Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The 10th International Conference on Hospital Administration (ICHA) is an international scientific proceedings publication dedicated to disseminating original research, scholarly contributions, innovations, and best practices in hospital administration, healthcare management, patient safety, healthcare quality, organizational leadership, health policy, and sustainable healthcare systems.

The proceedings are hosted on the academic publishing platform of Universitas Muhammadiyah Surabaya, Indonesia, and serve as a medium for scholarly communication among researchers, academics, healthcare professionals, hospital administrators, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

ICHA is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, accountability, and ethical responsibility throughout the publication process.

This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement establishes ethical principles and professional responsibilities for all parties involved in the publication process, including the publisher, editorial committee, peer reviewers, and authors.

The principles of publication ethics are based on three fundamental values:

  1. Neutrality: Ensuring independence and freedom from conflicts of interest throughout editorial management, manuscript evaluation, and publication decisions.

  2. Fairness: Ensuring equitable treatment of all contributors and appropriate recognition of authorship based on substantial scholarly contributions.

  3. Honesty: Upholding academic integrity by preventing plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, data falsification, and other forms of scientific misconduct.

The proceedings seek to promote responsible scholarly publishing practices consistent with internationally recognized publication ethics principles, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2. Publisher Responsibilities

The publisher and organizing institution responsible for the 10th International Conference on Hospital Administration (ICHA) are committed to ensuring that submitted manuscripts undergo appropriate editorial assessment, peer review, manuscript preparation, and publication procedures in accordance with recognized academic publishing standards.

The publisher's responsibilities include:

  1. Ensuring that manuscripts are published only after completing the required editorial assessment and publication procedures.

  2. Supporting academic freedom and editorial independence in manuscript evaluation and publication decisions.

  3. Providing an appropriate publishing platform and administrative support for the editorial process.

  4. Protecting the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and associated editorial information.

  5. Respecting intellectual property rights, copyright ownership, and applicable licensing agreements.

  6. Supporting transparent and accountable procedures for addressing publication ethics concerns.

  7. Preventing inappropriate commercial, institutional, or personal influence on editorial decisions.

  8. Maintaining the integrity and accessibility of the published scholarly record.

  9. Supporting appropriate corrective actions when errors or ethical violations are identified after publication.

The publisher shall not interfere with editorial decisions based on scientific merit, originality, methodological rigor, and ethical compliance.

3. Editor Responsibilities

The editorial committee of the 10th International Conference on Hospital Administration (ICHA) is responsible for evaluating submitted manuscripts and making publication decisions based on scientific quality, relevance, originality, ethical compliance, and the recommendations of qualified reviewers.

3.1 Editorial Decisions

Editors are responsible for determining which manuscripts are suitable for publication in the proceedings.

Editorial decisions shall consider:

  • Relevance to the conference's focus and scope.

  • Originality and significance of the scholarly contribution.

  • Scientific and methodological quality.

  • Reliability and accuracy of reported findings.

  • Quality of analysis and interpretation.

  • Compliance with research ethics and publication standards.

  • Recommendations from peer reviewers.

Editors must also consider applicable legal requirements regarding defamation, copyright infringement, plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, and data falsification.

3.2 Fairness and Non-Discrimination

Editors must evaluate manuscripts objectively and fairly, without discrimination based on authors' race, ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, institutional affiliation, political beliefs, or personal background.

Publication decisions must be based exclusively on academic merit, scientific relevance, ethical compliance, and the quality of the submitted work.

3.3 Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.

Information regarding a manuscript must not be disclosed to unauthorized individuals.

Such information may be shared only with individuals legitimately involved in the editorial and publication process, including corresponding authors, assigned reviewers, editorial advisers, and authorized publishing personnel.

3.4 Conflicts of Interest

Editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest that could influence editorial decisions.

Editors must withdraw from handling manuscripts where significant conflicts of interest exist and arrange for an independent editor to manage the evaluation.

3.5 Unpublished Manuscripts

Editors must not use unpublished manuscripts, research data, methodologies, ideas, or findings for personal research or professional advantage without the authors' explicit written permission.

Unpublished materials must be handled securely and in accordance with the proceedings' editorial and data management procedures.

3.6 Handling Publication Misconduct

Editors are responsible for responding appropriately to suspected publication misconduct.

Allegations involving plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, authorship disputes, peer-review manipulation, or other ethical violations must be evaluated fairly and based on available evidence.

Where necessary, editors may consult independent experts, relevant institutions, or applicable publication ethics guidelines.

4. Peer Reviewer Responsibilities

Peer reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the scientific quality, academic credibility, and integrity of papers submitted to the 10th International Conference on Hospital Administration (ICHA).

Reviewers assist the editorial committee by providing independent, objective, and constructive evaluations of manuscripts.

4.1 Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Reviewers are responsible for assessing manuscripts according to their scientific quality, originality, methodology, relevance, and contribution to hospital administration and healthcare management.

Reviewer recommendations assist editors in determining whether a manuscript should be accepted, revised, reconsidered, or rejected.

4.2 Objectivity and Constructive Evaluation

Reviews must be conducted objectively and supported by clear academic arguments.

Reviewers should provide constructive comments that help authors improve the quality, clarity, and scientific validity of their manuscripts.

Personal criticism, discriminatory comments, and unsupported judgments are not acceptable.

4.3 Scientific Integrity

Reviewers should carefully assess manuscripts for potential problems involving:

  • Plagiarism and inappropriate citation.

  • Duplicate or redundant publication.

