishing platform;
• journal administration;
• transparent editorial policies;
• publication ethics and research integrity;
• accessibility of published content;
• maintenance of journal records and metadata; and
• continuity of publishing operations.

The publisher does not interfere with manuscript acceptance or rejection for commercial, financial, or other non-academic reasons.

15. Ethical Framework

IJAPH is guided by recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing, including:

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and relevant guidance
• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations
• applicable institutional and national research ethics requirements
• the journal's own Research Ethics Policy, Peer Review Policy, Plagiarism and Research Integrity Policy, and Correction, Retraction, and Withdrawal Policy.

Reference to these organizations indicates that IJAPH uses their publicly available ethical principles as guidance and does not imply organizational membership or formal certification unless explicitly stated.

Contact

For publication ethics, complaints, appeals, or research integrity inquiries, please contact:

Publisher: PT Inovasi Multi Guna
Publisher Email: hello@img.co.id
Editorial Email: editorialijaph@img.co.id
Phone/WhatsApp: +62 851 2131 1860
Publisher Website: https://img.co.id
Journal Website: https://journal.img.co.id/index.php/ijaph