Journals

MIMA Maritime Affairs Journal: Adherence to Ethical Principles and Responsible Practices 

The Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct in all aspects of its research and publication activities. The MIMA Maritime Affairs Journal adheres to a comprehensive set of guidelines that govern publication ethics, authorship, peer review, data sharing, conflict of interest, and intellectual property rights. These guidelines ensure the integrity and credibility of the journal's content, safeguarding the interests of authors, reviewers, and readers alike. 

Ethics and Responsibilities 

Authorship and Authorship Contributions: 

1. Clear Authorship Criteria: Define clear and explicit criteria for authorship, ensuring that all contributors who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work are listed as authors. 

1. Authorship Disputes: Establish a procedure for resolving authorship disputes promptly and fairly, addressing concerns of all parties involved. 

1. Ghost writing and Guest Authorship: Prohibit ghost writing and guest authorship practices, ensuring that authors genuinely contributed to the work and are accountable for its content. 

Originality and Plagiarism: 

1. Originality Requirements: Emphasise the importance of original research and discourage plagiarism in all forms. 

1. Plagiarism Detection: Implement robust plagiarism detection mechanisms to identify and prevent plagiarism in submitted manuscripts. 

1. Retraction Policy: Establish a clear retraction policy for dealing with instances of plagiarism or other ethical breaches. 

Data Integrity and Transparency: 

1. Data Sharing Policy: Encourage data sharing practices to promote transparency and reproducibility of research. 

1. Data Availability Statements: Require authors to include data availability statements in their manuscripts, specifying how and where data can be accessed. 

1. Research Data Management Plans: Encourage authors to develop research data management plans to ensure proper data collection, storage, and access. 

Conflicts of Interest and Disclosure: 

1. Conflicts of Interest Policy: Implement a clear conflicts of interest policy requiring authors, reviewers, and editors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest. 

1. Financial Disclosures: Require authors to disclose all financial and non-financial support received for the research. 

1. Conflict Management Procedures: Establish procedures for managing conflicts of interest to avoid bias and maintain ethical conduct. 

Peer Review Process: 

1. Fair and Impartial Review: Ensure that the peer review process is fair, impartial, and conducted without bias or conflicts of interest. 

1. Reviewer Confidentiality: Maintain the confidentiality of reviewer identities to protect reviewers from undue influence. 

1. Transparency in Review Process: Provide authors with feedback on their submissions, including reviewer comments, to promote transparency and improve manuscript quality. 

Editorial Responsibilities: 

1. Editorial Independence: Ensure editorial independence from undue influence from authors, reviewers, or commercial interests. 

1. Decision-Making Process: Establish a transparent and fair decision-making process for manuscript acceptance or rejection. 

1. Erratum and Retraction Policy: Implement a clear erratum and retraction policy to correct errors or retract manuscripts in case of ethical breaches. 

Publication Ethics and Responsibilities 

The MIMA Maritime Affairs Journal has established a set of ethical research and publication principles. These principles encompass the following: 

• Accountability: Authors, editors, and reviewers are accountable for their actions and contributions to the journal. 
• Integrity: Research should be conducted with integrity, ensuring the accuracy and validity of data and findings. 
• Objectivity: Authors and reviewers should maintain objectivity and impartiality throughout the publication process. 
• Transparency: All aspects of the research and publication process should be transparent and open to scrutiny.