Focus and Scope

MSD focuses on research in primary education, including curriculum and instruction, teacher education, multicultural learning, education technology, early childhood transitions, and policy studies. The journal welcomes qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method research from diverse cultural and geographical contexts, especially in the Global South.

MSD’s core mission is to:

• Encourage the development of evidence-based educational policies and practices;

• Foster academic dialogue between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from diverse cultural and geographical contexts;

• Support the integration of theory and practice in primary education;

• Promote interdisciplinary approaches that address challenges in basic education across sociocultural, economic, and technological dimensions.

The journal recognizes the growing need for responsive and transformative education in the 21st century and seeks to contribute to this agenda by publishing research that is:

• Contextually relevant, especially within the Global South,

• Methodologically rigorous, employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method approaches,

• Theoretically grounded, with clear implications for educational theory and practice.

MSD encourages submissions that address key issues in:

• Curriculum and instructional design in primary education;

• Teacher training and professional development;

• Student learning and development, including inclusive and special education;

• Educational leadership and school management;

• Assessment and evaluation;

• Civic, moral, and values education;

• Digital learning innovations and educational media;

• Cross-cultural and comparative education.

By publishing high-impact articles from a range of educational systems and cultural perspectives, Mimbar Sekolah Dasar seeks to become a leading academic forum for shaping the future of primary education worldwide.

Section Policies

Original Research Articles

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Review Articles

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Peer Review Process

To maintain high standards of scholarship, Mimbar Sekolah Dasar implements a thorough three-step review process that evaluates each submission for its academic integrity, originality, and overall quality.

Step 1: Initial Screening and Plagiarism Check

All submitted manuscripts are first reviewed by the editors through a preliminary assessment process. The first step involves checking for plagiarism using Turnitin software. Manuscripts with an overall similarity index exceeding 15%, or with more than 3% similarity from a single source, will be automatically rejected. Manuscripts that meet the similarity threshold will proceed to an evaluation of research design. Only those with a sound and well-structured research design will move forward to the peer review stage. Submissions lacking methodological rigor or clarity will be declined at this stage.

Step 2: Double-Blind Peer Review

Mimbar Sekolah Dasar adopts a double-blind peer review process. All author-related details are anonymized before peer review to preserve the neutrality of the evaluation. Each manuscript is evaluated by three independent reviewers who are experts in the relevant field. Reviewers assess the manuscript using a standardized review form accessible through a secure reviewer login. Based on their evaluation, reviewers provide a recommendation: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject, each accompanied by a justification. In cases where reviewer opinions are significantly divergent, the editor may consult an additional expert to reach a final decision.

Step 3: Editorial Decision and Author Revision

Following the completion of the peer review, the editor conveys the outcome and next steps to the author(s). If revisions are requested, the author(s) are expected to respond and submit the revised manuscript within the specified deadline. Failure to do so will result in rejection.

Revised manuscripts will undergo further evaluation:

Manuscripts needing extensive revision are forwarded to the reviewers for a second assessment. In contrast, minor revisions are examined and finalized by the editor

Final proofreading and copyediting will only proceed once the manuscript is fully accepted. Throughout the review process, all correspondence takes place strictly between the editor and the author(s); direct communication between authors and reviewers is not permitted. The editorial team ensures that all decisions are supported by clear, transparent reasoning.

The peer review process is guided by the ethical standards outlined in the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers, which are followed by both editors and reviewers.

Publication Frequency

Starting in 2024, Mimbar Sekolah Dasar (MSD) publishes four issues per year, according to the following schedule:

• March (Issue 1)

• June (Issue 2)

• September (Issue 3)

• December (Issue 4)

The journal implements a rolling submission system, where manuscripts are accepted and reviewed continuously throughout the year. Articles that complete the review and revision process before the editorial deadline of each issue will be scheduled for publication in the corresponding period.

