Allegation of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate or redundant publication, image or data manipulation, citation manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and authorship misconduct. JARTEL takes all allegations seriously and handles them according to COPE flowcharts.

Reporting an Allegation

Anyone (reviewers, readers, authors, or institutions) may report suspected misconduct concerning a submitted or published manuscript by emailing the Editor-in-Chief at [email protected]. Reports should identify the manuscript and describe the concern with supporting evidence. Anonymous reports are considered when sufficient evidence is provided. The identity of the whistle-blower is kept confidential.

Investigation Procedure

1. The Editor-in-Chief conducts a preliminary assessment to determine whether the allegation is substantiated.
2. The authors are informed of the concern and given the opportunity to respond, normally within 14 days.
3. If the explanation is unsatisfactory, the journal may contact the authors' institution or funder and request an institutional investigation.
4. Throughout the process the journal protects the confidentiality and the rights of all parties.

Possible Outcomes

• For manuscripts under review: rejection and notification of the authors' institution.
• For published articles: publication of a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction, as described on the Corrections & Retractions page.
• In serious cases: a ban on further submissions from the authors involved for a period determined by the editorial board.