Code of Conduct - Horizon Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences Research (JHSSR)

Publishing Policies

Code of conduct and publication malpractice statement

As one of the leading publisher of high-quality scholarly journals, HORIZON is committed to maintaining the highest standards of Code of Conduct and to supporting ethical research practices. HORIZON adheres to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (http://publicationethics.org/) and follows the COPE Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers. We encourage journal editors to follow the COPE Code of Conduct for Journal Editors and to refer reviewers to the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers as appropriate. Allegations of misconduct, if any will be investigated in accordance with the COPE Best Practice Guidelines as far as is practicable.

We take publication ethics very seriously. HORIZON supports its journal editorial teams and authors providing best practice guidelines in the following key areas:

Authorship
Article submission
Conflict of interest
Fair editing and peer review
Promoting ethical research

Authorship

Horizon expects all published articles to contain clear and accurate attribution of authorship. It is the responsibility of the author to ensure that all authors that contributed to the work are fairly acknowledged and that the published author list accurately reflects individual contributions. Where authorship disputes arise, Horizon encourages journal editorial teams to follow the COPE guidelines detailed here. Where authors employ the services of third party agencies prior to submission, for instance in language editing or manuscript formatting/preparation, they must ensure that all services comply with the following guidelines.

Attribution and acknowledgement
HORIZON supports the ICMJE definitions of authorship as published here. HORIZON journals take the extra step of emailing named authors at the point of submission (usually via the journal submission system or via email) to confirm participation.

Changes in authorship
Requests for changes to authorship must be directed to the journal’s chief executive editor. Changes in authorship will only be permitted where valid reasons are provided and all authors are in agreement with the change. Post-publication changes to authorship will typically be made via a published correction and authors may be charged for this additional service.

•    Request for addition of extra author before publication
•    Request for addition of extra author post publication
•    Request for removal of author post-publication

‘Ghost,’ ‘guest,’ or ‘gift’ authorship
HORIZON considers all forms of ghost, guest, and gift authorship to be unethical and works closely with editors and publishing partners to take a firm stance against such practices. Any allegation of ghost, guest, or gift authorship will be investigated in accordance with the COPE guidelines listed here. Where such practices are identified the authors in question will be removed from an article through a post-publication correction or erratum. In addition the journal may choose to notify the institutional or local ethics committee for the authors in question.

‘Ghost’ authorship refers to the practice of using a non-named author to write or prepare an article for publication. Ghost authors are typically (but not exclusively) paid sponsors, employees, junior researchers, or external academic affiliates.

‘Guest’ or ‘gift’ authorship refers to the practice of naming an individual that made little or no contribution to a study as an author on an article. Gift authors are typically (but not exclusively) senior researchers, affiliated researchers, friends, or colleagues of the principle author. There are also organisations that offer gift authorship for a fee.

Article submission

HORIZON takes every effort to ensure that editors, peer reviewers, and journal editorial staff treat all submissions respectfully, in confidence, and in accordance with COPE ethical guidelines. Horizon expects that all individuals submitting manuscripts to HORIZON-published journals abide by established publishing standards and ethics. In proven cases of misconduct, the action taken will vary by journal and by context, but could result in one or more of the following:

• Retraction of published work.
• Publication of a correction or statement of concern.
• Refusal of future submission.
• Notification of misconduct sent to an author’s local institution, superior, and/or ethics committee.

Redundant publication (dual submission or publication)
HORIZON-published journals evaluate submissions on the understanding that they have not been previously published in or simultaneously submitted to another journal. We encourage all HORIZON-published journals to investigate allegations of redundant publication thoroughly and in accordance with COPE guidelines detailed here. We also encourage editors and journal editorial staff to keep a clear record of all communications between authors, editors, and peer reviewers regarding the submissions they handle. These records are carefully stored and may be used to facilitate investigations into possible cases of misconduct. Where necessary we will contact and/or co-operate with other publishers and journals to identify cases of redundant publication.

