Focus and Scope

Journal Aims and Focus

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering (Online ISSN: 2776-432X) is a peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal published biannually (April and October) by Mahesa Research Center. The journal is dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge, algorithmic innovation, and engineering practice in informatics, computer science, software engineering, and information technology. INCODING provides an academic forum for researchers, faculty members, students, and industry practitioners from Indonesia and around the world to disseminate original empirical research, system development studies, methodological breakthroughs, and comprehensive review articles.

Scope of the Journal

INCODING welcomes original scholarly manuscripts across core and emerging areas of informatics and computer science engineering, including but not limited to:

• Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning: Deep learning, natural language processing (NLP), expert systems, evolutionary computation, intelligent agents, and predictive modeling.


• Data Science, Data Mining & Big Data Analytics: Knowledge discovery, clustering, classification, recommendation systems, business intelligence, and large-scale data engineering.


• Software Engineering & Information Systems: Enterprise architecture, agile software development, software quality assurance and testing, decision support systems (DSS), management information systems (MIS), and e-government/e-business systems.


• Computer Networks, Cybersecurity & Cloud Computing: Network architecture and protocols, cryptography, network and information security, distributed and cloud infrastructure, and digital forensics.


• Image Processing, Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition: Object detection, biometric recognition, medical image analysis, remote sensing imagery, and signal processing.


• Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics & Embedded Systems: Smart systems, sensor networks, microcontroller/embedded engineering, autonomous systems (UAV/robotics), and cyber-physical systems.


• Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) & Multimedia: User interface/user experience (UI/UX) engineering, educational technology systems, virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR), and game technology.


• Computational Methods & Applied Mathematics in Computing: Numerical analysis, optimization algorithms, simulation modeling, and high-performance computing.

Section Policies

Articles

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Peer Review Process

Peer Review Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatic and Computer Science Engineering applies a peer review process to ensure the quality, originality, relevance, and scientific integrity of all manuscripts submitted for publication. The journal is committed to maintaining a fair, objective, transparent, and confidential review process for authors, reviewers, and readers.

1. Review Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening to assess their relevance to the journal's aims and scope, compliance with the journal's author guidelines and manuscript format, originality, and basic academic quality. Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's requirements may be returned to the authors for technical corrections or rejected before external review.

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are evaluated through a double-anonymous peer review process, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from each other, to the extent practicable.

Each manuscript is normally evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise in the subject area of the submission. The editor may invite additional reviewers when necessary to obtain a balanced and sufficiently informed assessment.

2. Review Criteria

Reviewers are asked to assess manuscripts based on the following criteria:

1. Relevance and scope: The manuscript's alignment with the journal's focus on informatics, computer science, information systems, and related fields.

2. Originality and contribution: The novelty, significance, and potential contribution of the work to scientific knowledge or professional practice.

3. Abstract and keywords: The clarity, accuracy, and consistency of the abstract and keywords with the manuscript's objectives, methods, results, and conclusions.

4. Introduction and literature review: The clarity of the research problem, objectives, research gap, and relevance of the cited literature.

5. Research methodology: The appropriateness, clarity, validity, and reproducibility of the methods, procedures, algorithms, models, or experimental designs used.

6. Results and discussion: The accuracy and clarity of the results, adequacy of data analysis, quality of interpretation, and relationship between findings and previous studies.

7. Conclusions and implications: The extent to which the conclusions are supported by the findings and address the stated research objectives.

8. References and citation quality: The relevance, credibility, currency, and consistency of references and citations with the journal's requirements.

9. Presentation and language: The organization, readability, technical accuracy, and academic quality of the manuscript.

10. Research ethics and integrity: Compliance with applicable ethical standards, originality requirements, appropriate attribution, and responsible research practices.

3. Review Duration

The journal aims to complete the initial editorial screening within approximately 21-30 days after submission. The external peer review process typically takes approximately 6-8 weeks, depending on reviewer availability, manuscript complexity, and the time required to obtain sufficient evaluations.

These periods are indicative rather than guaranteed. The overall time to an editorial decision may vary if additional reviews, revisions, or clarification from the authors are required. Authors are encouraged to respond to reviewers' comments carefully and submit revised manuscripts within the deadline specified by the editor.

4. Editorial Decisions

Based on the reviewers' recommendations and the editor's independent assessment, a manuscript may receive one of the following decisions:

• Accept: The manuscript is suitable for publication without further substantive revision.

• Minor Revision: Limited corrections or clarifications are required before a final decision.

• Major Revision: Substantial improvements are required, and the revised manuscript may be returned to the reviewers for further evaluation.

• Reject: The manuscript does not meet the journal's standards, scope, or publication requirements.

Reviewers provide recommendations and constructive comments; the final publication decision rests with the editor or editor-in-chief. A revision request does not guarantee acceptance or publication.

5. Reviewer Selection and Responsibilities

Reviewers are selected based on their subject-matter expertise, relevant academic qualifications or professional experience, research and publication record, and ability to provide an objective and constructive assessment of the manuscript.

