Focus and Scope

The Indonesian Journal of Education, Social Sciences and Research (IJESSR) is an open-access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU), Medan, Indonesia. IJESSR provides a forum for researchers, lecturers, educators, and scholars to disseminate original research, critical analyses, and theoretical or conceptual contributions in education, social sciences, and interdisciplinary research.

The journal welcomes manuscripts that demonstrate originality, sound scholarly reasoning, methodological or analytical rigour, and relevance to current local, national, or international issues. Submissions should make a clear contribution to knowledge, policy, professional practice, or further research.

The focus and scope include, but are not limited to:

• Educational studies, educational policy, and educational development.
• Primary, secondary, and higher education.
• Curriculum, pedagogy, teaching, learning, and assessment.
• Teacher education, professional development, and educational leadership.
• Educational management, administration, and institutional development.
• Language, linguistics, literacy, and communication.
• Social sciences, sociology, cultural studies, and community development.
• Citizenship education, civic engagement, social responsibility, and global citizenship.
• Educational psychology, inclusive education, and student development.
• Educational technology, digital learning, artificial intelligence, and information technology.
• Interdisciplinary studies linking education, society, culture, technology, and contemporary global challenges.

Manuscripts must clearly establish their relevance to IJESSR's scope. The Editor-in-Chief or a delegated editor may decline submissions that fall outside the journal's remit before external peer review.

Section Policies

Articles

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Peer Review Process

Indonesian Journal of Education, Social Sciences and Research (IJESSR) implement each accepted manuscript will go through a review process by the Editor and reviewers, using a Double blind Peer-Review Process, which the reviewer does not know the identity of the author, and the author did not know the identity of the reviewer.

Indonesian Journal of Education, Social Sciences and Research (IJESSR) implement policies Double Blind Peer-Review, every manuscript received will be sent to Reviewers who registered in The Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen dan Bisnis. The review process lasts a maximum of up to 30 (thirty) days with the allocation of time given to each reviewer to complete its review process is a maximum of ten (10) working days. If the partners designated bestari previously not able to finish his review work within the time limit specified then chairman of the Chairman of Editorial Board will appoint a replacement to do a review Reviewers manuscript.

In the review process, reviewers provide considerations relating to compatibility between the title, abstract, introduction, discussion (results) and conclusion. In addition reviewer also give consideration associated with novelty, scientific impact and references used

Review Process:

1. Author submit the manuscript
2. Editor Evaluation [some manuscripts are rejected or returned before the review process]
3. Double-blind peer review process
4. Editor Decision (Acceptend Submission, Revisions Required, Resubmit For Review, Decline Submission)
5. Confirmation to the authors

Final decision of articles acceptance will be made by Editors according to reviewers comments. Publication of accepted articles including the sequence of published articles will be made by Editor in Chief by considering sequence of accepted date and geographical distribution of authors. 

 

EDITORIAL PROCESS

Open Access Policy

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.

Archiving

This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. More...

Publication Frequency

IJESSR is published three times a year, with scheduled issues in March, July, and November (three issues per year). The publication schedule is subject to editorial readiness, completion of the peer-review process, and production requirements.

The date of submission or acceptance does not guarantee placement in a particular issue. The Editor-in-Chief determines the final composition and order of articles in each issue, taking into account editorial quality, the completion of required revisions, and the journal's publication schedule. Any material change to the publication frequency will be announced on the journal website.

Open Access Policy

IJESSR provides immediate open access to its published content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Readers may access published articles online without a subscription or payment to the journal.

The journal's published copyright information identifies the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). Under this licence, users may share and adapt material for lawful purposes, provided that appropriate attribution is given, a link to the licence is supplied, changes are indicated where applicable, and adaptations are distributed under the same licence terms.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted materials do not infringe third-party rights and for obtaining permissions where required. The Editorial Board should ensure that the licence displayed on each article and the journal website remains consistent with the journal's current copyright policy.

Correction and Retraction Policy

IJESSR is committed to maintaining the accuracy, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record. When errors or serious concerns are identified in a published article, the journal will assess the available evidence and take proportionate editorial action.

Corrections

A correction may be issued when a published article contains an error that requires clarification or amendment but does not invalidate the principal findings or conclusions. Minor typographical or formatting errors may be handled editorially when they do not affect meaning. Material errors in data, tables, figures, author information, funding disclosures, or analytical reporting may require a formal correction notice.

A formal correction should identify the original article and DOI, describe the error and corrected information, explain any implications for the interpretation of the article, and be linked to the original publication.

Retractions

Retraction may be considered when credible evidence shows that an article is unreliable or its publication is affected by serious research or publication misconduct. Grounds may include data fabrication or falsification, substantial plagiarism, duplicate publication that materially compromises the record, serious methodological or analytical errors that invalidate the main findings, unethical research, manipulated peer review, or other substantiated misconduct.