Authors are advised to submit early to ensure timely consideration and to allow adequate time for the peer review and editorial process. All accepted manuscripts will undergo a final round of copyediting and proofreading prior to publication. When appropriate, MSD may publish articles online ahead of the official issue release to accelerate knowledge dissemination.

Open Access Policy

Mimbar Sekolah Dasar (MSD) upholds the principle that scholarly research should be accessible to all without barriers. As an open-access journal, MSD provides free, immediate, and permanent access to its content for readers around the world—without subscription fees or registration requirements.

Every article published in this journal is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This means that users are allowed to:

• View and download the content without cost;

• Share and reuse the material for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the authors and source;

• Modify and build upon the work, as long as they distribute the resulting work under the same license.

MSD is committed to supporting the global dissemination of knowledge by removing financial, legal, and technical restrictions. This aligns with the vision of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI), which promotes the free flow of academic information across borders.

Highlights of Our Policy:

• No paywalls: All articles are instantly accessible upon publication.

• No access fees: Readers can use the full text without any charge.

• No submission fees for international authors.

• Authors retain copyright and grant MSD the right to publish.

• All content is preserved and indexed for long-term availability.

Through this policy, MSD strives to contribute to a more equitable academic environment where knowledge is shared openly to benefit educators, researchers, and policymakers worldwide.

Archiving

To secure Mimbar Sekolah Dasar archives, articles in the form of metadata and PDF are stored in several places, namely: 

• Indonesia One Search by National Library
• Indonesian Scientific Journal Database
• Internet Archive
• Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS)

If funding is adequate, Mimbar Sekolah Dasar aims at employing digital preservation services of CLOCKSS or PORTICO.

Authorship Policy

1. Criteria for Authorship
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All authors must:

• Have made significant contributions to the research;
• Have participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript;
• Have approved the final version of the article;
• Be accountable for all aspects of the work.

These criteria align with the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) guidelines.

2. Order of Authorship
The order of authors should be determined collectively by the co-authors based on the relative contributions to the work. Any changes in authorship after submission must be approved by all listed authors and justified to the editor.

3. Corresponding Author Responsibilities
The corresponding author is responsible for:

• Ensuring all co-authors meet the authorship criteria;
• Coordinating the submission and peer-review process;
• Communicating with the journal and responding to reviewers.

4. Avoidance of Unethical Authorship
The journal does not accept:

• Guest authorship: listing individuals who made no contribution;
• Gift authorship: including individuals solely based on position or affiliation;
• Ghost authorship: excluding those who made significant contributions.

5. Acknowledgment of Contributions
Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the authorship criteria (e.g., data collection assistance, language editing, technical support) should be properly acknowledged in a separate section of the manuscript.

6. Authorship Disputes
Any authorship disputes raised after submission will be handled according to COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Mimbar Sekolah Dasar upholds the highest standards of publication ethics, guided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and aligned with internationally recognized scholarly publishing norms. These principles are designed to safeguard academic integrity, ensure transparency in editorial processes, and foster trust between authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. All parties engaged in the publication process are expected to adhere strictly to these ethical guidelines, which aim to protect the integrity of the scholarly record, promote responsible research practices, and ensure the fair treatment of all contributors without discrimination or bias.

1. General Ethical Principles

The journal is committed to publishing only original, high-quality research that provides a meaningful contribution to the advancement of primary education. All editorial and peer review processes are conducted transparently, with decisions determined entirely by the academic quality of the work. The integrity of the academic record is protected by actively preventing and addressing all forms of publication malpractice, including plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and redundant publication. The journal also ensures that all authors, reviewers, and editorial members receive equitable and respectful treatment, free from bias related to nationality, ethnicity, sex, faith, or institutional affiliation. These principles form the foundation of MSD’s mission to advance scholarly knowledge responsibly.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

2.1 Originality and Plagiarism

Authors are responsible for guaranteeing that all manuscripts they submit are wholly their own work and do not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others. Submissions that duplicate or significantly overlap with previously published work, whether by the same authors or others, are considered unethical and unacceptable. All manuscripts undergo plagiarism screening using Turnitin, with a maximum similarity index of 15% and no more than 3% from any single source. Authors are expected to avoid self-plagiarism, improper paraphrasing, and unacknowledged reuse of their own or others’ work.