The editorial team seeks reviewers who have no significant conflicts of interest with the authors, research, institutions, or funding arrangements involved. Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and decline assignments when impartial evaluation cannot be ensured.

Reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality, evaluate manuscripts objectively, support substantive criticisms with clear reasoning, identify relevant uncited work where appropriate, and refrain from using unpublished information for personal or professional advantage. Personal criticism of authors is not acceptable.

6. Confidentiality, Ethics, and Editorial Independence

Manuscripts under review are treated as confidential documents. Their content must not be disclosed or used for purposes unrelated to the review process without appropriate authorization.

The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, citation manipulation, or other forms of publication misconduct. Any suspected ethical concern will be assessed by the editorial team in accordance with applicable publication ethics standards and the journal's policies.

Editorial decisions are based on the manuscript's scholarly merit, relevance, originality, methodological rigor, and compliance with publication ethics. Decisions must not be influenced by the authors' nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, personal relationships, or other irrelevant personal characteristics.

7. Revision and Resubmission

Authors receiving a revision decision are expected to address the reviewers' comments systematically and provide a clear response explaining how each point has been addressed. Where a suggestion is not adopted, authors should provide a reasoned explanation. Revised manuscripts may be assessed by the original reviewers or other qualified reviewers, as determined by the editor.

Failure to submit revisions within the specified period may result in the manuscript being administratively closed or treated as a new submission, subject to editorial policy.

8. Commitment to Fair Review

INCODING is committed to a professional and constructive peer review process that supports the improvement of submitted manuscripts while safeguarding academic integrity. The journal seeks to provide authors with clear editorial communication and reviewers with appropriate guidance, while ensuring that all publication decisions remain independent and evidence-based.

Publication Frequency

INCODING: Journal of Informatic and Computer Science Engineering publishes scholarly articles twice a year, in April and October.

The journal's publication schedule is organized as follows:

• April Issue: Published in April.

• October Issue: Published in October.

Manuscripts are accepted for consideration throughout the year, subject to the journal's submission policies and editorial capacity. All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening, peer review, revision when required, and a final editorial decision before publication.

The submission of a manuscript does not guarantee acceptance, and acceptance does not automatically guarantee publication in a specific issue. Publication depends on the completion of the editorial and peer review processes, the author's timely response to revision requests, and the journal's production schedule.

Authors are encouraged to submit their manuscripts well in advance of the intended publication period to allow sufficient time for editorial screening, peer review, revision, copyediting, and final preparation.

The editorial board reserves the right to adjust the publication schedule when necessary. Any changes will be announced through the journal's official website.

For the latest publication information, authors and readers are encouraged to consult the Current Issue, Archives, and Announcements sections of the journal website.

Official Website: https://journal.mahesacenter.org/index.php/incoding/index

Open Access Policy

Open Access Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering provides Immediate Open Access to all published content on the principle that making scientific research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge and accelerates technological innovation.

1. Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) Alignment

In accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of Open Access, all articles published in INCODING are freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication, without any subscription fees, paywalls, registration barriers, or embargo periods.

2. Reader and User Rights (CC BY 4.0)

Under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), users are permitted to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, link to the full texts of articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose (including commercial use), without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source.

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 Ethic

Our ethic statements are based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Publication decisions
The editor is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published.
The editor may be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The editor may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

Fair play
An editor at any time evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

Confidentiality
The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the paper.

Promptness
Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse himself from the review process.

Confidentiality
Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

Standards of Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Acknowledgement of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

Duties of Authors

Reporting standards
Authors of reports of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Originality and Plagiarism
The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited or quoted.

Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication
An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

Acknowledgement of Sources
Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Authorship of the Paper
Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors.

The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

Fundamental errors in published works
When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

Manuscript Types

Accepted Manuscript Types

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering publishes peer-reviewed scholarly manuscripts in Bahasa Indonesia and English that make original, rigorous, and significant contributions to informatics, computer science, software engineering, and information technology. The journal accepts the following categories of manuscripts:

1. Original Research Articles

Full-length reports of original empirical, experimental, computational, or theoretical research within the journal's scope. Original research articles must clearly state the research problem, research gap, objectives, methodology/algorithmic design, experimental evaluation, results and discussion, and conclusions.

• Recommended Length: 3,000–6,000 words (approximately 8–15 pages in the official INCODING template, including tables, figures, and references).


• Structure: Title, Author Information, Abstract (150–200 words), Keywords (3–5 terms), Introduction, Research Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgments (optional), and References (minimum 15–20 current scholarly references formatted in IEEE style).

2. Applied Research and System/Software Engineering Articles

Scholarly papers presenting the novel design, architecture, engineering, implementation, and rigorous evaluation of software systems, information systems, embedded/IoT devices, cybersecurity frameworks, or enterprise IT solutions. Manuscripts in this category must go beyond routine software documentation by demonstrating methodological soundness, system testing/validation metrics, and comparative analysis with existing solutions.

