Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy

Indonesia Journal of Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy (IJEERE) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. The journal takes all allegations of research misconduct seriously, whether they concern submitted manuscripts or published articles.

All allegations of research misconduct are handled fairly, objectively, confidentially, and in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Definition and Types of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct refers to unethical practices that compromise the integrity, reliability, originality, or credibility of scholarly work.

IJEERE considers the following practices potential forms of research misconduct:

1. Fabrication: Inventing data, results, participant responses, community engagement activities, or program outcomes that did not actually occur.

2. Falsification: Manipulating research materials, evaluation instruments, participant records, photographs, data, or results to misrepresent community service activities and their outcomes.

3. Plagiarism: Using another person's ideas, text, data, images, or scholarly work without appropriate acknowledgment or citation.

4. Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Publishing or submitting substantially identical manuscripts to multiple journals without proper disclosure.

5. Authorship Misconduct: Including individuals who do not meet authorship criteria, excluding eligible contributors, or changing authorship without appropriate consent.

6. Data and Image Manipulation: Altering photographs, charts, evaluation results, or supporting documentation in ways that misrepresent the implementation or outcomes of community service programs.

7. Ethical Violations: Conducting or reporting community engagement activities without obtaining necessary permissions, informed consent, or other applicable ethical approvals.

8. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest: Concealing financial, institutional, personal, or professional relationships that could influence the conduct or reporting of community service activities.

9. Peer-Review Manipulation: Providing false reviewer identities, interfering with the review process, or attempting to influence editorial decisions through unethical means.

10. Misrepresentation of Community Engagement: Reporting fictitious community partners, participants, training activities, intervention outcomes, or community impacts.

2. Reporting Allegations of Research Misconduct

IJEERE encourages authors, reviewers, editors, readers, community partners, and other stakeholders to report suspected research misconduct.

Allegations should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief through the journal's official contact information.

Reports should include, where available:

1. The title, author names, and DOI or URL of the manuscript or published article concerned.

2. A clear description of the alleged misconduct.

3. Supporting evidence or relevant documentation.

4. Information that may assist the editorial team in evaluating the allegation.

Reports should be submitted in good faith and supported by reasonable evidence. The journal will take appropriate measures to protect the confidentiality of individuals involved, subject to applicable legal and institutional requirements.

3. Initial Assessment

Upon receiving an allegation, the Editor-in-Chief or designated editorial representative will conduct an initial assessment to determine whether the concern falls within the journal's responsibilities and whether sufficient information is available to warrant further examination.

The editorial team may:

1. Review the manuscript, published article, and available supporting documentation.

2. Examine similarity reports, data, photographs, evaluation instruments, or other relevant materials.

3. Request additional information from the complainant.

4. Consult editorial board members or independent experts who have no relevant conflicts of interest.

Allegations that are clearly unsupported may be closed with an appropriate explanation. Allegations presenting reasonable grounds for concern will proceed to further examination.

4. Investigation and Authors' Right to Respond

When an allegation requires further examination, the editorial team will contact the corresponding author and, where appropriate, other relevant authors to request an explanation and supporting evidence.

Authors will be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to the concerns raised.

The journal may request original data, program documentation, participant records with appropriate privacy safeguards, evidence of community partner involvement, ethical approval documents, or other relevant information.

Where a formal investigation is required, the journal may refer the matter to the authors' affiliated institutions or other competent authorities.

IJEERE recognizes that formal investigations of research misconduct may require institutional authority and access to evidence beyond the journal's editorial responsibilities.

Editorial decisions will be based on the available evidence, the authors' responses, and the outcome of any relevant institutional investigation.

5. Editorial Actions and Sanctions

If research misconduct is substantiated, IJEERE may take appropriate editorial action depending on the nature and severity of the violation.

For manuscripts under review, possible actions include:

1. Requesting clarification or correction.

2. Suspending the editorial or peer-review process.

3. Rejecting the manuscript.

4. Referring serious concerns to the authors' affiliated institutions.

For published articles, possible actions include:

1. Publishing a correction when the scholarly record can be reliably amended.

2. Issuing an expression of concern when serious questions remain unresolved.

3. Retracting an article when its findings or reporting are unreliable or serious publication ethics violations have been established.

4. Notifying relevant institutions or other parties when justified by the circumstances.

Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions will be handled in accordance with the journal's applicable editorial policies and relevant COPE guidance.

6. Confidentiality and Fairness

IJEERE is committed to handling allegations impartially and maintaining appropriate confidentiality throughout the assessment and investigation process.

The journal will:

1. Avoid premature judgments before reviewing available evidence.

2. Provide affected authors with an opportunity to respond.

3. Protect confidential information and personal data.

4. Manage potential conflicts of interest among individuals handling allegations.

5. Maintain appropriate records of allegations, correspondence, assessments, and editorial decisions.

Confidentiality may be limited when disclosure is necessary for institutional investigation, legal compliance, or the protection of the scholarly record.

7. Responsibilities of Authors, Reviewers, and Editors

Authors are responsible for ensuring the authenticity, accuracy, originality, and ethical conduct of their reported community service activities. Authors must retain relevant supporting documentation and cooperate with reasonable editorial inquiries.

Reviewers are expected to report suspected misconduct identified during peer review and to maintain the confidentiality of unpublished manuscripts.

Editors are responsible for assessing allegations objectively, managing conflicts of interest, protecting the integrity of editorial decisions, and taking proportionate action when concerns are substantiated.

8. Post-Publication Allegations

IJEERE considers credible allegations of research misconduct even after an article has been published.

Published articles may be re-examined when new evidence indicates potential fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, ethical violations, or other serious concerns affecting the reliability of the scholarly record.

The journal will determine whether a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or other editorial response is appropriate based on the findings.

9. Commitment to Publication Integrity

IJEERE is committed to promoting responsible scholarly publishing and maintaining public trust in published community service and community engagement activities.

All allegations will be evaluated in a fair, evidence-based, and proportionate manner, with due consideration for the rights and responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editors, community partners, and other relevant stakeholders.

This policy is informed by the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).