Defamation
Whilst striving to promote freedom of expression wherever possible, HORIZON aims to avoid publishing anything that harms the reputation of an individual, business, group, or organization unless it can be proven to be true. We take all possible measures to ensure that published work is free of any text that is, or may be considered to be libelous, slanderous, or defamatory.

Conflict of interest

HORIZON is committed to transparency in areas of potential conflict of interest. We encourage our journals, and editors to publish and regularly review policies on Conflict of Interest as they relate to authors, editors and peer reviewers.

Authors
Conflict of interest exists when an author’s private interests might be seen as influencing the objectivity of research or experiment, to the point that a reasonable observer might wonder if the individual’s behaviour or judgement was motivated by considerations of his or her competing interests. It is the responsibility of a manuscript’s corresponding author to confirm if co-authors hold any conflict of interest. The corresponding author may be required to co-ordinate completion of written forms from each co-author and submit these to the editor or journal administrator prior to acceptance. The following should also be declared, either through the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript or at the point of submission:

•

All sources of research funding, including direct and indirect financial support, supply of equipment, or materials (including specialist statistical or writing assistance).

•

The role of the research funder(s) or sponsor(s), if any, in the research design, execution, analysis, interpretation, and reporting.

•

Any relevant financial and non-financial interests and relationships that might be considered likely to affect the interpretation of their findings or that editors, reviewers, or readers might reasonably wish to know. These might include, but are not limited to, patent or stock ownership, membership on a company’s board of directors, membership of an advisory board or committee for a company, consultancy for a company, or receipt of speaker’s fees from a company.

Editors
HORIZON expects its journal editors to declare competing interests at the point of agreeing their position and update them annually. HORIZON’s standard editor agreement obliges the editor to declare any potential conflict of interest that might arise during the term of editorship prior to entry into any agreement or position. Editors are required to recuse themselves from individual manuscripts if they themselves have a potential conflict of interest and to avoid creating potential conflicts of interest through assignment of handling editors or peer reviewers.

Referees
We encourage editors and journal administrators to consider potential conflicts of interest when assigning reviewers. Where a reviewer declares potential conflict of interest the editor would select alternative reviewers. Failure to declare conflict of interest may result in removal of the reviewer from our journal database.

Fair editing and peer review

HORIZON encourages all participants in the publishing process to adhere to established principles of ethical publishing. This extends from authors to journal editors, reviewers, journal editorial and publishing staff.

Editorial independence
Editors have full editorial independence. Although HORIZON may discuss strategy, process, and policy with editors, we will never knowingly exert pressure on editors to accept manuscripts for commercial or political reasons. We do, however, expect and encourage HORIZON-published journals to have clearly defined processes and policies for the handling of contributions by the editor or members of the editorial board to ensure that, where appropriate, these submissions receive an equivalent level of peer review to any other submission.

Peer review and reviewer conduct HORIZON supports and refers its editors to the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. HORIZON does support a double-blind peer review system. and publishes its review procedure as part of our submission guidelines, for instance:

Manuscripts are reviewed by two independent experts in the relevant area. The reviewers make a scientific assessment and a recommendation to the editors. Reviewers remain unknown to authors. The Handling editor considers the manuscript and the reviewers’ comments before making a final decision either to accept, accept with revision or to reject a manuscript.

Confidentiality
Unless otherwise specified, HORIZON expects editors and reviewers to handle all submissions in confidence. If a reviewer wishes to delegate the review or seek the opinion of a colleague on a specific aspect of the paper, they are expected to clear this with the editor in the first instance.

Peer review fraud
Like many other journals, Horizon journals also provide the option for submitting authors to suggest preferred reviewers. It is the responsibility of the lead author to ensure that only genuine reviewers and reviewer contact details are put forward. Any suspected or alleged instances of authors submitting fabricated reviewer details will be thoroughly investigated. If such allegations are proven, the article in question will be immediately rejected or, if already published, retracted. The journal would typically notify the authors’ institutional or local ethics council and may also impose a ban on further submissions from the author group.

