Policies

MAVIS publishes research and design-based articles on visual communication design, art, design, culture, and their applications, in the following fields:

1. Visual Communication Design
2. Graphic Design
3. Recorded Media
4. Fine Arts
5. Audio Visual
6. Advertising
7. Photography
8. Animation
9. Multimedia
10. Game Design

Articles

•  Open Submissions
•  Indexed
•  Peer Reviewed

MAVIS primarily accepts original research articles and design-based research (perancangan) articles within the journal's scope. A design-based article must state a clear design problem, the research or design method, the design process and results, and an evaluation or discussion of the results. Systematic literature reviews and case studies are also considered, subject to the Editor's assessment, provided they contain a clear research problem, method, findings, and discussion consistent with the journal's Author Guidelines. Design portfolios without a research problem, method, or evaluation, opinion pieces, editorials, and manuscripts lacking an original scholarly contribution are not accepted.

MAVIS  is owned and managed by the Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM), Universitas Bhinneka Nusantara (UBHINUS), Malang, Indonesia. LPPM UBHINUS holds full editorial and administrative responsibility for the journal, including the appointment of the Editorial Team, allocation of resources, and ensuring the journal's compliance with academic publishing ethics and national accreditation requirements.

MAVIS  applies a double-blind peer review system: the identities of both the author(s) and the reviewer(s) are concealed from each other throughout the review process. This process is fully managed through the journal's online submission system (OJS).

Each manuscript is evaluated by a minimum of two reviewers with relevant expertise in the manuscript's field. Reviewers assess the manuscript based on: originality and scientific contribution, appropriateness of the research method, clarity and validity of the findings, quality of the analysis and discussion, and conformity with the journal's scope, template, and reference requirements.

Based on the reviewers' recommendations, the Editor makes one of the following decisions: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject. Editorial decisions are based solely on academic merit and are free from any commercial or non-academic influence.

Reviewers with a conflict of interest regarding a manuscript (e.g., personal or institutional relationship with the author) must declare it and decline the review invitation. Reviewers are not permitted to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to analyze, evaluate, or draft review comments; the review must reflect the reviewer's own independent scholarly judgment.

The review process is completed within 4 (four) weeks from the reviewer's acceptance of the invitation. Authors are given 2 (two) weeks to submit their revised manuscript in response to the reviewers' comments.

If a manuscript receives a Major Revision decision, the revised version is returned to the same reviewer(s) for a second round of evaluation. A Minor Revision decision is verified directly by the Editor without requiring an additional review round. The review process is limited to a maximum of two rounds; following the second round, the Editor makes a final decision (Accept or Reject) based on the extent to which the author has addressed the reviewers' comments.

Initial screening. Before peer review, the Editor checks every new submission for its fit with the journal's focus and scope, its compliance with the MAVIS template and Author Guidelines, and its similarity index (see Plagiarism Check). Submissions that do not pass this screening are returned to the authors for correction or declined without external review. Authors are informed of the screening result within 7 days of submission.

Reviewer selection. Reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the manuscript's subject. Reviewers with an institutional or personal relationship with the authors must declare it and decline the invitation.

The peer review process follows the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.

MAVIS is published twice a year, in March and September. The journal has followed this schedule since its first issue in March 2019.

Submissions are accepted throughout the year. The editorial schedule for each issue is as follows:

A manuscript is published in the earliest issue whose final-decision date it meets; otherwise, it is scheduled for the next issue. The exact dates for each year are announced in the annual Call for Papers.

MAVIS provides full and immediate open access to all published articles, with no subscription fees, no paywall, and no embargo period. This policy is based on the principle that freely available research supports a greater global exchange of knowledge and accelerates scientific development.

Readers may freely read, download, and print any published article without registration. All published content is also permanently archived to ensure continued access (see Digital Archiving).

All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Under this license, readers are free to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) for any purpose, including commercially, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source, and that any derivative work is distributed under the same license.

MAVIS: Jurnal Desain Komunikasi Visual is committed to the long-term preservation of, and continued access to, all published content. The journal maintains the following arrangements so that articles remain available if the journal ceases publication, its platform becomes unavailable, or it migrates to another system:

• Crossref: all articles are registered with Crossref and assigned Digital Object Identifiers (DOI prefix 10.32664/mavis), ensuring persistent identification and links even if the location of the content changes.
• Garuda: article metadata and links to the full texts are indexed in Garuda (Garba Rujukan Digital).
• OAI-PMH: article metadata is openly available for harvesting through the journal's OAI-PMH interface.
• Server backup: the publisher's technical team backs up the journal server, including the database and all published files, on a daily basis.

