About the Journal
Jurnal Kinabalu is published once a year by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. The primary aim of the journal is to publish manuscripts that are based on research undertaken by scholars, academicians or researchers in the field of Social Sciences, and Humanities. Jurnal Kinabalu is committed to preserving its rich history and maintaining the tradition of excellent knowledge sharing and dissemination. It serves as a platform for the exchange and discussion of global problems and issues. This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
Jurnal Kinabalu is a multidisciplinary publication in the field of social sciences and humanities. It welcomes contributions and explores topics that span multiple social science disciplines. This approach can lead to a richer and more holistic understanding of various social sciences issues and phenomena.
AUTHOR GUIDELINES
Aims and Scope
Jurnal Kinabalu is a peer-reviewed journal committed to advancing scholarly knowledge by encouraging discussions across diverse branches of social sciences and humanities. The journal shares articles and reviews that, through their content or approach, appeal to a wide audience of scholars. Although the primary focus is on social science and humanities studies, other pertinent articles are also considered for publication.
Published by Penerbit Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jurnal Kinabalu is overseen by an independent Editorial Board comprising university staff members. This Board collaborates with a distinguished panel of scholars from local and international universities.
SUBMISSION
Contributions should be strictly in Bahasa Malaysia or the UK English language. The text must be clear and concise, conforming to accepted standards of Bahasa Malaysia or English style and usage. For English manuscript written by non-native English speakers are advised to seek professional help with the language. Manuscripts are considered for publication on the condition that they are solely contributed to Jurnal Kinabalu and have not been published elsewhere.
Initially, the manuscript will be assessed from an editorial point of view. Should the Editorial Office find the manuscript appropriate, it will enter the peer-review process. The corresponding author will then be informed of the evaluation along with editorial remarks. The preferred word processing program is Microsoft Word. Please use this template here for manuscript written in English, and click here for manuscript written in Malay.
The following areas are covered in the Journal;
History
Business
Economics
Education
Humanities
Human Resource Management
Human and Community Resource Development
Political Sciences
Psychology
Sociology and Anthropology
Geography
Communication
Other areas in Social Sciences and humanities
All manuscripts must be consistent with the Journal’s manuscript preparation requirements.
Submission Fee/Processing Fee
Presently, there is no submission fee/ processing fee for any of the manuscripts.
Review process
This Journal ensures double-blind peer-reviewing.
GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING THE MANUSCRIPT
Title: A concise and informative title that accurately reflects the content of the article.
Authors' names and institutional affiliations.
Name of the department(s) and institution(s) to which the work should be attributed.
Corresponding author. Name and e-mail address of the corresponding author.
Abstract: A brief summary of the article, typically around 150-250 words, outlining the research question, methods, results, and conclusions.
Keywords: The authors should provide 3 to 5 keywords for indexing purposes.
Introduction: Provides background information on the topic, states the research question or problem, and outlines the significance of the study.
Literature Review: Surveys existing literature relevant to the research question, highlighting key findings, debates, and gaps in knowledge.
Methods: Describes the research approach, research design, including participants, materials, procedures, and data analysis methods.
Results: Presents the findings of the study, usually through text, tables, and figures, without interpretation or discussion.
Discussion: Interprets the results in relation to the research question, compares findings to existing literature, and discusses implications.
Limitations: Acknowledge limitations and future research directions.
Conclusion: Summarizes the main findings of the study and their implications, often revisiting the research question and providing closure.
Acknowledgment : Acknowledgments, if any, should appear before References.
References: Lists all sources cited in the article following an APA citation style. Please click here for guidance. Authors are required to include at least one reference from previous publications in each article submitted to the Journal Kinabalu.
Appendices (if applicable): Includes additional materials such as questionnaires, surveys, or raw data that are referenced in the article.
PUBLICATION ETHICS AND PUBLICATION MALPRACTICE STATEMENT
CODE OF ETHICS
Below is a guideline on Jurnal Kinabalu code of ethics based upon the principles upheld by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) that outline standards for ethical issues arising from authors, editors, and reviewers. All contributors and reviewers are encouraged to read and agree on this code of ethics before submission of the article.
