Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy

1. Commitment to Research Integrity

Jurnal MSA (Matematika dan Statistika serta Aplikasinya) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity, academic honesty, transparency, and ethical scholarly publishing.

The journal takes all allegations of research misconduct seriously and is committed to addressing suspected violations through fair, objective, confidential, and evidence-based procedures.

Jurnal MSA follows the principles and recommendations established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in handling allegations of research and publication misconduct.

This policy applies to manuscripts under editorial consideration, accepted manuscripts, published articles, and the conduct of authors, editors, reviewers, and other parties involved in the publication process.

2. Definition and Types of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct refers to practices that compromise the integrity, reliability, originality, or ethical conduct of scientific research and scholarly publication.

Research and publication misconduct may include, but is not limited to, the following:

  1. Fabrication: Inventing research data, mathematical results, statistical observations, computational outputs, or experimental findings that were not actually obtained.

  2. Falsification: Manipulating research materials, datasets, analytical procedures, statistical results, or computational findings in a manner that misrepresents the research.

  3. Plagiarism: Using another person's ideas, words, mathematical proofs, methodologies, algorithms, data, or research findings without appropriate acknowledgment.

  4. Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Publishing substantially the same research findings in multiple journals without appropriate disclosure or justification.

  5. Authorship Misconduct: Inappropriately including, excluding, or modifying authorship or misrepresenting individual contributions to the research.

  6. Citation Manipulation: Deliberately adding irrelevant references or manipulating citations to artificially increase citation counts or influence bibliometric indicators.

  7. Data Manipulation and Misrepresentation: Selectively reporting, modifying, suppressing, or misrepresenting research data and analytical results in a misleading manner.

  8. Peer Review Manipulation: Attempting to influence the peer review process through false reviewer identities, fabricated recommendations, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or other deceptive practices.

  9. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest: Failure to disclose relevant financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that may influence research interpretation or editorial decisions.

  10. Misrepresentation of Research Methods: Providing misleading descriptions of mathematical procedures, statistical assumptions, computational algorithms, software implementations, or research methodologies.

Unintentional errors, legitimate scientific disagreements, and differences in methodological interpretation do not automatically constitute research misconduct. Such matters will be evaluated according to their nature, available evidence, and potential impact on the reliability of the research.

3. Reporting Allegations of Research Misconduct

Jurnal MSA welcomes credible reports concerning suspected research misconduct in submitted or published manuscripts.

Allegations may be submitted by authors, reviewers, editors, readers, researchers, academic institutions, or other concerned parties.

Reports should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief through the journal's official communication channels.

Whenever possible, allegations should include:

  1. Identification of the manuscript or published article concerned.

  2. A clear description of the suspected misconduct.

  3. Supporting evidence, relevant documents, or references.

  4. An explanation of how the alleged misconduct may affect research integrity.

  5. Contact information for further clarification, where available.

Anonymous allegations may be considered when accompanied by sufficiently specific and verifiable evidence.

All allegations will be handled with appropriate confidentiality, impartiality, and respect for the rights of the parties involved.

4. Preliminary Assessment of Allegations

Upon receiving an allegation of research misconduct, the Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor will conduct an initial assessment to determine whether the allegation is sufficiently credible and requires further investigation.

The preliminary assessment includes:

  1. Reviewing the nature and substance of the allegation.

  2. Examining the available evidence and relevant documentation.

  3. Determining whether the allegation concerns research integrity, publication ethics, or an ordinary scholarly disagreement.

  4. Assessing the potential impact of the suspected misconduct on the reliability of the manuscript or published article.

  5. Identifying any conflicts of interest that may affect the impartiality of the assessment.

Allegations that are unsupported, demonstrably unfounded, or outside the journal's editorial responsibility may be closed with appropriate documentation.

Allegations supported by credible evidence will proceed to further examination.

5. Investigation and Author Clarification

When preliminary findings indicate a reasonable possibility of research misconduct, the editorial team will initiate appropriate procedures for clarification and examination.

The process may include:

  1. Notifying the corresponding author of the concerns identified.

  2. Requesting written explanations and relevant supporting documentation.

  3. Examining research data, statistical analyses, computational procedures, mathematical derivations, or other materials relevant to the allegation.

  4. Consulting independent subject-matter experts when specialized technical evaluation is required.

  5. Requesting clarification from other co-authors when necessary.

  6. Referring serious or complex allegations to the relevant academic institution or research integrity authority.

Authors will be provided with a reasonable opportunity to respond before a substantive editorial decision is made.

The journal's examination focuses on safeguarding the scholarly publication record. Formal investigations into institutional or individual research misconduct may be referred to the relevant research institutions or competent authorities.

The journal will cooperate with institutional investigations and consider their findings when determining appropriate editorial actions.

6. Editorial Decision-Making Process

Jurnal MSA implements an evidence-based editorial decision-making process when handling allegations of research misconduct.

Depending on the findings, the following decisions may be taken:

6.1. No Evidence of Misconduct

If the allegation is unsupported by credible evidence, the case may be closed and the normal editorial or publication process may continue.

