Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Proceedings of the International Music and Performing Arts Conference (IMPAC Proceedings) is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and ethical practice in scholarly publishing. This statement outlines the responsibilities of authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

  • Originality: Authors must ensure that their submissions are original and have not been published elsewhere or simultaneously submitted to another outlet.

  • Acknowledgement of Sources: Proper citation of all sources must be provided. Use of others’ work without acknowledgement constitutes plagiarism.

  • Authorship: Only individuals who made significant contributions to the research and writing should be listed as authors. Others who contributed should be acknowledged.

  • Data Accuracy: Authors must present accurate data and results. Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data is unacceptable.

  • Conflicts of Interest: All financial, institutional, or personal relationships that may affect the research must be disclosed.

  • Corrections and Retractions: Authors are obliged to cooperate with the Editorial Board to correct errors or retract work if serious issues are identified.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

  • Fair Evaluation: Submissions are evaluated on scholarly merit, originality, and relevance, without discrimination based on the authors’ gender, ethnicity, nationality, or institutional affiliation.

  • Confidentiality: Editors must not disclose information about a manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and editorial staff.

  • Decision-Making: The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over editorial decisions, guided by the reviewers’ reports and ethical standards.

  • Handling Misconduct: Editors will take appropriate action if ethical concerns arise, following COPE flowcharts and procedures.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

  • Contribution to Decisions: Peer review assists editors in making editorial decisions and helps authors improve their work.

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents.

  • Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively and provide clear, constructive feedback.

  • Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers must identify relevant published work not cited by the author.

  • Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts where there is a conflict of interest with the author(s) or the research.

4. Responsibilities of the Publisher

  • Integrity of the Record: The publisher (Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris) ensures that good practice is maintained and works with editors to preserve the scholarly record.

  • Transparency: Policies on open access, authorship, peer review, copyright, and archiving are made publicly available.

  • Misconduct Handling: The publisher, in cooperation with editors, will take necessary action to investigate and resolve cases of misconduct.

5. Ethical Oversight

IMPAC Proceedings follows COPE’s Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and will act on suspected cases of misconduct, including plagiarism, falsification, fabrication, duplicate submission, or unethical research practices.