Who Can Submit?

Anyone may submit an original work to MKMI, provided they hold the copyright to the work or have obtained the necessary permissions from the copyright holder(s). Authors must confirm that the manuscript is original, not previously published, and not under consideration elsewhere.

Open Access Policy

All articles published in MKMI are freely accessible online to read and download immediately upon publication. The journal is committed to open access, with the aim of increasing the visibility, accessibility, and impact of scholarly work. To support sustainable open access, the journal charges an article processing charge (APC) for each accepted manuscript. For more information, please refer to the Author Guidelines page.

Copyright Statement

Authors retain the copyright of their work. Upon publication, authors grant MKMI a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute, and archive the article. This arrangement ensures that authors remain copyright holders while the journal disseminates the work under an open license.

Licensing

All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This license allows users to copy, distribute, display, and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided proper attribution is given to the original authors and any derivative works are shared under the same license.

• Advertisements and commercially sponsored content in MKMI are kept independent from the journal’s editorial decisions. The journal does not endorse any product or service promoted through advertisements. Editorial content remains unaffected by commercial or financial interests, including arrangements with advertisers or sponsors.
• MKMI reserves the right to decline any advertising that could damage the journal’s reputation or is deemed inappropriate to its content. The journal does not accept advertisements for products or services known to be harmful to health, such as tobacco, vaping, or alcohol.
• Advertisements must be truthful, verifiable, and clearly identify the advertiser and the product or service. Deceptive, misleading, or exaggerated claims are not permitted. Advertisements must not be indecent, offensive, or related to content of a personal, racial, ethnic, sexual, or religious nature.
• Once an advertisement is published online, it may be removed at any time upon the request of the Editor-in-Chief or Publisher.
• All advertisements and sponsored content must be clearly distinguishable from editorial material. The journal does not publish “advertorial” content and sponsored supplements must be explicitly labeled, especially if they have not undergone peer review or have been reviewed separately.
• Editorial decisions are made independently of any advertising interests and are not influenced by sponsors. Advertisers have no control over search results or content on the journal’s website.
• Requests for advertisements outside of standard positions should be submitted to the editorial team, who will respond within five business days with a final decision.
• Notice regarding complaints about advertisements can be found on the Advertisements page.

Advertising Complaints

Any concerns or complaints regarding advertisements should be directed to the journal’s editorial office via email at journal.mkmi@unhas.ac.id or jurnal.mkmi@gmail.com.

All authors are required to provide accurate and complete information about their institutional affiliations at the time of the manuscript submission. For research articles, authors must list the institutional affiliation where the research was approved, supported, or conducted. For non-research articles, authors should list their current institutional affiliation at the time of submission.

In cases where an author has moved to a different institution after completing the work but before publication, the affiliation where the work was supported or conducted must be listed, with a note indicating the author’s current affiliation and contact details in the acknowledgments section. Change of affiliation alone does not justify removing an author from the authorship list, provided the author meets the authorship criteria.

Misrepresentation of affiliation is considered a form of misconduct and will be addressed in accordance with the journal's ethical policies, including investigation and communication with relevant institutions if necessary. Accurate affiliation information is essential for attribution, accountability, and transparency in scholarly publishing.

Appeals

Genuine appeals to editorial decisions are welcome. However, appeals should be based on new evidence, data, or information that was not previously available or considered during the initial review process. When submitting an appeal, authors must provide a clear, reasoned explanation supported by relevant evidence or additional data, responding directly to the reviewer or editor’s comments. Appeals are more likely to be considered if they address substantive issues that could impact the scientific validity or ethical integrity of the work.

Complaints

Concerns or complaints regarding authorship disputes, conflicts of interest, or the peer review process, including post-publication concerns, should be directed to the Editors-in-Chief. The Editors-in-Chief will investigate the matter by collecting relevant information from all involved parties and will propose an appropriate course of action in line with the principles outlined by Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

During investigations, the editorial process can be temporarily halted if necessary. If the Editors-in-Chief are involved in the complaint, the most senior members of the editorial board will oversee the investigation and determine the appropriate resolution.

The journal emphasizes that appeals are expected to be rare, given the rigorous peer review process and editorial judgment involved in editorial decisions. Rejected manuscripts are typically advised to be submitted elsewhere, especially when decisions involve subjective editorial or priority judgments that cannot be addressed through appeal.

Authors should recognize individuals who contributed to the development of the manuscript but do not meet the criteria for authorship. This includes those who provided technical assistance, general support, or valuable feedback. Such contributions should be acknowledged appropriately.

Furthermore, organizations or funding bodies that provided financial support, resources, or other assistance relevant to the research or article should also be acknowledged. All acknowledgments must be truthful, specific, and accurately reflect the contributions or support received.

