Publication Ethics

This publication ethics statement explains the ethical responsibilities of all parties involved in the publication process of Matsnawi: Journal of Tasawwuf and Psychotherapy Studies, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher. This statement is guided by the principles of publication ethics and good scholarly publishing practices, including the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

Publishing an article in Matsnawi: Journal of Tasawwuf and Psychotherapy Studies is an important part of developing a responsible, credible, and respected scholarly communication system in the fields of tasawwuf, Sufi psychology, Islamic psychotherapy, spiritual counselling, religious coping, psychospiritual well-being, mental health, and related interdisciplinary studies.

The quality and integrity of published articles reflect the quality of the work of the authors, editors, reviewers, and the institutions that support scholarly research. Therefore, all parties involved in the publication process are expected to uphold high standards of ethical conduct.

The Department of Tasawwuf and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Ushuluddin and Adab, UIN Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, Indonesia, as the publisher of this journal, is committed to maintaining the integrity of the publication process. The publisher supports editorial independence and ensures that commercial considerations, institutional interests, or other external influences do not affect editorial decisions.

Publication Decisions

The editors of Matsnawi: Journal of Tasawwuf and Psychotherapy Studies are responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts will be published. Editorial decisions are based on the manuscript’s relevance to the journal’s focus and scope, originality, academic quality, methodological or conceptual soundness, ethical compliance, and contribution to scholarly knowledge.

The editors may consult with members of the editorial board, peer reviewers, or other experts when making editorial decisions. The final decision on acceptance, revision, or rejection is made by the Editor-in-Chief or the editorial team in accordance with the journal’s editorial policies and ethical standards.

Fairness and Editorial Independence

Editors evaluate manuscripts based on their scholarly merit without discrimination based on the author’s nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, ethnicity, religious background, political views, or other personal characteristics.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by personal relationships, commercial interests, institutional pressure, or conflicts of interest. Editors are expected to maintain fairness, objectivity, and transparency throughout the editorial and peer-review process.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Information about a submitted manuscript must not be disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, editorial advisors, and the publisher where appropriate.

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used by editors or editorial staff for their own research or personal advantage without the written consent of the author(s).

Conflicts of Interest

Editors, reviewers, and authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the publication process. Conflicts of interest may include financial, institutional, personal, academic, or collaborative relationships that may affect objectivity.

If an editor has a conflict of interest with a submitted manuscript, the manuscript should be handled by another member of the editorial team to ensure a fair and independent decision-making process.

Duties of Reviewers

Peer reviewers assist editors in making editorial decisions and help authors improve the quality of their manuscripts through constructive feedback. Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly, and within the agreed timeframe.

Reviewers who feel unqualified to review a manuscript or are unable to complete the review within the required time should inform the editor promptly and withdraw from the review process.

Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, discuss, or use any part of the manuscript for personal advantage or for their own research without permission.

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly and provide reasoned arguments to support their recommendations.

Reviewers should identify relevant published works that have not been cited by the authors where appropriate. Reviewers should also inform the editor of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and other published works of which they are aware.

Reviewers must not review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, institutional, personal, or other relationships with the authors or related parties.

Duties of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted manuscripts are original, accurate, and have not been published elsewhere or submitted simultaneously to another journal. Authors must present their research or arguments clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or inappropriate data manipulation.

Authors should provide sufficient detail, references, and explanation to allow readers and reviewers to understand the basis of the work. Where applicable, authors may be asked to provide supporting data or clarification during the editorial and review process.

Authors must properly acknowledge the work and ideas of others. All sources used in the manuscript must be cited accurately and consistently according to the journal’s citation style.

Authors must ensure that all individuals listed as authors have made a substantial contribution to the manuscript and have approved the final version submitted for publication. Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, personal, or other conflicts of interest that may influence the research, analysis, or interpretation presented in the manuscript.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are original and free from plagiarism. Plagiarism includes the use of another person’s words, ideas, data, images, tables, or other materials without proper acknowledgement.

All submitted manuscripts may be screened for similarity using plagiarism detection software. Manuscripts that contain plagiarism, excessive similarity, duplicate publication, or unethical reuse of material may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected.

Research Ethics

Research involving human participants, interviews, clinical or therapeutic contexts, personal narratives, community-based data, or sensitive religious and psychological issues must be conducted in accordance with appropriate ethical standards.

Where required, authors should obtain approval from an ethics committee, institutional review board, or relevant authority. Authors must also ensure that informed consent, confidentiality, and the rights and dignity of participants are properly protected.

Corrections, Retractions, and Publication Integrity

If significant errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the journal may issue a correction, clarification, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the nature and seriousness of the case.

Retraction may be considered when there is clear evidence of unreliable findings, plagiarism, redundant publication, unethical research, serious authorship problems, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or other issues that undermine the integrity of the published article.

Publisher’s Responsibilities

The publisher supports the editorial team in maintaining the integrity, transparency, and independence of the publication process. The publisher works with editors, reviewers, authors, and relevant institutions to address ethical concerns fairly and responsibly.

Matsnawi: Journal of Tasawwuf and Psychotherapy Studies is committed to upholding publication ethics, protecting the integrity of the scholarly record, and promoting responsible academic communication.