Journal’s Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences Research takes issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice.

Submitted articles are checked with duplication-checking software such as TurnItIn.

Promoting Ethical Research

It is part of HORIZON’s mission to promote the highest standards of research through its publishing activities. Ensuring that the research we publish is conducted in a fair and ethical manner, is integral to this. We publish across multiple research areas, many of which have their own standards and methods of governing research practice.

Wherever appropriate and if applicable, we expect published research based on human subjects to provide the name of the local ethics committee that approved the study (or confirmation that such approval is not needed) and/or to state how the study conforms to recognised standards. HORIZON encourages journals and handling editors to return any manuscripts describing studies not meeting acceptable criteria. The headings below details HORIZON’s approach to the most common areas of research integrity.

Patient confidentiality

Journals publishing studies using human subjects should ensure that a patient's right to privacy has not been infringed without prior consent. We encourage journals to follow the ICMJE guidelines for reporting on human subjects. For publication of material that contains detailed patient information about a living individual, it is compulsory for a signed patient consent to be obtained.

Falsification and fabrication

Submitted papers found to include false or fabricated data prior to publication will be returned to the author immediately with a request for an explanation. If no explanation is received or if the explanation provided is considered unsatisfactory, the journal will notify the authors’ institution, local ethical committee, or superior. The journal may also refuse to accept further submissions from the author for a defined period.

Examples of data falsification or fabrication include: image manipulation; cropping of gels/images to change context; omission of selected data; or making-up data sets. HORIZON recognises that falsification is not always deliberate and will encourage its journals and publishing partners to consider each case on its terms.

Originality and Plagiarism

HORIZON journals evaluate submissions on the understanding that they are the original work of the author(s). We expect that references made in a manuscript or article to another person’s work or idea will be credited appropriately. Equally we expect authors to gain all appropriate permissions prior to publication.

Re-use of text, data, figures, or images without appropriate acknowledgment or permission is considered plagiarism, as is the paraphrasing of text, concepts, and ideas. All allegations of plagiarism are investigated thoroughly and in accordance with COPE guidelines detailed here. Horizon journals systematically run submitted papers through plagiarism-detection software (TurnItIn) to identify possible cases. This journal will immediately reject papers leading to plagiarism or self-plagiarism

Similarity Index

The author must ensure that when a manuscript is submitted to Horizon, the manuscript is an original work. The author should check the manuscript for any possible plagiarism using any software such as TurnItIn, iThenticate or any other similar program before submitting the manuscripts to the Horizon journal.

All submitted manuscripts must be in the Journal’s acceptable similarity index range: < 25%– PASS; 26-40%– RESUBMIT; > 40%– REJECT.

Prior Publication

Any material that has been previously published will not be acceptable for publication.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) refers to technologies capable of creating diverse forms of content, including written text, images, audio, and synthetic datasets. Well-known examples include ChatGPT, Jasper AI, Rytr AI, NovelAI, and DALL·E.

The Horizon Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research (JHSSR) recognizes that generative AI, particularly applications built on Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, is increasingly being used as a supportive tool in academic writing. Accordingly, the journal will accept manuscripts where such technologies have been employed.

When authors choose to integrate generative AI or AI-assisted tools in their writing process, they may only do so for the purpose of enhancing clarity, readability, and language quality. Their use must remain under direct human supervision, with authors carefully revising, correcting, and refining all AI-generated material to guard against potential inaccuracies, omissions, biases, or errors. Full responsibility ultimately rests with the authors, who remain accountable for the correctness of the content, proper attribution of sources, and the avoidance of plagiarism.

AI systems or AI-assisted technologies must not be listed as authors or co-authors, nor should they be cited as such. Authorship implies intellectual contributions and accountability that are inherently human. In addition, the use of AI tools does not provide guarantees of confidentiality or data security. By contrast, the routine use of standard support tools—such as grammar and spell checkers, citation managers, or plagiarism detection software—falls outside this policy and therefore does not require acknowledgment in submissions.

