Allegations of Research Misconduct

Reporting, Assessment, Investigation, and Editorial Action

Jurnal Hasil Pengabdian Masyarakat (JURIBMAS) is committed to maintaining research integrity, transparency, accountability, and ethical scholarly publishing. The journal takes allegations of research misconduct seriously and assesses them fairly, confidentially, and objectively.

Allegations may concern manuscripts under review, published articles, research data, community service activities, authorship, or other matters that may affect the reliability and integrity of the scholarly record. All allegations will be assessed based on the available evidence and the applicable editorial procedures.

1. Definition of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct refers to serious breaches of research integrity that undermine the reliability, credibility, or ethical conduct of scholarly work. Depending on the circumstances, such conduct may include:

• Fabrication: Making up data, results, activities, participants, or research records and presenting them as genuine.
• Falsification: Manipulating research materials, processes, data, images, or results in a way that misrepresents the work.
• Plagiarism: Using another person's words, ideas, data, or work without appropriate acknowledgment.
• Duplicate or redundant publication: Inappropriately publishing substantially overlapping work without transparent disclosure or proper justification.
• Authorship misconduct: Misrepresenting contributions, including gift, guest, or ghost authorship, or omitting eligible contributors.
• Data and reporting violations: Concealing relevant findings, misrepresenting evidence, or presenting results in a materially misleading manner.
• Ethical violations: Conducting activities without required consent, authorization, ethical approval, or appropriate safeguards when these are applicable.
• Other serious breaches: Deliberate manipulation of citations, peer review, conflicts of interest, or publication processes that compromises research integrity.

Honest errors, reasonable differences in interpretation, and methodological limitations do not automatically constitute research misconduct. Each case must be assessed according to its evidence, seriousness, and context.

2. Reporting an Allegation

Authors, reviewers, readers, research participants, institutions, and other concerned parties may report suspected research misconduct to the editorial team. Reports should be made in good faith and provide sufficient information to allow a preliminary assessment.

Where possible, a report should include:

• The title, DOI, URL, or other identifying information of the manuscript or article.
• A clear description of the suspected misconduct.
• Relevant supporting evidence, such as documents, data, publications, or correspondence.
• The approximate date and circumstances in which the concern was identified.
• Contact details, if the reporter wishes to receive follow-up communication.

Reports should focus on verifiable concerns rather than personal disputes. Anonymous reports may be considered when they contain sufficiently specific and assessable evidence.

3. Preliminary Assessment

Upon receiving an allegation, the editorial team will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether the concern falls within the journal's responsibility and whether the information provided warrants further examination.

The assessment may involve checking the manuscript, publication history, source materials, similarity reports, data, images, author statements, or other relevant records. The journal may request additional information from the reporter or the authors when necessary. A preliminary concern is not, by itself, a finding of misconduct.

4. Investigation and Author Response

When an allegation warrants further investigation, the editor may request a written explanation and relevant supporting materials from the corresponding author or other appropriate parties. All authors may be contacted when the issue concerns their individual contributions or responsibilities.

The journal may consult independent experts, editorial advisers, research integrity specialists, or the relevant institution when appropriate. Authors will normally be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to concerns affecting their work.

Where the allegation requires access to institutional records, participant records, or evidence beyond the journal's authority, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution or competent authority. The journal will not claim to have conducted an institutional investigation when it has not done so.

5. Confidentiality and Fair Treatment

Allegations will be handled as confidentially as reasonably possible, subject to the requirements of a fair assessment, applicable law, and legitimate research integrity procedures. Information will be shared only with individuals who need it to assess or resolve the concern.

The journal will seek to protect the rights and reputations of the reporter, the authors, reviewers, research participants, and other parties. An allegation must not be treated as proof of wrongdoing before the evidence has been assessed.

6. Editorial Actions

The editorial action will depend on the nature of the allegation, the reliability of the evidence, the seriousness of the concern, and whether the article has been published. Possible actions include:

• Requesting clarification, additional data, source files, or documentation.
• Requiring corrections to a manuscript before a final editorial decision.
• Rejecting a manuscript when serious integrity concerns are substantiated or remain unresolved.
• Publishing a correction or an expression of concern when appropriate.
• Retracting a published article when the evidence and circumstances justify retraction.
• Referring concerns to the authors' institution, funder, or another appropriate authority when warranted.
• Restricting further editorial processing in cases of serious or repeated abuse of the publication process, where justified by the evidence and journal policy.

Editorial action will be proportionate to the findings and consistent with the journal's correction, retraction, and publication ethics policies. Retraction or rejection will not be based solely on an unverified allegation.

7. Protection Against Retaliation and Malicious Allegations

Individuals who raise genuine concerns in good faith should not be subjected to retaliation by the journal for making a report. The journal will handle reports objectively, regardless of the identity, position, or institutional affiliation of the parties involved.

Knowingly false, fabricated, or malicious allegations may be addressed under applicable journal policies. However, an allegation that cannot be substantiated is not automatically considered malicious.

8. Published Articles and the Scholarly Record

If an allegation concerns an already published article, the journal will assess whether the reliability, integrity, or ethical standing of the publication may be affected. The assessment will consider the evidence available and the explanation provided by the relevant parties.

Where a correction, expression of concern, or retraction is necessary, the journal will follow its applicable policy and seek to maintain a transparent record of the editorial action. Published notices should identify the affected article and explain the reason for the action as appropriate, while respecting privacy and legal obligations.

9. Record Keeping and Data Protection

The journal will maintain appropriate records of allegations, correspondence, evidence reviewed, decisions, and actions taken, subject to applicable retention, confidentiality, and data protection requirements. Access to these records will be limited to authorized individuals involved in handling the case.

10. Contact and Submission of Allegations

Allegations of research misconduct should be submitted in writing to the editorial team of JURIBMAS through the journal's official contact channel. Reports should include the relevant article information, a description of the concern, and available supporting evidence.

Please use the official journal website to locate the current editorial contact information. Do not send confidential personal data or sensitive participant information unless it is necessary and can be shared securely.

Visit Official JURIBMAS Website ↗

11. Ethical Guidance

JURIBMAS seeks to handle allegations consistently with recognized publication ethics principles and relevant institutional procedures.

JURIBMAS
Jurnal Hasil Pengabdian Masyarakat
e-ISSN: 2961-7286 | p-ISSN: 2962-3677
Published by LKP Karya Prima Kursus