All archived articles keep their Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0) license, so preserved copies may be freely accessed and reused under the same terms. This policy follows the digital preservation practices recommended by COPE and DOAJ, and will be updated when additional preservation services are in operation.

MAVIS defines research misconduct as including, but not limited to: fabrication (creating fictitious data or results), falsification (manipulating research data or processes), plagiarism (using others' work or ideas without proper attribution), unauthorized/duplicate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and duplicate or simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals.
Any allegation—raised by a reviewer, editor, reader, or third party—is handled following COPE guidelines: initial review of evidence, clarification from the parties involved, investigation as needed, and a decision by the Editor-in-Chief. Depending on the outcome, the journal may reject the manuscript, request revision, issue a correction, or retract the article (see Correction and Retraction Policy).

Appeals against editorial decisions. Authors who believe that a decision on their manuscript was based on a factual error or a misunderstanding may submit one appeal within 30 days of the decision. The appeal must be sent in writing to the Editor-in-Chief at lppm@ubhinus.ac.id, state the manuscript ID, and give a point-by-point explanation supported by evidence. Appeals are assessed by an editor who was not involved in the original decision, who may consult the original or additional reviewers. The outcome is communicated within 30 days and is final. The manuscript should not be submitted to another journal while the appeal is under consideration.

Complaints. Complaints about the journal's processes, such as handling time, the conduct of editors or reviewers, or the application of journal policies, may be sent in writing to lppm@ubhinus.ac.id. The editorial office acknowledges a complaint within 7 working days and provides a response within 30 days. Complaints about the Editor-in-Chief are handled by the Head of LPPM Universitas Bhinneka Nusantara as the publisher. If a complainant remains unsatisfied after the journal's process has been completed, the matter may be referred to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Complaints concerning possible research or publication misconduct in submitted or published articles are handled under the Allegation of Research Misconduct and Correction and Retraction policies.

Research published in MAVIS must be conducted ethically and responsibly. The following requirements apply:

• Human participants: studies involving human participants (including surveys, interviews, focus groups, user testing of designs, and audience studies) must obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee, or follow the institution's procedure for low-risk research. Informed consent must be obtained from all participants, and from parents or guardians for participants under 18 years of age.
• Personal and sensitive data: research using personal data, including data collected from social media, applications, or organisational records, must comply with Law of the Republic of Indonesia No. 27 of 2022 on Personal Data Protection and with the terms of the data source. Data must be anonymised before analysis and publication, and no information that could identify individuals may be published without consent.
• Images of people: photographs or videos in which individuals can be identified may be published only with their consent (or that of a parent or guardian for minors).
• Visual works, brands, and cultural expressions: reproducing artworks, designs, logos, brand assets, or traditional cultural expressions owned by others requires permission from the owner or community, or a clear legal basis such as quotation for analysis, and the source must be stated in the caption.
• Declaration: authors state the ethics committee and approval number, or explain why approval was not required, in the Ethical Approval part of the Declarations section.

Editors may request evidence of ethical approval, consent, or permissions at any stage. Manuscripts without adequate ethical oversight may be rejected, and concerns identified after publication are handled under the Correction and Retraction policy.

MAVIS follows COPE guidelines on correction and retraction. A correction (erratum/corrigendum) is issued when an error does not undermine the validity of the article's findings (e.g., a typographical error or incorrect affiliation). A retraction is issued when there is clear evidence of unreliable findings due to misconduct or serious honest error, redundant publication, or plagiarism.
Decisions to correct or retract are made by the Editor-in-Chief following an investigation, and are documented and linked to the original article on the journal's website and in its metadata/DOI. Retracted articles remain accessible but are clearly marked as retracted.

Readers who identify an error, have questions, or wish to comment on a published article are encouraged to contact the Editorial Team via Contact page, stating the article title, DOI, and details of the concern. The Editorial Team will review the matter and, where appropriate, follow up with the corresponding author, publish a correction, or take other corrective action as outlined in the Correction and Retraction Policy.

MAVIS charges the following fees to authors:

All manuscripts follow the same review process described in the Peer Review Process section. Payment of fees does not influence editorial decisions, which are based solely on academic merit.

Refund Policy: Fees already paid are non-refundable under the following circumstances:

• the manuscript is rejected at any stage of the review process (including after exceeding the maximum of two review rounds without reaching an acceptable revision);
• the author fails to respond to the Editor's or reviewers' requests (including revision requests) within the timeframe given, resulting in the manuscript being withdrawn or rejected; or
• the author voluntarily withdraws the manuscript after payment has been made.

