Our ethical statements are formulated with OKARA's standards. Yet we are also strongly considering the best practices outlined in COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors to clarify ethical behavior among all parties involved in publishing an article in OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra.

Ethical Guideline for Journal Publication

The publication of all articles in OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra arranges guidelines to ensure the quality of the articles. As the publisher of this journal, the Center of Language Development of Universitas Islam Negeri Madura is responsible for justifying ethical standards in the publication of all published articles. All parties should follow ethical guidelines, including the editorial board, peer reviewers, authors, and publishers.

The Duties of the OKARA's Editorial Board
Publication decisions
The editor of OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra decides which manuscripts are published. This decision is made by examining the submitted manuscript and its significance to the focus and scope of the OKARA. The decision is made based on the reviewers' review comments and the editorial board's individual examination. The editor can accept, reject, or request modifications to the manuscript.

Fair play
The OKARA's editors will assess each manuscript on its intellectual content, without considering the authors' religious beliefs, region, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, citizenship, or political views.

Confidentiality
The editor-in-chief and the editors of OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra will keep information about a submitted manuscript confidential, disclosing it only to the corresponding author, reviewers, and other editorial boards as necessary.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest
OKARA's editorial board will never use unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript for any reason without the author's explicit written consent. Privileged information or ideas obtained before and after peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal purposes. Editors will disqualify or automatically reject themselves from considering manuscripts with conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any authors, companies, or institutions associated with the papers. Editors require all authors to disclose relevant competing interests and state them implicitly in the text body before submission. The editors will publish corrections if such interests are revealed after publication. Other appropriate actions, such as issuing a retraction or expressing concern, will be taken if necessary.

Participation and collaboration in investigations
The editor-in-chief will take appropriate actions when ethical complaints are notified by the contributors and other related parties regarding a submitted manuscript or published articles in collaboration with other editorial boards and publishers. These actions typically involve contacting the author of the manuscript or paper to thoroughly consider the complaint or claims. Additionally, further communication with relevant institutions and research bodies may be necessary. If the complaint is substantiated, appropriate measures, such as a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other relevant notice, will be taken. All reported unethical publishing behavior must be investigated, even if discovered years after publication.

The Duties of OKARA's Reviewers
Contribution to Editorial Decisions
OKARA's peer reviewers provide expert assessments of submitted manuscripts, help editors make informed editorial decisions, and support manuscript improvement through constructive feedback. Their role is central to scholarly communication and the integrity of the scientific method. All authors who wish to publish are expected to participate responsibly and fairly in the peer review process.

Promptness
Reviewers should accept assignments only within their field of expertise. If unable to review due to lack of expertise or time constraints, reviewers must promptly decline or withdraw and send a formal notification to the editor. Reviews should be completed within the agreed timeframe, and any delays or issues should be communicated immediately. Requests from the editor for information or clarification should receive a timely response.

Confidentiality
All submitted manuscripts sent for review must be treated as confidential. They should not be shared with or discussed with anyone other than those authorized by the editor-in-chief.

Standards of Objectivity
Reviews are done double-blindedly; they should be conducted impartially, avoiding any personal criticism of the author. Reviewers should present their opinions clearly and provide well-supported or evidence-based arguments.

Acknowledgment of Sources
Reviewers should identify any relevant published works that the authors have not cited. They may suggest specific sources to help the authors improve their manuscripts. The reviewer should include the appropriate citation if an observation, derivation, or argument has been previously reported. Additionally, suppose the reviewer knows of any significant similarities or overlaps between the manuscript under review and other published papers. In that case, they should bring this to the attention of the OKARA's editorial board.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Originality and Plagiarism
OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra has zero tolerance for plagiarism and unethical behavior concerning publishing. Therefore, plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works. If the authors have quoted the work and/or words of others or from their own previously published and unpublished work, this has been appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism takes many forms, from passing off another's paper as the author’s paper to copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another’s paper (without attribution) to claiming results from research conducted by others. The OKARA journal uses a plagiarism-checking tool to measure similarity, with a maximum of 25%. All papers with any plagiarism detections will be immediately rejected.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
Authors must ensure that all manuscripts submitted for publication in OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra must be original and must not have been submitted to any other publication. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. 

Acknowledgment of Sources
Acknowledging the work of others is essential. Authors should reference publications that have significantly influenced their reported work. Information acquired privately through conversations, correspondence, or discussions with third parties must not be used or reported without explicit, written consent from the source. Similarly, information obtained through confidential services, such as refereeing manuscripts or grant applications, must not be used without the explicit written permission of the author of the work involved.

Authorship of the Paper
Authorship should be restricted to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All such contributors should be listed as co-authors, and their contributions should be clearly mentioned in the articles. Others who have participated in significant aspects of the research should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author must ensure 1) Transparency and honesty, which means accurate reporting of each author's contribution and ensuring that credit is given where due; 2) No Inappropriate Authors, Avoiding the inclusion of individuals who do not meet the authorship criteria (guest, gift, or ghost authorship); 3) Consent, ensuring that all listed authors have consented to the manuscript's submission and publication; and 4) Responsibility, taking primary responsibility for communication with the journal during the submission, peer review, and publication process. Additionally, all co-authors should have reviewed and approved the final version of the paper and agreed to its submission for publication. Authors should also be able to account for and defend the work's accuracy and integrity.

Hazards and human or animal subjects
If the work involves animal or human subjects, the author must ensure there is no conflict of interest and include a statement confirming that all procedures complied with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and were approved by the appropriate institutional committee(s). Authors should also include a statement in the manuscript confirming that informed consent was obtained for experiments involving human subjects. The privacy rights of human subjects must always be respected.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
All authors must disclose any financial or substantive conflicts of interest in their manuscript that could potentially influence the results or interpretation of their work. Additionally, all sources of financial support for the project should be stated clearly in the body of the text. Potential conflicts of interest to be disclosed include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications or registrations, and grants or other funding. These conflicts should be disclosed as early as possible. The manuscripts should also clearly state any disclosures and conflicts of interest.

Fundamental errors in published works
When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author is obligation to promptly notify the journal editor-in-chief or the editors of OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra and cooperate in the retraction or correction of the paper. If the editor-in-chief or the publisher learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error, it is the obligation of the author to promptly retract or correct the paper or provide evidence to the editor-in-chief or the editors of OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra of the correctness of the original paper.

Duties of The Publisher
Handling of unethical publishing behavior
In cases of unethical publishing behaviors, alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication, data fabrication, data falsification, inappropriate authorship, conflicts of interest, or plagiarism, the publisher, in close collaboration with the editors, will take all appropriate measures to clarify the situation and amend the article in question. OKARA's editors or publisher must immediately include sufficient evidence for an investigation. OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra, in close collaboration with the editors, will conduct a confidential and comprehensive investigation, allowing authors to respond to allegations. Confirmed cases of unethical behavior will result in appropriate actions, such as erratum, clarification, correction, or, in the most severe case, the retraction of the published works. The publishers may also take action, such as sending notifications to the author’s institution and funding agencies and banning the author from future submissions to the journal. Corrections will be made for honest errors that do not amount to unethical behavior, while retractions will be issued if the integrity of the research is compromised. All communications regarding investigations will be documented and retained, with final decisions and actions communicated to relevant parties, including authors, complainants, and possibly the author’s institution. To avoid this, the publishers, in this case, the journal, will implement educational measures, such as guidelines and workshops, to prevent unethical behavior and inform authors about ethical standards.

Access to journal content
The publisher is committed to the permanent availability and preservation of scholarly research and ensures accessibility by partnering with organizations and maintaining our own digital archive.

Post-Publication Corrections and Research Integrity