Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia use guidelines issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (Commission of Publication Ethics / COPE). Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia requires that all articles involving human subjects to respect the principles of research ethics as stated in the Declaration of Helsinki. As for research involving animals as subjects are also required to comply with the International Principles for Biomedical Research issued by the International Council of Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS). Ethical publication should be clear in order to improve the quality of research. Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia by COPE adjust to meet the ethical standards for publishers, authors, editors, and reviewers.

Here are the ethical standards for authors, editors, and reviewers.

Authors

Reporting standards. Authors of reports of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Originality and Plagiarism. The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited or quoted.

Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication. An author should not in general, publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

Acknowledgement of Sources. Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

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 those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest. All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works. When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

Editors

1. Editors should be responsible for every article published in Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia.
2. Editors should help authors to follow the Guidelines for author.
3. Editors may communicate with other editors or reviewers in making the final decision.
4. An editor has to evaluate the manuscript objectively for publication, judging each on its quality without looking to nationality, ethnicity, political beliefs, race, religion, gender, seniority, or institutional affiliation of the authors. Editors should decline the assignment when there is a potential for conflict of interest.
5. Editors need to ensure the document sent to the reviewers does not contain the information of the author, vice versa.
6. Editors’ decision should be informed to authors accompanied by reviewers’ comments unless they contain offensive or libelous remarks.
7. Editors should respect requests from authors that an individual should not review the submission if these are well reasoned and practicable.
8. Editors and all staffs should guarantee the confidentiality of the submitted manuscript.
9. Editors will be guided by the COPE flowcharts if there is a suspected misconduct or disputed authorship.

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 or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse himself 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. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.