Publication Ethics

SYNCTECH is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal. This statement clarifies the ethical behavior of all parties involved in the act of publishing an article in this journal, including the Authors, the Chief Editor, the Editorial Board, the Peer-Reviewers, and the Publisher (CV Subaltern Inti Media in collaboration with Politeknik Dewantara). This statement is based on the current COPE's Core Practices. For more details, please visit: https://publicationethics.org.

Part A: Publication and Authorship

  1. All submitted manuscripts will undergo a strict double-blind peer-review process by at least two expert reviewers in the relevant field.
  2. The factors taken into account in the review are relevance, significance, originality, readability, and language.
  3. Decisions include acceptance, acceptance with revisions, or rejection. There is no guarantee that a revised submission will be accepted.
  4. Acceptance of manuscripts is constrained by legal requirements regarding copyright infringement and plagiarism.

Part B: Author's Responsibilities

  1. Authors must ensure that their manuscript is their original work and has not been published elsewhere, nor is it currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.
  2. All authors mentioned in the paper must have significantly contributed to the research and manuscript preparation.
  3. Authors must identify all sources used in the manuscript and notify the Editor of any potential conflict of interest.
  4. Authors must participate actively in the peer-review process and provide revisions or corrections in a timely manner.
  5. If the research involves human or animal subjects, authors must ensure compliance with ethical standards and provide a statement of Ethical Clearance or self-declaration approved by the editorial team.
  6. Authors must promptly notify the Editor if they discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work to retract or correct the paper.

Part C: Reviewer's Responsibilities

  1. Reviewers must keep all information regarding the manuscript strictly confidential.
  2. Reviews must be conducted objectively, with clear supporting arguments, and without personal criticism of the authors.
  3. Reviewers must identify relevant published works that have not been cited by the authors and notify the Editor of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript and other published papers.
  4. Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors or institutions.
  5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Restriction: Reviewers are strictly prohibited from using AI tools to analyze, assess, or generate review comments, or uploading any part of the manuscript to AI platforms, to maintain confidentiality and independent scientific judgment.

Part D: Editor's Responsibilities

  1. The Editor-in-Chief has full authority and responsibility to accept or reject an article based on its academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal's scope.
  2. Editors must ensure the quality of the publication, maintain the integrity of the academic record, and protect the anonymity of reviewers.
  3. Editors must not overturn editorial decisions without serious and documented reasons.
  4. Editors must ensure that all published research materials comply with accepted ethical guidelines.
  5. Editors must act promptly if they suspect research misconduct and take reasonable steps to resolve the issue. They must not allow conflicts of interest between staff, authors, reviewers, and editorial board members.

Part E: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

  1. Authors must disclose the use of AI technologies in the writing, editing, or data analysis process.
  2. AI tools cannot be listed as an author. The use of AI does not exempt authors or editors from their responsibilities regarding the originality, confidentiality, and integrity of the article.

Part F: Allegations of Research Misconduct & Retraction Policy

  1. The journal strictly condemns all forms of research misconduct, including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and authorship manipulation.
  2. The publisher and editorial board have a mechanism to handle allegations of misconduct transparently. If misconduct is proven, the journal reserves the right to issue Corrections (Erratum/Corrigendum), Retractions, or Withdrawals in accordance with COPE guidelines.
  3. Retracted articles will remain in the journal's archive but will be clearly watermarked as "RETRACTED" on the PDF and metadata.

Part G: Post-Publication Discussion

SYNCTECH welcomes post-publication discussion. Readers who wish to debate, critique, or discuss a published article may submit a "Letter to the Editor". The original authors will be given the opportunity to respond to the critique before both are published simultaneously.