Authors are strongly advised to ensure their manuscript meets the journal's scope, template, and quality standards (see Author Guidelines) before submission, as the Submission Fee is charged regardless of the review outcome.

MAVIS requires that every person listed as an author has made a genuine contribution to the work, and that each author's contribution is disclosed transparently using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy, ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022).

1. Criteria for Authorship

A person qualifies as an author only if they meet all of the following:

1. made a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data, software, or results;
2. drafted the manuscript or revised it critically for important intellectual content;
3. approved the final version of the manuscript to be published; and
4. agreed to be accountable for the work, including its accuracy and integrity, and is able to explain their own contribution as stated in the CRediT statement.

Position, seniority, supervision of a unit, provision of funding, or personal relationships alone do not justify authorship. Contributors who do not meet all criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgements.

2. Contributor Roles (CRediT)

Authors describe their contributions using the 14 CRediT roles below. One author may hold several roles, and one role may be shared by several authors.

3. CRediT Statement

Every manuscript must include an Author Contributions (CRediT) statement in the Declarations section, agreed by all authors before submission, for example: "A.B.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft; C.D.: Software, Formal Analysis, Visualization; E.F.: Supervision, Writing – Review & Editing." The statement describes how contributions are distributed; it does not rank authors, and it complements, rather than replaces, the authorship criteria above.

The Declarations section, including the CRediT statement, was first introduced in Vol. 8 No. 2 (September 2026) and is required in its complete form for articles published from Vol. 9 No. 1 (March 2027) onwards; articles published before Vol. 8 No. 2 do not include it.

4. Corresponding Author

The corresponding author, marked with an asterisk (*), acts as the main contact with the editorial office. The corresponding author ensures that all co-authors have approved the manuscript and the author list, that the CRediT statement is accurate, and that co-authors are kept informed throughout the editorial process. Being the corresponding author does not imply the largest contribution.

5. Changes in Authorship

The list and order of authors must be identical in the manuscript and in the Contributors/Authors metadata in OJS. Changes in authorship (addition, removal, reordering, or change of corresponding author) are permitted only before the manuscript enters peer review, through a written request explaining the reason and signed by all authors, including any author being added or removed. Any change requested after peer review has begun is not permitted and will result in rejection of the manuscript, regardless of the review stage. See the Author Guidelines for details.

6. Ghost, Guest, and Gift Authorship

MAVIS does not accept ghost authorship (omitting a person who meets the authorship criteria), guest authorship (listing a person, often a senior or well-known researcher, who made no substantial contribution), or gift authorship (listing a person as a favour, reward, or obligation). The sale or purchase of authorship positions is treated as serious misconduct.

7. Acknowledgements

Persons who contributed but do not meet the authorship criteria, such as those providing technical assistance, data collection support, language editing, or general supervision, may be acknowledged with their consent. Sources of funding must also be stated.

8. Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

AI tools, including large language models, cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot take responsibility for the work. Any use of AI must be disclosed in the Declarations section, as described in the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy.

9. Authorship Disputes

Authorship disputes should be resolved among the authors before submission. If a dispute arises during the editorial process, the editorial office will pause processing and facilitate communication between the authors. Where needed, the matter will be referred to the authors' institution(s), and the journal will follow the relevant COPE guidance. The journal does not adjudicate disputes on the basis of rank or position.

10. Accountability

By submitting, all authors confirm that the author list and CRediT statement are complete and accurate. Inaccurate or misleading authorship information discovered before publication may lead to rejection; after publication it may lead to a correction or retraction in accordance with the journal's Correction and Retraction policy.

Authors, reviewers, and editors involved in a manuscript must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationship that could be perceived to influence the objectivity of the research, review, or editorial decision.
Authors must declare any conflict of interest in the manuscript's Declarations section (see Author Guidelines). Reviewers must decline a review invitation if they have a conflict of interest with the author(s) or the subject matter (see Peer Review Process). Editors must recuse themselves from handling a manuscript in case of a conflict of interest and assign it to another member of the Editorial Team. Failure to disclose a conflict of interest may result in corrective action, including correction or retraction of the published article.

MAVIS encourages authors to make the data, source code, and materials that support their findings openly available. Every research article must include a Data Availability Statement in its Declarations section, stating where the data can be accessed (for example, a public repository with a DOI or persistent link) or explaining why the data cannot be shared.

Data may be withheld, or shared only on reasonable request, when open sharing would breach research ethics, personal data protection, confidentiality agreements, or intellectual property rights; the reason must be stated in the Data Availability Statement. Where design files, prototypes, software, or models are central to the findings, authors should provide the source code or a description of the method, parameters, and settings sufficient for other researchers to reproduce the results.