Allegation and Misconduct

 

1. Introduction

JISA (Jurnal Informatika dan Sains) is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and reliability of scholarly publishing. The journal takes allegations of research misconduct seriously and seeks to ensure that all concerns regarding published or submitted manuscripts are handled fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with publication ethics principles.

Research misconduct may involve actions that compromise the integrity of research or scholarly publication, including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate authorship practices, manipulation of the peer-review process, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and other forms of unethical research or publication conduct.

2. Scope of Misconduct

Allegations of research or publication misconduct may include, but are not limited to:

  • Fabrication: Making up research data, results, experiments, or other research information and presenting them as genuine.

  • Falsification: Manipulating research materials, data, images, procedures, or results in ways that misrepresent the research.

  • Plagiarism: Using another person's words, ideas, data, or work without appropriate acknowledgment.

  • Authorship misconduct: Inappropriately assigning, omitting, or misrepresenting authorship or contributor roles.

  • Peer-review manipulation: Attempting to improperly influence or compromise the integrity of the peer-review process.

  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest: Failing to disclose relevant interests that could affect the research or its evaluation.

  • Duplicate or redundant publication: Submitting or publishing substantially overlapping work without appropriate disclosure or justification.

  • Misuse of artificial intelligence: Using AI tools to fabricate research data, generate misleading evidence, misrepresent authorship, or otherwise violate the journal's AI and publication ethics policies.

The journal assesses each allegation according to its nature, supporting evidence, and relevance to research or publication integrity.

3. Reporting Allegations

Authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and other concerned parties may submit allegations or concerns regarding suspected research or publication misconduct to the JISA editorial office through the journal's official contact information.

Reports should, where possible, include a clear description of the concern, the relevant article or manuscript details, supporting evidence, and any other information that may assist the assessment. Anonymous reports may be considered when they contain sufficient information to allow a meaningful preliminary assessment.

JISA does not require allegations to be established as proven before they can be reported. However, concerns should be raised responsibly and in good faith.

4. Initial Assessment and Investigation

Upon receiving an allegation, the editorial team conducts an initial assessment to determine whether the concern falls within the journal's responsibilities and whether sufficient information is available for further examination.

Where appropriate, the journal may:

  • Review the manuscript, published article, research data, similarity reports, editorial records, and other relevant materials.

  • Request clarification or supporting information from the authors or other relevant parties.

  • Consult the Editor-in-Chief, editorial board members, independent experts, or other qualified parties.

  • Refer the matter to the relevant author's institution or research organization when institutional investigation is necessary or appropriate.

The scope and depth of the assessment depend on the nature and seriousness of the allegation. The journal distinguishes between honest errors, disagreements in scientific interpretation, and potential misconduct.

5. Fairness, Confidentiality, and Conflicts of Interest

JISA seeks to handle allegations impartially and confidentially to the extent possible. Information is shared only with parties who need it for the assessment or investigation, subject to applicable legal, institutional, and ethical requirements.

Individuals involved in assessing an allegation must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and should not participate in decisions where their impartiality may reasonably be questioned.

The journal aims to provide affected parties with an appropriate opportunity to respond to concerns relevant to them. Allegations are assessed on the available evidence, and no party is presumed to have committed misconduct solely because an allegation has been raised.

6. Possible Outcomes and Editorial Actions

Following assessment, JISA may determine that no further action is required, request clarification or correction, or take further action where concerns are substantiated or remain unresolved.

Depending on the findings and the circumstances, possible actions may include:

  • Requesting a correction or clarification.

  • Publishing an editorial note or an expression of concern.

  • Rejecting a manuscript when the concerns relate to a submission under consideration.

  • Retracting a published article when the evidence and circumstances justify retraction.

  • Informing the relevant institution, publisher, or other appropriate body when necessary.

Any action concerning a published article will be taken in accordance with the journal's publication ethics, correction and retraction policies, and the available evidence. The journal will communicate significant editorial actions transparently to readers.

7. Responsibilities of Authors, Reviewers, and Editors

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical conduct of their submitted research. They are expected to cooperate with reasonable requests for clarification or supporting documentation concerning their work.

Reviewers must provide objective assessments, maintain confidentiality, disclose conflicts of interest, and report concerns about possible misconduct through appropriate channels.

Editors are responsible for assessing allegations fairly, protecting confidential information, managing conflicts of interest, and determining appropriate editorial actions in accordance with journal policies. Editorial decisions must be based on relevant evidence and publication ethics considerations.