Publication Ethics

Progressive Physics Journal (PPJ), published by the Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Mulawarman, is dedicated to maintaining the highest ethical standards in scientific publishing. To ensure the integrity of the academic record, we have established the following policies based on the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

All parties involved—authors, editors, peer reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to fully adhere to these ethical guidelines.

A. Core Principles and Editorial Independence

The publisher and the Editorial Board of PPJ are committed to objective and fair scientific dissemination.

  • Editorial Authority: The Editor-in-Chief holds complete authority to accept, reject, or request modifications to a manuscript. Decisions are driven strictly by the manuscript’s scientific merit, validity, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

  • Fair Play and Non-Discrimination: Manuscripts are evaluated solely on their intellectual content. The authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religious beliefs, or political philosophy will never influence editorial decisions.

  • Commercial Independence: Advertising, reprint sales, or other commercial revenues do not and will not have any impact on editorial decisions.

B. Manuscript Integrity and Authorship Standards

Authors wishing to publish in PPJ must uphold the integrity of the scientific method and adhere to strict reporting standards.

  • Originality and Plagiarism: All submissions must be entirely original. Plagiarism in any form—including uncredited use of others' ideas, text, or data—is strictly prohibited.

  • Proper Attribution: Authors must appropriately cite all influential publications and acknowledge sources that shaped their research.

  • Authorship Criteria: Authorship is strictly reserved for individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. The corresponding author bears the responsibility to ensure all legitimate co-authors are included, have reviewed the final draft, and consent to its submission.

  • Single Submission Policy: Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously is an unethical practice. Manuscripts must not have been previously published elsewhere.

  • Error Correction: If an author identifies a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they are ethically obligated to immediately notify the journal's editorial team and cooperate in issuing a correction (erratum) or a retraction.

C. Peer Review Integrity and Confidentiality

The peer review process at PPJ is a collaborative effort designed to improve manuscript quality and assist in editorial decision-making.

  • Confidentiality: All submitted manuscripts are privileged, confidential documents. Editors, editorial staff, and reviewers must not disclose any information about the submission to unauthorized individuals, nor use unpublished data for their own research without explicit written consent from the authors.

  • Constructive Objectivity: Reviewers are expected to provide unbiased, clear, and scientifically supported feedback. Personal criticism of the authors is strictly prohibited.

  • Reviewer Competence and Promptness: Invited reviewers who feel unqualified to evaluate a manuscript or foresee delays in completing the review must promptly decline the invitation to allow for timely reassignment.

  • Vigilance on Plagiarism: Reviewers should act as the journal's safeguard by alerting the editors to any substantial similarities between the manuscript under review and previously published works.

D. Transparency and Conflicts of Interest

Transparency is critical to maintaining reader trust in the scientific process.

  • Mandatory Disclosure: All authors must explicitly declare any financial or personal relationships with individuals or organizations that could be perceived as inappropriately influencing their research.

  • Reviewer and Editor Conflicts: Reviewers and editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other close relationships with any of the authors or associated institutions. All funding sources for the research must be fully disclosed in the manuscript.

E. Policy on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative Tools

PPJ recognizes the rapid evolution of AI-assisted technologies and mandates their responsible, transparent, and supervised use.

  • AI Cannot Be an Author: Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot) cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. AI tools cannot take ethical or legal responsibility for the integrity of a scientific paper.

  • Declaration of AI Use: If authors use AI tools to generate text, write code, process data, or create figures, they must disclose the name of the tool and its specific application in a dedicated "Declaration of AI Use" section before the References list. (Routine tools for grammar and spelling checks are exempt from this requirement).

  • Author Accountability: Authors remain 100% accountable for all content in their manuscript. Authors must rigorously verify AI-generated outputs to prevent hallucinations, fabricated data, or copyright infringements. AI-generated responses must not be cited as primary references.

  • Data and Image Integrity: AI must not be used to fabricate experimental data, alter results, or manipulate scientific images in a way that obscures or misrepresents the original findings.

  • AI in the Review Process: Editors and reviewers must never upload confidential, unpublished manuscripts (or any part of them) into unauthorized or public AI systems. Human oversight and independent judgment remain irreplaceable in editorial decision-making.

 

Editor-in-Chief,
Progressive Physics Journal (PPJ)