2.2 Authorship Criteria

Authorship is reserved for contributors who have provided substantial academic input in the conception, methodology, implementation, or analysis of the work. Each author named is required to review and agree to the manuscript’s final form before it is submitted. Practices such as gift authorship (listing those who did not contribute) or ghostwriting (unacknowledged contributions) are strictly prohibited. The corresponding author bears responsibility to confirm that every co-author satisfies the authorship criteria and for managing all communication with the journal.

2.3 Data Integrity and Availability

Authors must present research findings truthfully, ensuring that data are accurate, complete, and free from fabrication or falsification. Data underlying the results should be retained for a reasonable period after publication and must be made available to editors, reviewers, or readers upon legitimate request, in line with institutional and funder requirements. Manipulation or selective reporting of data to mislead readers is considered a serious ethical violation.

2.4 Acknowledgment of Sources

Authors must properly acknowledge all works that have influenced their research. Direct quotations, paraphrased ideas, and data from other sources must be cited in accordance with the APA 7th edition referencing style. Failure to provide proper acknowledgment, even without direct quotation, may constitute plagiarism. Authors are also encouraged to cite relevant literature to contextualize their work within the broader scholarly discourse.

2.5 Ethical Compliance

For studies involving human participants, authors must ensure that their research has been approved by a recognized ethics committee and conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki or equivalent guidelines. For research involving animals, appropriate ethical standards for care and use must be followed. Authors should include an explicit ethics statement in the manuscript detailing approval numbers and relevant protocols.

2.6 Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Authors are required to reveal any financial, institutional, or personal affiliations that could be perceived as influencing the research. This includes funding sources, consultancies, stock ownership, or other forms of remuneration. A Funding Statement must be included in the manuscript, detailing every source that has provided support for the work. Transparency in disclosures is essential to maintain trust between the authors, editorial team, peer reviewers, and readers.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

3.1 Fair and Objective Evaluation

Editors must evaluate manuscripts solely on the basis of their intellectual and scholarly value, without influence from personal relationships, institutional affiliations, nationality, gender, or political beliefs of the authors. Decisions should be guided by the journal’s scope, the relevance of the work to the field, and its originality and contribution to existing literature.

3.2 Confidentiality

Editors are required to handle all submitted manuscripts as confidential materials. Information from a manuscript should not be shared beyond those directly involved in the review process—such as reviewers and editorial staff—without the author’s consent. Editors must also ensure that confidential information is not used for personal advantage.

3.3 Managing the Peer Review Process

The journal implements a thorough double-blind peer review system to maintain objectivity. Editors are responsible for selecting reviewers with the appropriate expertise, managing timelines, and ensuring that reviews are constructive and free from bias. In cases where reviewer recommendations conflict, editors should seek additional input to reach a fair decision.

3.4 Addressing Misconduct

If ethical breaches are suspected—such as plagiarism, data manipulation, or duplicate submission—editors must act promptly, following COPE guidelines. This may include seeking explanations from authors, consulting with reviewers, or initiating formal investigations. All actions should be documented, and decisions should be communicated clearly to the parties involved.

3.5 Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

Editors must withdraw from managing manuscripts in which they possess personal, financial, or professional conflicts of interest. In such cases, another qualified editor will be assigned to oversee the review and decision-making process.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

4.1 Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Reviewers assist editors by providing detailed, constructive feedback that informs editorial decisions and helps authors improve their work. Their comments should focus on the manuscript’s strengths, weaknesses, and overall contribution to the field.