To ensure transparency, authors who have used generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in preparing their manuscript are required to include a disclosure under a dedicated section titled “Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted Technologies in the Writing Process”, placed immediately before the References list. Example of Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted Technologies in the Writing Process:

“During the preparation of this manuscript, the author(s) employed [NAME OF THE GENERATIVE AI AND AI-ASSISTED TECHNOLOGIES] for [PURPOSE, e.g., language editing, drafting background section] and used it for [TASK, e.g., synthesizing literature on cultural perspectives in contemporary society, or thematic framing of social attitudes toward digital literacy]. Following its use, the author(s) thoroughly reviewed, revised, and edited the content, and accept full responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the final work.”

The use of AI software, including ChatGPT, must be disclosed either in the Materials and Methods section (or, where not applicable, in the Acknowledgments). However, such tools may not be designated as authors. Authors remain solely responsible for carefully verifying all outputs generated through AI assistance.

For authors

Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in Academic Writing

This policy applies exclusively to the writing stage of scholarly work, and does not cover the use of AI tools for data analysis, interpretation, or generating research insights.

If authors employ generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in preparing their manuscripts, such use must be limited to enhancing the clarity, readability, and overall language of the text. Any application of these technologies must remain under human oversight and control, with authors carefully reviewing, revising, and editing the outcomes. Since AI can produce text that appears authoritative yet may contain inaccuracies, omissions, or biases, authors hold full responsibility for ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of their manuscripts.

All instances of generative AI or AI-assisted technology use must be disclosed within the manuscript, and a corresponding statement will be published alongside the work. Such disclosure fosters transparency and accountability, strengthens trust among authors, readers, reviewers, and editors, and ensures alignment with the terms of use of the relevant tools.

Importantly, AI systems must not be listed or cited as authors. Authorship encompasses intellectual contributions and responsibilities that only humans can assume. Each co-author must be able to affirm the validity of the manuscript, approve the final version, and accept accountability for all aspects of the work, including addressing questions of accuracy or integrity. Authors are also expected to confirm the originality of the submission, ensure that only eligible contributors are credited, and verify that no third-party rights are infringed. All authors should also familiarize themselves with the journal’s Publishing policies prior to submission.

Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Tools in Figures, Images, and Artwork

The Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research (JHSSR) does not permit the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies to create, modify, or manipulate images in submitted manuscripts. Prohibited practices include enhancing, obscuring, moving, removing, or adding elements within a figure or image. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable, provided they do not conceal, distort, or eliminate information contained in the original image. Submitted manuscripts may be examined using forensic software or other specialized tools to detect possible image manipulation.

The sole exception to this restriction applies when AI or AI-assisted tools form part of the research design or methodology—for example, in studies employing AI-driven imaging techniques for data generation or interpretation, such as in biomedical imaging. In these cases, authors must describe their use of AI tools in the methods section with sufficient detail to allow reproducibility. This description should specify how the AI tool was applied, the name of the model or software, version and extension numbers, and the manufacturer. Authors are expected to comply with the terms of use of the software and to ensure accurate attribution of content. When requested, authors may be required to provide unmodified, pre-AI images and/or the raw composite files from which the final figures were derived for editorial review.

Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies may not be used to produce artwork such as graphical abstracts. Use of AI in cover art may only be considered with prior approval from the journal editor and publisher, provided the author demonstrates that all relevant rights have been secured, appropriate permissions obtained, and proper attribution ensured.

For reviewers

Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Peer Review Process

Manuscripts submitted for peer review must be handled with the utmost confidentiality. Reviewers are strictly prohibited from uploading a manuscript, or any part of it, into a generative AI system, as doing so could compromise the authors’ confidentiality, infringe upon proprietary rights, and, where personal data is included, potentially breach privacy protections.

This obligation of confidentiality also applies to the peer review report itself, which may contain sensitive information about the manuscript and its authors. Consequently, reviewers must not use generative AI tools to draft, edit, or refine their reports, even for purposes of language improvement or readability.

