Journal Management

Jurnal Ilmu Fisika (JIF) is a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal published under the Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia. The journal is committed to maintaining a transparent, accountable, independent, and sustainable editorial and publishing system in accordance with COPE's Core Practices.

1. Ownership, Publisher, and Management

JIF operates under the institutional responsibility of Universitas Andalas, through the Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

Universitas Andalas provides the institutional framework for journal management, while the editorial team is responsible for implementing editorial policies, managing manuscript evaluation, maintaining publication quality, and safeguarding research integrity.

JIF also collaborates with the Physical Society Indonesia (PSI) in supporting scholarly activities and the development of its academic network.

Information about the journal's editorial leadership, board members, affiliations, and academic profiles is publicly available on the Editorial Team page.

2. Editorial Independence and Accountability

JIF maintains editorial independence in manuscript assessment and publication decisions. Editorial decisions are based on scientific merit, originality, methodological rigor, relevance to the journal's focus and scope, and compliance with publication ethics.

Institutional interests, financial considerations, sponsorship, and personal relationships must not improperly influence manuscript evaluation or editorial decisions.

The Editor in Chief holds overall responsibility for editorial oversight, policy implementation, and the integrity of the journal's published scholarly record.

Editorial Board members support manuscript evaluation, the selection of qualified reviewers, the development of editorial standards, and the maintenance of scientific quality within their areas of expertise.

All editors are expected to disclose potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from decisions where their impartiality may be compromised.

3. Editorial Management and Workflow

JIF manages manuscript submissions and editorial processes using Open Journal Systems (OJS), an online journal management and publishing platform.

The editorial workflow includes:

1. Submission and initial screening: Manuscripts are checked for relevance to the journal's focus and scope, compliance with the Author Guidelines, completeness of required declarations, and potential publication-ethics concerns.

2. Peer review: Manuscripts considered suitable for external evaluation are assessed through JIF's single-blind peer review process by at least two qualified reviewers with relevant expertise.

3. Editorial decision: Editors evaluate reviewer reports, author responses, and the scientific quality of the manuscript before reaching an editorial decision.

4. Revision and verification: Authors are requested to address reviewer and editorial comments. Revised manuscripts may undergo further evaluation when necessary.

5. Production and publication: Accepted manuscripts undergo editorial preparation, formatting, metadata verification, and publication through the journal's online platform.

The peer review model, reviewer responsibilities, and editorial decision procedures are described in the Peer Review Process.

4. Editorial Board and Publishing Personnel

JIF is supported by an Editor in Chief, an Editorial Board composed of researchers from relevant scientific disciplines and institutions, and personnel responsible for journal administration and publication.

The Editor in Chief oversees editorial policy and quality assurance. Editorial Board members contribute scientific expertise and support impartial manuscript assessment. Administrative and publishing personnel support submission handling, communication, manuscript preparation, metadata management, and online publication.

The journal encourages editors, reviewers, and publishing personnel to maintain and improve their competencies in scholarly communication, editorial practice, publication ethics, and the use of journal management systems.

The composition of the editorial team and its academic affiliations are disclosed on the Editorial Team page.

5. Business Model and Financial Transparency

JIF operates under an open-access publishing model, allowing readers to access published articles without subscription or access fees.

The journal does not charge submission or peer-review fees. An Article Processing Charge (APC) applies to accepted manuscripts in accordance with the journal's published fee schedule. Waivers are available to eligible authors under the applicable policy.

APC payments and waiver requests do not determine manuscript acceptance, reviewer selection, or editorial decisions.

The applicable fees, conditions, and waiver procedures are transparently provided on the Article Publication Charges (APC) and Waiver Policy page.

6. Publication Ethics and Quality Assurance

JIF maintains policies addressing publication ethics, authorship and contributorship, conflicts of interest, plagiarism screening, allegations of misconduct, ethical oversight, data availability, the use of artificial intelligence, complaints and appeals, and post-publication corrections and retractions.

Editors are responsible for applying these policies fairly and consistently. Suspected misconduct is assessed on the basis of available evidence and the journal's established procedures, with appropriate consideration of confidentiality, impartiality, and the rights of affected parties.

JIF is committed to preserving the integrity of the published scholarly record and addressing substantiated concerns through corrections, retractions, or other appropriate editorial actions.

Relevant policies are available through the journal's Policies menu.

7. Publication Schedule and Continuity

JIF publishes two issues annually, in March and September, and accepts original research articles within its stated focus and scope.

The editorial team coordinates manuscript evaluation and production activities to support regular publication while ensuring that editorial quality and peer-review standards are maintained.

The journal's arrangements for the long-term preservation and accessibility of published content are described in its Archiving Policy.

8. Transparency, Communication, and Continuous Improvement

JIF makes information about its editorial team, manuscript requirements, peer-review procedures, publication charges, licensing, ethical policies, and contact details publicly accessible through its official website.

The editorial team is committed to periodically reviewing journal policies, editorial procedures, and publication practices to maintain consistency with applicable standards of scholarly publishing and national journal accreditation.

Questions concerning editorial management, publication policies, or journal operations may be directed to the editorial office at jif@sci.unand.ac.id. Additional contact information is provided on the Contact page.

Through these arrangements, JIF seeks to ensure that its ownership, management, editorial decision-making, financial practices, and publication procedures remain transparent, accountable, and consistent with internationally recognized principles of scholarly publishing.