4.2 Objectivity and Professionalism

Reviews must be conducted impartially, without bias or personal criticism of the authors. Evaluations should be evidence-based, with reasoning supported by citations where relevant.

4.3 Confidentiality

All manuscripts in the review stage must remain confidential and cannot be disclosed or discussed beyond the review team without the editor’s approval. Reviewers must not use unpublished material from a manuscript in their own work without explicit permission from the author.

4.4 Identifying Relevant Sources

Reviewers should highlight any published work that is not cited by the authors but is relevant to the manuscript. They should also alert editors to any substantial similarities between the manuscript under review and other published works they are aware of.

4.5 Declining Reviews

Reviewers should accept review assignments only when they have the necessary expertise and can commit to meeting the deadline. They must decline invitations if they recognize a conflict of interest or lack the capacity to provide an objective evaluation.

5. Responsibilities of the Publisher

5.1 Editorial Independence

The publisher guarantees that editorial decisions are made without influence from commercial, political, or institutional interests. Editorial freedom is protected to ensure that decisions are based solely on academic merit and ethical standards.

5.2 Upholding Ethical Standards

The publisher maintains close cooperation with the editorial board to implement ethical guidelines, examine claims of misconduct, and release corrections, clarifications, or retractions as needed. These actions are guided by COPE recommendations and industry best practices.

5.3 Transparency

The publisher ensures that all journal policies—covering open access terms, article processing charges, copyright, and ethical guidelines—are clearly accessible on the journal’s website. This transparency builds trust among authors, reviewers, and readers.

6. Handling Publication Malpractice

6.1 Types of Misconduct

Publication misconduct includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, failure to disclose conflicts of interest, and duplicate submission. Each type of violation undermines the credibility of scholarly communication and damages the trust between the journal and its stakeholders.

6.2 Investigation and Actions

Allegations of misconduct are handled according to COPE procedures, ensuring fairness, confidentiality, and thorough documentation. Depending on the severity of the violation, actions may range from requesting clarifications from authors to rejecting or retracting manuscripts, issuing public notices, informing authors’ institutions, or banning future submissions. All corrective measures are taken with the aim of preserving the integrity of the scholarly record.

Conflicts of Interest

All authors are required to disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could inappropriately influence (or be perceived to influence) the results or interpretation of their manuscript.

A conflict of interest may exist when an author (or the author’s institution), reviewer, or editor has financial, personal, or professional relationships that could bias or appear to bias their actions. Such conflicts may include, but are not limited to:

• Financial relationships (e.g., funding, employment, stock ownership, paid consultancy, or patent licensing),

• Institutional affiliations,

• Personal relationships (e.g., close professional or family ties),

• Academic or intellectual rivalry,

• Political or religious interests related to the research topic.

Authors must disclose all potential conflicts at the time of submission by including a statement in the manuscript. If there are no conflicts of interest, authors should include the following statement:

"The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper."

Reviewers and editors are also expected to declare any potential conflicts before handling a manuscript and to recuse themselves from the review or editorial process if a conflict exists.

Correction or Retraction

If there is an error(s), the article that has been published in Mimbar Sekolah Dasar can be corrected and retracted with the statement from the author(s) and the approval from the editor. There are two types of corrections: major correction and minor correction. The article will be replaced with the corrected version of the article, both in large and small scales. Major correction must be accompanied by the statement of the author(s). Meanwhile, if there are ’fatal’ findings, e.g. data forgery and plagiarism, the retraction of the article will be carried out by following COPE Retraction Guidelines.

Complaints Process

Mimbar Sekolah Dasar is aware of the following conflicts that might occur during publication process: (1) authorship, (2) copyright, (3) plagiarism, (4) data manipulation, (5) errors in presenting or calculating statistical data calculations, and (6) violation of publication ethics.

The complaints can be directly emailed to mimbar.sd[at]upi.edu with the matters being complained about (including the journal issues, volume, and the article number). Editor will respond as quickly as possible and will conduct further investigation on the problem, which will be carried out in accordance with the publication ethics. The investigation result of a certain article may end up merely verification, correction, or retraction after careful consideration.