3. Algorithmic and Methodological Articles

Contributions that propose, optimize, or benchmark new computational algorithms, machine learning/deep learning architectures, computer vision pipelines, or data mining methods. Submissions must include clear mathematical/algorithmic formulations, dataset descriptions, evaluation metrics (e.g., accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, computational complexity), and reproducible experimental setups.

4. Review Articles / Systematic Literature Reviews (SLR)

Comprehensive, critical, and state-of-the-art syntheses of recent scientific developments on a specific topic within informatics and computer science. Review articles must follow a structured review methodology (such as PRISMA or Kitchenham's SLR guidelines), identify clear research questions, synthesize findings from recent primary literature (predominantly published within the last 5–10 years), and highlight open research challenges and future directions.

Editorial Eligibility Criteria

All manuscript types undergo initial editorial screening (including Turnitin/Plagiarism Checker X similarity screening with a maximum threshold of 30%) followed by double-anonymous peer review by at least two independent reviewers. Submissions must be prepared using the official INCODING Microsoft Word template and adhere strictly to the IEEE citation style.

Publication Schedule

Publication Schedule and Frequency

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering (Online ISSN: 2776-432X) is a biannual peer-reviewed scholarly journal published regularly twice a year by Mahesa Research Center.

1. Regular Publication Issues

Each annual volume consists of two (2) regular issues published according to the following schedule:

• Issue 1 (April Edition):
  
  
  
  • Submission & Initial Screening Window: November – February
  
  
  • Peer Review & Author Revision Period: February – March
  
  
  • Copyediting, Layout & Online Publication: April
  
  
  
  


• Issue 2 (October Edition):
  
  
  
  • Submission & Initial Screening Window: May – August
  
  
  • Peer Review & Author Revision Period: August – September
  
  
  • Copyediting, Layout & Online Publication: October
  
  
  
  

2. Continuous Online Submission

Manuscript submissions are open continuously throughout the year via the journal's Open Journal Systems (OJS) online submission platform (Online Submissions). Manuscripts submitted outside a specific issue's cut-off period or requiring extended peer review/revision cycles are automatically queued for consideration in the subsequent scheduled issue.

3. Processing Timeline

• Initial Editorial & Similarity Screening: 7 – 21 days from submission.


• Double-Anonymous Peer Review: 4 – 8 weeks, depending on reviewer availability and subject complexity.


• Author Revision Window: 2 – 4 weeks (minor/major revisions).


• Final Decision & Production: 2 – 3 weeks prior to issue publication.

Electronic Archiving Policy

Electronic Archiving and Digital Preservation Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering is committed to the long-term digital preservation, permanent accessibility, and historical integrity of all published scholarly articles. To ensure that published research remains permanently available to the global academic community even in the event of technical disruption, the journal implements multiple layers of electronic archiving:

1. LOCKSS Digital Preservation System

This journal utilizes the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system developed at Stanford University Libraries and integrated into Open Journal Systems (OJS). LOCKSS enables participating library networks to collect, preserve, and serve permanent archival copies of the journal's content for purposes of long-term digital preservation and restoration (https://www.lockss.org/).

2. National Repository Archiving (Garuda & Perpusnas RI)

All articles published in INCODING—including full-text PDFs and bibliographic metadata—are systematically harvested and indexed in the Indonesian national scientific repository Garuda (Garba Rujukan Digital) managed by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) (View INCODING on Garuda) as well as Indonesia OneSearch (Perpustakaan Nasional RI).

3. Persistent Digital Object Identifiers (Crossref DOI)

Every article published in INCODING is assigned a unique and permanent Digital Object Identifier (DOI) registered with Crossref under prefix 10.34007/incoding. Crossref metadata deposition ensures persistent citation linking and permanent bibliographic discoverability across international scholarly databases.

4. Author Self-Archiving Policy (Green Open Access)

In accordance with our Open Access and CC BY 4.0 licensing policies, authors are permitted and actively encouraged to deposit all versions of their work—including the Preprint (Submitted Version), Accepted Manuscript (Author's Post-print), and Version of Record (Publisher's Final PDF)—in institutional repositories, subject repositories (such as arXiv, Zenodo, OSF, or Figshare), and personal or departmental websites immediately upon publication, with no embargo period, provided that the original publication in INCODING and its DOI link are cited.

Copyright Policy

Copyright of articles published in INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering is governed by the journal's publication agreement and the applicable copyright regulations.

Authors must ensure that they hold the necessary rights to the submitted manuscript, including any third-party materials such as images, photographs, illustrations, diagrams, datasets, or other copyrighted content incorporated into the article.

The copyright arrangement applicable to each published article will be stated in the journal's publication information. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted material when such permission is required.

The journal respects the intellectual property rights of authors and third parties. Publication does not authorize the unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or adaptation of copyrighted material.

