1. Editorial Policy

Aulada: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Perkembangan Anak is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to publishing high-quality scholarly works in the fields of early childhood education, child development, educational practices, and related areas. The journal is committed to maintaining academic integrity, editorial independence, transparency, fairness, and ethical publishing practices.

All editorial decisions are based on the manuscript’s scholarly quality, originality, relevance to the journal’s aims and scope, methodological rigor, and contribution to the development of knowledge. Decisions are made independently of the authors’ nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, religious beliefs, political views, or other personal characteristics.

The journal applies its editorial policies consistently to all submitted manuscripts and follows established publication ethics principles. Further details regarding ethical responsibilities are provided in the journal’s Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement.

2. Editorial Independence

The editorial team is responsible for making decisions concerning manuscript evaluation, peer review, acceptance, revision, and rejection. These decisions are based on academic merit and the journal’s editorial policies.

The publisher and other institutional stakeholders must not interfere with editorial decisions concerning individual manuscripts. Editors are expected to exercise independent professional judgment and to disclose any circumstances that may compromise their impartiality.

Editorial independence does not exempt editors from accountability. Editorial decisions must remain consistent with the journal’s aims and scope, peer-review standards, publication ethics, and applicable institutional policies.

3. Editorial Board and Responsibilities

The journal is managed by an editorial team consisting of the Editor-in-Chief, editors, and other editorial personnel appointed in accordance with the journal’s organizational structure.

The editorial team is responsible for:

1. Evaluating submitted manuscripts for relevance, originality, and compliance with the journal’s submission requirements.

2. Selecting qualified and independent reviewers with appropriate subject expertise.

3. Ensuring that peer review is conducted fairly, confidentially, and objectively.

4. Making editorial decisions based on reviewers’ reports and the manuscript’s academic merit.

5. Maintaining communication with authors and reviewers throughout the publication process.

6. Identifying and addressing potential conflicts of interest.

7. Handling allegations of research misconduct in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics policy.

8. Ensuring that published content meets the journal’s quality and ethical standards.

9. Maintaining accurate publication records and implementing corrections or retractions when necessary.

Members of the editorial team must protect confidential information and must not use unpublished materials obtained through editorial work for personal research or advantage without appropriate permission.

4. Manuscript Submission and Initial Screening

All manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s designated online submission system. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions comply with the journal’s Author Guidelines and other applicable policies.

Upon submission, the editorial team conducts an initial screening to determine whether the manuscript:

1. Falls within the journal’s aims and scope.

2. Meets the basic formatting and submission requirements.

3. Demonstrates sufficient academic relevance and scholarly quality to proceed to peer review.

4. Provides appropriate information regarding authorship, funding, and potential conflicts of interest.

5. Meets the journal’s requirements concerning originality, plagiarism, and research ethics.

6. Includes the necessary ethical approvals or statements, where applicable.

Manuscripts that do not meet the journal’s requirements may be returned to the authors for technical revision or rejected before peer review. Passing the initial screening does not guarantee acceptance or publication.

5. Peer-Review System

The journal uses a peer-review process to evaluate the quality, originality, validity, and relevance of submitted manuscripts. Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial screening are sent to independent reviewers with relevant academic expertise.

The review process is intended to provide constructive feedback, support editorial decision-making, and maintain the scholarly quality of published articles.

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts according to criteria that may include:

• Relevance to the journal’s aims and scope.

• Originality and contribution to existing scholarship.

• Clarity of research questions and objectives.

• Appropriateness of theoretical frameworks and research methods.

• Quality and accuracy of data analysis and interpretation.

• Adequacy of references and engagement with relevant literature.

• Ethical integrity and transparency.

• Clarity of academic writing and overall presentation.

The editorial team considers reviewers’ recommendations when deciding whether to accept a manuscript, request revisions, or reject it. The final decision rests with the responsible editor.

The journal’s detailed procedures, including the review model and the expected number of reviewers, are described in its Review Process Policy. The journal must ensure that the information published on that page accurately reflects its actual review practices.

6. Editorial Decisions

Following editorial assessment and peer review, a manuscript may receive one of the following decisions:

1. Accept: The manuscript is accepted for publication, subject to any necessary final editorial or production adjustments.

2. Minor Revision: The authors are required to make limited revisions before the manuscript can be considered for acceptance.

3. Major Revision: Substantial revisions are required. The revised manuscript may be returned to the original reviewers or evaluated by the editor.

4. Reject: The manuscript does not meet the journal’s requirements for publication.

A revision request does not constitute a guarantee of acceptance. Authors must respond to editorial and reviewer comments in a clear and systematic manner. The editorial team may reject a revised manuscript if the requested revisions are not adequately addressed.

7. Editorial and Publishing Workflow

The journal’s publishing system consists of the following stages:

Stage 1: Online Submission
Authors submit manuscripts and the required supporting information through the journal’s online submission system.

Stage 2: Administrative and Technical Screening
The editorial team checks the completeness of the submission, compliance with author guidelines, and relevant ethical declarations.

Stage 3: Editorial Assessment
The editor evaluates the manuscript’s relevance, originality, and suitability for peer review.

Stage 4: Peer Review
Eligible manuscripts are evaluated by independent reviewers according to the journal’s review procedures.

Stage 5: Editorial Decision
The editor communicates the decision to the corresponding author, together with relevant reviewer comments and revision instructions.

Stage 6: Revision and Reassessment
Authors revise their manuscripts and submit responses to reviewer comments. Revised manuscripts may undergo further editorial assessment or peer review.

Stage 7: Acceptance and Copyediting
Accepted manuscripts proceed to editorial preparation, including language editing, reference checking, and consistency review, as required.