6.2. Clarification or Revision Required

If the concerns involve insufficient reporting, unclear methodological descriptions, citation errors, or correctable inconsistencies, the authors may be requested to provide clarification or revise the manuscript.

6.3. Further Investigation Required

If credible allegations remain unresolved, editorial processing may be temporarily suspended while additional evidence is examined or an institutional investigation is conducted.

6.4. Manuscript Rejection

If serious research misconduct is established during the editorial process, the manuscript may be rejected.

The journal may also communicate relevant concerns to the authors' institutions when appropriate.

6.5. Post-Publication Action

If research misconduct or substantial reliability concerns are identified after publication, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the nature and severity of the findings.

All editorial decisions must be supported by documented evidence, appropriate consideration of the authors' explanations, and applicable publication ethics principles.

7. Handling Allegations After Publication

Allegations involving published articles will be evaluated according to their potential impact on the integrity and reliability of the scholarly record.

When necessary, Jurnal MSA may implement the following measures:

Correction

A correction notice may be published when the identified errors or ethical concerns can be adequately resolved without compromising the overall reliability of the article.

Expression of Concern

An expression of concern may be issued when serious and credible questions about the integrity of a published article remain unresolved or when an investigation is ongoing.

Retraction

An article may be retracted when substantial evidence demonstrates that its findings are unreliable due to fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or other serious ethical violations.

Retraction notices will clearly explain the reasons for retraction and remain permanently linked to the original article.

Retracted articles will generally remain accessible as part of the scholarly record and will be clearly identified as retracted.

8. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for conducting and reporting research with honesty, accuracy, transparency, and accountability.

Authors must:

  1. Present original and reliable research findings.

  2. Ensure that research data, mathematical results, and statistical analyses are accurately reported.

  3. Maintain appropriate research records and supporting documentation.

  4. Disclose relevant conflicts of interest.

  5. Provide accurate information regarding authorship and individual contributions.

  6. Cooperate with legitimate editorial inquiries concerning research integrity.

  7. Promptly inform the journal of significant errors or ethical concerns identified after submission or publication.

Failure to cooperate with legitimate research integrity inquiries may be considered in editorial decision-making, but does not automatically establish misconduct.

9. Responsibilities of Editors and Reviewers

Editors and reviewers are responsible for supporting the integrity, fairness, confidentiality, and independence of the scholarly evaluation process.

Editors must ensure that allegations are evaluated impartially and that editorial decisions are not influenced by personal, professional, institutional, or financial interests.

Reviewers must promptly inform the editorial team if they identify suspected plagiarism, fabricated data, manipulated results, inappropriate citations, or other potential violations of research integrity.

Editors and reviewers must preserve the confidentiality of unpublished manuscripts and must not use information obtained through the editorial or peer review process for personal advantage.

Any editor or reviewer with a relevant conflict of interest must disclose the conflict and withdraw from the affected evaluation or decision-making process when appropriate.

10. Confidentiality and Protection of Reporting Parties

Jurnal MSA is committed to maintaining confidentiality during the assessment and investigation of allegations of research misconduct.

The identities of individuals reporting suspected misconduct will be protected to the extent reasonably possible and consistent with fair investigation procedures and applicable requirements.

Information relating to ongoing investigations will only be disclosed to individuals or institutions with a legitimate need to know.

All parties involved are expected to act professionally, avoid unsupported public accusations, and respect the rights of individuals affected by the allegations.

11. Appeals and Requests for Reconsideration

Authors who disagree with an editorial decision concerning alleged research misconduct may submit a written request for reconsideration to the Editor-in-Chief.

Requests must include a clear explanation of the grounds for appeal and relevant supporting evidence.

The appeal will be evaluated objectively and, where appropriate, by an editor or independent party who was not directly involved in the original decision.

A request for reconsideration does not automatically suspend a correction, expression of concern, or retraction deemed necessary to protect the scholarly record.

The journal will communicate the outcome of the reconsideration process through its official communication channels.

12. Cooperation with Research Institutions

Jurnal MSA recognizes that research institutions play an essential role in maintaining research integrity and conducting formal investigations into alleged research misconduct.

When appropriate, the journal may communicate documented concerns to the relevant institution, research integrity office, or other competent authority.

The journal will cooperate with legitimate institutional investigations by providing relevant editorial records and evidence, subject to applicable confidentiality requirements.

Findings from institutional investigations will be carefully considered when determining whether editorial corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions are necessary.

13. Policy Statement

Jurnal MSA maintains a zero-tolerance position toward deliberate research misconduct and is committed to responding to all credible allegations through fair, consistent, and evidence-based procedures.

The journal reserves the right to suspend editorial processing, request additional documentation, reject manuscripts, issue post-publication corrections, publish expressions of concern, or retract articles when justified by the available evidence.

All procedures are guided by the principles of research integrity, editorial independence, transparency, proportionality, confidentiality, and the ethical standards recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Through the implementation of this policy, Jurnal MSA seeks to maintain public confidence in scholarly research and safeguard the credibility of publications in mathematics, statistics, and their applications.