All articles published in INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the published material for any purpose, including commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated.

Authors retain responsibility for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their work and for obtaining permission to reproduce third-party material when required.

The copyright notice does not transfer ownership of copyright to the journal. Any third-party content included in an article may be subject to separate copyright or licensing conditions.

For the full terms of the license, please visit:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License.

The journal's copyright policy must be read together with its licensing policy, which specifies the terms under which published content may be accessed, shared, and reused.

License Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering publishes all articles under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits users to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the published material for any purpose, including commercial purposes, provided that the following conditions are met:

• Attribution: Users must give appropriate credit to the original author(s), provide a link to the license, and indicate whether any changes have been made.


• No additional restrictions: Users may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Users are encouraged to cite the original article and acknowledge INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering as the source of publication.

The license applies to the article content unless otherwise indicated. Third-party materials included in an article may be subject to separate copyright or licensing conditions.

The full terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License are available at:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism and Originality Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering upholds strict standards of originality and academic integrity in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Plagiarism in all its forms—including verbatim copying without attribution, improper paraphrasing, appropriation of ideas/algorithms/datasets, self-plagiarism (text recycling), and duplicate publication—constitutes a serious breach of publication ethics and is strictly prohibited.

1. Mandatory Similarity Screening and Maximum Threshold

Every manuscript submitted to INCODING undergoes mandatory text-similarity screening during initial editorial assessment prior to peer review using Turnitin and/or Plagiarism Checker X.

• Maximum Permitted Similarity Index: The overall similarity score must not exceed 30% (excluding bibliography/reference list and properly quoted generic methodological expressions), with no more than 3% overlap from any single source.


• Qualitative Editorial Evaluation: The editorial team evaluates both the quantitative similarity percentage and the qualitative context of matched passages to verify that all external sources, equations, code frameworks, and datasets are properly cited in IEEE format.

2. Handling of Similarity and Suspected Plagiarism

Depending on the degree and nature of textual overlap detected, the Editorial Board takes the following actions in line with COPE flowcharts:

• Similarity Index ≤ 30% with Proper Attribution: The manuscript passes similarity screening and proceeds to double-anonymous peer review.


• Minor to Moderate Overlap (31% – 50%) Without Malicious Intent: The manuscript is returned to the author(s) prior to peer review with a request to revise, paraphrase properly, and add complete citations within a specified deadline.


• Severe Overlap (> 50%) or Deliberate Plagiarism: The manuscript is immediately rejected without peer review. Where deliberate appropriation of another researcher's work is confirmed, the Editorial Board may notify the author's institution and impose a submission ban.

3. Post-Publication Plagiarism

If plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unattributed use of third-party material is discovered after an article has been published, INCODING will conduct a formal investigation following the COPE Retraction Guidelines. Confirmed plagiarism in a published article will result in the publication of a formal Retraction Notice linked to the original DOI and notification to the authors' affiliated institutions.

Allegations of Research Misconduct

Allegations of Research and Publication Misconduct Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering is committed to safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record. The journal takes all allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously—whether raised before or after publication—and handles them strictly in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and Flowcharts.

1. Scope of Research and Publication Misconduct

Misconduct encompasses, but is not limited to, the following unethical practices:

• Data and Result Fabrication: Inventing datasets, experimental logs, system outputs, or performance metrics and reporting them as genuine findings.


• Falsification and Manipulation: Improperly manipulating research materials, experimental parameters, source code, images/screenshots, or statistical results so that the research is not accurately represented.


• Plagiarism and Redundant Publication: Appropriating another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit, or submitting/publishing substantially the same manuscript in more than one journal (duplicate/salami publication).


• Citation and Peer-Review Manipulation: Coercive or excessive self-citation, citation cartels, or attempting to manipulate the peer-review process (e.g., providing fabricated reviewer contact details).


• Authorship and Conflict-of-Interest Violations: Guest/gift/ghost authorship, forged co-author consent, or failure to disclose material financial or institutional conflicts of interest.

2. Reporting Allegations (Whistleblowing Procedure)

Any reader, reviewer, editor, or institution suspecting research or publication misconduct in a submitted or published manuscript may submit a report supported by objective evidence to the Editor-in-Chief via email at incodingjournal@gmail.com or mahesarc1@gmail.com. The identity of whistleblowers acting in good faith will be kept strictly confidential.

3. Investigation Procedure

Upon receiving a credible allegation, the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board follow the step-by-step COPE investigation protocol:

1. Initial Assessment: The Editor-in-Chief evaluates the specificity and documentary evidence of the allegation to determine whether a formal inquiry is warranted.


2. Author Notification and Right of Response: The corresponding author (and relevant co-authors) is notified in writing of the specific concern and given a fair opportunity and reasonable timeframe to provide raw data, source code, documentation, or a written explanation.


