SOP To Author

Cashless: Journal of Sharia Finance and Banking

Our journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against any publication malpractices. All parties involved in the act of publishing (Authors, Editorial Board, Peer Reviewers, and the Publisher) must agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior.

1. Duties of Authors

Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. If the authors have used the work and/or words of others, this must be appropriately cited or quoted. Any form of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism (text-recycling) without proper disclosure, constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
Data Integrity and Accuracy: Authors of empirical research regarding transaction trends, fintech adoption, or consumer behavior must present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Fabricating, falsifying, or manipulating data is a severe breach of ethical standards.
Data Privacy and Security: Given that research in cashless systems often handles sensitive financial and personal data:

Mandatory: Authors must ensure that all research involving human subjects or financial user data strictly complies with data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, local privacy laws). All data must be fully anonymized prior to submission.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships with institutions, fintech providers, commercial banks, or digital wallet vendors that could be perceived as biasing their research or conclusions.
Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All co-authors must have seen and approved the final version of the paper.

2. Duties of Editors

Fair Play and Objectivity: Editors evaluate manuscripts solely for their intellectual content and relevance to cashless and digital economy fields, without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
Confidentiality: The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author.
Publication Decisions: The editor-in-chief is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published, based on the validation of the work in question, its importance to researchers, and peer reviewers' feedback.

3. Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the paper.
Promptness: Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript (e.g., advanced cryptographic algorithms in blockchain cashless payments) or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse themselves from the review process.
Confidentiality: Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.
Standards of Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors.

4. Duties of the Publisher

Handling Ethical Misconduct: In cases of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication, or plagiarism, the publisher, in close collaboration with the editors, will take all appropriate measures to clarify the situation and to amend the article in question. This includes the prompt publication of an erratum, clarification, or, in the most severe cases, the retraction of the affected work.
Access and Archiving: The publisher is committed to the permanent availability and preservation of scholarly research and ensures accessibility by maintaining a secure digital archive (e.g., via Open Access policies).

Summary of Misconduct Handling Process

Type of Violation	Initial Action	Maximum Sanction
Plagiarism (> 20%)	Request clarification from Author	Manuscript rejection / Author blacklisting
Data Fabrication	Editorial committee investigation	Public Retraction of the published paper
Undisclosed Conflict of Interest	Request revision of declarations	Delay or suspension of publication