Allegation of Research Misconduct
Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or plagiarism in producing, performing, or reviewing research, writing an article, or reporting research results. When authors are found to have been involved with research misconduct or other serious irregularities pertaining to articles published in other scientific journals, the editors have a responsibility to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the scientific record.
In cases of suspected misconduct, the editors and editorial board will use the best practices of COPE to resolve the complaint and address the misconduct fairly. This will include an investigation of the allegation by the editors. A submitted manuscript found to be the product of such misconduct will be rejected. In cases where a published paper is found to contain such misconduct, a retraction will be published and linked to the original article.
Step 1:
The first step of this process involves determining the validity of the allegation. An assessment is made whether the allegation is consistent with the definition of research misconduct. This initial step also involves determining whether the alleged individuals have relevant conflicts of interest.
Step 2:
Suppose scientific misconduct or other substantial research irregularities are a possibility. In that case, the allegations are shared with the corresponding author, who is requested to provide a detailed response on behalf of the co-authors.
Step 3:
After the author’s response is received and evaluated, an additional review is done, possibly with the involvement of experts (such as statistical reviewers).
Step 4:
In cases where it is unlikely that misconduct has occurred, clarifications and/or additional analyses are published as letters to the editor. However, a correction notice may suffice.
Institutions are expected to conduct an appropriate and thorough investigation of allegations of scientific misconduct. Ultimately, authors, journals, and academic institutions must ensure the accuracy of the scientific record. By responding appropriately to concerns about scientific misconduct and taking necessary actions based on the evaluation of these concerns, the journal will continue to fulfill the responsibilities of ensuring the validity and integrity of the scientific record.
Retraction
A paper published in Teosofia: Indonesian Journal of Islamic Mysticism will be retracted in the following conditions are fulfilled:
- There is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a result of misconduct (e.g., data fabrication) or honest error (e.g., miscalculation or experimental error)
- The study has previously been published elsewhere without proper cross-referencing, permission, or justification (i.e., cases of redundant publication)
- It constitutes plagiarism
- It reports unethical research
The retraction mechanism follows the Retraction Guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which can be accessed at https://publicationethics.org/files/retraction%20guidelines.pdf.