The journal will assess the evidence, provide the authors a reasonable opportunity to respond where appropriate, and consult independent experts or relevant institutions when necessary. Retraction is not intended to punish disagreement over interpretation when the work remains reliable and there is no substantiated misconduct.

Retraction Notices and Expressions of Concern

A retraction notice will be published as a separate, clearly identifiable document and linked to the original article. It should state the reason for retraction, identify the article and DOI, and distinguish established facts from unresolved matters. The original article will generally remain accessible but will be clearly marked as retracted, with the notice linked prominently.

An Expression of Concern may be issued when credible concerns have arisen but an investigation is incomplete or the available evidence is insufficient to reach a final decision. The notice may be updated when the matter is resolved.

Requests and Editorial Responsibility

Authors, readers, reviewers, institutions, or other parties may submit a correction or retraction request to the editorial office, identifying the article and providing a clear explanation and supporting evidence. The Editor-in-Chief or an authorised editor will assess the request impartially. The journal will not silently alter or remove a published article in a way that obscures a material correction or retraction.

This policy should be applied consistently with recognised publication-ethics guidance, including COPE guidance where relevant.

Artificial Intelligence

IJESSR recognises that generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools may support certain research and writing activities. Their use must not compromise authorship accountability, research integrity, confidentiality, or the reliability of the scholarly record.

Permitted Supporting Uses

Subject to applicable institutional and research-ethics requirements, AI tools may be used for tasks such as language editing, translation, improving readability, brainstorming, or assisting with coding and data processing. Authors must independently verify any AI-assisted output and remain responsible for all content submitted.

Disclosure

Authors should disclose material use of generative AI in preparing a manuscript. The disclosure should identify the tool, its purpose, and the parts of the research or writing process in which it was used. Routine spelling or grammar correction may be treated in accordance with the journal's current disclosure instructions.

Suggested disclosure: “During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [name of tool] for [specific purpose]. The authors reviewed and revised the output and take full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the final manuscript.”

Prohibited or Unacceptable Uses

• Listing an AI system as an author or co-author.
• Submitting fabricated references, data, quotations, images, or results generated by AI.
• Presenting AI-generated material as verified evidence without appropriate checking and disclosure.
• Uploading confidential manuscripts, identifiable participant information, or restricted data to AI services without proper authorisation and safeguards.
• Using AI to manipulate peer review, fabricate reviewer identities, or conceal research misconduct.

Editors and Reviewers

Editors and reviewers must protect manuscript confidentiality and must not upload unpublished manuscripts or confidential review materials to AI systems that are not authorised for such use. AI tools must not replace independent scholarly judgement. Editors and reviewers remain responsible for the decisions and assessments they make.

The journal may request clarification about AI use where necessary and may take appropriate action if an undisclosed or improper use raises concerns about research integrity.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship must reflect substantial intellectual or scholarly contributions to the work and must not be granted solely because of seniority, position, funding, supervision, or institutional authority.

To qualify as an author, an individual should have made a substantial contribution to one or more core aspects of the work, such as the conception or design of the study, data acquisition, analysis or interpretation, or development of the theoretical or methodological approach; participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content; approved the final version; and agreed to be accountable for the integrity of the work.

All listed authors must approve the submitted version and any final accepted version. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all eligible contributors are included, that no ineligible individuals are listed, and that all authors agree to the order of authorship and the submission.

Contributors who do not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged, with their permission, where appropriate. Ghost authorship, gift authorship, honorary authorship, and misrepresentation of contributions are unacceptable.

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission must be accompanied by a written explanation and written agreement from all affected authors. Any change is subject to editorial approval. The journal may suspend processing while an authorship dispute is clarified.

Manuscript Types

IJESSR considers manuscripts that fit its focus and scope and demonstrate an appropriate level of originality and scholarly quality. The following manuscript types may be considered:

Original Research Articles

Reports of original empirical research using appropriate qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, experimental, survey, case-study, design-based, or other recognised research approaches. The manuscript must explain its research question, methods, findings, and contribution.

Review Articles

Systematic reviews, scoping reviews, integrative reviews, and other rigorous scholarly syntheses that use an explicit and appropriate method for identifying, selecting, evaluating, and synthesising literature. The review type and procedures should be clearly reported.

Conceptual and Theoretical Articles

Papers that develop, refine, critique, or integrate theories, concepts, or analytical frameworks and provide a well-supported original argument.

Interdisciplinary Research Articles

Studies that integrate perspectives or methods from more than one discipline to address educational, social, cultural, technological, or policy-related problems.

The Editorial Board may refine, add, or discontinue manuscript categories as the journal develops. Any category-specific requirements should be stated in the Author Guidelines and OJS submission workflow.

Allegations of Research Misconduct

IJESSR takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously. Allegations may be raised by authors, reviewers, readers, institutions, funders, editors, or other parties. The journal will assess allegations fairly, confidentially where appropriate, and on the basis of evidence.

Examples of Misconduct

• Plagiarism, including substantial unattributed copying or misappropriation of ideas.
• Fabrication or falsification of data, images, methods, or research results.
• Duplicate or redundant publication, or simultaneous submission to multiple journals.
• Manipulation of citations, peer review, or editorial processes.
• Improper authorship or undisclosed contributions that materially misrepresent responsibility for the work.
• Unethical research practices, including failure to obtain required ethical approval or consent.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest or funding that materially affect interpretation.
• Misuse of confidential information or other serious breaches of research integrity.

Assessment Procedure

1. The editorial team records the allegation and conducts a preliminary assessment of its relevance and supporting evidence.

2. Where appropriate, the corresponding author is asked to respond and provide relevant documentation within a reasonable period.

3. The journal may consult independent experts, reviewers, research ethics committees, institutional research-integrity officers, or funders.

4. Where the concern falls within an institution's remit, the journal may refer the matter to that institution while continuing to assess the publication record.

5. The journal determines a proportionate response based on the evidence, which may include rejection, correction, an Expression of Concern, retraction, or no further action.

The journal will avoid making public allegations before the facts are sufficiently established. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent reasonably possible, without preventing a fair investigation or appropriate protection of the scholarly record. A failure to respond does not automatically establish misconduct, but the journal may decide on the available evidence.

Sanctions and Record Correction

Where misconduct is substantiated, the journal may reject the manuscript, issue a correction or retraction, notify relevant institutions or publishers where justified, and apply other measures consistent with its policies and applicable requirements. Editorial action will be proportionate and documented.

Conflict of Interest Policy

A conflict of interest, also referred to as a competing interest, is any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationship that could reasonably be perceived to influence the design, conduct, interpretation, review, or publication of research.

Authors

All authors must disclose relevant competing interests and sources of financial support. A conflict does not automatically disqualify a manuscript, but failure to disclose a material conflict may require further editorial assessment.

If no competing interests exist, authors may use the statement: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

Editors

Editors must not handle a manuscript when a personal, professional, financial, collaborative, or institutional relationship could compromise, or appear to compromise, their impartiality. The manuscript should be reassigned to an independent editor where feasible. Editors must not use unpublished information for personal research or advantage.

Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any relationship or interest that could affect their objectivity and decline the review when an actual or significant perceived conflict exists. Reviewers must keep manuscript content confidential and must not use privileged information for personal or professional advantage.

Management

The Editor-in-Chief or a designated independent editor will assess disclosed conflicts and determine appropriate safeguards, which may include reassignment, additional review, disclosure in the published article, or other proportionate action. Editorial decisions must not be influenced by commercial revenue, institutional pressure, or personal relationships.

Post-Publication Discussion

IJESSR recognises that scholarly discussion may continue after publication and that constructive criticism can contribute to the development of knowledge. The journal welcomes evidence-based comments, clarifications, and scholarly responses concerning articles it has published.

Submission of Comments

A post-publication comment should identify the article being discussed, present a clear and substantive scholarly argument, provide supporting evidence and references where appropriate, and maintain a professional and respectful tone. Comments should focus on the research, evidence, methods, interpretation, or implications rather than personal criticism of authors.

Editorial Assessment

The Editor-in-Chief or an authorised editor will assess whether a proposed comment is relevant, evidence-based, constructive, and suitable for publication. The journal may seek external review, request revisions, invite a response from the original authors, or decline a comment that is unsupported, defamatory, irrelevant, or otherwise unsuitable.

Right of Reply

Where appropriate, the authors of the original article may be invited to submit a response. The journal may publish the comment and response together or link them to the original article to support a balanced scholarly exchange. Publication of a comment does not automatically imply that the journal endorses its claims.

Corrections and Integrity Concerns

If a post-publication comment raises a credible concern about factual accuracy, research ethics, or publication integrity, the journal will assess the concern under its Correction and Retraction Policy and Allegations of Research Misconduct policy. The journal may issue a correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction when justified by the evidence.

Ownership and Management Information

The Indonesian Journal of Education, Social Sciences and Research (IJESSR) is published by the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU), Medan, Indonesia.

The journal's academic and editorial operations are managed through its Editor-in-Chief, editorial team, and appointed reviewers. Editorial responsibilities include evaluating submissions, coordinating peer review, making publication decisions, maintaining publication ethics, and overseeing the quality and integrity of published content.

The publisher provides the institutional framework for journal operations and publication. Editorial decisions should be based on scholarly quality, originality, relevance, research integrity, and peer-review evidence. They must remain independent of commercial considerations and must not be improperly influenced by the interests of the publisher, authors' institutions, funders, or other parties.

The journal uses the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform for online submissions and editorial workflow. The journal's official website is https://jurnal.umsu.ac.id/index.php/ijessr.

The Editorial Board should keep the journal's ownership, publisher details, editorial appointments, contact information, and management arrangements accurate and up to date on the official website.