Ethics and Guidelines

Information and Guidelines For Authors

General Information

Jurnal Semarak Bahasa focuses on research and scholarly writing related to the Malay language, including its teaching, learning, literature, linguistics, and cultural dimensions. JSB aims to disseminate high-quality studies that contribute to the advancement of Malay language education and the preservation of Malay literature and culture.

JSB publishes one issue per year, in December. Submissions are accepted throughout the year and are reviewed on a rolling basis in accordance with the journal’s double-blind peer review process.

Reviewing Process

All submissions undergo a double-blind peer review process:

• Desk Review (2–4 weeks): Initial screening by the editorial team for plagiarism check, scope relevance, and technical compliance.

• Internal Review (2–4 weeks): Evaluation by an Editorial Board member for content quality.

• External Review (1–2 months): Assessment by at least two reviewers.

The total review process may take up to 4 months. Authors may contact the editorial office for updates only after 3 months from submission. Revisions must be submitted promptly to avoid delays in publication.

Manuscript Preparation

• Length: Up to 8,000 words (excluding appendices and references).

• Language: Manuscripts may be in Bahasa Melayu or English (UK).

• File Format: Microsoft Word (.docx).

• Title Page: Separate from the main text, listing article title, author names, affiliations, and corresponding author’s email.

Abstract

Maximum 300 words, summarising the study’s purpose, methodology, results, and implications.

Keywords

Maximum 5 specific keywords for indexing.

Structure

• Introduction

• Literature Review

• Methodology

• Results

• Discussion

• Conclusion

References

APA (latest edition) style must be strictly followed.

Artwork, Tables, and Figures

• Artwork: TIFF/JPG/MS Office formats; 1200 dpi (line drawings), 300 dpi (colour/halftone).

• Tables: Numbered consecutively; source citation where applicable.

• Figures: High-quality, clearly labelled, and indicated in the text.

Notes, Formulas, and Listings

• No footnotes; use endnotes where necessary.

• Equations numbered consecutively and placed on separate lines.

• Lists should be clearly formatted using appropriate numbering or lettering.

Heading
Levels of headings are formatted as follows:

• FIRST LEVEL HEADING (uppercase, bold, flush left)

• Second Level Heading (upper lowercase, bold, flush left)

• Third Level Heading (italicized, upper lowercase, bold, flush left)

• Fourth level heading (sentence case, italic, flush left)

Journal Policies

Publication Ethics

Jurnal Semarak Bahasa adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) standards on publication ethics. Submission of a manuscript implies that:

• The work described has not been published previously, except in the form of an abstract, published lecture, or academic thesis.

• It is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

• Submission and publication in the journal are known to and approved by all authors.

• The work is the authors’ own, with no falsification or fabrication of data, plagiarism, duplicate publication without proper citation, or misappropriation of others’ work.

Any cases of ethical misconduct will be treated seriously and handled according to COPE guidelines. For further reference, please visit:

• COPE Code of Conduct for Journal Editors

• COPE Core Practices

Copyright Policy

The journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available supports greater global knowledge exchange. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Authors retain the copyright of their work but grant the journals the non-exclusive right to publish and distribute the article in all forms and media. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from copyright holders for any third-party material included in their manuscripts.

Open Access Policy

Jurnal Semarak Bahasa is an  open access journal. All articles are freely available to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text. Proper credit must be given to the authors and the journal in any form of use.

Article Publishing Charge (APC)

No article processing or publication charges are imposed for publishing in Jurnal Semarak Bahasa. All accepted manuscripts are published free of charge.

Language Policy

The journals accept manuscripts written in Bahasa Melayu or English (UK). Manuscripts in Bahasa Melayu must include the title, abstract, and keywords in English. Manuscripts in English must include the title, abstract, and keywords in Bahasa Melayu.