Publication Ethic

PLANNING MALAYSIA – Journal of the Malaysian Institute of Planners

Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

PLANNING MALAYSIA is a peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal published by the Malaysia Institute of Planners (MIP). The journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, research integrity, transparency, and professional conduct throughout the editorial and publication process. These ethical principles apply to all parties involved in scholarly publishing, including authors, reviewers, editors, members of the editorial board, and the publisher.

The journal adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, and continually reviews its editorial policies to align with internationally recognised publishing standards.

1. Principles of Publication Ethics

PLANNING MALAYSIA upholds the following fundamental principles:

  • Honesty and integrity in conducting and reporting research.
  • Originality of scholarly contributions.
  • Fairness, impartiality, and confidentiality throughout the peer-review process.
  • Transparency in authorship, funding, and conflicts of interest.
  • Accountability for published work.
  • Respect for intellectual property.
  • Timely correction of the scholarly record whenever necessary.
  • Zero tolerance towards research misconduct.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to PLANNING MALAYSIA are expected to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity.

2.1 Originality

Authors must submit only original work that has not been published previously and is not under consideration elsewhere. All sources, ideas, figures, tables, and data obtained from other works must be appropriately cited.

Plagiarism in any form—including verbatim copying, paraphrasing without attribution, image plagiarism, and self-plagiarism—is unacceptable.

2.2 Accuracy of Reporting

Authors must present an accurate, complete, and objective account of their research.

Research data shall not be:

  • fabricated,
  • falsified,
  • manipulated,
  • selectively omitted, or
  • intentionally misrepresented.

Authors should retain original research data and provide it upon reasonable request for verification.

2.3 Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to:

  • conception or design;
  • data acquisition;
  • analysis or interpretation;
  • drafting or critically revising the manuscript; and
  • approval of the final version.

All listed authors must approve the submitted manuscript.

Individuals who contributed but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

2.4 Multiple, Duplicate or Redundant Publication

Authors shall not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.

Publication of substantially similar work in multiple journals without proper disclosure constitutes unethical publishing behaviour.

2.5 Citation and Acknowledgement

Authors must appropriately acknowledge previous work that has influenced their research.

Citation manipulation, unnecessary self-citation, or coercive citation practices are prohibited.

2.6 Funding Disclosure

All financial support, grants, sponsorships, and institutional funding relevant to the research must be disclosed.

The role of funding agencies in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and publication should also be stated where applicable.

2.7 Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, personal, or professional relationships that could influence or appear to influence the research findings.

If no conflicts exist, authors should declare:

“The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.”

2.8 Ethical Approval

Research involving human participants, personal data, or animals must comply with recognised ethical standards.

Where applicable, authors must provide:

  • Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval;
  • Research Ethics Committee approval;
  • informed consent from participants; and
  • compliance with national and international ethical guidelines.

2.9 Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Authors may use AI-assisted technologies only to improve language or readability.

AI tools shall not be listed as authors.

Authors remain fully responsible for:

  • originality,
  • accuracy,
  • interpretation,
  • citations,
  • ethical compliance, and
  • final manuscript content.

The use of AI should be transparently disclosed where appropriate.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for safeguarding the quality and integrity of the journal.

Editors shall:

  • evaluate manuscripts solely on scholarly merit;
  • maintain editorial independence;
  • ensure fair and unbiased editorial decisions;
  • preserve confidentiality;
  • avoid conflicts of interest;
  • appoint qualified reviewers;
  • ensure timely editorial handling;
  • investigate ethical concerns; and
  • issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern whenever necessary.

Editorial decisions shall not be influenced by:

  • nationality,
  • gender,
  • ethnicity,
  • religion,
  • institutional affiliation,
  • political beliefs, or
  • commercial interests.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

PLANNING MALAYSIA operates a rigorous peer-review process to ensure scientific quality and integrity.

Reviewers are expected to:

  • provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations;
  • maintain strict confidentiality;
  • review manuscripts within agreed timelines;
  • declare conflicts of interest immediately;
  • refrain from using unpublished information for personal advantage;
  • identify uncited relevant work where appropriate; and
  • report suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, or ethical concerns.

Personal criticism of authors is unacceptable.

5. Fair and Transparent Peer Review

The journal is committed to an impartial and transparent peer-review process.

Editorial decisions are based solely on:

  • originality,
  • methodological rigour,
  • scholarly significance,
  • ethical compliance,
  • relevance to the journal scope, and
  • contribution to planning knowledge.

Authors are provided with constructive reviewer comments to improve manuscript quality.

The journal strives to ensure timely peer review while maintaining rigorous academic standards.

6. Research Misconduct

PLANNING MALAYSIA takes allegations of research misconduct seriously.

Examples include:

  • plagiarism;
  • self-plagiarism;
  • duplicate publication;
  • fabricated data;
  • falsified results;
  • manipulated images;
  • citation manipulation;
  • inappropriate authorship;
  • undisclosed conflicts of interest; and
  • unethical research practices.

Where misconduct is suspected, the Editorial Office will conduct a fair, confidential, and evidence-based investigation consistent with COPE guidance.

7. Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern

To preserve the integrity of the scholarly record, PLANNING MALAYSIA may publish:

  • Corrections (Errata);
  • Corrigenda;
  • Expressions of Concern; or
  • Retractions.

Retractions may occur when published findings are demonstrated to be unreliable due to misconduct or honest error.

All post-publication actions will remain permanently linked to the original article to ensure transparency.

8. Post-Publication Discussion

The journal welcomes legitimate scholarly discussion following publication.

Authors may be invited to respond to substantive comments regarding their published work.

Where necessary, editorial investigations may result in published corrections or retractions.

9. Confidentiality

Editors and reviewers shall treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents.

Information obtained during peer review must not be disclosed or used for personal benefit.

10. Intellectual Property and Copyright

Authors retain copyright of their published work in accordance with the journal’s copyright policy.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted materials.

Any copyright infringement will be investigated and addressed promptly.

11. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a written justification supported by evidence.

Appeals will be reviewed independently by the Editor-in-Chief or an appointed senior editor.

Complaints relating to publication ethics, editorial conduct, reviewer behaviour, or research integrity will be handled fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with COPE recommendations.

12. Commitment to Research Integrity

PLANNING MALAYSIA is committed to promoting responsible research and ethical scholarly communication. By submitting manuscripts to the journal, authors, reviewers, and editors agree to comply with this Publication Ethics Statement and contribute to maintaining the highest standards of academic excellence, transparency, and integrity.

This policy supports the journal’s continuous commitment to international publishing standards and the requirements of major indexing services, including Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and other global scholarly databases.