3. Expert & Institutional Consultation: If the author's response is unsatisfactory or inconclusive, the Editorial Board may consult independent technical reviewers or refer the case to the ethics committee/research integrity office of the author's institution.

4. Editorial Actions and Sanctions

When misconduct is substantiated by clear evidence, INCODING will apply proportionate sanctions depending on the severity of the violation:

• Immediate rejection of a manuscript under review.


• Publication of an Erratum / Corrigendum, an Expression of Concern, or a formal Retraction for a published article, linked permanently to the article's DOI.


• Formal notification to the authors' institutional leadership or funding agency.


• Prohibition of future submissions by the offending author(s) for a specified period (1 to 3 years).

Conflict of Interest Policy

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering requires full transparency regarding any financial, commercial, institutional, academic, or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence—or reasonably be perceived to influence—the conduct, evaluation, or publication of scholarly research, in accordance with COPE and ICMJE guidelines.

1. Author Responsibilities and Disclosure

All authors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission. Potential conflicts include, but are not limited to:

• Research grants, sponsorships, consultancy fees, employment, or commercial equity related to software, hardware, or systems evaluated in the manuscript.


• Institutional or personal relationships that could affect the objectivity of data interpretation.


• Intellectual property rights, patents, or commercial software licenses connected to the study.

Every published article must include a dedicated Conflict of Interest Statement (or a declaration stating: "The authors declare no conflict of interest") and an explicit Funding / Acknowledgment Statement.

2. Reviewer Responsibilities

Peer reviewers must disclose to the Editor any competing interest that could bias their evaluation of an assigned manuscript. Reviewers must decline to review a manuscript if they:

• Are currently affiliated with the same institution or department as any of the authors.


• Have collaborated, co-authored publications, or shared research funding with any of the authors within the past three (3) years.


• Have a direct financial, professional, or personal competition or relationship with the authors.

3. Editor and Editorial Board Responsibilities

Editors and Editorial Board members must recuse themselves from handling, assigning reviewers to, or making editorial decisions on any manuscript in which they have a competing interest (including manuscripts authored by themselves, family members, close collaborators, or colleagues from their own institution). Such submissions are independently managed by another qualified Editor free of any conflict of interest under strict double-anonymous peer review.

Post-Publication Discussion

Post-Publication Discussion and Critique Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering recognizes that scholarly communication is an ongoing process that continues after an article's publication. In accordance with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) principles, the journal actively welcomes constructive post-publication discussion, technical commentary, and evidence-based critique regarding published articles.

1. Channels for Post-Publication Discussion

Readers and researchers may engage in scholarly discussion of articles published in INCODING through the following mechanisms:

• Letters to the Editor / Technical Commentaries: Readers may submit formal scholarly comments, methodological critiques, or replication findings to the Editorial Office via email (incodingjournal@gmail.com). Submissions must be objective, evidence-based, concise, and focused strictly on scientific and technical merit.


• Direct Author Correspondence: Readers may contact the Corresponding Author directly using the email address published on the article's title page to request clarification, dataset/code details, or collaborative discussion.

2. Editorial Assessment and Author Right of Reply

Upon receiving a substantive post-publication commentary or critique, the Editor-in-Chief will:

1. Evaluate the submission for scientific relevance, constructiveness, and adherence to academic decorum.


2. Share the commentary with the author(s) of the original article and invite them to submit a formal Author Response / Reply within a reasonable timeframe.


3. Subject both the commentary and the author's reply to editorial/peer review and, where appropriate, publish them together linked to the original article.

3. Escalation to Correction or Retraction

If post-publication discussion reveals a substantive technical error, methodological flaw, or ethical concern that affects the validity or reliability of the published findings, the Editorial Board will investigate the matter under the journal's Correction and Retraction Policy and COPE guidelines.

Correction and Retraction Policy

Correction, Retraction, and Withdrawal Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering is committed to preserving the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of the published scholarly record. When errors or ethical breaches are identified in published articles, the journal follows the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) Retraction Guidelines through the following formal mechanisms:

1. Corrections (Erratum and Corrigendum)

A formal correction notice is issued when a published article contains an honest error that affects the clarity, metadata, or specific details of the publication but does not invalidate the core scientific methodology, results, or conclusions:

• Corrigendum (Author Error): Published when the authors identify an unintentional factual, numerical, or authorship error after publication.


• Erratum (Publisher/Production Error): Published when an error was introduced during copyediting, typesetting, or online production by the journal.

The correction notice is assigned a Crossref DOI, linked bi-directionally to the original article, and explains the exact modification made.

2. Expression of Concern

The Editor-in-Chief may issue an Expression of Concern if credible concerns are raised regarding the integrity of a published article, but the investigation by the authors' institution is ongoing or the available evidence remains inconclusive.

3. Article Retraction

An article will be formally Retracted when post-publication investigation provides clear evidence that:

• The findings are unreliable due to major technical/experimental error, data fabrication, or falsification;


• The article constitutes substantial plagiarism or redundant/duplicate publication;


• The research involved serious ethical violations, unauthorized use of proprietary data/code, or compromised peer review.

