About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The Malaysian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences (MJFAS) (formerly known as Journal of Fundamental Sciences (2005-2011), ISSN: 1823-626X) is a refereed research journal published by Penerbit UTM Press, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. MJFAS is devoted to the original contribution to fundamental and applied mathematics and natural sciences covering physics, chemistry, and biology. For acceptance in MJFAS, a manuscript must be the right fit with the journal's focus and scope. 

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

Mathematics and Applied Mathematics
All areas of fundamental, computational, applied, and industrial mathematics include (but are not limited) to

• linear algebra,
• number theory,
• graph theory,
• numerical analysis,
• numerical statistics,
• optimization,
• operational research,
• signal analysis,
• wavelets,
• image processing,
• fuzzy sets,
• spline,
• stochastic analysis,
• integral equation,
• differential equation,
• a partial differential equation,
• and combinations of the above.

Physics and Applied Physics
All areas of fundamental and applied physics include (but not limited) to

• astrophysics,
• atmospheric and space physics,
• atomic and molecular physics,
• biophysics,
• condensed matter and materials physics,
• general and interdisciplinary physics,
• nonlinear dynamics and complex systems,
• nuclear physics,
• optics and spectroscopy,
• particle physics,
• plasma physics,
• relativity and cosmology,
• statistical physics,
• and combinations of the above.

Chemistry and Applied Chemistry
All areas of fundamental and applied chemistry include (but not limited) to

• analytical chemistry,
• biochemistry and medicinal chemistry,
• inorganic chemistry,
• materials chemistry,
• nuclear chemistry and radioactivity,
• organic chemistry,
• physical chemistry and chemical physics,
• sustainable, green, and environmental chemistry,
• theoretical and computational chemistry,
• and combinations of the above.

Biology and Applied Biology
All areas of fundamental and applied biology include (but not limited) to

• anatomy,
• botany,
• biochemistry,
• biology,
• biophysics and biotechnology,
• cytology,
• developmental biology,
• ecology,
• genetics,
• hydrobiology,
• life science,
• microbiology,
• molecular biology,
• neurobiology,
• physiology,
• zoology,
• and combinations of the above.

Handling editors at MJFAS make an initial assessment to ensure a manuscript is scientifically robust and fits within the scope of the journal. After this first check, the handling editor decides whether to send the manuscript out for review or recommend it for immediate rejection.

Peer Review Process

MJFAS uses Plagiarism Detection Software – Turnitin® to screen for plagiarism before publication. This journal operates a conventional single-blind reviewing policy in which the reviewer's name is always concealed from the submitting author. Authors should present their papers honestly without fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or inappropriate data manipulation. Submitted papers are evaluated by anonymous referees for contribution, originality, relevance, and presentation. Papers will be sent for anonymous review by at least two (2) reviewers who will either be members of the Editorial Board or others of similar standing in the field. In order to shorten the review process and respond quickly to authors, the Editors may triage a submission and come to a decision without sending the paper for external review. The Editor shall inform you of the results of the review as soon as possible, hopefully in 8-12 weeks. The Editors’ decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into concerning manuscripts considered unsuitable for publication in this journal. All correspondence, including notification of the Editors’ decision and requests for revisions, will be sent by email.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Publication Frequency

Indexing and Abstracting

Currently, MJFAS is indexed by Scopus, Web of Science, and will be accepted for inclusion in Scopus. Scopus will initiate the indexing process from November 2020 to January 2021.  

Ethics and Responsibilities

Plagiarism

Authors should submit their original work that is not plagiarized and has not been published or been considered elsewhere. Plagiarism checker software by Turnitin® may be used by the editorial office to check the similarities of submitted manuscripts with existing literature. Work and/or words from other publications must be appropriately cited or quoted.

Review Guidelines

Malaysian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences  (MJFAS) is a peer-reviewed international journal. This statement clarifies the ethical behavior of all parties involved in the act of publishing an article in our journals, including the authors, the editors, the peer-reviewer­­­­­s and the publisher (Penerbit UTM Press). This statement is based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Ethical Guideline for Journal Publication

The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed MJFAS is an essential building block in the development of a coherent and respected network of knowledge. It is a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. It is, therefore, important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the authors, the journal editors, the peer reviewers, the publisher and the society.

Penerbit UTM Press as the publisher of MJFAS takes its duties of guardianship over all stages of publishing extremely seriously, and we recognize our ethical and other responsibilities. We are committed to ensuring that advertising, reprint or other commercial revenue has no impact or influence on editorial decisions. In addition, the MJFAS and Editorial Board will assist in communications with other journals and/or publishers where this is useful and necessary.

Publication decisions

The editors of the MJFAS are responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers must always drive such decisions. The editors 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 editors may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

Fair play

An editor at any time evaluates 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.

Acknowledgment 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.

Data Access and Retention

Authors are asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review and should be prepared to provide public access to such data (consistent with the ALPSP-STM Statement on Data and Databases), if practicable, and should, in any event, be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.

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 behavior and is unacceptable.

Acknowledgment 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.

Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects

If the work involves chemicals, procedures or equipment that have any unusual hazards inherent in their use, the author must clearly identify these in the manuscript.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts 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, the author should promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

Journal History

The Malaysian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences (MJFAS) (formerly known as Journal of Fundamental Sciences (2005-2011), ISSN: 1823-626X) is a refereed research journal.