Authors
Authors have the responsibility to ensure that:
- The work that is submitted is new and original with a report form Turnitin for plagiarism test.
- Has not been submitted elsewhere for consideration or published in other journals.
- All data at the point of publication is accurate and based on vigorous academic research.
- All sensitive information has prior permission from the source for publication, and if not, the Editor-In-Chief should be informed.
- Does not excessively cite his or her own publications.
- All corrections required by the editors of the journal will be done accordingly.
- No additions or subtractions of authors' names can be made after the last draft has been completed.
It is the duty of the author to ensure that all names to be included are included in the final version of the paper before submission.
Each author should acknowledge that their work is not plagiarised or is under consideration for other journal publications when submitting to the Editor-In-Chief.
If the board of the Editor-In-Chief and editors are part of the authors of an article, the Editor-In-Chief should ensure that the article receives a fair review and editing process by deputizing the administration of the manuscript.
Editor-In-Chief
The Editor-In-Chief of Jurnal Kinabalu is appointed by the Vice Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Sabah with the endorsement of its patron the Dean of the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. His or her duties involve:
- Appointing the reviewers and editors of the journal.
- Evaluating the manuscripts according to the academic value and the field represented.
- Ensure that the articles are not plagiarized or is under submission for consideration in other journals.
- Ensuring confidentiality of manuscript submissions by authors.
- Facilitate communication between the reviewers and authors on the ways to improve their publications.
- Manage the administration between the journal and the UMS Publishers as well as the authors plus reviewers.
- Decide on the technical side of the final product of each journal.
Reviewers
All reviewers for the articles in this journal:
- Must not have a conflict of interest with the authors of articles through family ties. If there is such a connection, please inform the Editor-In-Chief or Editors for further consideration.
- Must not discuss the submission without permission of the Editor-In-Chief.
- Will receive a letter of appointment as a reviewer and an editor if invited.
- Review all submissions and resubmissions objectively, fairly and professionally.
- Should be from the field of studies of the article reviewed.
- Should hand-in the review as stated in the letter of appointment in soft-copy or hardcopy via e-mail to the Editor-In-Chief in the form of a form that accompanies the article
- Reviewers will be terminated if there is no response after 1 month from the date of review. The Editor-In-Chief reserves the right to withdraw the appointment if there is any discrepancies attached to the review process.
Editors
All editors are appointed by the Editor-In-Chief to:
- Evaluate the manuscripts submitted for publication on its academic value based on its contribution to the field or methodology of the specific study.
- Assess the factual accuracy, the academic validity, viability of findings based on approved, ethical and credible methods.
- Correct and edit the language or structure of the written work based on the format of the journal or request the author to make the necessary corrections based on the grammar or expressions of either the English Language or Bahasa Malaysia.
- Inform the Editor-In-Chief to the irregularities, discrepancies or plagiarism in a manuscript submitted.
- Editors will be terminated if there is no response after 1 month from the date of reception of article for editing. The Editor-In-Chief reserves the right to withdraw the appointment if there is any discrepancies attached to the editing process.
Penalties
The Editor-In-Chief under the guidance of the patron reserves the right to reject a manuscript if any of the above ethics has been contravened.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Copyright transfer and contributions agreement to publish in Jurnal Kinabalu (eJK)
Transfer our author right to Jurnal Kinabalu (eJK) along with title, interest in article without any limitations. The Journal shall own the work, including 1) copyright; 2) the right to grant permission to republish the article in whole or in part, with or without fee; 3) the right to produce preprints or reprints and translate into languages other than English for sale or free distribution; and 4) the right for electronic/visual reproduction, electronic storage and to republish the work in a collection of articles in any other mechanical or electronic format or printed publications.
We, the authors certify to participate sufficiently in the intellectual content, conception and design of this work or the analysis and interpretation of the data (when applicable), as well as the writing of the manuscript, to take public responsibility for it and have agreed to have our name listed as a contributor. We believe the manuscript represents valid work. Neither this manuscript nor one with substantially similar content under our authorship has been published or is being considered for publication elsewhere, except as described in the covering letter. Any such involvement, publishers of eJK are not responsible and the authors are held for any untoward practices if any. Any other reproduction of the said article requires the permission from the publisher.