Falsely attributing support or contributions is considered unethical and may lead to corrective actions, including correction or retraction, in accordance with the journal’s ethical standards.

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported research or scholarly work. All such individuals who meet these criteria should be listed as co-authors. Those who have contributed to specific substantive aspects of the project but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged or listed as contributors.

The corresponding author bears the responsibility to ensure that all authors listed have approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission. The authorship list should accurately reflect the contributions of each individual and avoid inclusion of those who did not meet the authorship criteria.

Falsification or misrepresentation of authorship—such as including individuals who did not contribute significantly or excluding those who did—constitutes a breach of ethical standards and may lead to corrective actions, including correction or retraction, in accordance with the journal’s policies.

Authorship Criteria

Only individuals who have made substantial contributions to the work should be listed as authors, based on the following criteria aligned with international standards:

• Contributing to the conception or design of the study, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
• Participating in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.

In addition, all authors must:

• Approve the final version of the manuscript prior to submission.
• Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring questions related to accuracy, integrity, and ethics are appropriately addressed and resolved.

All authors must meet these criteria; individuals who do not meet these standards should be acknowledged but not listed as authors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors meet these criteria and that the author list accurately reflects individual contributions.

Contribution Details

For research articles with multiple authors, the journal requires a brief statement delineating each author’s specific contributions to the work. This statement should include, but is not limited to, contributions such as study conception and design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript drafting, or critical revision.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors have approved the contribution statement and that it accurately reflects each individual’s role.

All references cited in the manuscript should be accurately and appropriately documented according to the journal's reference style. Authors must ensure that every citation is relevant, verifiable, and directly supports the content of the manuscript. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Primary sources, such as peer reviewed journal articles, should be prioritized to ensure the currency and reliability of references. Self-citations should be used judiciously and only when relevant.

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of all citations and for avoiding citation manipulation or excessive self-citation. Failure to adhere to proper citation practices may lead to rejection, correction, or retraction of the published work, in line with the journal's ethical standards.

For more guidance, authors are encouraged to review the COPE discussion on citation manipulation.

All authors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest related to their manuscript at the time of submission. A conflict of interest exists when personal, financial, or other secondary interests could be perceived to influence the objectivity, integrity, or impartiality of their work. This includes, but is not limited to, financial ties such as employment, consultancies, grants, honoraria, royalties, stock ownership, patents, or benefits derived from products or services related to the research. It also encompasses non-financial interests such as personal or professional relationships, advisory roles, positions on boards, ideological beliefs, or legal disputes that could be viewed as influencing the research.

Examples of conflicts include receipt of funding from interested organizations, holding patents relevant to the research, being employed by or affiliated with organizations with a financial stake, or having personal relationships with individuals involved in the work.

Authors must disclose all relevant conflicts in the manuscript’s disclosure statement, which will be published alongside the article. Failure to disclose conflicts of interest, whether intentional or not, can have serious ethical implications and may result in rejection, correction, or retraction of the publication, ensuring transparency and maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal is committed to the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. Corrections shall be issued when a published article contains an error that affects the interpretation, indexing, or scientific accuracy of the work but does not invalidate its overall findings. Such corrections will be linked to the original article and clearly indicate the nature of the correction.

An Expression of Concern may be issued when there is credible suspicion of misconduct or unresolved issues that could affect the validity of an article, but the matter is still under investigation. This notice will be published promptly to inform readers of potential concerns without prejudicing any subsequent decisions.

Retractions are issued in cases where research is unreliable due to misconduct (such as data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism), or honest error that fundamentally undermines the findings. Retractions may also occur if there is evidence of unethical conduct or duplicate publication. The retraction notice will clearly state the reasons for retraction and will be linked to the original article, which remains part of the scholarly record but is marked as retracted.

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is their responsibility to promptly notify the journal and fully cooperate in correcting or retracting the article.

In all cases, the decision to publish Corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions will be made by the editor-in-chief, following recommendations from the COPE Retraction Guidelines and after consultation with authors, reviewers, or relevant institutions as appropriate. The goal is to ensure transparency, accountability, and the correction of the literature for the benefit of the scholarly community.

All submitted manuscripts are considered confidential material. The journal is committed to safeguarding the confidentiality of all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and staff. Manuscripts submitted to the journal will only be accessible to authorized individuals involved in processing, peer review, and publication, such as editorial staff, peer reviewers, and the handling editors.

All parties involved in the handling of a manuscript, including those conducting investigations into misconduct or ethical concerns, will treat the information with strict confidentiality. During misconduct investigations, the journal may share relevant information with authorized third parties such as ethics committees or the authors’ institutions to resolve issues, always adhering to applicable data protection regulations.

The journal values the principles of transparency, openness, and reproducibility in scholarly research. We believe that sharing research data, where feasible, contributes to the integrity and verifiability of scientific findings and supports the advancement of knowledge across disciplines.

