Allegations of Research Misconduct

Allegations of Research Misconduct

Jurnal Gizi dan Dietetik Indonesia (Indonesian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics) is committed to upholding research integrity and the highest standards of scientific publication. The journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy for research misconduct and unethical publishing practices. Any allegation of misconduct will be handled with utmost seriousness, objectivity, fairness, and confidentiality, in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and prevailing publication ethics principles.

Types of Misconduct Allegations of research misconduct and unethical publishing practices include, but are not limited to:

  1. Data fabrication: Making up data, research results, or information that were never actually obtained.
  2. Data falsification: Manipulating research materials, equipment, processes, data, or results such that the research record does not accurately represent the findings.
  3. Plagiarism: Using the ideas, words, data, images, or work of others without appropriate attribution or acknowledgment.
  4. Duplicate or redundant publication: Republishing the same or substantially overlapping research findings without proper disclosure and justification.
  5. Authorship misconduct: Including individuals who do not meet authorship criteria, omitting eligible contributors, or altering authorship details without proper consent.
  6. Image or data manipulation: Altering, omitting, or presenting images or findings in a misleading manner.
  7. Research ethics violations: Conducting research without necessary institutional ethics approval or participant consent, or violating participant protection protocols.
  8. Undisclosed conflicts of interest: Failing to declare relevant financial or non-financial conflicts of interest, or providing misleading information regarding funding and sponsor roles.
  9. Publication process manipulation: Engaging in citation manipulation, corrupting the peer-review process, or committing other acts that compromise editorial integrity.
  10. Other integrity breaches: Any other unethical behavior that compromises the reliability, validity, attribution, or transparency of scientific research and publication.

Reporting Misconduct Allegations

Reporting Misconduct Allegations may be submitted by authors, reviewers, editors, readers, research institutions, or any third party with relevant information. Reports should be addressed to the Editor via official journal contact channels, accompanied by a clear description of the issue and supporting evidence (Editorial Contact).

The journal encourages whistleblowers to provide specific, verifiable information. The identity of the reporting party will be kept confidential to the fullest extent permitted by law and operational necessity. Every report will be evaluated solely on its substance and supporting evidence, regardless of the reporter's identity or institutional affiliation.

Initial Assessment and Investigation

Upon receiving a report, the Editor will conduct an initial assessment to determine whether the allegation warrants further investigation. If necessary, the Editor may request clarification or additional documentation from the reporter, authors, reviewers, or other relevant parties.

The accused party will be given a fair opportunity to respond and provide explanations before any editorial decision is finalized, unless pre-emptive measures are required to preserve evidence or safeguard research integrity.

The journal adheres to strict confidentiality protocols and the principle of the presumption of innocence throughout the investigation. Allegations will not be deemed substantiated without sufficient evidence or formal findings.

Institutional Cooperation

If an allegation requires a formal investigation beyond the editorial scope or cannot be resolved through editorial inquiries, the Editor may notify the author’s affiliated institution or the entity where the research was conducted.

Formal investigations into research misconduct fall primarily under the jurisdiction of the relevant research institutions. The journal will cooperate with these institutions and consider their formal findings when determining appropriate editorial actions.

If an institution fails to respond adequately, the journal reserves the right to escalate the matter to appropriate governing authorities, depending on the case and applicable regulations.

Editorial Actions

Based on the assessment, evidence, respondent explanations, and institutional findings (where applicable), the journal may implement one or more of the following actions:

  1. Request clarification, raw data, or revisions from the authors.
  2. Resume the editorial process if the allegation is unproven or adequately addressed.
  3. Suspend editorial processing while the investigation is ongoing.
  4. Reject the manuscript if serious misconduct is identified or if manuscript integrity cannot be verified.
  5. Publish a Correction if minor errors are identified while the primary findings remain sound and reliable.
  6. Publish an Expression of Concern if serious concerns persist regarding the paper's integrity without immediate resolution.
  7. Issue a formal Retraction if there is compelling evidence that the findings or overall integrity of the article are compromised.
  8. Notify institutional authorities or relevant stakeholders of the outcome, in compliance with confidentiality standards.

Editorial decisions are made proportionally based on the severity, nature, evidence, and scientific impact of the misconduct. The journal does not issue institutional or employment sanctions against authors; such matters remain under the sole jurisdiction of the respective institutions.

Confidentiality and Archival Protection

All parties involved in handling allegations must maintain strict confidentiality throughout the proceedings, subject to legal obligations and the imperative to protect research record integrity.

Jurnal Gizi dan Dietetik Indonesia (Indonesian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics) is committed to preserving the accuracy and reliability of the scholarly record. Consequently, any decision to publish corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions will strictly adhere to evidence-based evaluation and COPE guidelines.

References

COPE, Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/guideline/principles-transparency-and-best-practice-scholarly-publishing

COPE, Guidelines: https://publicationethics.org/guidance?f%5B0%5D=type%3A21