Authors also state that, the work is original and is not infringing with the rights of others and copyrights. Author also further declares that, each co-author have contributed significantly and have accepted to be co-authors for their significant contribution for the work.
We certify that all the data collected during the study is presented in this manuscript and no data from the study has been or will be published separately. We attest that, if requested by the editors, we will provide the data/information or will cooperate fully in obtaining and providing the data/information on which the manuscript is based, for examination by the editors or their assignees.
We give the rights to the corresponding author to make necessary changes as per the request of the journal, do the rest of the correspondence on our behalf and he/she will act as the guarantor for the manuscript on our behalf. All persons who have made substantial contributions to the work reported in the manuscript, but who are not contributors, are named in the Acknowledgment and have given us their written permission to be named. If we do not include an Acknowledgment that means we have not received substantial contributions from non-contributors and no contributor has been omitted.
PRIVACY STATEMENT
The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.
PEER REVIEW PROCESS AND POLICY
Jurnal Kinabalu (eJK) peer-review policy is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and supporting ethical research practices. eJK’s reviewers adhere to the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. Peer review, in all forms, is crucial for ensuring the integrity of the scholarly record. This process relies heavily on trust and requires everyone involved to act responsibly and ethically. Peer reviewers are essential to this process, yet they often assume the role without adequate guidance and may not be fully aware of their ethical responsibilities. The COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers outline the fundamental principles and standards that all peer reviewers should follow during the peer-review process. These guidelines aim to offer valuable guidance to researchers, serve as a reference for journals and editors in directing their reviewers, and act as an educational resource for institutions training their students and researchers.
1. Type of Peer Review
Jurnal Kinabalu utilizes a ‘double blind’ review process, ensuring that referees remain anonymous to the author(s) throughout and after the review process, while the identity of the author(s) also remain unknown to the reviewers. Authors must submit the title page (containing full author information) separately from the main manuscript.
2. Referee Selection Process
Referees are selected based on their expertise relevant to the manuscript submitted. The reviewer database of Jurnal Kinabalu (eJK) is continuously updated. eJK welcomes referee suggestions from the author(s), although these recommendations are non-binding and may not be utilized. Each manuscript submitted will be reviewed by at least two independent referees, after which the editor will make a final decision.
3. Referee reports
Referees will be asked to evaluate the manuscript based on the following criteria:
- The manuscript demonstrated originality in thought, methodology and data.
- The research is methodologically robust.
- The manuscript presents result clearly with statistical analysis and whether it supports the conclusion.
- The manuscript correctly and thoroughly cites previous relevant work.
- The manuscript adheres to appropriate ethical guidelines, particularly plagiarism.
- The research significantly contributes to the knowledge and advancement ofthe field.
Language correction is not part of the peer-review process, but referees can suggest improvements to the language and style of the manuscript. During the final round, the editor will review the manuscript for linguistic and stylistic accuracy, and therefore may apply or recommending corrections as needed. In rare instances, the author(s) may need to do proofreading or comprehensive linguistic and style revisions by returning the manuscript.
4. Peer Review Process
Upon receiving an email invitation to review a journal article, the referee should respond by clicking the provided link to indicate whether they are able to review the manuscript. Following this, the referee can proceed with the steps outlined on the website. The referee may either fill in the comments for the author box or upload a file with their comments. Later, each reviewer is required to make an initial decision by selecting one of the options provided.
- Accept submission: The manuscript meets the standards of the journal and is ready for the copyediting and publication process.
- Revisions required: Minor revisions are needed, which can be re-reviewed by the referee or accepted by the editor.
- Resubmit for review: Major revisions are required with another round of peer review.
- Resubmit elsewhere: The manuscript does not fit and meet the standards of the journals or the journal’s focus and scope.
- Decline submission: The manuscript is rejected due to significant weakness and not meeting the journal’s standards.
5. Duration of review process
The duration of the review process relies on the referees’ responsiveness. Typically, the review process will take about 1 to 3 months.
6. Final report and decision
Based on the referee report and suggestion, along with revision done by the authors, the editor will have the final say on to whether to accept or reject the manuscript. The decision will then be sent to the author(s) by email.