Research Misconduct

The journal does not tolerate research or publication misconduct.

Research misconduct may include:

• plagiarism;
• data fabrication;
• data falsification;
• deliberate misrepresentation;
• duplicate publication;
• inappropriate image manipulation;
• citation manipulation;
• peer-review manipulation;
• fraudulent authorship;
• false institutional information;
• fabricated references;
• misrepresentation of ethical approval; or
• systematic manipulation of the publication process.

Where misconduct is suspected, the journal may request:

• original research data;
• interview records;
• research instruments;
• ethical approval documents;
• supporting documentation;
• source manuscripts; or
• explanations from the authors.

Where necessary, appropriate institutions may be contacted.

Corrective action may include rejection, correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

 

Related Policies:
Publication Ethics | Plagiarism & Similarity Screening | Corrections & Retractions