Plagiarism and Originality Policy

The Mimbar Sekolah Dasar Editorial Board upholds a strict policy against all forms of plagiarism to maintain the integrity and quality of the scholarly record. Manuscripts submitted to the journal must be the authors’ own original work and must not have been published or be under consideration elsewhere.

All submissions are screened for plagiarism using the Turnitin software before the peer review process. The journal applies the following criteria:

• Acceptable threshold: A total similarity score of 15% or lower, with no single source exceeding 3%.

• Immediate rejection: Manuscripts exceeding the 15% overall similarity threshold or the 3% per-source limit will be declined without further review.

• Self-plagiarism: Authors must avoid excessive reuse of their own previously published work. Any reused content must be properly cited and fully justified.

If plagiarism is detected at any stage—before or after publication—the Editorial Board reserves the right to reject the manuscript, retract the article, and notify the author’s affiliated institution, following the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

By submitting to Mimbar Sekolah Dasar, authors acknowledge and agree to abide by this plagiarism policy.

Waiver Policy

We greatly appreciate the interest in the publication of high-quality article writers. Therefore, we do not want the costs to be a barrier to the process of publishing high-quality articles, especially for the authors who have difficulty in paying the publication fees. We apply a policy to free the author from publication fees with the following conditions: (1) the article submitted is of high quality and has a contribution in the field of study based on the assessment of the editorial board; (2) articles are written in good English; (3) the author makes a proposal for a fee waiver addressed to the editor via e-mail mimbar.sd [at] upi.edu.

Copyright Notice

1. The copyright of all articles published in Mimbar Sekolah Dasar is retained by the author(s).
2. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), which allows others to share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided proper attribution is given and the resulting work is distributed under the same license.
3. By submitting to this journal, authors grant Mimbar Sekolah Dasar a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute the work under the above license.

Authorship Changes

To ensure transparency and maintain academic integrity, Mimbar Sekolah Dasar adopts the following policy regarding any change in authorship (addition, removal, or rearrangement of author names) after manuscript submission.

🔹 1. General Principles

Changes to the list of authors are not permitted after the manuscript has been accepted for publication, except in exceptional circumstances. All authors are expected to have agreed upon the order and inclusion of authorship before initial submission.

🔹 2. Requests for Changes Before Acceptance

If an author requests a change in authorship (addition, removal, or rearrangement) before acceptance, the corresponding author must:

• Submit a formal written request to the editorial office stating:

  • The reason for the change,

  • The specific nature of the change (add, remove, reorder).

• Provide written confirmation (e.g., email or signed letter) from all current authors and all proposed new authors that they agree to the change.

• Clearly state that there is no authorship dispute.

The editorial team reserves the right to decline the request if appropriate justification and full consent from all parties are not provided.

🔹 3. Requests After Acceptance

Requests for authorship changes after acceptance or publication are generally not allowed. In rare cases, such as proven ethical concerns or documented errors, changes may be considered if:

• The journal receives written agreement from all listed authors and the proposed new author(s),

• The editorial board and publisher approve the change after internal review.

In cases involving authorship disputes, the journal will follow COPE’s guidelines and may refer the matter to the authors’ affiliated institutions.

🔹 4. Authorship Confirmation

During submission, the corresponding author must confirm that:

• All listed authors meet the authorship criteria,

• All have agreed to the manuscript’s content and submission,

• The authorship order has been agreed upon by all contributors.

This policy is in accordance with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Author Contributions

Author Contributions and CRediT Taxonomy

Mimbar Sekolah Dasar adopts the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) to promote transparency in author contributions and research collaboration. This taxonomy provides a standardized way to describe each author's specific contributions to the published work.