Stage 8: Proofreading and Author Approval
Authors may be asked to check the proofs of their articles and correct production errors before publication.

Stage 9: Publication
The finalized articles are published on the journal’s website according to its publication schedule.

Stage 10: Post-Publication Management
The journal maintains published records and handles any necessary corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, or scholarly discussions in accordance with its publication policies.

The time required for each stage may vary depending on reviewer availability, the complexity of the manuscript, the extent of revisions, and production requirements.

8. Online Publishing System

The journal uses an online journal management and publishing system to facilitate manuscript submission, editorial processing, peer review, communication, and publication.

The system supports the management of submissions, the assignment of editors and reviewers, the recording of editorial decisions, the exchange of revision files, and the publication of accepted articles.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their contact details and submission information are accurate and up to date. Editorial correspondence should be conducted through the designated journal system or official editorial communication channels.

The journal aims to maintain reliable access to its published content and to preserve accurate bibliographic information for scholarly reference and citation.

9. Publication Schedule

The journal publishes articles according to its officially stated publication frequency and schedule. The editorial team seeks to ensure that accepted manuscripts are processed and published in a timely manner without compromising the quality of editorial assessment or peer review.

The official publication frequency, issue schedule, and any applicable continuous-publication arrangements must be stated on the journal’s Publication Schedule page.

Acceptance of a manuscript does not necessarily mean that it will appear immediately in the next issue. Publication timing depends on the editorial workflow, production schedule, and availability of space within the relevant issue, where applicable.

10. Open Access and Access to Published Content

The journal’s access arrangements are described in its Access Policy. Information about whether published articles are freely accessible, any applicable access restrictions, and the conditions governing the use of published content must be stated clearly on the journal website.

The journal is committed to making its publishing and access policies transparent to authors, readers, reviewers, and other stakeholders.

11. Copyright and Licensing

Copyright ownership and licensing conditions are governed by the journal’s Copyright Policy and License Policy. Authors should review these policies before submitting their manuscripts.

The journal provides clear information about the rights retained by authors, the rights granted to the journal, and the permitted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction of published articles.

Authors must ensure that they have the necessary permissions for third-party materials included in their manuscripts.

12. Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

The journal is committed to upholding high standards of publication ethics and research integrity. Authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher are expected to comply with their respective ethical responsibilities.

The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, inappropriate authorship practices, redundant publication, or other forms of research misconduct.

Allegations of misconduct are assessed fairly and confidentially. Where necessary, the journal may consult relevant institutions, request explanations or supporting documentation, issue corrections, publish expressions of concern, or retract articles in accordance with its established policies.

Detailed provisions are available in the journal’s Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement, Plagiarism Policy, Allegation of Research Misconduct Policy, and Correction and Retraction Policy.

13. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their judgment.

Editors must ensure that manuscripts involving their own work, collaborators, institutions, or other conflicts are handled by an appropriately independent editor.

Reviewers must decline assignments when a conflict of interest could compromise their impartiality. Authors must disclose relevant competing interests during submission and provide additional information when requested.

Further information is available in the journal’s Conflict of Interest Policy.

14. Post-Publication Discussion and Article Updates

The journal recognizes that scholarly communication may continue after an article has been published. Readers and researchers may raise questions, provide substantive criticism, or identify errors concerning published work.

The editorial team evaluates post-publication concerns according to their academic relevance, supporting evidence, and potential implications for the reliability or integrity of the article.

When justified, the journal may publish a correction, clarification, response, expression of concern, or retraction. Any post-publication action must be documented transparently and linked to the original article where technically possible.

The procedures for raising concerns and responding to published content are set out in the journal’s Post-Publication Discussion Policy and Correction and Retraction Policy.

15. Data, Archiving, and Preservation

The journal seeks to maintain the integrity and accessibility of its published scholarly record. Information concerning digital preservation, long-term archiving, and the availability of article files must be stated in the journal’s relevant archiving and preservation policy.

Authors are encouraged to retain research data and supporting materials in accordance with applicable ethical, legal, institutional, and disciplinary requirements. Where appropriate and ethically permissible, authors should provide sufficient information to support the verification of their findings.

Confidential, sensitive, or personally identifiable information must not be disclosed without an appropriate legal and ethical basis.

16. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may submit a reasoned appeal if they believe that an editorial decision resulted from a significant procedural error, a misunderstanding of the manuscript, or a demonstrable breach of the journal’s editorial policies.

Appeals must provide a clear explanation and relevant supporting evidence. Disagreement with a reviewer’s scholarly opinion alone does not automatically justify reconsideration.

Complaints concerning editorial conduct, peer review, publication ethics, or other journal procedures should be submitted through the journal’s official communication channel. Complaints and appeals are reviewed impartially by an editor or other responsible person who is not directly involved in the matter, where feasible.

The journal will consider such submissions in a fair and timely manner while protecting confidentiality and maintaining the integrity of the editorial process.

17. Transparency and Policy Review

The journal is committed to providing clear and accessible information about its editorial procedures, publishing system, peer-review process, publication ethics, access arrangements, copyright, and licensing.

These policies may be reviewed and updated when necessary to reflect changes in scholarly publishing standards, applicable regulations, technological developments, or the journal’s operational requirements.

The editorial team is responsible for ensuring that published policy statements accurately reflect the journal’s actual practices. Updated policies will be made available on the journal website, and material changes will be communicated where appropriate.

18. Contact Information

Questions, complaints, or appeals concerning editorial policies and the publishing system should be directed to the journal’s official editorial contact listed on the journal website.

Authors, reviewers, and readers are encouraged to consult the relevant policy pages before submitting manuscripts or raising formal concerns.