Open Access Policy

Meraki: Journal of Creative Industries provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public encourages wider global exchange of ideas, supports collaboration across disciplines, and contributes to the advancement of creative industries. By removing access barriers, Meraki ensures that authors’ work can reach academics, practitioners, and communities worldwide, fostering innovation and knowledge-sharing without restriction.

Plagiarism Screening

All manuscripts submitted to Meraki: Journal of Creative Industries will undergo a plagiarism screening process using Turnitin or similar plagiarism detection software. Authors must ensure that their work is original and properly cites all sources and references.
The acceptable similarity index must not exceed 25%. Submissions found to contain excessive similarity or plagiarism may be rejected, returned for revision, or removed from the publication process.
By submitting their work, authors agree to comply with this policy and uphold academic integrity in their research and writing.

Correction, Retraction, and Withdrawal Policy

Meraki: Journal of Creative Industries is committed to protecting and maintaining the integrity of the academic and creative record. Articles officially published in this journal are considered the Version of Record. In rare cases, when the reliability or integrity of the published work is significantly compromised, Meraki may publish corrections, retractions, or statements of concern at the discretion of the editorial team.

Article Corrections

Authors are encouraged to promptly report any significant errors discovered in their published work that affect the accuracy, clarity, or integrity of the article. Only substantial errors that materially impact the understanding or interpretation of the work will qualify for correction. Minor errors that do not affect the article’s substance may not be formally corrected.

Article Retractions

An article may be retracted if serious issues are found, including but not limited to plagiarism, duplicate publication, fraudulent data, or significant errors that invalidate the findings. Retraction requires a signed statement from all authors, acknowledging and agreeing to the retraction.
A formal retraction notice will be published, linked to the original article, and marked as retracted. The notice will explain the reason for the retraction and identify who is retracting the article. The original article will remain accessible online and in print but will be identified as retracted to maintain the scholarly record.

Article Withdrawal

Articles may be withdrawn by the authors or the editorial team before publication. Authors who wish to withdraw their manuscript must submit a written request, signed by all authors, explaining the compelling reason for withdrawal. Authors should not assume their manuscript has been withdrawn until they receive official confirmation from the editorial office.

If an article is found to breach Meraki’s ethical publishing standards—such as duplicate submission, plagiarism, data fabrication, or fraudulent authorship claims—the editorial team reserves the right to withdraw the article at any stage.

Appeals and Complaints

Editorial decisions at Meraki are final and made with care. However, if an author believes a decision was made based on a clear misunderstanding or factual error, they may submit an appeal explaining their reasoning and providing supporting evidence. Appeals based solely on differences of opinion about the manuscript’s suitability or novelty will not be considered. The Editor-in-Chief and editorial team will review the appeal, and any subsequent decision will be final. Reconsideration may involve original or new reviewers and may require significant revision.

Authors who wish to make a formal complaint should contact the Editor-in-Chief directly. Complaints to the Publisher can be addressed by email to: fik@unit.ubaya.ac.id

Publication Ethics

Meraki: Journal of Creative Industries upholds high standards of publication ethics and follows the Core Practices set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). These principles ensure that all parties involved — editors, authors, reviewers, and the publisher — work together to maintain the integrity of the creative and academic record.

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the submitted work.

• All significant contributors must be listed as co-authors.
• Individuals who contributed to specific parts of the project but do not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately as contributors.
• The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Originality and Plagiarism

Meraki only accepts original manuscripts that have not been published previously and are not under consideration by any other journal.

• All submitted manuscripts will undergo a plagiarism check using reliable software.
• The similarity index must not exceed 25%.
• The Editorial Board will follow up on any suspected plagiarism or overlap to ensure the originality and authenticity of all published content.

Research Involving Human Participants

Authors must ensure that any research involving human participants (such as surveys, interviews, user studies, or visual documentation) complies with ethical research standards:

• Informed consent must be obtained from all participants, and authors must confirm that participants understand how their data or images will be used.
• Any identifying information must be handled with care to respect privacy.
• Authors should confirm that they have received ethical approval from a relevant institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee where required.

Example  of Informed Consent Form (download)

Handling Allegations of Misconduct

Meraki defines research misconduct as fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, citation manipulation, or other unethical practices in conducting or reporting research.

• If misconduct is suspected, the Editors will follow COPE guidelines to investigate fairly and confidentially.
• The first step is to verify whether the claim is valid and relevant. If so, the corresponding author will be notified and asked for an explanation on behalf of all authors.
• Further investigation may involve independent experts. If misconduct is confirmed, the manuscript will be rejected or, if already published, retracted with a clear notice linked to the original article.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must declare any conflicts of interest that could influence the research or its interpretation.

Duties

The following outlines the expected ethical responsibilities of all parties involved in publishing in Meraki: Journal of Creative Industries.

Editors

• Publication Decisions: Editors are responsible for deciding which submissions are published, guided by the journal’s policies and legal standards on copyright and plagiarism.
• Fair Evaluation: Manuscripts are assessed solely on academic merit, without discrimination based on race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or citizenship.
• Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential and disclose information only to those directly involved in the review and publication process.
• Conflict of Interest: Unpublished material must not be used in an editor’s own work without the author’s written consent.

Reviewers

• Support for Decisions: Reviewers assist editors in making publication decisions and help authors improve their manuscripts.
• Confidentiality: Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential and not shared or used for personal gain.
• Objectivity: Reviews should be objective and constructive, avoiding personal criticism.
• Source Acknowledgment: Reviewers should highlight any relevant work not cited and report any overlap with other known works.
• Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships.