1. Policy Statement

Sentralisasi manages manuscript submissions and editorial documentation electronically to support an organized, transparent, and accountable publishing process. The journal's electronic filing procedures are designed to support responsible journal management, transparent editorial processes, appropriate confidentiality, and the integrity of the scholarly record, in line with the principles described in the COPE Core Practices.

Electronic filing is an operational policy established by the journal. COPE provides publication ethics principles and editorial guidance rather than a universal technical specification for electronic filing systems. The journal therefore implements these procedures according to its publishing platform, institutional requirements, applicable laws, and relevant publication ethics guidance. See the COPE guidance on organizing an editorial office.

2. Electronic Manuscript Submission

Authors should submit manuscripts and the required supporting documents through the journal's designated electronic submission system, following the current Author Guidelines. Submissions must contain the information and files required for the relevant manuscript type, including the manuscript text, figures, tables, references, and applicable declarations.

The journal will communicate its submission procedures, editorial processes, and relevant publication policies clearly to authors and other participants. Transparent communication of editorial processes is consistent with the recommendations in the COPE editorial office guidance and the COPE Core Practices.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted files are complete, readable, accurate, and consistent with the information entered in the submission system. Any relevant authorship declaration, funding statement, competing-interest disclosure, ethical approval information, or other required supporting document must be provided where applicable, in accordance with the journal's policies and the relevant areas of the COPE Core Practices.

3. Electronic File Formats and Version Control

Manuscripts should be submitted in the file formats specified in the journal's Author Guidelines. Figures, tables, supplementary materials, and other supporting files should be uploaded separately when required by the submission system.

The editorial office should maintain a clear distinction between the originally submitted manuscript, revised versions, accepted manuscripts, and final published versions. File names, version labels, submission records, and editorial status information should be managed consistently to reduce the risk of confusion or accidental use of an incorrect file.

These version-control measures are journal-level administrative procedures intended to support transparent and reliable editorial management. They are consistent with the general expectation that journals maintain well-described and implemented editorial processes, as outlined in the COPE Core Practices.

4. Editorial Records and Documentation

The journal should maintain appropriate electronic records of manuscript submissions, editorial decisions, reviewer invitations and reports, author correspondence, revisions, declarations, and publication-related decisions. Records should be sufficiently organized to allow authorized editorial personnel to understand the progress and outcome of a submission.

The editorial office should document significant decisions and communications concerning complaints, appeals, authorship disputes, competing interests, research ethics concerns, and suspected publication misconduct when such matters arise. COPE emphasizes the importance of clearly described processes for handling misconduct allegations, complaints, appeals, and other publication ethics matters. See the COPE Core Practices and the COPE editorial office guidance.

Editorial records must accurately reflect the decisions and actions taken. Records must not be altered or removed in a manner intended to conceal an editorial decision, a reported concern, or a relevant publication ethics issue.

5. Confidentiality and Access Control

Access to electronic manuscript files and editorial records should be restricted to authorized individuals who require the information to perform their editorial, reviewing, publishing, or administrative responsibilities. Confidential manuscript content and reviewer reports must not be disclosed to unauthorized persons.

Editors and editorial staff should handle manuscripts and related communications with appropriate confidentiality, while respecting legitimate requirements for investigation, accountability, and the resolution of publication ethics concerns. The journal's procedures should be consistent with applicable privacy and data-protection requirements and the relevant principles in the COPE Core Practices.

User accounts and system permissions should be managed to reduce unauthorized access. Where supported by the platform, the journal should use appropriate authentication, access permissions, backups, and security controls to protect manuscript files and editorial records. These are recommended operational safeguards adopted by the journal; they are not a technical security standard prescribed by COPE.

6. Handling Research and Publication Ethics Concerns

When an allegation of research or publication misconduct is received, the journal should preserve relevant records and communications and handle the concern through its established editorial procedures. Relevant records may include manuscript versions, correspondence, reviewer reports, author declarations, and supporting documents, where available and appropriate.

The journal should assess concerns fairly, request explanations or additional evidence when necessary, and document significant steps and decisions. COPE states that journals should have clear processes for handling allegations of misconduct and should take such allegations seriously before and after publication. See the COPE Core Practices.

Where an investigation by an author's institution or another relevant organization is necessary, the journal may communicate with the appropriate parties and cooperate within applicable confidentiality and legal limits. COPE provides specific guidance on cooperation between research institutions and journals in research integrity and publication misconduct cases.

Electronic filing must not be used to conceal suspected misconduct or prevent legitimate editorial review. Where the evidence warrants action, the journal should follow its relevant policies and COPE guidance on corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, or other appropriate editorial responses. See the COPE Core Practices.

7. Data Retention and Archiving

The journal should maintain electronic manuscript and editorial records for an appropriate period, taking into account institutional requirements, applicable laws, the journal's publishing platform, and the need to address legitimate questions concerning editorial decisions or the published record.

The journal should establish an internal retention and archiving schedule that identifies the types of records retained, the responsible personnel, the retention period, and the conditions for secure disposal. COPE's Core Practices support sound journal management and the preservation of the integrity of the scholarly record, but they do not establish one universal retention period for all electronic editorial records. See the COPE Core Practices.

Where the platform supports backups or recovery mechanisms, the journal should implement appropriate procedures to reduce the risk of accidental loss or corruption of important records. Access to archived files should remain restricted according to the journal's confidentiality and access-control procedures.

8. Published Articles and the Scholarly Record

Electronic publication records should identify the published article and its associated metadata accurately. When a published article requires a correction, retraction, or other formal editorial notice, the journal should ensure that the relevant notice and article record are appropriately linked and that the status of the article is communicated transparently.

COPE identifies post-publication discussion and mechanisms for correcting, revising, or retracting articles as important elements of responsible journal practice. See the COPE Core Practices and the official COPE Retraction Guidelines.

The journal should not silently alter or remove a published article in a way that misleads readers about its publication history. Any significant post-publication action should be documented and communicated through the appropriate editorial notice, subject to applicable legal requirements and exceptional circumstances.

9. Responsibilities of the Editorial Office

The editorial office is responsible for administering the electronic submission workflow, maintaining appropriate records, managing access permissions, communicating with authors and reviewers, and escalating publication ethics concerns to the Editor-in-Chief or designated editorial authority.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for ensuring that electronic filing procedures support fair, transparent, and accountable editorial decisions. The journal should clearly identify who is responsible for responding to complaints and allegations of misconduct, consistent with the COPE guidance for organizing an editorial office.

All personnel involved in manuscript handling should follow the journal's confidentiality, recordkeeping, and publication ethics procedures. Where the journal identifies weaknesses in its workflow, it should review and improve its processes as appropriate, in line with the journal-management principles described in the COPE Core Practices.

10. Policy Review

Sentralisasi may review this policy periodically to ensure that it remains consistent with the journal's editorial workflow, publishing platform, applicable requirements, and relevant publication ethics guidance. COPE encourages journals to establish clear policies and processes and to use its available guidance and resources to support responsible editorial practice. See the COPE Core Practices and the COPE editorial office guidance.