Allegations of Misconduct

The purpose of this policy is to prevent any misconduct related to research conducted for the journals and to suggest the fundamental principles and structural procedures in relation to research integrity deliberation required to ensure research ethics. 

The range of misconduct policy

Research misconduct suggested in this policy pertains to fraud and refers to data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and improper authorship. 

  1. "Fabrication" refers to any activity involving the creation of false information about non-existing data or findings.
  2. "Falsification" refers to the artificial manipulation of the research materials/equipment/process or random modification/deletion of data resulting in distorted research contents or research results.
  3. "Plagiarism" refers to acts of pirating others’ ideas, research contents, and research results without justifiable approvals or quotations.
  4. "Improper authorship" refers to cases where the person who has contributed to research contents or research results is scientifically and technically unqualified as an author or where someone who has not contributed to the research contents or research results scientifically and technically but has been listed as an author merely to express gratitude or courtesy
  5. Intentional acts to disturb a fraud investigation about themselves or others or acts which can be harmful to informants
  6. Unfair evaluation regarding research of others or disclosure or pirating of research ideas or research results acquired during the evaluation process.
  7. Severely aberrant acts that cannot be accepted in the community of the field of science and technology.

 

How does the journal address misconduct

Editors and publishers have an ethical obligation to:

  1. Support the quality and ethics of the review process (pre-publication: weed out; prevent)
  2. Ensure the correctness of the published literature (post-publication: correct; communicate)
  3. Educate (prevent)

Editors/journals have an ethical obligation to respond and to address ethical allegations that may arise about published papers or papers in review. Systems and procedures are in place for investigating and addressing situations of misconduct, including cooperation with investigations from institutions or funding bodies.

 

Possible sanction

When the evidence of misconduct is confirmed the following procedures are to be applied:

  1. Prior to publication (during review): The manuscript can be withdrawn from review
  2. Post-publication (literature correction) The journal may publish a Retraction, Note of Editorial Concern, Errata/Correction with the author or all authors’ signature or editorial of an appropriate statement about the situation. The paper can be “marked” in the literature
  3. Editors determine whether retract or correct after considering whether the case is fraud or an honest mistake. They consider the intent and then the extent to which the data is incorrect/misleading
  4. The author may be banned from submitting to the journal.
  5. Editors may, in some cases, provide information for other editors/publishers.
  6. Editors may publish an editorial in the journal to discuss the issue generally and raise awareness of the issue.