🔹 Submission Requirement

All authors must provide a clear Author Contributions statement using the CRediT taxonomy. This statement must be:

• Submitted as a separate section within the Title Page, and

• Included at the time of the initial submission.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that:

• All listed authors have agreed to their respective roles,

• The contribution statement is complete and accurate,

• All contributors meet the authorship criteria.

🔹 Recognized CRediT Roles:

1. Conceptualization – Formulating the research idea and goals.

2. Methodology – Designing the methodology or model.

3. Software – Developing software, code, or algorithms.

4. Validation – Ensuring reproducibility and verification of results.

5. Formal Analysis – Performing statistical or mathematical analyses.

6. Investigation – Conducting experiments or data collection.

7. Resources – Providing study materials or analysis tools.

8. Data Curation – Organizing and maintaining data.

9. Writing – Original Draft – Drafting the initial manuscript.

10. Writing – Review & Editing – Reviewing and revising the manuscript.

11. Visualization – Preparing figures, tables, or data presentations.

12. Supervision – Guiding the research and mentoring.

13. Project Administration – Managing the project.

14. Funding Acquisition – Securing financial support for the research.

🔹 Example Format for Title Page:

Author Contributions:
A.H. contributed to Conceptualization, Methodology, and Writing – Original Draft.
B.R. handled Data Curation and Formal Analysis.
C.S. was responsible for Supervision and Funding Acquisition.

This information will be used during the peer review process and published with the article upon acceptance.

This policy follows the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) developed by CASRAI.

For more information: https://credit.niso.org

Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted Technologies

Authors must disclose any use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of their manuscript. The declaration should specify:

• The name and version of the AI tool used,

• The exact purpose for which it was used (e.g., language editing, data visualization),

• Confirmation that authors take full responsibility for the content generated and its accuracy.

If no AI tools were used, authors must include the statement:

"The authors declare that no generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were used in the preparation of this manuscript."

This declaration must be placed before the References section in the final manuscript.

Funding Information

Authors must clearly disclose all sources of financial support that contributed to the research and/or publication of the manuscript. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Research grants from government agencies, non-profit organizations, or private institutions.

• Institutional funding or departmental support.

The funding statement should be placed on the Title Page and include the full name of the funding body and, where applicable, the grant number.

If the research received no specific funding, authors must include the following statement:

"This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."

The information provided in this section will be published with the final article to maintain transparency in research support and potential influences.

Data Availability Statement

Authors must include a Data Availability Statement describing where and how the data supporting the findings of the study can be accessed. This statement should specify:

1. Openly available data

The data supporting this study are available in [Repository Name] at [DOI/URL].

2. Available on request

The data supporting this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

3. Restricted access

The data supporting this study are not publicly available due to [ethical/legal/privacy] restrictions but can be obtained from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

4. No new data

No new data were generated or analyzed in this study.

Advertising Policy

Mimbar Sekolah Dasar does not accept or display any form of commercial advertising in its online platform or print materials. The journal is fully funded through institutional support and article processing charges (APCs), ensuring that editorial independence is maintained at all times.

No promotional materials, sponsored content, or paid advertisements are published in association with the journal’s articles. All editorial decisions are made solely based on scholarly merit, relevance to the journal’s scope, and adherence to ethical publishing standards, without any influence from commercial interests.

This policy is implemented to uphold the integrity, objectivity, and credibility of the journal’s academic content.

Direct Marketing Policy

Mimbar Sekolah Dasar occasionally conducts direct marketing activities—such as targeted invitations to submit manuscripts or announcements about special issues—exclusively for the purpose of attracting high-quality scholarly contributions. All such activities are carried out in a professional, appropriate, and non-intrusive manner, focusing only on individuals and institutions whose research aligns with the journal’s scope.

Information provided in these communications is accurate, transparent, and not misleading for readers or potential authors. The journal does not engage in spam, mass unsolicited emails, or aggressive solicitation. All marketing materials are approved by the editorial team to ensure consistency with the journal’s ethical standards and reputation.

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