Retraction Procedure (COPE Standard):

• A formal Retraction Notice titled "Retraction: [Article Title]" signed by the Editor-in-Chief and/or authors is published, stating clearly and objectively the reason for the retraction and who is retracting the article.


• The original article remains accessible in the OJS archive to preserve the historical citation record, but its PDF and HTML pages are clearly watermarked "RETRACTED" and linked permanently to the Retraction Notice via Crossref DOI metadata.

4. Manuscript Withdrawal (Pre-Publication)

Authors who wish to withdraw a manuscript under review must submit a formal written request signed by all co-authors to the Editor-in-Chief explaining the compelling reason for withdrawal. Unilateral withdrawal after peer review has been completed or after a manuscript has been accepted for publication is considered unethical practice.

Peer Review Process Policy

Peer Review Process Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering implements a rigorous, fair, and confidential Double-Anonymous (Double-Blind) Peer Review Process to ensure the scientific quality, originality, methodological soundness, and relevance of all published articles.

1. Stage 1 — Initial Editorial and Similarity Screening (7–21 Days)

Upon submission via the OJS platform, every manuscript is screened by the Editor-in-Chief or Section Editor to verify:

• Alignment with the journal's focus and scope in informatics, computer science, software engineering, and information technology;


• Compliance with the official INCODING template, structure, and IEEE citation style;


• Originality via Turnitin / Plagiarism Checker X similarity screening (maximum overall similarity index of 30%).

Manuscripts that fall outside the journal's scope, fail formatting requirements, or exceed the similarity threshold are either returned for technical revision or desk-rejected prior to external review.

2. Stage 2 — Double-Anonymous Peer Review (4–8 Weeks)

Manuscripts that pass initial screening are assigned to at least two (2) independent peer reviewers with demonstrated expertise in the manuscript's subject area. Under the double-anonymous model, the identities of the authors are concealed from the reviewers, and the identities of the reviewers are concealed from the authors throughout the review process.

3. Stage 3 — Evaluation Criteria

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts objectively based on:

• Originality, novelty, and significance of the technical or theoretical contribution;


• Appropriateness, rigor, and reproducibility of the research methodology, system design, or algorithmic evaluation;


• Accuracy of experimental results, depth of discussion, and comparison with recent literature;


• Clarity of presentation, quality of tables/figures, and adherence to IEEE reference standards.

4. Stage 4 — Editorial Decision Categories

Based on the reviewers' reports and independent editorial evaluation, the Editor issues one of four decisions:

• Accept Submission: Ready for publication without further substantive changes.


• Revisions Required (Minor Revision): Acceptance is contingent upon minor technical or textual revisions checked by the Editor.


• Resubmit for Review (Major Revision): Substantial revisions are required, and the revised manuscript is returned to the original reviewers for second-round evaluation.


• Decline Submission (Reject): The manuscript does not meet the journal's scholarly standards.

5. Stage 5 — Author Revision, Verification, and Final Production

Authors invited to revise their manuscript must submit both the revised manuscript and a point-by-point response to all reviewer comments within the specified deadline (2–4 weeks). Once accepted, the manuscript undergoes copyediting, layout formatting, author proofreading, Crossref DOI assignment, and online publication.

Open Access Policy

Open Access Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering provides Immediate Open Access to all published content on the principle that making scientific research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge and accelerates technological innovation.

1. Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) Alignment

In accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of Open Access, all articles published in INCODING are freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication, without any subscription fees, paywalls, registration barriers, or embargo periods.

2. Reader and User Rights (CC BY 4.0)

Under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), users are permitted to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, link to the full texts of articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose (including commercial use), without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source.

Ownership and Management Information

Ownership, Governance, and Management Information

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering (Online ISSN: 2776-432X) provides complete transparency regarding its legal ownership, publishing institution, academic partnerships, and editorial governance in accordance with national journal accreditation standards (ARJUNA Kemdiktisaintek) and COPE principles.

1. Legal Ownership and Publishing Institution

• Journal Title: INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering


• Online ISSN: 2776-432X (Issued by BRIN / Perpustakaan Nasional RI)


• DOI Prefix: 10.34007/incoding (Registered via Crossref)


• Owner and Publisher: Mahesa Research Center (MRC)


• Director of Publisher: Dr. Agung Suharyanto, S.Sn., M.Si., M.I.Kom


• Registered Office Address: Perumahan Griya Nafisa 2, Blok A No. 10, Jalan Benteng Hilir / Titi Sewa, RT 06, Dusun XVI Flamboyan, Kecamatan Percut Sei Tuan, Kabupaten Deli Serdang, Sumatera Utara 20371, Indonesia


• Official Websites: https://mahesacenter.org/ | https://journal.mahesacenter.org/index.php/incoding


• Official Emails: incodingjournal@gmail.com | mahesarc1@gmail.com

2. Academic & Institutional Cooperation (Memorandum of Understanding / MoU)

In managing and enhancing the scientific quality of its scholarly publications, Mahesa Research Center maintains formal institutional cooperation agreements (Memorandum of Understanding) with higher education institutions and professional associations, including:

• STMIK TIME Medan (LPPM STMIK TIME): Cooperation on Quality Enhancement, Supervision, and Evaluation of Scientific Periodicals (MoU No. 001/YPCM/V/2025 & No. 011/P/LPPM/STMIKTIME/V/2025, valid for 5 years).