Recognizing that data sharing may not be feasible or appropriate in all cases due to concerns such as confidentiality, participant privacy, or intellectual property restrictions, a data availability statement is not mandatory for publication. However, the journal strongly encourages authors to share their data whenever possible and to provide access to data on a reasonable request, in accordance with ethical and legal requirements.

This policy highlights our commitment to promoting trust and collaboration in research while respecting the rights and protections of research participants and organizations.

From 2026, all authors are required to disclose any sources of financial support received in connection with the work reported in the manuscript in a separate section titled “Funding.” Prior to this date, authors had the option to include a funding statement within the Acknowledgments section. The funding statement should include details of grants, sponsorships, institutional funding, or any other financial assistance that may have influenced the research. If no funding was received, authors must explicitly state this by including a declaration such as: “The authors received no funding for this work.”

Transparency regarding funding sources supports the integrity of the research and enables readers to assess potential conflicts of interest. The journal upholds an independent editorial decision-making process; whether or not funding has been received, it does not influence the peer review or publication decision.

Visual elements such as photographs, diagrams, charts, and other figures should be used to strengthen and clarify the presentation of research findings. Authors are encouraged to submit images that are clear, relevant, and effectively communicate the data and scientific message.

Authors should aim to provide figures with sufficient quality, resolution, and detail to support the scientific content and facilitate peer review. High-quality images contribute to the overall professionalism and impact of the publication.

All images should be original or properly credited if created or reproduced from sources other than the authors. When using material from external sources, appropriate permissions or licenses must be obtained. Digital image manipulation should be done ethically, ensuring that it does not misrepresent data or results, and any modifications should be disclosed within the manuscript.

Regardless of copyright status or licensing, all figures and images must always be properly cited to acknowledge their original source, whether they are reused with permission or under licenses that permit unrestricted use. If requested, authors should be prepared to provide original or high-resolution versions of their images to verify clarity and authenticity.

In alignment with guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), any misconduct related to research or publication practices will be taken seriously and addressed appropriately to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

Data Fabrication and Falsification

Fabricating or manipulating data, results, or findings is a serious breach of ethical standards. This includes inventing data, altering figures or tables, or selectively omitting data to mislead or support desired outcomes. Such misconduct undermines trust and can result in rejection, retraction, and disciplinary action.

Image Manipulation

Images, including photographs, scans, and diagrams, should accurately represent the data. Digital adjustments—such as altering brightness, contrast, or cropping—are acceptable only if they do not distort or misrepresent the original data. Any manipulation must be disclosed in the manuscript, and fabricated or distorted images are unacceptable.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited. Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. Any use of the work, words, or ideas of others must be properly cited and quoted according to scholarly standards. Proper acknowledgment of sources is essential to maintain academic integrity and transparency.

The journal employs rigorous screening measures, including manual checks and anti-plagiarism software such as iThenticate and Turnitin. Manuscripts with similarity scores between 20% and 30% will be carefully reviewed, and higher scores may lead to rejection or further investigation. A lower similarity score (i.e., below 30%) is not automatically acceptable and may still be evaluated for proper citation and context.

Authors are responsible for ensuring their work is free from plagiarism and correctly cites all relevant prior research. Failure to do so may result in rejection, retraction, or other sanctions consistent with the journal’s ethical standards.

Duplicate Submission

Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously is unethical and can lead to multiple publications of the same work. Authors must ensure that their work is under consideration in only one journal at a time.

Duplicate (Redundant) Publication

Publishing the same or substantially overlapping content in more than one journal constitutes misconduct. Such practices may artificially inflate the author’s publication record and distort the scholarly literature. Authors are required to disclose any related prior submissions or publications at the time of submission.

Salami Slicing (Fragmentation)

Splitting one extensive study into multiple smaller publications—often with overlapping data and findings—without proper disclosure, is unethical. This practice, known as salami slicing, can mislead readers and artificially inflate publication counts. Authors are expected to present their work comprehensively and transparently.

Citation Manipulation

Inappropriate citation practices, including excessive self-citation or citation stacking to artificially inflate metrics, are unethical. Citations should be relevant, accurate, and support the content of the manuscript, not used solely to manipulate impact factors.

Improper Authorship Practices

Authorship should only include individuals who have made a significant contribution to the research and manuscript preparation. Ghost authorship (uncredited contributors) and honorary authorship (individuals listed without substantial contribution) are considered misconduct. All authors should meet authorship criteria and approve the final manuscript.

The journal provides a channel for post-publication discussions through direct communications with the editorial office. Readers may share comments, critiques, or concerns regarding published articles. All communications will be reviewed by the editorial team and appropriate editorial actions (response, corrections, retractions, or notices) will be taken in line with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and flowcharts.