  • Data fabrication or falsification.

  • Inconsistencies in research methodology.

  • Inaccurate or misleading presentation of findings.

  • Insufficient acknowledgment of relevant scholarly literature.

  • Potential violations of research ethics.

Any significant ethical concerns identified during review should be reported confidentially to the editorial committee.

4.4 Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat all manuscripts received for review as confidential documents.

Manuscripts must not be disclosed, distributed, reproduced, or discussed with unauthorized individuals.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information, research findings, data, or ideas obtained during peer review for personal, academic, commercial, or professional advantage.

4.5 Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must disclose potential conflicts of interest arising from personal, professional, financial, or institutional relationships with the authors or their research.

Reviewers should decline assignments when such conflicts could compromise their independence or objectivity.

4.6 Reviewer Competence and Timeliness

Reviewers should accept review assignments only when they possess the necessary expertise to evaluate the manuscript appropriately.

Reviewers are expected to complete their evaluations within the timeframe established by the editorial committee.

If a reviewer is unable to complete an assignment, the editor should be informed promptly.

5. Author Responsibilities

Authors submitting manuscripts to the 10th International Conference on Hospital Administration (ICHA) are responsible for ensuring that their work meets recognized standards of scientific integrity, originality, ethical research conduct, and academic writing.

5.1 Originality and Academic Integrity

Authors must submit original manuscripts that accurately present their research, scholarly analysis, or professional contributions.

Manuscripts must be free from:

  • Plagiarism.

  • Data fabrication.

  • Data falsification.

  • Inappropriate duplication.

  • Misleading representation of research findings.

  • Unauthorized use of copyrighted materials.

  • Other forms of academic misconduct.

Authors must appropriately acknowledge and cite all sources, ideas, theories, data, and scholarly contributions used in their manuscripts.

5.2 Accuracy and Reliability of Research

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of the information presented in their manuscripts.

Research methods, data collection procedures, statistical analyses, and findings must be reported honestly and transparently.

Authors must not selectively manipulate or misrepresent research results to support predetermined conclusions.

5.3 Authorship and Contributions

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the research and manuscript preparation.

All listed authors must approve the final manuscript and accept responsibility for their contributions.

Individuals who provide administrative, technical, financial, or other support without meeting authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

5.4 Proper Citation and Acknowledgment

Authors must acknowledge the ideas, methods, findings, and intellectual contributions of other researchers through accurate citation and referencing.

All references must be relevant to the manuscript and presented according to the proceedings' citation requirements.

5.5 Ethical Research Conduct

Authors conducting research involving patients, healthcare professionals, hospital employees, or other human participants must comply with applicable ethical principles and institutional regulations.

Where required, authors must obtain approval from an appropriate research ethics committee and provide relevant ethical approval information.

Authors must respect participant confidentiality, privacy, informed consent requirements, and the protection of personal and medical information.

5.6 Data Integrity and Transparency

Authors must ensure that research data are collected, managed, analyzed, and reported responsibly.

Where appropriate and legally permissible, authors should provide sufficient information to support verification and scholarly evaluation of their findings.

Confidential patient records, identifiable personal information, and other sensitive healthcare data must not be disclosed without appropriate authorization or lawful justification.

5.7 Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.

Relevant funding sources and institutional support should also be disclosed.

5.8 Manuscript Review and Editorial Revision

Authors must cooperate with the peer review and editorial processes.

Authors are expected to respond professionally to reviewer comments and make necessary revisions to improve the scientific quality and clarity of their manuscripts.

Authors acknowledge that accepted manuscripts may undergo copyediting, formatting, and layout preparation, provided that such changes do not improperly alter the scientific substance, principal findings, or original meaning of the work.

Substantive editorial changes should be communicated to the authors for review when appropriate.

5.9 Correction of Errors

Authors who discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their submitted or published manuscripts must promptly notify the editorial committee.

Authors are expected to cooperate in implementing appropriate corrections, clarifications, or other necessary editorial actions.

6. Publication Ethics Violations

The 10th International Conference on Hospital Administration (ICHA) does not tolerate intentional violations of scientific and publication ethics.

Potential misconduct includes:

  1. Plagiarism or unauthorized reproduction of scholarly work.

  2. Fabrication or falsification of research data.

  3. Duplicate or redundant publication without appropriate disclosure.

  4. Inappropriate authorship attribution.

  5. Manipulation of peer review or editorial processes.

  6. Undisclosed conflicts of interest.

  7. Serious violations of research ethics.

  8. Unauthorized disclosure of confidential research information.

  9. Misrepresentation of research findings or institutional affiliations.

Suspected violations may be investigated by the editorial committee.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, the editorial committee may request clarification, require revisions, reject a manuscript, issue a correction, or initiate other appropriate actions.

For published papers, retraction or other post-publication measures may be considered in accordance with recognized publication ethics principles.

7. Commitment to Ethical Scholarly Publishing

The 10th International Conference on Hospital Administration (ICHA) is committed to promoting responsible research, academic honesty, editorial independence, and transparent scholarly communication.

All parties involved in the publication process are expected to uphold professional integrity and contribute to the credibility of the proceedings.

Through ethical editorial management, responsible peer review, and adherence to academic publishing standards, ICHA seeks to disseminate reliable scientific knowledge that supports improvements in hospital administration, healthcare management, patient safety, healthcare quality, and sustainable health systems.

References

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Core Practices.
https://publicationethics.org/core-practices

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.
https://publicationethics.org

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Retraction Guidelines.
https://publicationethics.org