• Universitas Terbuka (UT) Medan: Strategic Cooperation in Scientific Article Publication and Academic Research Dissemination (MoU No. 04/PKS/VIII/2025 & No. B/206/UN31.UT3/HK.08.00/2025, valid for 5 years).


• Observatorium Ilmu Falak Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (OIF UMSU): Cooperation in Scientific Article Publication and Research Development (MoU No. 05/PKS/MRC/X/2025 & No. 82/MoU/II.3-AU/UMSU-OIF/F/2025, valid for 5 years).


• Relawan Jurnal Indonesia (RJI): Active institutional member supporting standardized OJS management and Crossref DOI integration.

3. Editorial Governance and Independence

Day-to-day scholarly operations of INCODING are led by the Editor-in-Chief and an inter-institutional Editorial Board supported by independent national and international Peer Reviewers. Editorial decisions (acceptance, revision, or rejection of manuscripts) are governed strictly by academic merit, originality, methodological rigor, relevance to the journal's scope, and double-anonymous peer review—completely independent of commercial or financial considerations.

4. Revenue Sources and Business Model

The operational sustainability of INCODING (including OJS hosting, Crossref DOI registration, plagiarism screening, copyediting, and digital preservation) is supported by institutional funding from Mahesa Research Center and transparent Article Processing Charges (APC) applied solely to accepted manuscripts as detailed on the Author Fees page.

Contact Information

Official Contact Information

For inquiries regarding manuscript submission, peer-review status, editorial policies, institutional cooperation, or technical support, authors, reviewers, and readers may contact the editorial office of INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering through the official channels below:

1. Editorial Office & Mailing Address

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering

Publisher: Mahesa Research Center

Perumahan Griya Nafisa 2, Blok A No. 10, Jalan Benteng Hilir / Titi Sewa, RT 06, Dusun XVI Flamboyan,

Kecamatan Percut Sei Tuan, Kabupaten Deli Serdang, Sumatera Utara 20371, Indonesia

Online ISSN: 2776-432X

Journal URL: https://journal.mahesacenter.org/index.php/incoding

2. Principal Contact

Dr. Agung Suharyanto, S.Sn., M.Si., M.I.Kom

Mahesa Research Center

Phone / WhatsApp: +62 822-7609-9272 / +62 812-6493-527

Emails: incodingjournal@gmail.com | suharyantoagung@gmail.com | mahesarc1@gmail.com

3. Technical & OJS Support Contact

Mahesa Wiguna

Phone / WhatsApp: +62 822-7609-9272

Email: suharyantoagung@gmail.com

Author Fees

Article Processing Charges (APC) and Author Fees Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering is an Open Access journal committed to full financial transparency. All published articles are made immediately and permanently free for everyone to read and download without subscription charges. To cover the costs of editorial management, similarity screening, layout production, Crossref DOI registration, and online hosting/archiving, the journal applies the following fee structure:

1. Schedule of Fees

• Article Submission Fee: IDR 0.00 (FREE)
  Authors are not charged any fee for submitting a manuscript or for initial editorial and similarity screening.


• Article Processing Charge (APC) / Publication Fee: IDR 300,000 per accepted article
  This fee is payable only after a manuscript has successfully passed double-anonymous peer review and has been formally accepted for publication by the Editorial Board.

2. Payment Procedure and Editorial Independence

Payment instructions and official bank account details are sent directly to the Corresponding Author by the Editorial Office together with the formal Letter of Acceptance (LoA). Authors must never make any payment prior to receiving an official acceptance notification. Payment of the APC does not influence the peer-review process or editorial decision-making.

3. Fee Waiver and Discount Policy

To ensure that financial constraints never prevent the publication of high-quality research, INCODING offers partial discounts or full fee waivers for:

• Authors from low-income or developing countries (international collaborative submissions);


• Partner institutions covered under active Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreements with Mahesa Research Center; and


• Unfunded student or independent researchers who demonstrate genuine financial need (requests must be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief at the time of submission).

Author Guidelines

Authors submitting manuscripts to INCODING must ensure that their work falls within the journal's scope and complies with the journal's submission requirements.

Before submission, authors should verify the following:

1. The manuscript presents original scholarly work and has not been published previously in a form that violates the journal's policies.

