Statement

ARKHAS: Journal of Arabic Language Teaching (Online ISSN: 2829-2863 | Print ISSN: 2829-4475) is a peer-reviewed journal published by the Postgraduate Program of Universitas Islam Negeri Kiai Haji Achmad Siddiq Jember, Indonesia. The journal is firmly committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and actively works to prevent all forms of publication malpractice. This statement outlines the ethical responsibilities of all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, the principal editor, associate editors, the editorial board, reviewers, and the publisher. It is based on the COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. Our core mission is to publish original scholarly work that contributes meaningfully to the intellectual community, presented in the highest quality format possible. We hold our reviewers and authors to the same high standards. Integrity, originality, and transparency from authors, along with fairness, objectivity, and confidentiality from editors and reviewers, are essential values that support our commitment to ethical publishing. ARKHAS: Journal of Arabic Language Teaching adheres to established best practices concerning ethical issues, error correction, and article retraction, and will seek legal counsel when necessary to uphold these standards.

 Duties of Editor

A. Publication Decisions
All manuscripts submitted to ARKHAS: Journal of Arabic Language Teaching go through a peer-review process involving at least two experts in the relevant field. The Principal Editor is responsible for the final decision on which manuscripts are accepted for publication. This decision is based on the quality of the work, its relevance to readers and researchers, feedback from reviewers, and compliance with legal requirements such as avoiding libel, copyright issues, and plagiarism. The Editor may consult with other editors or reviewers when making the decision.

B. Fair Evaluation
Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on their academic value—such as originality, significance, research quality, and clarity—and their fit with the journal’s scope. Personal factors like the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, religion, political views, or institutional affiliation are not considered. Editorial decisions are made independently and are not influenced by government or outside interests. The Principal Editor has full control over the journal’s content and publication schedule.

C. Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must keep all information about submitted manuscripts confidential. They may only share details with the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, or the publisher, when appropriate.

D. Conflicts of Interest
Editors must not use unpublished material from a manuscript in their own work without the author’s written permission. Any confidential information or ideas obtained during the review process must not be used for personal gain. Editors will step aside from handling any manuscript where they have a conflict of interest—such as close personal, professional, or financial relationships with the authors or institutions involved. In such cases, another editor will take over the review process.

E. Handling Unethical Behavior
If ethical concerns arise about a manuscript or a published article, the editors and publishers will take reasonable action to investigate and resolve the issue. This applies no matter when the issue is raised—even if it comes up years after publication. ARKHAS: Journal of Arabic Language Teaching is supported by legal experts in Intellectual Property Rights who serve on the journal’s Ethics Advisory Board.

 Duties of Authors

A. Reporting Standards
Authors must give a clear, honest, and accurate account of the research they conducted and its results. The paper should explain the significance of the findings and provide enough details and references so others can replicate the study. Review articles should be objective and comprehensive, while opinion pieces must be clearly labeled. Submitting false or misleading information is unethical and strictly forbidden.

B. Data Access and Retention
Authors should be ready to provide the raw data from their study if requested by the journal editors. They should also be prepared to make the data publicly available and must keep it for a reasonable time after publication.

C. Originality and Plagiarism
Submitted work must be original. If authors use someone else’s work—whether text, ideas, or data—it must be properly cited. Any form of plagiarism is unethical and not allowed. This includes copying another's work, paraphrasing without credit, or claiming others' research results as one’s own. All submissions will be checked for plagiarism using software (e.g., Turnitin). A signed declaration confirming the manuscript’s originality is required from all authors.

D. Multiple or Redundant Publication
Authors must not submit the same research to more than one journal. Publishing the same work in multiple places or submitting it to different journals at the same time is unethical and unacceptable.

E. Acknowledgment of Sources
Authors must properly credit others whose work has influenced theirs. Information gained through private communication (e.g., conversations, letters) must not be used without written permission. Likewise, confidential information from peer reviews or grant evaluations must not be used without consent from the original authors.

F. Authorship
Only those who made significant contributions to the research (such as designing the study, analyzing data, or interpreting results) should be listed as authors. Others who helped in less significant ways should be acknowledged. The corresponding author must make sure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission.

G. Corrections and Retractions
If authors find a serious error in their published work, they must promptly inform the journal and help fix it through a correction or retraction. If the journal is informed by someone else, the author must respond quickly to clarify or correct the issue.

H. Safety and Ethics in Research
If the research involves dangerous materials or equipment, authors must clearly explain the risks. For studies involving humans or animals, authors must confirm that ethical approval was obtained and that all procedures followed the law and institutional guidelines. In human studies, informed consent must be obtained, and participants' privacy must be protected at all times.

I. Conflict of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could affect their work. All funding sources must be clearly stated, including the role of sponsors (if any) in the research or publication process. If there was no sponsor involvement, that should be made clear too. Conflicts of interest must be declared in the manuscript or submission form.

J. Image Integrity
Images must not be altered in a way that misleads. Changes in brightness or contrast are allowed only if they don’t hide or remove any original information. Any adjustments should only aim to improve clarity. Manipulation for other purposes may be considered unethical. Authors must follow the journal’s image policies, such as submitting original images or uploading them to a designated repository.

 Duties of Reviewers

A. Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer reviewers assist the editor in making editorial decisions and help improve the quality of submitted manuscripts through constructive feedback to authors.

B. Timeliness
Reviewers who feel unqualified to evaluate a manuscript or are unable to complete the review on time should notify the editor as soon as possible and withdraw from the review process.

C. Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They should not be shared or discussed with others unless authorized by the editor.

D. Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted fairly and objectively, focusing on the content of the manuscript. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should provide clear and well-supported comments.

E. Acknowledgment of Sources
Reviewers should identify any relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. If any part of the manuscript appears similar to other published work, the reviewer should inform the editor.

F. Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
Any confidential information obtained through peer review must not be used for personal advantage. Reviewers should avoid evaluating manuscripts if they have a conflict of interest due to personal, professional, or financial relationships with the authors or institutions involved.