Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Leviopus is a peer-reviewed journal published by Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadjah Mada.This statement clarifies ethical behaviour of all parties involved in the act of publishing an article in this journal, including the author, the chief editor, the Editorial Board, the peer-reviewer­­­­­ and the publisher. This statement is based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

1. Allegations of Misconduct

Leviopus upholds integrity in scholarly publication. Allegations of research or publication misconduct including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, redundant publication, manipulation of the peer review process, or undeclared conflicts of interest—will be handled according to COPE flowcharts. All complaints or suspicions may be reported confidentially to the Editor-in-Chief. The editorial office will:

1. Record and acknowledge receipt of the allegation;
   
   
2. Conduct an initial assessment;
   
   
3. Seek a response from the author(s) within a reasonable time;
   
   
4. If necessary, involve the author’s institution or relevant ethics committee; and
   
   
5. Publish appropriate outcomes (correction, retraction, or expression of concern).
   Confidentiality and fairness are maintained throughout
   
   

2. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission. Leviopus encourages transparent author contribution statements (e.g., conceptualization, methodology, analysis, writing). Any request for addition, removal, or rearrangement of authors after submission must be approved by all co-authors and justified in writing. Disputes regarding authorship will follow COPE’s guidance.

3. Complaints and Appeals

Leviopus provides a transparent mechanism for handling complaints about editorial conduct, decisions, or publication ethics.

1. Authors may appeal an editorial decision by writing to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of notification, providing clear reasons and supporting evidence;
2. Complaints about editorial behaviour, bias, or ethical breaches can be submitted to the Managing Editor or Faculty of Law Ethics Committee. All appeals and complaints will be acknowledged, reviewed independently, and concluded transparently. The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

4. Conflicts of Interest

All parties authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, personal, or institutional relationships that could influence their work.

1. Authors must declare all funding sources and potential conflicts in their manuscripts.
2. Reviewers must decline assignments if a conflict exists (e.g., collaboration, competition, or personal connection).
3. Editors must recuse themselves when handling manuscripts involving potential conflicts.
   Disclosures will be published within the article, and any undisclosed conflict discovered post-publication may lead to correction or retraction.

5. Data and Reproducibility

Authors must ensure that data supporting the results are accurately represented and available upon reasonable request. Leviopus encourages data sharing through reputable repositories and requires a Data Availability Statement in each article. Authors are responsible for transparency in methodology and adherence to appropriate reporting guidelines. Falsification or selective reporting constitutes misconduct.

6. Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must comply with institutional and international ethical standards.

1. Authors must state that ethical approval was obtained (including IRB name and reference number).
2. For human research, informed consent must be obtained and participants’ privacy protected.
3. For animal studies, authors must confirm compliance with ethical standards and welfare protocols.
4. Failure to obtain proper ethical oversight may result in rejection or retraction.

7. Intellectual Property and Plagiarism

Copyright of the published articles will be transferred to the journal as the publisher of the manuscripts. Therefore, the author confirms that the copyright has been managed by the publisher. The copyright follows Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License: This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms.

All submissions are screened with plagiarism-detection software (Turnitin). Plagiarism, duplicate or redundant publication, and self-plagiarism are strictly prohibited. Submissions exceeding the similarity threshold or reproducing copyrighted material without permission will be rejected or retracted. Authors must ensure all figures, tables, and text are original or properly cited.

8. Journal Management

Leviopus is published by the Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadjah Mada. Editorial independence is guaranteed: commercial, institutional, or sponsor interests shall not influence editorial decisions. The journal’s management maintains transparency in:

1. Editorial board membership and responsibilities,
2. Peer review procedures,
3. Article processing charges and waiver policy, and
4. Training for editors and reviewers.
   All processes are reviewed annually to ensure compliance with COPE and national standards (SINTA 1 accreditation).

9, Peer Review Process

Leviopus applies a double-blind peer review system. Manuscripts are evaluated by at least two independent experts based on originality, validity, ethical soundness, and relevance. Editors ensure reviewers have no conflicts of interest. Reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality, provide objective feedback, and return reviews promptly. Authors may appeal review outcomes by providing justification and evidence. Review manipulation or coercion will be treated as misconduct. Reviewer training and recognition are conducted regularly in line with COPE recommendations.

10. Post-Publication Discussion and Corrections

Leviopus supports open post-publication dialogue. Readers may submit comments or letters addressing published articles. Corrections, corrigenda, errata, or retractions will be issued when errors or ethical breaches are verified. Retractions follow COPE’s Retraction Guidelines and will clearly state the reason (e.g., error, misconduct, ethical non-compliance). Expressions of concern may be published if investigations are ongoing. All updates remain permanently linked to the original article.