Peer review is a cornerstone of scholarly publishing, requiring independence, integrity, and critical evaluation that only human reviewers can provide. Generative AI tools lack the capacity for the nuanced judgment, analytical reasoning, and original assessment that peer review demands. Reliance on such technologies poses risks of error, omission, or bias. Reviewers are therefore fully responsible and accountable for the originality, accuracy, and reliability of the reviews they submit.

While JHSSR’s policy allows authors to use generative AI or AI-assisted tools in preparing their manuscripts—strictly for language refinement and with mandatory disclosure—reviewers may not use such tools in the evaluation process. Where relevant, reviewers will find author disclosures regarding AI use at the end of manuscripts, immediately before the reference list, as per our Instructions to Authors Instructions to Authors in JHSSR’s.

For editors

Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Editorial Process

All submitted manuscripts must be regarded as confidential documents. Editors are not permitted to upload any manuscript, or portions of it, into generative AI tools, as this may compromise author confidentiality, infringe proprietary rights, or—where personal data is present—violate privacy protections.

This obligation of confidentiality also applies to all editorial correspondence, including notifications and decision letters, which may contain sensitive information relating to both the manuscript and its authors. Editors must therefore refrain from using AI systems to generate, refine, or edit such communications, even for the purpose of language improvement.

The peer review process is central to the integrity of scholarly publishing, and JHSSR upholds the highest ethical standards in its editorial practices. Oversight of manuscript evaluation requires intellectual responsibility and independent judgment that cannot be delegated to generative AI systems. Such technologies are not suited to the nuanced analysis, critical reasoning, and ethical decision-making essential to editorial work, and their use risks producing incomplete, inaccurate, or biased conclusions. Editors remain fully responsible for the editorial process, including manuscript assessment, final decisions, and official communication with authors.

In line with JHSSR’s AI author policy, authors may use generative AI or AI-assisted tools during the writing stage—exclusively for language and readability improvements—with appropriate disclosure, as per our instructions in JHSSR’s Instructions to Authors. Editors will find such disclosures placed at the end of manuscripts, directly before the reference list. If an editor suspects that an author or reviewer has breached the journal’s AI usage policies, they are expected to report the matter to the publisher.

At the same time, JHSSR acknowledges the potential of new AI-driven tools that can ethically support editors and reviewers. The journal continues to develop and adopt in-house technologies designed to enhance efficiency while upholding strict standards of confidentiality and data protection.

AI Content Check: Manuscripts submitted to JHSSR must not contain more than 20% material generated with AI or AI-assisted technologies.

Open Access

Horizon JHSSR is an Open Access journal and indexed in major academic databases to maximize article discoverability and citation. JHSSR follows best practices on publication ethics outlined in the COPE Code of Conduct. Editors work to ensure timely decisions after initial submission, as well as prompt publication online if a manuscript is accepted for publication.

Benefits of Publishing in Open-access

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research (JHSSR) published by B.P. Publishing, Malaysia is an open access journal. All articles are published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY). All articles are freely available to read, share and download. In accordance with publication ethics and best practices of scholarly publishing, authors and journals must be properly credited. All articles are accessible via the Journal’s website and selected indexing and abstracting databases.

Upon publication, articles are immediately and freely available to the public. The final version of articles can immediately be posted to an institutional repository or to the author's own website as long as the article includes a link back to the original article posted on Horizon JHSSR. Scientific research confirms that publishing in open-access, because of the worldwide visibility, demonstrably leads to increased citations and added impact.

HORIZON is an OPEN ACCESS journal that adheres to the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of open access. All articles published in Horizon JHSSR are freely available online and users have the right to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of these articles | open. online. everywhere.

📢 Welcoming New Editors...

Addition of our new Editorial and International Advisory Board Members:

Brij Mohan

Mahnaz Moallem

Naila Aaijaz

Pradeep Trikha

Rajendran Nagappan

Rosenna Bakari

Sandeep Gopalan

Shirin Shafiei Ebrahimi

Zalina Shari