2. The manuscript follows the official journal template and formatting requirements.

3. The title, abstract, keywords, main text, tables, figures, and references are complete and consistent.

4. All sources are cited appropriately, and the reference list follows the journal's prescribed citation style.

5. All authors have approved the manuscript and agreed to its submission.

6. Relevant funding, acknowledgments, ethical approvals, and conflicts of interest are disclosed where applicable.

7. Figures, tables, and third-party materials are appropriately attributed and cleared for use when necessary.

8. The manuscript is submitted through the official online submission system.

Authors should review the journal's publication ethics, copyright, licensing, and author fee policies before submitting their work.

The official manuscript template and detailed formatting instructions are available through the INCODING website.

Official website: https://journal.mahesacenter.org/index.php/incoding/index

Visitor Statistics

Visitor and Readership Statistics

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering maintains transparent website traffic and article-level readership metrics so that authors, readers, and accreditation assessors can monitor the reach and impact of published articles.

1. Article-Level Metrics (OJS Built-in Counter)

Every published article displays real-time Abstract Views and Full-Text PDF Downloads directly on the issue Table of Contents and on the individual article landing page.

2. Journal Traffic & Geographical Visitor Analytics (Histats)

Real-time and historical visitor statistics—including daily/monthly page views, unique visitors, and visitor countries of origin—are publicly tracked via Histats and can be inspected directly at the link below:

» View Official Real-Time Visitor Statistics (Histats ID: 4516803)

Indexing and Abstracting

Abstracting and Indexing Coverage

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering (Online ISSN: 2776-432X) is indexed, abstracted, and cataloged in the following national and international scholarly databases to maximize the global visibility, discoverability, and citation impact of published articles:

• Garuda (Garba Rujukan Digital — Kemdiktisaintek RI):
  https://garuda.kemdiktisaintek.go.id/journal/view/22240


• Google Scholar:
  https://scholar.google.co.id/citations?hl=id&authuser=2&user=4fakVBQAAAAJ


• Dimensions (Digital Science):
  View Indexed Articles on Dimensions


• Crossref (DOI Registration Agency):
  DOI Prefix: 10.34007/incoding (View on Crossref Metadata Search)


• ISSN Portal & Perpustakaan Nasional RI:
  e-ISSN: 2776-432X Record

All article metadata are exposed via standard OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting) at https://journal.mahesacenter.org/index.php/incoding/oai to facilitate automated harvesting by academic libraries and indexing services worldwide.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship and Contributorship Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering adheres to international standards of publication ethics set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) regarding authorship and contributorship. Authorship confers credit for a researcher's scholarly work and carries direct academic, ethical, and public accountability for the published article.

1. Criteria for Authorship

To be listed as an author on a manuscript submitted to INCODING, an individual must cumulatively satisfy all four (4) of the following criteria:

1. Substantial Intellectual Contribution: Made a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the study, algorithm, or system architecture; or to the acquisition, preprocessing, analysis, or interpretation of research data.


2. Drafting and Critical Revision: Participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important technical and intellectual content.


3. Final Approval: Reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript prior to submission and publication.


4. Accountability: Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy, reproducibility, or integrity of any part of the research are appropriately investigated and resolved.

2. Non-Author Contributors and Acknowledgments

Individuals who contributed to the research or manuscript preparation but do not meet all four authorship criteria above (for example, those who provided purely technical assistance, laboratory/server access, data collection support, language editing, or general departmental supervision) must not be listed as authors. Instead, their contributions should be recognized in the Acknowledgments section with their written permission.

3. Corresponding Author Responsibilities

One author must be designated as the Corresponding Author during submission. The Corresponding Author acts on behalf of all co-authors and assumes primary responsibility for:

• Communicating with the editorial office throughout submission, peer review, revision, and proofing stages.


• Ensuring that all listed co-authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript and agreed to their order of authorship prior to submission.


• Providing accurate institutional affiliations, email addresses, ORCID iDs (where available), and conflict-of-interest or funding disclosures for all co-authors.


• Responding to post-publication inquiries, data verification requests, or critiques regarding the published work.

4. Changes to Authorship

Authors are expected to carefully consider the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript. Any request to add, remove, or rearrange author names after initial submission must be submitted formally to the Editor-in-Chief and requires:

• A clear written justification explaining the reason for the change in authorship; and


• Written confirmation (signed statement or email verification) from all authors—including any author being added or removed—expressing their agreement with the requested modification.

Changes to authorship are not permitted after a manuscript has been accepted for publication unless exceptional circumstances are demonstrated and approved by the Editorial Board via a formal Corrigendum.

5. Unacceptable Authorship Practices and AI Tools

• Gift, Guest, or Honorary Authorship: Including individuals as authors solely out of seniority, institutional position, or personal courtesy without substantial intellectual contribution is strictly prohibited.


• Ghost Authorship: Omitting individuals who made substantial contributions to the research or writing of the manuscript is unethical and prohibited.


• Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs): Automated tools and Generative AI systems cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume legal or ethical accountability for scholarly work.