Allegation of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct refers to fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or plagiarism in producing, performing, or reviewing research and in writing it up, or in the reporting of research results. When authors are found to have been involved in research misconduct or other serious irregularities involving articles published in scientific journals, the editors have the responsibility to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the scientific records.

In cases of suspected misconduct, the editors and editorial board will use the best practices of COPE to assist them in resolving any complaint and addressing the misconduct fairly. This will include an investigation of the allegation by the editors. A submitted manuscript that is found to contain such misconduct will be rejected. In cases where a published paper is found to involve such misconduct, a retraction will be published and linked to the original article.

The first step in such a process involves determining the validity of the allegation and assessing whether it is consistent with the definition of research misconduct. This also involves determining whether the individuals alleging misconduct have relevant conflicts of interest.

If scientific misconduct or the presence of other substantial research irregularities is a possibility, the allegations will be shared with the corresponding author, who, on behalf of all of the co-authors, will be requested to provide a detailed response. After the response is received and evaluated, additional reviews and involvement of experts (such as statistical reviewers) may be needed. For cases in which it is unlikely that misconduct has occurred, clarifications, additional analyses, or both, published as letters to the editor, and often including a correction notice and correction to the published article, are sufficient.

Institutions are expected to conduct an appropriate and thorough investigation of allegations of scientific misconduct. Ultimately, authors, journals, and institutions have an important obligation to ensure the accuracy of scientific records. By responding appropriately to concerns about scientific misconduct, and taking necessary actions based on evaluation of such concerns, such as corrections, retractions with replacement, or retractions, Al-Hilal will continue to fulfill its responsibilities of ensuring the validity and integrity of the scientific record.

Retraction

The Walisongo Law Review is dedicated to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record. Consequently, there may be occasions when it becomes necessary to retract articles. Articles may be retracted if:

  • A significant scientific error would render the article's conclusions invalid, such as clear evidence of unreliability due to misconduct (e.g., data fabrication) or honest errors (e.g., miscalculations or experimental errors).
  • The findings have been previously published elsewhere without proper cross-referencing, permission, or justification, constituting cases of redundant publication.
  • Ethical concerns, such as plagiarism (the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without appropriate credit, including those obtained through confidential review of others' manuscripts) or inappropriate authorship, arise.

To ensure that retractions adhere to best publication practices and follow COPE Retraction Guidelines, the Walisongo Law Review follows this retraction process:

  • An article that may require retraction is brought to the attention of the journal editor.
  • Following COPE flowcharts, the journal editor follows step-by-step guidelines (including evaluating a response from the author of the article in question).
  • Before any action is taken, the editor's findings are submitted to the Ethics Advisory Board to ensure a consistent approach in line with industry best practices.
  • The final decision regarding retraction is communicated to the author and, if necessary, other relevant parties, such as the author's institution on occasion.
  • The retraction statement is then posted online and published in the next available issue of the journal (see below for more details about this step).
  • Please note that if authors retain copyright for an article, they automatically have the right to retract it after publication. The integrity of the published scientific record is of paramount importance, and COPE's Retraction Guidelines still apply in such cases.

Article Withdrawal

The Walisongo Law Review allows authors to withdraw submitted manuscripts as long as they have not signed the manuscript declaration once the manuscript has been accepted for publication. Since authors would be asked to sign the declaration once the manuscript is accepted, withdrawal can only be requested during the submission and review stages. Authors can send a letter directly to the journal's email indicating their intention to withdraw the detailed manuscript. 

Article Correction

The Walisongo Law Review may consider issuing a correction if:

  • A minor portion of an otherwise reliable publication contains flawed data or proves to be misleading, especially if this results from an honest error.
  • The Author or Contributor list is incorrect, such as a deserving Author being omitted or someone who does not meet authorship criteria being included.

Corrections to peer-reviewed content fall into three categories:

  • Publisher correction (erratum): To inform readers of a significant error made by publishing/journal staff (typically a production error) that impacts the publication record, scientific integrity, or the reputation of the Authors or the journal.
  • Author correction (corrigendum): To inform readers of a critical error made by the Authors that adversely affects the publication record, scientific integrity, or the reputation of the Authors or the journal.
  • Addendum: An addition to the article by the Authors to address inconsistencies, expand on the existing work, or provide explanations or updates regarding the information in the main work.

The decision on whether a correction is warranted is made by the Editor(s) of the journal, sometimes with input from Reviewers or Editorial Board members. Handling Editors will contact the Authors of the paper in question with a request for clarification, but the final decision about whether a correction is necessary and which type rests with the Editors. 

Article Removal

In rare cases, it may be necessary to remove a published article from our online platform. This action would only be taken if an article is defamatory, infringes on others' legal rights, is subject to a court order, or poses a severe health risk. In such circumstances, the article's metadata (title and author information) will be retained, but the text will be replaced with a notification indicating that the article has been removed for legal reasons. 

Article Replacement

In situations where an article, if acted upon, may pose a severe health risk, the Authors of the original paper may choose to retract the flawed original and replace it with a corrected version. In such cases, the procedures for retraction described above will be followed, with the difference that the article retraction notice will include a link to the corrected re-published article along with a history of the document.

The mechanism of retraction follows the Retraction Guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which can be accessed here